The Better Angels Of Our Nature - 2252 Words

The history of human nature has been bloody, painful, and even destructive. Nonetheless, before understanding their environments humans used to kill each other based on their own mindset on the ideal of violence, and what it actually meant. Pinker describes narratives of violent acts from the past, that today are foreign to us. He gives us a tour of the historical human violence and how the violence in human nature has changed throughout time. The main idea from Pinker’s book,â€Å"The Better Angels of Our Nature , is â€Å"for all the dangers we face today, the dangers of yesterday were even worse.† He provides its readers with explicit violent stories beginning from 8000 BCE to now, and describes how violence has evolved from a blood lost to more of a peaceful existence. In chapter one, A Foreign Country, Pinker starts off with the phrase, â€Å"life used to be violent and brutal† (Pinker; pg.1) Is that so?! Well, he takes it back to 8000 BCE until around 1970’s, to illustrate flashbacks of how history has prone to be more brutal than we thought. Societies during this time were tribes and free societies, in where men can do as he please. He describes the studies of many archeologists, radiologists, and forensic scientists, whom have become captivated with prehistoric remains that have yielded worldwide interests, as some have actually become part of museum exhibits. Particularly one in Britain, where â€Å"many visitors have been charmed by Lindow Man, an almost perfectly preservedShow MoreRelatedThe Better Angels Of Our Nature1209 Words   |  5 Pagesthe past. In this paper, just as pinker did in his book â€Å"The Better Angels of our Nature†, I will also argue that violence has decreased tremendously over the centuries by using numerous evidence and statistical data. The Pacification process, Civilizing process, and other sanctions throughout millenniums are just some of the changes that resulted in the decline of violence throughout history. In his book â€Å"The Better Angels of our Nature†, Pinker uses works from Homeric Greece, evidence from The OldRead MoreReview Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker1262 Words   |  6 Pagesdecline in warfare since 1990, examining the human nature approach of Steven Pinker, the shorter-term factors proposed by John Mueller and the alternative â€Å"New Wars† theory championed by Mary Kaldor. In combination, these approaches provide a general summary of the major strains of â€Å"declinist† literature and demonstrate the challenges of assessing the changing political violence and armed conflict after the Cold War. In â€Å"The Better Angels of our Nature†, Steven Pinker claims that the decline of warRead MoreThe Architecture Of Doom And Steven Pinker s The Better Angels Of Our Nature1535 Words   |  7 Pagesuses our inner demon of ideology to suppress our inner angels for his own gain. Hitler and those who, according to The Architecture of Doom, had also been denied by the world of art created his own ideology of beauty. This ideology of beauty required a pureness of blood, a cleanlier people to create a more perfect nation. Hitler used his artistic abilities to create a distorted vision of those he felt weren’t worthy. The Architecture of Doom and Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature showRead MoreAnalysis On Being Human Essay942 Words   |  4 Pagessuch as angels. Readers may also guess, by comparing this idea to the poems title On Being Human, that he intends to go on to compare this idea with our experience of the world from the implied lowliness of manki nds perspective. Students may wonder where the latter implication comes from, and in this, at the beginning of the poem at least, C.S. Lewis is no help at all in referring to a mysterious they who apparently hold that angels use intelligence alone to comprehend the forms of nature, notRead MoreThe Devil And His Fellow Evil Angels1428 Words   |  6 PagesThesis: Contrary to popular views, the devil and his fellow evil angels are real threats and enemies to the world, raging an all-out war against Christians, but it is important to remember that we are not fighting this war alone—God is there fighting for us. I. Today’s view of the Devil and evil angels is almost a laughable view, or, as Lyle Lange puts it, a â€Å"fun-loving prankster† (Lange, 183) a. One view is of a shoulder devil. i. This is a devil with pointy horns and a trident in a full-body redRead MoreThe Spiritual Influence Of Angelology And Demonology782 Words   |  4 Pageswith this class. I have a healthy understanding of how the various mythologies of different cultures and societies through these many thousands of years have effected our interpretation of both angels and demons. All of the various readings throughout this course have built layer upon layer as to the diverse ideas concerning angels and demons. My personal presuppositions clearly have been influenced while opening my eyes to long held misconceptions as well as solidifying other concepts of interpretationRead MoreAnalysis Of Abraham Lincoln s First Inaugural Address1225 Words   |  5 PagesIn Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, he mentions that â€Å"the better angels of our nature† will soon become prominent again within the Union. The better angels of our nature can be better understood by describing the â€Å"angels† as the morals and redeeming qualities that make people human. These â€Å"angels† include empathy, compassion, hope, joy, love, and the desire to strive for more. In Christianity, these â€Å"angels† could also be related the fruits of the spirit; the characteristics that come fromRead MoreTess of the DUberville1525 Words   |  7 PagesCharacters and Brief Description (include quotes): Tess Durbeyfield: oldest in family, beautiful, naà ¯ve, innocent, immature, runs away from her problems, prioritizes family first, believes anything Angel says. â€Å"Tess Durbeyfield at this time of her life was a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience.† Angel Clare: handsome, intelligent, youngest of 3 sons, father is a parson, expected to follow the rules of the church but instead rebels because he does not fully agree with the teachings of the churchRead MoreThe Role Of Russian Literature : The Pinnacle Of The World Of Humanity1314 Words   |  6 Pages The role of Russian literature is very difficult to interpret. This multifaceted role as literature itself. Gorky wrote Our literature - our pride. The pinnacle of the world of humanity - called Russian literature. Classical Russian literature - is a model for many people. All the same, Maxim Gorky wrote: Giant Pushkin - the greatest pride in our and most complete expression of the spiritual forces of Russia, and merciless to yourself and others Gogol, yearning Lermontov, sad Turgenev, wrathfulRead MoreA Very Old Man With Enormous Wings : A Tale For Children1534 Words   |  7 PagesHe also unwillingly challenged Father Gonzaga as he was deciphering whether the old man was an an gel or not and if his superiors in Rome would approve of it. Throughout the story, we see how the townspeople and the central characters interact with the old man with wings, and as a result, their attitude towards him reveals the essence of human nature that we can be blinded by appearances and swayed by our own prejudices about something. First of all, in order to understand the townspeople’s attitude

Eliot and Lawrence Free Essays

T. S. Eliot and D. We will write a custom essay sample on Eliot and Lawrence or any similar topic only for you Order Now H. Lawrence – Compare and Contrast their Techniques and Themes T. S. Eliot and D. H. Lawrence, although they are both contemporary authors of Modernist period, express different values and techniques. They are both born in 1880s when the world enters the industrial age. While both witness the dynamic transition, they both criticize the modernity but in different methods. Two authors’ relations regarding techniques and themes would be analyzed by comparing Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915) and Lawrence’s two poem – How Beastly the Bourgeois is (1929) and Bavarian Gentians (1923). Eliot and Lawrence both display modernistic aspects. Modern middle class of England, so called Bourgeois is strongly criticized in Lawrence’s poem, How Beastly the Bourgeois is. The title itself clearly demonstrates Lawrence’s hostility towards bourgeois. The poem begins describing how bourgeois seem fancy outside. However, if he were let to be â€Å"faced with another man’s need, or to a bit of moral difficulty (11-12), he goes soggy like a wet meringue (13). He is all wormy and hollow inside just like an old mushroom. To Lawrence, bourgeois hold every aspect of cultural decay in the modern Western world. One of typical modernist tactic is to criticize modernity which includes the suddenly enhanced status of the middle class who lack corresponding intellectuals. Eliot also demonstrates Modernism. He was a key figure of Modernism and was so important a figure that the early Modernism era in 19th century is also called ‘The Age of Eliot’. In The Metaphysical Poets, written in 1915, he introduces his thoughts on what distinct features ‘Modern’ or ‘Metaphysical’ poets should use. Although his early poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is published prior to the book review, it also displays modernistic features. First of all, Prufrock, the speaker of the poem, is not going for ‘telos’. His utterances are not logically connected and thus fail to be accumulated into certain purpose. In this poem, his objective would be to declare his love as the title implies. However, all he does is to vision and revision (33). Constantly suggesting something bold but never do as so, he doesn’t move forward but always retreat. And indeed there will be time To wonder, ‘Do I dare? ’ and, ‘Do I dare? ’ Time to turn back and descend the stair, (37-39) His impotent feelings are shown in lines 39 as he descend the stair or as he uses the word ‘digress’ (66). He keeps inferring to ‘overwhelming question’ but it doesn’t lead to actions, which reminds of Bourgeois. Another similarity between Eliot and Lawrence’s poems is the coherent relationships between contents and structures. In Bavarian Gentians, gentians are compulsively modified by various embellishments. Bavarian gentians, big and dark, only dark arkening the daytime, torch-like, with the smoking blueness of Pluto’s gloom, 5ribbed and torch-like, with their blaze of darkness spread blue down flattening into points, flattened under the sweep of white day torch-flower of the blue-smoking darkness, Pluto’s dark-blue daze, black lamps from the halls of Dis, burning dark blue, giving off darkness, blue darkness, as Demeter’s pale lamps give off light, 10lead me then, lead the way. (3-10) Words or phrases such as â€Å"big and dark, only dark and again darkening the daytime† qualifies gentians and those embellishments don’t stop until the line 6 before the main verb ‘sweep’. Compulsive embellishments start again after the main verb, and what the speaker does from line 3 to 10 is just to describe how dark and blue the gentians are. This strikingly repetitive structure helps expressing the desperate desire the speaker has for deadly vitality. Bavarian gentians itself contains vitality as the word ‘Bavarian’ infers. Also, its role is to lead the speaker to underworld where ultimate source of vitality seems to reside. Prufrock’s utterances are wordy and redundant as well. For instance, he uses triplets from line 122 to 124. Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. (122-124) Triplet is a powerful technique to finish because it lets reader to feel that something is completed. However, Prufrock could not insist temptation to add some more. Right after the triplet, he continues as if he murmurs, â€Å"I do not think they will sing to me† (125). This endless revision mars the effect of the triplet and even makes it redundant. Triplet turns out to be in vain and this structure strengthens Prufrock’s indecisive character, in accordance with contents Eliot and Lawrence are also both talented in using vivid and powerful images. In How Beastly the Bourgeois is, Lawrence borrowed the hollow and damp image of mushroom to describe Bourgeois. It starts â€Å"Nicely groomed like a mushroom† which gives some humor to the poem. In Bavarian Gentians, repetition of dark and blue makes strong impressions. The gentians are like dark torch â€Å"darkening the daytime† (4) and â€Å"their blaze of darkness† (5) assign unimaginable darkness to the gentians. The vivid and powerful images of gentians are so impressive that it remains long after the poem is finished. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is also famous for shocking images, devised by Eliot’s attempt to achieve ‘sudden contrast’. When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table (2-3) This striking juxtaposition leaves strong images. Evening, like a patient etherized upon a table presents a symbolic landscape where Prufrocks’ unfruitful floundering eventually ends to be drowned. Line 8 to 9 also shows Eliot’s brilliance. The lines â€Å"tedious argument / Of insidious intent† (8-9) successfully secure the effect by putting unexpected words joined together. Eliot deliberately polished his lines to give exactly this unusual feeling. Samuel Johnson, however, criticized this kind of juxtaposition. He first named them ‘metaphysical’ poet with negative connotation. Also, he diminished the effect by arguing that in metaphysical poetry â€Å"the most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together† (Samuel Johnson, Cowley). However, Eliot rebutted Johnson’s review in The Metaphysical Poets. The poet must become more and more comprehensive, more allusive, more indirect, in order to force, to dislocate if necessary, language into his meaning. Furthermore, he encourages that poetry should include heterogeneity of material compelled into unity only differ in degree. While both Eliot and Lawrence create powerful images, their concepts of image are very different. Lawrence claims â€Å"poetry must be spontaneous, flexible, alive, ‘direct utterance from the instant, whole man,’ and should express the â€Å"pulsating, carnal self† (The Poetry of the Present, 1919). His version of successful poetry should contain raw feeling of instinctual self. On the contrary, Eliot is strongly against dissociation of sense and sensibility. Therefore from Eliot’s point of view, Lawrence’s inclination toward sensibility is not desirable. In Eliot’s point of view, Lawrence could even be categorized as a romantic poet. It is because Lawrence’s trust in instinctive raw feeling might relate him to Romanticism where human’s individual feelings were though highly of. Eliot endeavors to deliver image by letting people â€Å"feel their thought as immediately as the odour of a rose† (Metaphysical poet). For him, thoughts do not conflict with feelings. They are rather harmoniously joined together and produce memorable expressions. He used ‘allusion’ to achieve these effects. When classical literature is inserted as an allusion, a text is connected to another, enlarging the thought and feelings of the text. While Romanticism regards poets’ genius as important, Eliot regards classical texts as so. Meanwhile, Lawrence values poet’s genius above others as he tries to capture ecstatic moments of vitality through his vision as shown in Bavarian Gentians. Eliot might advise Lawrence to control his overwhelming passions and use classical literature instead, for old texts often possess depths which enlarge the meaning of poetries. For example, an epigraph attached to the Love Song alludes to Dante’s Inferno. Guido confesses his sins to Dante only because he thought Dante would not be able to escape from the inferno and infamy him. Guido’s utterance takes place because Guido presumes that his utterance would mean nothing as if it has never existed. Prufrocks’s utterances are also facing ontological question. Unlike its title, love is neither ever achieved nor even declared. He confesses â€Å"It’s impossible just to say what I mean! † (104). His utterances fail without accomplishing any goal. Therefore, the epigraph arranged rich context in accordance with Prufrock’s situation. Although Lawrence might be related to Romanticism with regard to his trust in human instinct, he is not Romantic poet. Contrary to typical Romanticism which tends to be often criticized for its idealistic detachment, Lawrence sings the vitality of human instinct, closely related to reality. In Bavarian Gentians, the speaker does not fly away from reality but rather goes underground and face the reality of realities – death. Gentians’ dark and blue power guides the speaker to enter into the presence of Pluto. Were it not been for his desire for the essence of vitality, this brevity to face death would not be possible. Lawrence â€Å"takes off his mask of persona unlike other romantic poets such as Wordsworth and Yeats† (J. Kim, Lawrence) and vigorously recites his raw feeling as it is. As Eliot pursues to â€Å"incorporate erudition into sensibility† (Metaphysical Poets), he would prefer Bavarian Gentians to How Beastly the Bourgeois is. While Lawrence exposes direct feeling in both poems, Bavarian Gentians uses myths of Persephone or Odysseus. and Persephone herself is but a voice r a darkness invisible enfolded in the deeper dark of the arms Plutonic, and pierced with the passion of dense gloom, among the splendor of torches of darkness, shedding darkness on the lost bride and her groom. (16-20) Persephone or ‘the lost bride and her groom’ could be seen as allusions as it strengthens both the images of life and death. Persephone, combined with his mother Demet er, symbolizes uncontrollable vitality of land. Within this context, it become more persuasive that the speaker does go underground searching for essence of vitality retained in death. Regardless of their different techniques and themes, Eliot and Lawrence deliver messages and images vibrating with energy. They are contemporary poets with critical minds. Each took different measures to depict problems but both proved to be effective. Eliot who went over to England in pursuit of ‘tradition’, he referenced other works of literature within his text. This technique, called ‘allusion’ enabled Eliot’s text to be equipped with richer context in which the texts could be more delicately understood. Lawrence, on the other hand, focused more on expressing innate vitality of human being just like a person who was passionate enough to elope with his lover. He created direct and vivid images. Ceaselessly correcting himself, Prufrock loses his momentum. Eliot shows alienated character without making any adjustments. He rather chooses to borrow classical literature to round Prufrock’s character. Lawrence, meanwhile, tries to solve the problem of his era by suggesting the power of vitality. He urges others to pursue the vital power to the end, even till one faces death, where the essence of the power could be found. (1835 words) How to cite Eliot and Lawrence, Essay examples

The Opium Wars Britain Invades China Essay Sample free essay sample

â€Å"Opium teaches merely one thing. which is that aside from physical agony. there is nil existent. † In the 1800’s British was a steamroller and China were egotistic. China remained wholly isolated from most of the universe in every facet including foreign trade. which was limited to the metropolis of Canton. Despite holding stiff authorities ordinances foreign trade bit by bit grew someplace between the 18Thursdayand 19Thursdaycentury. But as trade flourished the Western powers found themselves at an increasing trade shortage with China. This happened for the simple ground that China was a self sufficient economic system and hence had small or no involvement in western goods. Finally in the twelvemonth 1820 the West penetrated Chinese markets with one good they didn’t possess of course. opium. ( Malraux. 1965 ) Between the old ages 1829 and 1855 smuggling of the drug opium expanded throughout China’s South Coast. At the morning of 1820 9708 thoraxs of opium were smuggled but within a decennary grew to 35445 thoraxs about 400 % addition. At the morning of 1830 opium was strongly associated with China. Approximate every adult male below the age of 40 consumed opium. including bulk of the ground forces. All societal categories were affected the upper category to the provincials. Somewhere about the late 1930’s there were 12 million nuts in China. Due to this high rate of smuggling the antecedently held trade shortage by the Western states was now converted into a trade excess. China was greatly set back. The economic system was crippled by this pestilence. China on the other manus could non export plenty silk and tea to cut down the increasing shortage. To battle this Chinese authorities had to get down exporting their much valued Ag ; by 1836 the Chinese authorities exported about 4. 5 million worth of Ag. While by the twelvemonth 1839 opium tobacco users spent about 100 million taels whereas the authorities gross was merely 40 million taels. This drained and weakened the Chinese economic system. ( James. 1992 ) Such annihilating conditions needed redress and in 1838 Lin Tse-hsu was called upon to the Imperial Palace and assigned him to the obliteration of opium in China. Lin accepted the assignment cognizing he faced an acclivitous undertaking. Opium addicts grew to border 2 million and the concentration remained near the port metropolis on Canton where aliens smuggled immense sums of opium. Although the usage of opium had been banned since 1800 but black markets flourished and were hard to restrict. One of his first moves was to take over naval forces and collar all known opium traders. He besides set up intervention centres for nuts trusting to bring around this complaint. Over the months he enforced Torahs and collected half a million lb of opium and destroyed it but the British still went out of their manner to withstand Chinese Torahs and went down the Canton port to a Portuguese controlled port of Macao. This is the same topographic point where William John Napier tried to convert Chi nese functionaries to reconsider but without success. But even Lin Tse-hsu was unable to hold a permanent impact on curtailing the British. On March 27. 1839 Charles Elliot. British Superintendent of Trade ordered all bargainers to manus over the opium and go on trade ; they besides signed an understanding to avoid trade in opium under the decease punishment. In add-on Lin-Tse-hue issued a memorial to Queen Victoria oppugning the ethical motives of their authorities. No response from the British authorities or the merchandisers but in 1840 the British Indian Army arrived and during the struggle their high quality was rather apparent. Devasted China sued for peace where the British greatly benefitted with extortionate privileges. This wasn’t the terminal of the so called Opium War. in 1956 Chinese functionaries boarded a provateer’s vas registered under the British. and with a license of a twelvemonth the Chinese functionaries accused theArrowof drug smuggling. The British functionaries retaliated by impeaching the Chinese of disfiguring the British flag while review. The 2nd opium war started when the British attacked Guangzhou Gallic forces joined in and many other states got involved diplomatically. The Treaty of Tainjin was eventually agreed to after a twosome of old ages reluctantly. In 1859 perturbation erupted as China refused the puting up of the British Embassy in Beijing. where the British set fire to the summer castle after considerable robbery. Brused and battered at the Convention of Peking in 1860. seting and stop to the war and yielding to British demands of legalising opium. After all that had happened in the early 1900’s the Chinese authorities fought hard to cut down if non eliminate the usage of opium. The primary trouble faced by the Chinese authorities was that the indulgence and ingestion of this drug was by all categories of the society. Bing the national stimulation. the authorities lost gross which had to do up by infliction of other revenue enhancements and that opium proved to be more profitable than cultivation o f necessary cereals. ( Opium in China. neodymium ) The opium war had assorted long-run deductions. First the economic deductions. with the gap of the five ports to British trade flourished. These ports were centrally located in the most developed parts of China ; export of tea was up to 7500000 kilograms and silk up to 2000 bales in 1843. With addition in demand for silk and tea husbandmans shifted businesss and nutrient monetary values were driven up. With more ports opened local coolies and boaters lost occupations. Freight trafficking increased but every bit much to counterbalance the loss in occupations. The hiking in trade activities resulted in pecuniary crisis. the volume of trade cased a deficit of Spanish dollar and aggravated it to appreciate out of proportion. and so the Mexican Dollar was introduced. The crisis magnified with the gap of China’s economic system due to internal crisis. The Chinese Cu hard currency depreciated due to faulty disposal and deficit of Cu supply. With fiscal system capitulating paper money was eventually introduced in 1853. The most badly affected was the fabric industry. with imports of cheaper machines the monetary value of merchandises went down. Resulting in lower criterions of life. doing a cardinal alteration to the economic system of China. Although. China was doing a move towards a market economic system. Foreign exposure speeded up the procedure. but left China ill equipped to vie in foreign and domestic markets. On one manus such alteration undermined China’s autonomy. the urban and rural handcraft industries while on the other manus it bought great development chances. ( James. 1992 ) Second. the societal. political and ideological effects of the opium war caused China to recognize and detect many societal and political thoughts. Concepts of capitalist economy and democracy. and international diplomatic ties were all made known. It became empirical to larn from the West. to contend with the West. Chinese besides set up a foreign ministry of a kind to analyze technological promotions and modernness of warfare. Factories to provide for the depleted and old fashioned ground forcess were besides set up. With western intercession capitalist economy flourished ensuing in new industries shooting all over. Sadly these industries were run by administrative officials. They ran these industries as if for non-profit intents and created monopolies which prevented economic growing. Social economic China flourished but modern endeavors failed. still exciting growing of China capitalist economy. The War exposed many of the government’s weaknesses. The husbandmans had to sh oulder all the brunt and the economic system collapsed it encouraged many motions. With societal pandemonium prevalent. accommodating western patterns weren’t plenty. Private enterprises needed to last without authorities intercession. Besides the demand of a parliamentary system was emphasized. ( James. 1992 ) A war of any kind can take a batch of a state. The societal and economic deductions are seeable but the foundations are shattered to do wretchedness for the coevalss to come. The opium war was a consequence of the infliction of British domination on other weak states disregarding all ethical and moral evidences in carry oning their traffics. The opium war exposed China to the West. they believed their county was Heavenly Middle Kingdom and the emperor was considered to be the Son of Heaven. The war made China recognize its insufficiencies in societal and political Fieldss and take false impressions sing their domination. The pacts signed gifted the British and others to sully China. The exposure to capitalist economy did infact weaken China’s economic system but in the terminal helped them germinate and accommodate to new and efficient patterns. The war helped capitalist economy grow in China. ( Ryan. 2004 ) The opium war greatly weakened the authorities and accompanied with a prostration in economic system ensuing in high degrees on unemployment and poorness over the state. All these factors disruptedthe repose in the state. societal agitation every bit good as mutiny further weakened the foundations of the antecedently self-sufficing economic system. The war had such a annihilating impact that the seniors. functionaries and intellectuals of the state were forced to revise and plan new societal and political system for the state. Adaptation was called for ; functionaries realized that in order for China to recover past awards they had to larn from the West. Intellectuals began to analyze western states. On the other manus the authorities imported assorted modern engineerings to vie in assorted industries in both foreign and domestic industries. The impression of democratic regulation was being earnestly considered. It is to this extent did China hold to alter. This was opened China. It put China at the clemency of the West. The war made the Chinese recognize what a weak state they were. and the demand to beef up to forestall future disagreements feelings of patriotism and anti-western sentiments erupted. These issues play an of import portion in Chinese modern history. In the late 1600’s Chinese imported poppy seeds for medical interventions little did they cognize these seeds would make to loss of life and revamping of the whole economic system through war and devastation. Both the opium wars caused he sad death degree Fahrenheit Qing’s dynasty. China’s last imperial dynasty. Most would reason that the war bought foreword a much needed encouragement to modernness. the Chinese will ever see them as a dark page in history. greedy and barbarous battle. Mentions Boy. A. ( 2006 May 10 ) . Opium Wars. Retrieved February 27. 2008. from Scriptovia Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //scriptovia. com/document-landing. aspx? DocID=383 Carl A. Trocki. Opium. Empire and the Global Political Economy: A Study of the Asian Opium Trade. 1750-1950 ( London: Routledge. 1999 Chrastina. Paul ( 1920 ) . Opium Wars. Retrieved February 27. 2008. from Old News Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. oldnewspublishing. com/opium. htm Dale. Ryan ( 2004 ) . Global Problems. Global Responses. Retrieved February 29. 2008. from the national Association of Christian Recovery Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nacronline. com/dox/library/daler/global. shtml James. P ( 1992 ) . Opium Wars and Opening of China. Retrieved February 27. 2008. from Homestead Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //historyliterature. homestead. com/files/extended. html # Abstract Malraux. A. ( 1965 ) . Andre Malraux quotes. Retrieved February 27. 2008. from Think exist Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //en. thinkexist. com/quotes/andre_malraux/ USDHEW. Nida. ( 1978 ) . Opium in China ( 1700-1860 ) . Retrieved February 27. 2008. from APACHE Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //mojo. calyx. net/~schaffer/heroin/opichin1. hypertext markup language

What is race an Example by

What is race? The term race denotes the class one belongs in respect to some hereditary predispositions or characteristics. It is simply the classification of human beings into various categories depending on the likeness or similarities of their heritable character traits such as the color of their skin, texture of their hair or facial features. In this case, racism is the tendency to use ones race as the key determinant of how people should be treated thereby deeming some races as superior and others as inferior something that makes the latter be denied some rights, benefits or treatments. The essence of this paper is to illuminate light into what the term race according to various writers entails. Need essay sample on "What is race?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed According to Gilroy (2002), we have had very serious ramifications all attributed to racial thinking and classics examples of this is the killing of Jews in Germany by Hitler in what he termed as race purification and the suppression of blacks rights in the United States where oppressive Jim Crow rules were used. It is because of the issue of racism that African Americans were subjected to servitude in the Americas because they were regarded as hardy and energetic to work in plantations unlike other races. Those who are disadvantaged by racism try their best to challenge the density of racism they are accorded to them by others who consider themselves superior while the beneficiaries of the same fight for the status quo to remain. People who have historically been subordinated are trying to rise out of their racial cocoon demanding to be treated as human beings and not like objects through declassification of races (Gilroy, 2002; 12). Race itself is not something bad but its categorization has led to racial crisis in that important issues associated with ones race are ignored and given rise to others thereby paving way for more complicated problems. For people to free from racial thinking, people must be briefed on the historical importance of confronting it and why a step needs to be taken. Racism is something dynamic and is taking new form as time moves. There are many forms of race for example one that is tangible, that is one that can be used to trace ones origin a and another one which is subjective or that one which can be imposed on somebody through perception. In other situations, racism and its associated hostilities cease if one gets converted and behaves like the suppressor. It is because of this reason that Gilroy (2002) in his book challenges people to develop a constructive thinking where people are asked to reflect on the dangers of what he termed as race-thinking. He contends that racial thinking t hat has continued to persist even after people have made a significant move in bringing racism to an end bars the realization of fruits that democracy promises. In his book, Prophesy Deliverance, West (2002) poses a challenge to the blacks to adopt a Marxism approach into their thoughts and stop thinking that it is race itself that has rendered them powerless in the society. He contends that it is classification of races in a hierarchical manner that is the main reason why African Americans have remained down in the social ladder thereby being rendered powerless. This is the same thing that Gilroy (2000) tries to put across when he says that it is because of people trying to divide the society by using ones race to classify people that the progress that was achieved by Civil Rights Movement is waning. He brings to our attention how some achievements made by blacks in the 1960s for example in hip hop rise in the 1980s led them to be a respected race and at the same time shows how the place of black culture has been taken by corporate interests and cultural expressions. For this reason, people should stop thinking too much about the class they belong as it what has hampered the progress that was made by the civil rights movements in the 1960s. They should stop thinking that they are powerless because they belong to a particular class rather they should see racism as the problem. References: Gilroy, Paul. 2000. Against race: imagining political culture beyond the color line. 4th Edition. Harvard University Press. West, Cornel. 2002. Prophesy Deliverance! An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity. Westminster John Knox Press.

The major theme of Death of a Salesman Essay Example

The major theme of Death of a Salesman Essay Example The major theme of Death of a Salesman Paper The major theme of Death of a Salesman Paper Essay Topic: Death Of a Salesman The major theme of Death of a Salesman, above all else, is about Dreams and how they are the contributing factor of each characters perception of reality. The perception of reality that each character visualizes is of there own highest aspirations in life. The theme of dreams is the most important theme of Death of a Salesman, and I will be examining and comparing this particular theme with three other themes as well. These three themes are as follows: Honesty, Time and Performance. In completing my comparison of all four of these themes, I will weigh the importance of each one against the theme of Dreams, and as a result, come to a solid conclusion that indeed the theme of Dreams is the catalyst of the Lohman familys false perception of reality itself. In examining Death of a Salesman and a few of its most important themes, the theme of Dreams is certainly the most compelling and interesting of the four that I have selected. Each member of the Lohman family are all victims of their own false perception of reality. Their perception of reality is so out of focus that they are all blinded by their own aspirations of being something that they are not, as well as something that they cannot accomplish. This negativity towards the Lohman family is rightfully justified as a result of all three of the Lohman mens lack of ability to succeed and accomplish their very high aspirations. Death of a Salesman is dream-like, and as a result of this theme, it is evident that one of the main characters, Willy Lohman, is inside a dream that is made of life itself. Through Willy, the theme of dreams will be shown throughout the entire play more so then any other theme that I will be discussing. The hopes and dreams of all four members of the Lohman family rise out of reality. By this interpretation of their reality, it is easy to say that reality for the Lohman family is far from the truth. The one member of the Lohman family is far from the truth. The one member of the Lohman family that has any sense of reality is Willys wife, Linda Lohman. Linda tries to keep everything in perspective, and has a decent sense of reality even when her husband drills the idea and his false self confidence in regards to their financial situation into her head. Their financial situation is handled by Linda, yet Willy is the provider of the family and feels the need to always reassure Linda that he is making more then enough money to support the entire family. This is a false realization of the Lohman familys financial situation, and Willys ability to provide for his family the way he would like to will never be achieved. Death of a Salesman is not only about dreams, but about honesty, time and performance. These three themes will be discussed in comparison to the theme of dreams in the following two paragraphs. Willy Lohman had a dream, but this dream was based on Dishonesty. His dreams of being a well-known and prestigious salesman were only dreams, not reality, and should have been acknowledged as such. Unfortunately, Willys dreams of being a great man, as well as being a famous and popular salesman were foolish, yet not unattainable. At the same time, these self-images were very unrealistic and just not true. What Willy presents to his own family about his self-image is a false one, yet his oldest son Biff is infected by these false images of his father. In turn, he believes that he can accomplish and have anything he would like, even when he knows a particular thing is unattainable. Not only is Willy dishonest, but his two sons Biff and Happy are as well. Biff is dishonest several times during the play, and in one instance he stole, or as he claimed borrowed a football from his school claiming that he would return it the next day at school. Willy has two sides to himself most of the time when it comes to Biff. At times, Willy praises him saying how great he was and still is. Other times, he is complaining and venting off steam by talking down at Biff and speaking negatively of him. Because of Biffs false sense of security that his dreams have given him, the theme of dishonestly comes into play more so. This is the case due to the fact that this particular dishonestly would never have taken place if only Biff understood what it meant to be an honest guy. He never got a chance to due to his fathers perception of reality and his false dreams. Willy dreams that one day Biff will become something big, something that he could be proud of. Unfortunately, Biff is incapable of achieving his fathers high expectations for him, and gets very frustrated at times as a result. These dreams are the cause of this particular dishonesty-filled scenario, thus giving the theme of dreams the most importance and acknowledgement. Willy is the most dishonest of all characters in Death of a Salesman, and as such is prime subject of this theme. Willys aspirations and dreams slowly become smaller and as he has grown older, he begun to realize that he is living a lie, a dream. As a result of this realization, he tries to kill himself. Willy is also unsatisfied with his wife Linda at times, so he cheats on her with a woman from Boston. He tries to lie his way out of it, yet is unsuccessful. This is yet another example of his dishonestly. His dreams of wealth not only for his family, but for himself, are very far-fetched. These aspirations, false dreams, and dishonestly were ultimately the death of Willy Lohman.

Caribbean History

History of the Caribbean I. Note on Historical Methodology: The traditional method of historical research includes chronologically ordered processes. For example, the history of the New World or in particular the history of the Caribbean seems to have started in 1492 when Columbus mistakenly landed on Hispanola. Shortly after the discovery of the New World, colonialism appeared in North and South America in Europe. A summary version of Europe's influence in the New World over the past decades is a general historical record of the early Caribbean history. The concept of slavery, colonialism, race is an indelible aspect of the history of the Caribbean. In order to understand the current political, social, economic and cultural climate of the Caribbean, we must critically study and understand the influence of slavery in the modern Caribbean society. The model and complexity of the modern Caribbean society is closely related to the colonial planting system. And it welcomes the arrival of the largest immigrants in history. The history of contemporary America actually starts with the modern history of the Caribbean Sea. Beginning in the late 15th century when the Europeans entered the so-called New World, the Caribbean played the most important role in the development of events that would then shake the foundation of the whole world. The African, European and Caribbean indigenous gatherings are one of the most interesting and important aspects of world history. In this area, people can feel the worst aspect of inhumanity, which is in line with the story of human spiritual survival and victory. The history of the Caribbean is like a drama, it is a continuous legend of various wars, conquer various kinds, and most important is to resist. Caribbean is basically a series of short stories including several selected characters, covering the six hundred years of Caribbean history. CARIBBEAN combines facts and fiction, fusing unparalleled Michelle fashion style, from conflic t between peaceful Arawaks and thirsty Caribbean to the rapid development of contemporary Miami and the Cuban community . On this tour, readers will introduce Sir Francis Drake, Henry Morgan, Horatio Nelson, blood-hungry Victor Hughes, Heroes Toussaint Rouver Toure, Thomas Carlyle, and Fidel Kas. Throwing, others. Mixed with these historical figures represents countless men and women who created modern heaven such as British, Spanish, French naval officers and generals, sugar producers, colonial officers, slaves, etc. It is a fictitious character. , Its descendants, and various ethnic groups that contribute to the unique genetic mixing of the area

The Joint Intelligence Committee model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Joint Intelligence Committee model - Essay Example The most sparkling thing with the Joint Intelligence Committee is that the committee has managed to maneuver all the critics and scandals that are likely to occur in such a remarkable organization and of high value. According to Aldrich (1992, pp.112) Joint Intelligence Committee is a success that the British government has enjoyed for a long period of time. With time, the Joint Intelligence Committee has attained the label of the government’s flagship. Other researchers have traced the reports of the Britain’s central intelligence in the quest for looking for information that answers all questions that pertain to the Joint Intelligence Committee. In fact, other analysts have made a great attempt to trace the works of the Joint Intelligence Committee’s former chairman, all in an endeavor to understand their records and thoughts on the Committee. This essay will undertake a detailed research on the Joint Intelligence Committee by analyzing the works of various analysts who have undertaken a great percentage of their time to conduct a detailed research on the project. For an understanding of the project, it is important to evaluate the parallel systems in other countries, to comprehend the effectiveness of the Committee. In as much the Joint Intelligence Committee has recorded massive failures whilst in its operations, notable- the onset and closing stages of the cold war- it is important that, both sides of the operations are weighed to avoid bias wile taking the final conclusion. For instance, if the Joint Intelligence Committee is judged on the basis that, it was able to predict the attack of the Soviet bomb to the Britons by 1954, but occurred by 1949, would be taking a harsh stand on the ability of the Joint Intelligence Committee to create a situation whereby they are able to come up with workable solutions on the validi ty and reliability of the committee. 2.0. Brief history on the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) has had the longest history prior to its establishment. Grant (2009, pp.178) indicates that, the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) traces its roots to the early 1940s. During this period, the Committee played the role of a synchronizing the founder chiefs of the organizations in order to, have a stable base of operation. The major proponents of this Committee included, the directors and delegates of persons with intelligence form various governments’ settings like, UKs army, navy, Economic warfare as well as, the coordinator of information. The growth and development of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) was hastened by the 1947 National Security Amendment that made room for refurbishing the outmoded approach. It is after 1947, that the Committee witnessed hastened growth with the incorporation of persons with ideas on the advancing int elligence in all forms of the Committees’ systems and departments. For instance, it is at this time that, the Committee aimed at creating a situation whereby military intelligence is combined. However, the Committee did not manage to create a unified military intelligence attributes from Phythian’s (2005, pp.654) argument that, no evidence has been documented on the Committees’ statistics that national intelligence estimations are vivid. In response, research conducted by Aldrich (1992, pp.98), indicates that, the committee had to conduct a series of meetings in an attempt to alleviate the hitches that were present in the system as well as, allocating specific roles to various members of the committee. For

Historiography Of The Dobama Movement In Burma Essay

Historiography Of The Dobama Movement In Burma - Essay Example The Dobama Asiayone Movement was initially formed by a group of several similar-minded young individuals who were essentially consumed with the idea of attempting to try and deliver their country from the rule of the aliens. Although the different members that formed the group were seen to be drawn from quite diverse economic and social backgrounds, they were tightly bound together by an overwhelming desire to secure their country’s national independence1. The group opted to adopt the suffix of â€Å"Thakin† in their name as opposed to adopting other common suffixes such as Maung, Ko or even U. The Term â€Å"Thakin† was seen to commonly be used in reference to Master or Lord2. The first individual to attempt to promote the use of the suffix of Thakin among the country’s population was the Abbot U Sandima who had been instrumental in instructing the villagers to adopt the practice of hanging on their houses various name plates that used the Thakin titles s o as to be able to adequately develop a conscious sense of the overall superiority that the Burmans as a race had over other races. It is thought that Thankin Ba Thoung who was the founder of the Dobama Asiayone was so impressed by the adoption of these practices while visiting the village of Wetkathay that upon his eventual return to Rangoon he immediately made a suggestion to his close friends that they should try and adopt the use of the the Thakin appellation. Although his friends agreed to adopt the use of the appellation, it was noted that they adopted it in a somewhat reluctant manner3. Thakin Ba Thoung and the Founding of the Dobama Asiayone The early life of Thakin Ba Thoung the Dobama Asiayone group is found to be relatively obscure. Thoung was initially a protege of U Tun Shein who was one of the three key delegates of the Young Men’s Buddhist Association who was sent to represent the Association in London on July 7th, 1919. The association sent the three delegates to London to go and protest on matters pertaining to the Craddock Scheme. The Craddock scheme was initially proposed by Sir Reginald Craddock in 1918-1920. Although the Burmese were seen to be actively trying to gain more political rights, the scheme that was drafted by Sir Reginald Craddock was seen to widely draw massive criticism from nearly all Burmese leaders in the country. The scheme failed to placate the Burmese leaders and only served to increase their dissatisfaction. The nationalist leaders in Burma argued that it was vital for Burma to be granted a set of suitable reforms. The leaders also demanded that the government should delay any actions on their part to attempt to approve the University act until after such reforms were actually instituted4. Ba Thoung was seen to first come to public notice upon winning a translation prize in 1930 that saw him receive Rs. 1,000. Ba Thoung regularly met and discussed the country’s political and social conditions of the time with several of his young friends and in 1928, Ba Thoung and his young friends attempted to try and attract public attention to the fact that the current existing political parties were having a rather disastrous effect on the country. However, this play was soon to flop but the relatively obscure group was seen to quickly be brought to the forefront and play a critical role in the country’s political arena after the bloody event of the May 26th, 1930 Indo-Burmese riots5. The events of the Indo-Burmese riots were seen to unfold when some 2,000 Telegu dock workers organized and went on strike protesting against the Scindia Steam Navigation co. Ltd. Although the company was seen to

Roles of Computer in Education Essay Example for Free

Roles of Computer in Education Essay There is no doubt that education and the learning process has changed since the introduction of computers. The search for information has become easier and amusing, and connectivity has expedited the data availability. Though expert systems have made computers more intelligent, they have not yet become a substitute of the human interaction in the learning process. In my opinion; what can be expected, is a change of the teachers’ role but not their disappearance from the classroom. Nobody can argue that the acquisition of knowledge is more fun and easier with computers. The mere activity of touching and exploring this device constitutes an enjoyable task for a kid. This, accompanied with the relaxing attitude and software interactivity, usually conduce to a better grasping of new knowledge. At a higher educational level; the availability of digital books, simulator and other academic materials, provide the student with an ever accessible source of information, that otherwise would not be at hand. But, besides the increasing complexity and behavior of intelligent software, which is usually embedded in the academic digital material, the need of human interaction in the learning process will always be present, at least in the foreseeable future. There is the necessity for a human being to be able to determine what the specific needs of each individual are. The expertise of a teacher in how to explain and adapt complex concepts to different individuals can hardly be mimicked by a computer, no matter how sophisticated its software is. As computers are becoming a common tool for teaching, teachers should be more aware of their role as guides in the acquisition of knowledge rather than transmitters of facts. They have to be open minded to the changes that are taking place, keep updated and serve as a problem solvers in the learning process, thus allowing students to discover the facts for themselves. To summarize, in my personal view, teachers play and will play an important role in the classroom, especially at the primary level. No matter how complex computers become, there will be no replacement for the human interaction, but in the way how this interaction takes place.

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Same-Sex Marriage and the Destructio

Same-Sex Marriage and the Destruction of American Culture      Ã‚  Ã‚   The late 20th century disintegration of marriage is epoch-defining and hazardous to moral health. The question of legally recognizing same-sex marriage - thrust upon us by recent court decisions - culminates this disintegration.    There are many reasons why the ills of marriage are so pivotal. Marriage is the principle of sexual morality. Immoral sexual acts are often wrong for other reasons, too, such as the injustice of imposing oneself sexually upon another without consent. But all immoral sexual activity is wrong because it is non-marital.    Our law until recently recognized this pivotal role of marriage. As United States Supreme Court Justice John Harlan wrote in 1961, "[T]he laws regarding marriage . . . provide both when the sexual powers may be used and the legal and societal context in which children are born and brought up . . . laws forbidding adultery, fornication and homosexual practice . . . express the negative of that proposition." (Exploring)    Besides the centrality of marriage to sexual ethics, our law always knew that a social commitment to marriage entailed a wide pattern of restraint upon all, married and unmarried alike. Marriage is not only a lot of work for married couples; it is a high maintenance deal for any society that recognizes it as the unique opportunity for human flourishing that it is.    But what if a great many people come to believe that one is entitled to regular sexual satisfaction regardless of the willingness of one's spouse, if indeed there is a spouse at all? It is not necessary to imagine what this asserted right to sexual satisfaction would do to a society. We mer... ...that your new next door neighbors are an Episcopal priest and an Air Force pilot - and that both are women! Where such couples set up shop, they will become part of the neighborhood's furniture. You will be lucky to find a haven from them, and luckier still if you can somehow nevertheless convince your children of the truth about marriage.    The cultural effects of legalizing same-sex marriage will be devastating. What of that civil law debate? It seems that the vast majority of the American people oppose same sex marriage. And surely our legal tradition, including constitutional law, does not support extension of marriage to same-sex couples. But, then, there is the filtering device of liberal neutrality.    WORKS CITED: Exploring Constitutional Conflicts. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/homeiscastle.htm   

Addiction to Science Fiction

What do you think about parent's opinion about science fiction books My dear reader I will be delighted to discuss this topic with you†¦ do you think that parents would accept placing their children's minds in an imaginary world for too long that it may even affect them, would you, if you were a parent!!Science fiction is a world that is full of the writer's imagination or the producer's, and its full of imaginary creatures, such as: vampires, fairies, hosts, ghosts, and all the things that are not real, it's advantage is, expanding the imagination of the reader, when I read the science fiction book that I have, I try to live what's in the book, and for a moment I do, and if I got interrupted by someone, I just feel bothered and annoyed, but parents would say that its some kind of an addiction, which some of them think its wrong, or actually most of them, they go like † we want you to learn from the books that you can read, and we know that you are capable of reading great er books†, they underestimate it, that’s what I actually don’t agree about with parents,Because, well, I am addicted to science fiction, and it actually makes me learn some things and at the same time, I have fun because I lived what's in the book by only reading it, better than a movie, that may ruin the human's view of things, books teach (whatever the genre of the book was), movies destroy (not always but most of the time, especially this generation's movies). So I need parents to listen for their kids for once, â€Å"dear parents don’t just talk, sometimes I guess you have to listen at least for once let us give you our point of view†. Parents, tell me, do you rather give your children books that would make them hate the whole idea about reading or would you go step by step with me. Just by giving them the freedom to choose the book, know that you actually achieved your goal.Science fiction books teach, as a prove, my friend, when you ask her wh at's the goal she achieved by reading the twilight saga, she would say † I just had fun, and read, because I know that reading is important† but when you ask her about what she learned, she would say, † I learned to give my enemy a chance, because I know that there is no such a thing called enemies, but its desires that ruins the human's soul† And there is this other series VA ( vampire academy) an amazing series that me and my friend read, we had so much fun reading it, and at the same time I d like to tell you that I am actually clinging to it, more than any other book that I ever read. It's simply irresistible, and teaches to keep on standing up whenever you fall. I guess there is no harm in reading science fiction book, so don’t make it a must that we have to read realistic books, or some kind of a historical book, because it isn’t a must.My dear reader, that was my opinion, so tell me yours, but after considering my essay, I hope I reached my goal by writing this essay†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Twilight (summary) Isabella Swan leaves Phoenix, Arizona and moves to a new place in Forks, Washington to live with her dad. She does it so her mother can travel around with her baseball player husband Phil Dwyer. Bella didn’t used to stir much water in Phoenix, but after her move to Forks, she soon finds herself in the spotlight at her new school. To her astonishment and dismay many of the guys in class compete for her attention. Fork is rainy and Bella doesn’t enjoy it much – to her it’s boring and pretty lame. There is one saving grace though – Edward Cullen, the stunningly handsome guy she sits next to in Biology.As she’s trying to find out more about this mysterious man, she hears of The Cullens being un-human. Despite all the talk, Bella finds it impossible to believe there’s anything supernatural about him and his strange behavior. During Bella’s first day of school, Edward Cul len displays a strange level of tension toward her. She reasons that it’s because he doesn’t like her that much. Shortly after though, he begins to change his attitude and starts friendly talk. Then one day on a parking lot, an out of control van comes flying at Bella and is about to crush her to death when all of a sudden the van is stopped by an unknown force just before it would have squashed her against her own truck.Completely unharmed realizing she should have been dead, Bella turns her head and sees Edward, whom she saw across the parking lot just a second ago, kneeling next to her with his hand against the van. Bella looks at the hand shaped dent on the van and realizes that Edward halted speeding van with his hand. Bella didn’t tell anyone about how Edward saved her life, but when she approached him to explain how he could get to her across the lot so quickly and stops the van with his hand, he isn’t too keen to confess and refuses to comment. Th e spark between the two continues to grow despite Edwards’s attempts to avoid her. When confronted about it by her, Edward simply comes with excuses Bella is not willing to accept.However he mentions that it’s in their best interest to stay away of each other, as getting involved with her would put her in immense danger. Bella has no more doubts that Edward and the entire family of Cullens are un-human. She is hinted by her friend Jacob Black that The Cullens are a clan of vampires. When attraction between the two grows to a point that neither can be without each other, Edward reveals the truth about his family. He even tells her about his ability to read people’s minds and that he’s dumbfounded by his inability to ascertain what she is thinking. Edward and Bella fall deeply in love, despite the obvious difficulties a love between a human and a vampire presents. Edward is facing his biggest personal challenge in resisting Bella’s scent.The scent of her blood is extremely strong and desirable, and Edward is afraid that the natural instincts of a vampire he is would take over to a point that he wouldn’t be able to contain himself and would harm the woman he loves. Bella’s scent is then picked up by a tracker vampire James who sets on a mission to hunt Bella down for sport. The Cullens, who now consider Bella part of her family are determined to protect her and separate Bella from Edward, sending the girl back to Phoenix. Bella stays in a hotel and receives a phone call from James telling her he had her mom and gave her instructions on what she needs to do if she wants to see her alive.Bella surrenders herself to James, but Edward shows up and fights him. The rest of Cullens joins in to fight the tracker but he manages to bite Bella in her hand before he’s killed. Edward doesn’t want Bella to turn into a vampire and begins to suck venom infected blood from the wound. He now tastes the blood, the smell of which he found so hard to resist. He was urged to stop by his adopted father Carlisle Cullen. Bella was saved and after she’d recovered, she returned to Forks to attend prom with Edward. As the two walk into the night, Bella exposes herself and pleads with him to embrace her and turn her into one of his kind with a bite to her neck.Edward refuses, although the reason for this denial is unknown†¦ New moon Edward Cullen and Alice throw Bella an 18th birthday party. Edward is the vampire she’s deeply in love with. In attendance are the entire Cullen family, Alice, Carlisle, Emmet, Rosalie, Esme and Jasper. Bella accidentally cuts her hand with a piece of paper, this leads to a tense and somewhat violent moment. Jasper cannot control himself at the sight of her human blood and pounces upon her with the intention to feed. Edward has to protect her, an action that forces him to recognize the fact keeping Bella near his family puts her in danger. As they clean her wo unds a pivotal point in the plot occurs.As they speak, Carlisle tells of Edwards belief that Vampires lack a soul and that there is no better place than hell for them if they are killed. He speaks further, telling Bella of Edwards inner struggle, the fact that he doesn’t want to risk turning Bella into one of the damned. Edward becomes emotionally retracted as the story continues, until later his family leave Forks in an effort to reduce the risk of harm to Bella and ensure her safety. He unwittingly upsets Bella by taking the items she hold dear with him. Photographs and pictures that can be used to prove he is alive. Four long months pass, a time in which Bella enters a zombie like state.She exists but really isn’t living like she once was. Charlie is worried and tells her to wake up. To help her get through this difficult time she goes to see a movie with her friend Jessica. Upon the completion of the film she notices some guys with a striking resemblance to the sta lkers who followed her the year before. She hears Edward in her head fears for her sanity. She actually believes it’s her mind giving a wish of fulfillment. Feeling these delusions are her subconscious mind she seeks out alternative methods to trigger them. Jacob Black, her long lost friend who suffered grievous injures in Twilight makes another appearance in New Moon.Bella stumbles upon a pair of motorbikes by the road side and realizes they’re the perfect method to hear Edwards voice once again. She notices they need works and remembers Jacob unusual tendency to fix things. She takes them to see him on the back of her truck and pledge one to him should he get them running once more. Soon they become close and she begins to depend on him, he fills the void in her heart. Jacob on the other hand is romantically attracted to Bella, who is aware of this, she tells him they are simply good friends. As their friendship develops, Jacob begins to trust Bella and tells of the growing unrest and occurrences at La Push – a reservation.Jacob tells her of his fear of the leader of a group of guys by the name of Sam Uley. A close friend of his had the same feelings he was missing for a few days and upon his return had somehow joined the gang. Jacob elaborate by telling of their strange behavior and his belief they’re up to no good. He worries he too could go missing and be targeted. On an outing, Jacob feels ill and develops a strong fever. Shortly after Bella has difficulty getting in touch with him before she finds out he too has returned from his absence as a member of Sam’s gang. She goes to visit him at his house and is told that he must stay well away from her. He doesn’t explain the reason for this when she asks.After the fight and argument Jacob is feeling down and very regretful. He creeps into her room in the middle of the night and tells her what is happening. The only hint he gives her is to remember the legends he info rmed her of when first they met. Bella thinks back and remembers a story about Werewolves and Vampires. She soon realizes that Jacob and his new gang of friends are werewolves. This doesn’t sit well with Bella; there is animosity between Edward and Jacob because deep down they both love Bella. Plus they are enemies because of the natures of the kind. There is real cause for concern because of the rivalry between these two and the fact vampires and werewolves truly hate one another.The return of Victoria further complicates the situation. She wants vengeance for the death of her friend James the vampire tracker. He was slain by Jasper and Emmet following his attempt to kill Bella. As opposed to killing Edward, she feels killing his girlfriend is a fair trade. Therefore, it is down to Jacob to protect her. Jacob and his new found pack encourage Bella and her father to spend time with them at La Push where they can provide adequate protection. Bella begins to spend a lot of time on the beach. She longs to hear Edwards voice again and misses him dearly. Sick of everything she leaps off the cliff and plunges into the see where she almost dies in the hands of the ocean.Jacob comes to her rescue and tells of her friend Harry Clearwater’s plight. He is in hospital following a severe cardiac arrest. Bella immediately feels remorse for diving into the sea and returns to Jacobs’s house to rest and regain her strength. She begins to wonder what her life would bring if she left Edward and became romantically involved with Jacob. Billy, Jacobs’s dad, returns home to break the news that Harry has passed away in his sleep. Bella then gets a ride home with Jacob. On the journey she notices Carlisle’s vehicle and jumps to the conclusion that the Cullen’s have returned to Forks. Jacob rages and leaves quickly. Alice is waiting for Bella by herself.Alice tells Bella that she witnessed her fall into the sea and worries that she was committ ing suicide. Bella denies this but Alice is still unsure and wonders why then she felt the need to dive so far into the water. Jacob bumps into Bella during Alice’s visit and she sees he is still angry with her for choosing Edward over himself. During Jacobs time at the house Edward rings and masquerades as Carlisle. Jacob picks up the phone. He’s asked where Carlisle is by Edward and responds by telling him he’s at the funeral. Edward believes it’s the funeral of Bella in light of the news Alice told him. He attempts suicide. Upon news of this surfacing Bella and Alice leave for Italy to find Edward who is begging a Volturi to kill him.The Volturi deny his wishes so he attempts to enrage them by stepping into the sun and revealing the existence of Vampires to all. Bella arrives just in time and prevents Edward from following through with his threats. Shocked and confused that she is still alive and hasn’t been buried Edward shows affection toward his love. He believes these are the last few minutes the couple will ever spend together. Bella is confused; she believed Edward had no feelings toward her. The pair meets a Volturi leader by the name of Aro; he informs them that Bella must become a Vampire to preserve the secretive nature of the vampire kind. Edward vehemently disagrees but is shown conclusive proof that Bella will indeed become one of the vampire kind in the future.At first Bella is surprised and in virtual disbelief that her long lost love Edward has returned. She wonders if she actually died while leaping from the cliff and whether or not this entire episode is in fact a dream. Edward soothes her concerns and explains that he loves her and that he didn’t wish to leave her at all. He tells her it was for her own benefit and an act to protect her. After a long discussion she realizes that his love for her burns as strongly as hers for him, and that they belong with one another for all eternity. Edward is st ill unsure about turning Bella into a vampire. She sees this and takes the decision out of his control.They visit the Cullen house and start a vote over her mortality, requesting the opinion of all involved and whether they believe she should join the Vampire kind. The results are definitive, all but Edward and Rosalie feel she should become a vampire. Edward is angered but reluctantly agrees she should be turned following her graduation the following week. Carlisle is the one who they decide should perform the embrace considering the fact he’s able to maintain control in the presence of human blood. Bella isn’t happy, she would of preferred the act to be carried out by Edward but settles with whatever the Cullen’s feel is best. Edward agrees but only on the condition they marry first.During the epilogue of the story Bella reminisces and recalls her zombie like existence. She claims it was as if the previous seven months didn’t occur. Jacob returns the mo torbike to Bella in an attempt to stop Edward from seeing her, unaware that he visits her every night by creeping into her room. Charlie is incredibly angry with Bella and grounds her immediately. She isn’t fazed though, she knows with the love her life Edward by her side there is nothing she cannot achieve and that when the dust of turmoil settles everything will be perfect Eclipse This part of the story starts with the note Jake sent to Bella. It speaks of him missing her and that it changes little.Charlie blames Edward for Bella’s disappearance in New Moon as she traveled to Italy and her apparent craziness. He no longer likes Edward and shows with every ounce of his being that the vampire is welcome in the home. Seattle is also hit by a string of unsolved killings. Bella and Edward spend some time filling in college application forms and she tells Edward her plans and need to see Jacob once again. Naturally, Edward is against it, telling her werewolves are random a nd unpredictable, hurting those around them. In the meantime, Alice has a strange vision in which Bella is being hunted by a vampire. Edward hides this information from Bella and plans a trip to Florida with Charlie to see her mother out of town.Upon their return Edward is confronted by an angry Jacob, he demands to know why the return of Victoria is being kept secret to Bella and why they crossed into werewolf territory chasing Victoria. Bella is dumbfounded as Edward informs her that the trip away from Forks was for her own personal safety. Once again, Edward insists Bella's banning from seeing Jacob is to keep her safe and away from the dangerous werewolf. Bella, unbelieving insists that the pack are quite safe and that she’s never in harm’s way around Jacob. Finally, Edward yields and travels to the border with Bella where they meet Jacob and travel on to his house. During one such visit Jacob pleads his love for her and forcefully kisses her against her will. Unab le to resist his power she fights him off with all the strength she can muster.When he ceases the kiss she punches him as hard as she is able but only manages to break the bones in her delicate hands. Werewolves incidentally, are nearly as durable and tough as vampires. When Bella returns home and he learns of this Edward threatens Jacob angrily. Jacob tells Edward what occurred and they finally settle on a deal to work in unison to deal with Victoria. Later on that evening when Jacob has left, Edward and Bella decide to marry but only on the one condition that is they sleep together before she is turned into a Vampire. Edward realizes the severity in Bella’s voice and eventually agrees to try in the future but only once they have married first.Bella speaks of her concerns of what people will say and think if she marries at such a young age, this is partly confounded by her mother’s life and the fact she too married at such a young age. Spending the rest of eternity wi th Edward is of the utmost importance to her though, and when Edward proposes she quickly accepts. In an effort to keep her reluctant marriage secret she refuses to place the engagement ring on her hand. Bella soon realizes that her possessions have been stolen from her room to use for scent and locating purposes. Also, it becomes apparent that the recent killings in Seattle are being perpetrated by a coven of young vampires. Bella realizes the connection and the fact Victoria has been leading these newborns.Alice predicts an epic battle between the combined force of Cullens and Werewolves and the Victoria coven. A meeting between the Quileutes and Cullens is scheduled in the forest. During the gathering Jasper highlights and demonstrates some skills and points needed to excel in combat versus a newborn Vampire. Bella, worried Edward will be harmed asks him to stay away when the combat begins. Bella and Edward camp in the hills as the preparations for battle are made. They are soon joined by Seth and Jacob who too wait for the coming war. They use Bella’s scent and lay a trap to lead the newborns into the hands of the conjoined vampire and werewolf force.Bella enters a state of hypothermia in the freezing cold mountain conditions. Jacob taunts Edward by climbing in the sleeping bag with his girl. Bella pretends to be asleep and eavesdrops on the conversation between the vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob. Jacob speaks of his feeling towards Bella and confesses to Edward. Upon hearing this, Edward realizes that Jacob can give Bella something he can’t and the two come to an agreement. Later in morning once they have risen, Edward speaks to Bella about the engagement, Jacob, who was hiding and listening to their conversation lets out an angered and hurt howl of pain. He leaves quickly before they can catch him. Bella speaks with Edward and asks him to go and find Jacob.Upon their return Edward leaves to allow Jacob and Bella to speak. Jacob threatens to get himself killed by joining in the conflict, upon hearing her dismay and the fact she doesn’t want him to Jacob blackmails her into kissing him. He says kissing him will stop him joining the fight and getting killed. Edward returns, having overheard the entire conversation. He explains that he isn’t angry with her for having such deep feelings for Jacob. This is a fact that makes Bella even more miserable than she was before. Victoria and the newborns attack during the groups stay at the camp. The combined werewolf and vampire force completely decimate and slaughter the inexperienced newborn army.Victoria had this planned though; she skirts the fight and arrives at the camp to confront Edward and Bella alongside a newborn by the name of Riley. Edward pleads with Riley, trying to put him off the fight and explains the fact Victoria is using him. Victoria convinces Riley otherwise and he refuses to switch allegiance. A fight occurs in which Riley is killed by the L upine form of Seth and Victoria is killed by Edward. Bella watches the entire episode, causing Edward to worry for her thoughts and feelings toward him after seeing him as the unstoppable killing machine he is. She is unperturbed and throws herself into his embrace. She loves him dearly and has concerns for his safety and wellbeing alone. The war is over long before the Volturi arrive to tidy things up.Edward is reminded of his agreement to turn Bella into a vampire. Alice replies that they have set a date. Bella goes to visit Jacob who was injured in the fight. She reveals her final decision is Edward. Her love for him is far greater than anyone else alive and she hasn’t the will or desire to live another day without him around. Bella later returns home from La Push. She speaks with Edward who announces that they don’t have to marry, that Bella can have her way without completing her wishes. Bella states that she wishes to do things Edwards’s way, and they agre e to continue with the wedding first. He puts the ring on her finger and they both agree to reveal the great news to Charlie. Breaking dawnBreaking Dawn is split into three separate parts. The first part details Bella's marriage and honeymoon with Edward, which they spend on a private island off the coast of Brazil. Two weeks into their honeymoon, Bella realizes that she is pregnant and that her condition is progressing at an unnaturally accelerated rate. After contacting Carlisle, who confirms her pregnancy, she and Edward immediately return home to Forks, Washington. Edward concerned for Bella's life and convinced that the fetus is a monster as it continues to develop with unnatural rapidity, urges her to have an abortion. However, Bella feels a connection with the child and refuses.The novel's second part is written from the perspective of wolf shape-shifter Jacob Black, and lasts throughout Bella's pregnancy and childbirth. Jacob's Quileute wolf pack, not knowing what danger the unborn child may pose, plan to destroy it, also killing Bella. Jacob vehemently protests this decision and leaves, forming his own pack with Leah and Seth Clearwater. Bella soon gives birth, but the baby breaks many of her bones and she loses massive amounts of blood. In order to save her life, Edward changes her into a vampire by injecting his venom into her heart. Jacob, who was present for the birth, almost immediately â€Å"imprints†Ã¢â‚¬â€an involuntary response in which a shape-shifter finds his soul mate—on Edward and Bella's newborn daughter, Renesmee.This ends the enmity between Jacob and the Cullens, leading Edward and Jacob to regard each other as brothers. The third section of Breaking Dawn shifts back to Bella's perspective, finding her changed into a vampire and enjoying her new life and abilities. However, the vampire Irina misidentifies Renesmee as an â€Å"immortal child†, a child who has been turned into a vampire. Because â€Å"immortal chi ldren† are uncontrollable, creating them has been outlawed by the Volturi. After Irina presents her allegation to the Volturi, they plan to destroy Renesmee and the Cullens. In an attempt to survive, the Cullens gather other vampire clans from around the world to stand as witnesses and prove to the Volturi that Renesmee is not an immortal child.Upon confronting the gathered Cullen allies and witnesses, the Volturi discover that they have been misinformed and immediately execute Irina for her mistake. However, they remain undecided on whether Renesmee should be viewed as a threat to vampires' secret existence. At that time, Alice and Jasper, who had left prior to the confrontation, return with a Mapuche called Nahuel, a 150-year-old vampire-human crossbreed like Renesmee. He demonstrates that the crossbreeds pose no threat, and the Volturi surrender. Edward, Bella and Renesmee return to their home in peace. I HoPe I mAdE My PoInT —————— —– Start with an interesting beginning, or lead, to get your reader's attention.For example: if you were writing about recycling newspapers, you could open your essay by asking how many people have huge stacks of old newspapers in their garages. Let your readers know what your issue and point of view by including an opinion statement In each paragraph, give a reason that will convince your audience†¦ 1-start or end the body of your essay with a bang by arranging your reasons according to their order of importance 2-be sure that you logically support your reasons by using evidence and that you elaborate on your reasons and evidence Restate your opinion in different words, and summarize your reasons in one or two sentences. Close your essay with a call to action that tells your readers what you want them to do or with what strong closing statement.

Party Monster: The Twisted Story of New York’s Club Scene Essay

The mid-1990s was a time of wealth and recreation for the United States, with the combination of economic progress and social liberty producing a new generation of spoiled, unrestrained and often genuinely reckless young ‘celebutantes. ’ As many Americans were making their fortune on the Wall Street or in the Silicon Valley, a counterculture of hedonistic abandon emerged not necessarily in response or even contrast to these patterns, but rather oblivious to them. Centered on the club scene in New York City, the nightlife excesses of this era would closely mirror those of the disco era in the late 1970s. Just as the music, drugs, sex and glamour had come to define such hotspots as Paradise Garage and Studio 54 in the 1970s, so too would such locations as the Limelight and the Tunnel become notorious for the bacchanalian events which transpired inside during the 1990s. The early to mid-90s would in fact play witness to a peak in debauchery and mayhem with some of the scene’s most prominent self-made figures devolving from mere hedonists to perpetrators of serious and grotesque criminal extremity. The real-life narrative of Michael Alig and the Club Kid scene to which he was a self-proclaimed icon is at once a cautionary tale remarking upon the extent to which superficiality can breed outright evil and simultaneously projecting itself as a twisted tale of celebrity intrigue. In the novel by former scenester James St. James, Disco Bloodbath, as well as in the 1999 documentary and the 2003 film, both entitled Party Monster, the events surrounding the rise, peak and fall of the New York club scene are suggested as the hazy underside of a cultural mirror. The figures at the center take on mythic proportions for the hugeness of their appetites, their unwillingness to compromise hedonism even for ethical reflection and their suggested parallel to the most extreme impulses in the broader culture. The film, directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato reached limited audiences and fairly consistent acclaim upon its 2003 release. However, in research of television footage, documentary material, newspaper articles and interviews, it becomes increasingly clear that the film does a compellingly accurate job at capturing the personas, ethos and destructiveness of its focal characters. In particular, Michael Alig, played by Macauley Culkin, and James St. James, portrayed by Seth Green, channel the impulsive stupidity that lay at the root of the scene. The New York club scene that is depicted in such vivid and aggressive color by the film at the center of this discussion is one which sprang from the decay of the disco scene. The sexual revolution of the seventies—which opened the door for an unprecedented freedom of expression in the urban gay communities that were so prominent to the club scene—gay way to a more cosmetic interest in gay fashion, gay aesthetics and gay lifestyle excesses during the plastic eighties. This transition gave birth to the new club archetype of the late decade, with figures such as Alig, St. James, DJ Keoki, Amanda Lepore, Sophia Lamar and Richie Rich rising to prominence. Most of these individuals shared the same background as wealthy trust fund children who determined to use college moneys provided by affluent parents in far off places to migrate to the heart of New York’s gay community to shop for clothes, drugs and party supplies. Generally, this is how the club scene would come to be, with the figures collectively creating a genuine and notable ‘happening,’ which centered on the core premises of indulgence in sexual immodesty, costuming, drug binging and non-stop, excessive partying. Most of these individuals would become connected by their shared interests, meeting in the same VIP lounges, after-parties, dance-floors and back-rooms. However, they would soon create their own shared agenda, which largely consisted of concocting the most decadent, elaborate and creative party and club events imaginable. Ingredients for the pursuit of this aim were universally related to the intake of heavy intoxicants such as ketamine, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy as well as the donning of making, costume and androgynous fixings. The connection between these individuals established something of a familial scene in which individuals engaged in free love and unabashed expression. Though there was an artistic oeuvre to the scene, particularly notable in the transgender excesses which distinguished the players, there was not necessarily any meaningful ideology or core intention other than to be, as Alig would so often demand, ‘fabulous. Those who were directly participatory in the club escapades, as would be shown in the film, were of minimal ideological grounding and came from errant and flimsy philosophical consideration. Interestingly though, these figures would with no small air of self-parody project various ideas about a mission or purpose in the proportion of their behaviors. In a very interesting broadcast which can be found on You Tube (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=2h-JvWdPR0o), the Jane Whitney show would play host to a few members of this scene. In addition to demonstrating the notoriety to which these individuals had risen for essentially showing up to or planning elaborate party events, the talk show showed these to be a collective of very young individuals with a limited sense of purpose. In the sequence linked to above, it is clear that the notables featured on the show would come for a shared background generally distinguishable economic resource and few concerns beyond appearance and the pursuit of pleasurable activity. Richie Rich, Michael Alig, Walt Paper and others featured on the show struggle in coming to a common recognition of that which might be considered a central mission for the Club Kids. The Club Kids were a specific group of these scenestes who were noted for their role in defining said scene. Fixtures at the parties and discotheques, and even of the local gossip columns and celebrity reels, the Club Kids would become notorious for the extent to which they were willing to engage in excessive and what mainstream culture would consider downright dangerous behavior. In Party Monster the Club Kids are portrayed with some degree of sympathy, afforded by the source of most material concerning their activities, which tended to arise from the participants. Such is to say that many of those formerly involved in the scene would become successful as fashion designers, club promoters and performance artists. Indeed, referring back to the interview on Jane Whitney, the Club Kids cite Madonna and RuPaul as two individuals who had risen to genuine mainstream fame from the core of the club scene. In the discussion stimulated by Party Monster, we can see that the Club Kids were really a core of individuals who believed themselves to be engaged in some manner of social liberation. This much is hinted at and simultaneously contradicted in the Whitney interview. However, we can see a more palpable evidence that this is occurring in the alleged words of Michael Alig himself. As one who created his own image as the great party-promoter and chief merrymaker for his time and place, he had also come to play this part with a degree of individual excess that set him apart in a setting where this extremity was the norm. He would characterize his own social calling, according the film according to a personal impetus at how life should be pursued which is conspicuously hedonistic in the most genuine definition of the term. So would the Culkin-played character contend that â€Å"one day I realized I didn’t want to be like all the drearies and normals. I wanted to create a world full of color where everyone could play. One big party. . . that never ends. † (Bailey & Barbado, 1) To his perspective, there was a real mission and purpose in defying the gray habitations of mainstream society. As aspects of the lifestyle tendencies in such individuals were largely rejected by mainstream society—in particular their sexual proclivities and dug consumption habits—this would seem an appropriate framing for an existence of sheer indulgence. Perhaps more succinctly phrased is the explanation supplied by St. James himself in a 2003 interview with Ogunnaike, where he reflects with a degree of assume removal from this belief system today, on the idea that there was some kind of meaning or accomplishment to what was being done. As reported, â€Å"‘while Mr. St. James admits that he and his merry band of misfits were †nightmares and brats’,† he argues that there was an ideology, a club-kid agenda, behind the false eyelashes. †We were going to do away with sexual roles,† he explained. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Drag was going to be the norm. Drugs were going to be this gateway into this utopian society. ‘’’ (Ogunnaike, 1) Naturally, as this examination and the film clearly must contend with, the horrific events constituting the end of this scene would sharply counter such ambitions. Still, and quite interestingly, as is noted in a New York Times article from the time of the film’s release, there is concocted by the sympathies of the filmmakers and the author a tendency to frame the events of this time as somehow being worthy of note beyond their implications to the pursuit of fun. To this extent, it is noted that, â€Å"as hard as it is to imagine now, nightclubs seemed somehow important then. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring were doing installations, the outre 4 a. m. fashion was more interesting than anything on the runways, and people seemed to emerge from the disco as fully formed celebrities. Alig was the last of these self-created downtown freaks. † (Van Meter, 1) The Club Kids, Alig here included, would be remarkable for their aggressive pursuit of the things this implied. The characters that made up the inner circle of the Club Kids were those perhaps most rampantly committed to the extremity of the lifestyle, which consisted of sexual swinging and a consumption of drugs that, by all accounts, is even downplayed in the film in order to prevent audiences from falling into disbelief. Such is to say that reports and self admission as the level of drug abuse in the scene during the late 80s and into the early 90s for such figures as James St. James and Michael Alig demonstrate that it was nothing less than deadline. Ironically, both of these figures have survived to present date to tell this story, but the latter has done so largely from within a prison cell. The story of the Club Kids might seem essentially unremarkable for its representation of New York City during this time. Such is to say that the metropolitan city has already become a lightning rod for drug use, sexual excess, homosexual liberation and nightclubbing. That a subculture had developed around this would be no major revelation either. Just as had occurred in the disco heyday of the seventies, in-crowd celebrities and self-avowed leaders of the scene would become omnipresent in defining the existence of a cultural occurrence. What tends to set this story is its worthy representation of the horrors which can truly be created in such a cauldron of thoughtlessness. There is, without question, a prime directive guiding the actions of the Club Kids which utterly rejects the premise of consequences. The drug abuse, sexual indiscretion and refusal of responsibility will boil over in the events that compose the climax of Party Monster. When Alig and his roommate Freezes conspire in the chaotic murder of their drug-dealer, Angel Melendez, a lucid collapse would end the so-called Golden Age of the New York club scene. With its end would also come a host of philosophical questions relating the nature of the excess pursued and the form taken by this grisly endnote. Such is to say that there is a certain coldness and emotional detachment that is portrayed in the film and identifiable in the real-life Alig which causes us to view the murder as a direct and inevitable outcome to the abuses and the sheer materialist superficiality fostered by the club scene and its attendant lifestyle. In the Van Meter article, the journalist suggests that there was a clear pattern by which this process of decline had begun to occur, even before the events that killed Melendez. The particular spark that would ignite this incident would be merely symptomatic of a shadowy presence that had begun to rear its head. As the fun and airy ambitions of the Club Kids segued into hard drug dependencies and heartless sexual trysts, the pressure of ketamine and heroin had become dominant. As reported, â€Å"by the mid-nineties, the club scene had grown darker. At Alig’s Disco 2000, the Wednesday-night bacchanal at the Limelight, the warm, fuzzy bath of a roomful of people on ecstasy had turned into a torture chamber: people dressed like monsters stumbling around in their K-holes in a deconsecrated Gothic church while the menacing hardcore-techno music drove them literally out of their minds. † (Van Meter, 1) The impending ugliness of the scene could be scene in no one less than Michael Alig himself. He had been an inspirational party promoter and, in some respects one might have to admit, even a tireless worker in pursuit of extracting enjoyment for others. This is to say that there was some degree of his character which seemed to delight in bringing pleasure to others. And yet, there is a more apparent interest according to many of those who knew him, to delight in the pleasure that others recognized to have been extracted by his efforts. By all accounts, the evidence which the movie and the true events suggest that Alig was a consummate performer, both socially and emotionally. In the interview with Van Meter from his prison cell, which we will return to further on in this account, Alig explicitly claims that he works very hard to maintain a facade of uncaring coolness in deflection of the fact that he is extremely self-conscious about what others think of him. This admission, which is given well after the fact of his crime, lends us insight as we enter into a discussion on the murder itself. Indeed, extreme and reprehensible nature of the crime and causes us to question just exactly what lay beneath this facade. In building toward the event of the murder, the film comes to gradually show what type of figure Alig is. Though it does come after the fact of the murder and Alig’s incarceration, the film seems to leave no doubt that Alig is a man capable of deeply wrong acts. He is shown as one who is by his own nature and accord always attempting to engage of acts of great deviance, mischief and even wanton destruction. While many of the other Club Kids made their advances in the scene according to the utopian premises suggested by St. James, Alig took an altogether different tack to withdrawing from mainstream constraints. We can see as much even the relationship between he and St. James which is captured as the centerpiece of the film. As St. James is shown as marginally more thoughtful than his cohort, Alig is shown to be an almost unreal individual, whose shades of extremity could often infiltrate the territory of outright meanness. To this end, â€Å"the relationship between the two vacillates between tenderness and cruelty (as when Alig serves a glass of his urine to St. James, who takes it for Champagne), and it is the focus of this muddled, sometimes touching movie. (Scott, 1) That there is any type of emotion fostered between them we may say is a factor which actually conspires against such figures as St. James and, at another touching moment in the film, the jilted DJ Keoki (played by Wilmer Valderama). Because in truth, Alig is the figure who most accurately and ably captures the emptiness which is at the center of his scene. As a figure who inspires others to find ever more elaborate and incongruous ways to costume themselves, Alig is perpetually one who hides behind masks even as he aims to be a sweetheart of the spotlight.