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The murder case of Hae Min Lee is a very intriguing incident, as it is a tale full of many holes and facts that don’t match up. For both the observers and the investigators, this is a difficult case to consider, as there is evidence that can support any number of claims. The main fact of this case is that on January 13th, 1999, 17-year-old Hae Min Lee was killed and buried in a forest called Leakin Park. In the trial, the prosecutors focused on Adnan Syed, Hae’s ex-boyfriend and the jury was quick to call him guilty.
Get original essaySerial is a podcast narrated by Sarah Koenig that makes entertainment in the form of investigative journalism. The podcast focused on this particular case in order to discover the truth behind the events that led to Hae Min Lee’s death, but the facts that were unearthed led to the development of many debates, with one major side thinking that Adnan is guilty, and the other side believing that he’s innocent.
Personally, this podcast has led me to change my opinion on the case multiple times. Hearing the testimonies of those who had known Adnan in the first episode and the way Koenig presented the evidence throughout the podcast had me convinced that Adnan was innocent. However, hearing the last episode, where Koenig began to doubt Adnan’s innocence, made me change my opinion to think that Adnan is guilty.
From the first episode, Adnan has always insisted that his relationship and eventual breakup with Hae Min Lee was amicable. Other people also supported this claim. However, Hae’s diary portrays a different story. Hae’s diary entries had valuable information suggesting that Adnan was not taking the break up too well, and she felt threatened by his behavior, with one entry even stating that Hae asked teachers to keep her away from Syed. This does not seem like the usual behaviur of someone who has “moved on”, as Adnan would like everyone to believe. There was also a handwritten breakup letter that Hae had sent to Adnan in November of 1998, two months before her murder. The contents of the note were rather similar to what most breakup notes would contain, however, the most significant aspect about the letter is what Syed scribbles on the top of the letter, saying “I’m going to kill”. This shows that Adnan’s level of anger was not normal, although he said that he was over her. This level of anger is quite strange even for a teenager, especially one who has been claiming that he wasn’t unusually upset over the breakup; the aggressive tone is in stark contrast to the person Koenig had initially presented in the first episode. The phrase “I’m going to kill” has strong verb usage to suggest that the action will happen, making Hae’s case more suspicious as she was murdered two months later. Although it may not be biological evidence, the letter that Syed receives and the diary entries of Hae are pieces of physical evidence that cast suspicions on Syed and his involvement with the murder.
The next piece of damning evidence is Jay’s testimony. Jay was one of Adnan’s best friends and they knew each other really well. During the police testimony, when Jay was interviewed, he was very reluctant in giving information. Due to his uncooperative behavior, the police had to put a lot of pressure on Jay so that he would give his testimony. And when Jay began, he didn’t stop; all of a sudden, Jay started to spew out information with great quality of detail. The podcast made Jay seem like he was lying because he was initially unsure about giving out information and then somehow managed to recite an entire story. I also thought that Jay was lying, and considered it ridiculous that the police based the whole case off of Jay’s testimony. However, if Jay was lying on the spot, it would be very difficult for him unless he had rehearsed everything beforehand. It is not every day that a teenager would be able to come up with such an elaborate and detailed scheme so easily. The other question in my mind when hearing Jay’s testimony was motive: why would Jay lie about the murder and “frame” his friend if Syed was actually innocent? Jay’s reluctance initially can be attributed to his fear that he could get in trouble for being an accomplice. When he realized he wouldn’t be charged, he was able to tell the truth.
What I found most baffling about the case is that Adnan had no memory of the day when Hae was found missing. I would have thought that his previous relationship with her would have meant that details of that day would be clearer to him. However, this was not the case. While I can understand that people forget uneventful details, it has been shown that when a significant event occurs, people are able to have better recall. What could have been more significant than the disappearance of the girl Adnan claimed to have once loved? There wasn’t even any evidence of him having tried to contact her when he discovered that she was missing. This lack of concern on his part and the convenience of his absence of memory increased the doubts in my mind over his innocence.
The “Nisha call” is a very important factor to consider with this investigation. The “Nisha call” references call logs that show someone called a girl named Nisha with Adnan’s phone an hour after Hae Min Lee was murdered. While it may be the obvious conclusion that the caller was Adnan, he claims that he had left his phone in Jay’s car during this time. The call lasted two minutes and Adnan suggested that Jay might have pocket dialed Nisha. Jay, who did not know Nisha, countered this by saying that Adnan had called Nisha while in his car. Koenig, the narrator, admits that “The Nisha call is the one that’s always stuck out to me and I think to most people who’ve looked at Adnan’s case closely because it happens on the afternoon that Hae disappeared at a time when Adnan has said, insisted even, that he was not with his phone, that Jay had his phone while he was in school”. Adnan’s pocket dial explanation is a possibility but in my opinion, it sounds more like a ridiculous excuse. It would seem counterintuitive that Jay would put Adnan’s phone in his pocket for any reason. It is more likely that Adnan dialed Nisha’s phone number himself and is trying to come up with an excuse to cover up for it.
The podcast Serial skillfully presented evidence that supported or refuted Adnan’s claim of innocence. While there was convincing proof for both sides, I feel that the arguments for Adnan’s guilt were stronger and more in line with my own beliefs. This may be in direct opposition to what Koenig, the narrator, wanted listeners to think, but at the end of the day, it is important to mention that this podcast was focused on entertaining the audience and presenting information in an unbiased way to allow listeners to make their own conclusions.
Thomas Hardy wrote “The Shadow on the Stone” after his wife’s death, and the ghost he mentions is his wife’s. The poem focuses on the realities of time and death. The poet’s feelings are complex, which is reflected in the complex rhyme scheme of the poem. The title shows us how Emma has always been like a shadow for Hardy. When she was alive, she followed him and now that she’s dead, according to Greek mythology, her soul has become a shadow. The stone in the poem is white as opposed to the black color of a shadow. Black may symbolize the evil way Emma was treated during the last years of her life.
Get original essayFor convenience, I will analyze this poem stanza by stanza.
I went by the Druid stone
That broods in the garden white and lone,
And I stopped and looked at the shifting shadows
That at some moments fall thereon
From the tree hard by with a rhythmic swing,
And they shaped in my imagining
To the shade that a well-known head and shoulders
Threw there when she was gardening.
A druid stone is a mystical stone of intuition and physic wisdom. Another definition of Druid Stone is a stone made by the ancient Druids. Both these definitions apply to the poem as we will later see. The stone is a representation of Hardy. He broods (or thinks) a lot on Emma’s death, which is why he writes poems. Moreover, he is a man of talent and skill and according to his fans-flawless. The color white is often connected to flawlessness or perfection. Apart from that, white also symbioses purity. It may reflect hardy’s desire to be pure or clean his soul of the sins he has committed by neglecting his wife when she needed him the most. The stone, although beautiful and full of powers, is alone – a metaphor for Hardy.
The alliteration in line three suggests a sense of peacefulness and calmness. It’s as if everything is quiet when Hardy observes the garden. The shadows were probably formed by the trees behind Hardy. It’s ironic how he describes the shadow so bluntly and in only one line as if he’s been numbed. Perhaps it pains him to talk about his wife and describe her as if she was alive, or maybe he didn’t want to get his hopes up as he knows it’s only the trees.
I thought her behind my back,
Yea, her I long had learned to lack,
And I said: ‘I am sure you are standing behind me,
Though how do you get into this old track?’
And there was no sound but the fall of a leaf
As a sad response; and to keep down grief
I would not turn my head to discover
That there was nothing in my belief.
The key words in this stanza are ‘thought’ and ‘sure’. He knows it’s only an illusion and yet still says he’s sure she’s standing there. The second line suggests he’s already used to the fact that she’s dead, explaining the numbness in the previous stanza. Hardy’s question is answered by the one thing that always had his back: Nature. Generally, only dead leaves fall of trees. Nature sends a message to Hardy that his wife is dead. This also shows that the place was alive when Emma was alive and now that she’s dead, so is the place. It is safe to assume that the season is autumn as leaves are falling. Autumn is the season of death and misery, setting up an excellent atmosphere for the poem. The last lines present the dilemma of the poem: He knows it’s not Emma, yet doesn’t want to turn around and confirm that fact. Maybe he wants to live in a delusion that Emma is there, watching over her. He probably doesn’t have the strength to face reality.
Yet I wanted to look and see
That nobody stood at the back of me;
But I thought once more: ‘Nay, I’ll not unvision
A shape which, somehow, there may be.’
So I went on softly from the glade,
And left her behind me throwing her shade,
As she were indeed an apparition—
My head unturned lest my dream should fade.
However, he wanted to turn around and see, face reality like a man. But then, decides against it. Hardy’s contradictory and complex feelings can be seen here. He is arguing with himself whether to check or not. In the end he finally decides not to look. The word ‘unvision’ is created by Hardy to describe a new feeling. He thought that there is no word in the English language to describe how he feels. Unvision may mean destroying an illusion. When he leaves her behind him throwing her shade, Hardy imitates his wife as she also went slowly, leaving Hardy behind. The hyphen after apparition describes a pause to think. She’s indeed an illusion, he thinks (or is she?). The thought of the shadow being a ghost crosses his mind again. In the end, he finally admits that this wasn’t real by giving it the word ‘dream’.
The sound effects in the last line are worth noting. The harsh ‘d’ sound suggests that the poet is hardening. He is trying to be strong but just can’t gather up the strength to turn around.
Over the last few centuries, our perception of mental illness has changed considerably, from the view that the ‘insane’ were a deviant group who needed, for the sake of society, to be controlled and hidden, through the age of psychiatry, medicalism and cure whereby medicine became an agent of social control who would normalise the ill ready for return into society, to today, where therapy has become the latest trend and emotional states are used readily as currency in certain social circles. What then, has changed our outlook on the mentally ill so drastically, and is this latest therapeutic development the whole picture? It is my belief that still, centuries on from the days of locking up and hiding the mad, the underlying feature of our mental health care provision is the ‘secure centre’, with the emphasis being put on the idea of ‘risk assessment’ rather than care, and with the term ‘dangerous and severe personality disorder’ being used readily, without psychological or medical definition.
Get original essayMental illness, in many ways, consumes our everyday lives. According to the National Union of Students, 1 in 4 students will suffer from a mental health problem whilst studying at university , with the figure for non students not being much further behind. As a nation, we have easy access to counselling services face to face, online and through listening services such as The Samaritans, and the local doctor is now often fully versed in topics such as stress, depression and therapy. In fact, so often am I told that I am ‘stressed’ or ‘depressed’ by a doctor looking for a reason for that ever returning cold, that I could quite believe I am in need of an overdue dose of therapy. But is this really the state of our mental health provision today? A more accurate observation is perhaps that there is a thin line between the acceptance of what is seen as somewhat minor, more fashionable personality ‘foibles’ and the much more daunting prospect of a fully formed personality disorder, and should this line be crossed, the barriers of society acceptance shut down, and are very difficult to prise open.
‘The question of how to deal with mental illness and the provision of appropriate care has, throughout history, been the subject of significant inquiry and a source of debate’ , and still is to this day. Are the mentally ill prisoners or patients? Dangerous to the public or dangerous to themselves? All these questions remain unanswered, but the real problem is not how to deal with mental illness as such, but how to define it. Is it what we have come to embrace fondly in society today, or should we in fact still be protected from it? And perhaps more importantly, who should decide?
It wasn’t too long ago when the words mentally ill and disorder did not exist. These words, would not have accurately described the attitudes of society in the 18th Century, and would in fact be better replaced with lunacy, mad and insane. The mad, as they were then known, were offered no support or care, often relying on either family care or moving from parish to parish handout and other small offers of charitable relief. Those with a mental illness were not seen as a separate class of people, but ‘were assimilated into the much larger, more amorphous class of the morally disreputable, the poor and the impotent’ . They were often found in local poor houses and work houses, because at that time, there was seen to be no other suitable way of dealing with the insane. However, as the 1700’s wore on, interest in hiding these people grew, and the need for control over certain groups in society became a high priority. ‘The Great Confinement’ began, which started in Paris in 1656 with the creation of the Hopital General, a place to confine what was termed as the ‘socially useless’. Confinement was not however for medical reasons – in fact medicine had very little to do with the insane until far into the 19th Century. In an emerging capitalist society, there was no place for the poor or the mad, and ‘the 18th Century saw a gradual separation of insanity from other points of dependence and deviance’ . In fact it was at this time that the protectionist attitudes began, with confinement being not for treatment, but to protect society from the ‘contagion of madness’ .
Many institutions began to emerge, with a mixture of the privately owned and the publicly funded, however many private madhouses took the opportunity to make increasing amounts of money out of the trade in the mad, especially in light of the fact that charitable relief could only stretch so far. There was no call for treatment – only restraint and control in the forms of shackles and cages, and many private madhouses could charge large sums of money to house the insane as demand began to quickly outstrip supply. There were no laws controlling this growing trend – in fact anyone could set themselves up easily in the ‘lunacy trade’. The majority of those who entered a madhouse were not seen again, almost as if they no longer existed – but this seemed only to add to its benefit. However it soon became apparent that these institutions were only a financial enterprise, and little was provided in the way of care and safety – those few institutions that did were overshadowed by the majority whose treatment of the insane could be termed as ruthless. This started to become a cause for a concern amongst some, and an inquiry was launched in 1763 which exposed the institutions as merely ‘big business’. Despite oppositions from the owners of those madhouses engaged in harsh practice, 11 years later the law began to change, not least with the Madhouses Act 1774.
The Madhouses Act was there to protect the wealthy patients in private madhouses, and to make sure that standards were maintained. There was of course one glaring omission in the legislation – it did not go any way to protecting paupers, even though their numbers far outstripped the wealthy insane. No restriction of practises could be dealt, and no punishment of cruel treatment could be achieved under the act – perhaps this is due on part to the large amounts of money being passed around several institutions, although it can be said that whilst private madhouses outnumbered public ones, the struggle for better treatment of the insane would be a long one.
Despite this, it would be a member of the wealthy insane which began to turn the provision of care for the mentally ill on its head. When King George III became ‘insane’, the focus shifted from restraint to care and even more radically to treatment. Various medical practices emerged, most being along the lines of burning, cutting and other physically painful treatments which would be termed torture today. However, despite its concentration on the physical body as opposed to treatment of the mind, this was an important step forward. Alongside this was what came to be known as ‘moral therapy’, an even more important phase in mental health care development. Kindness, coercion and work therapy, coupled with activities in the arts were thought to act as a diversion from their state of mind , and the overall approach was much more humane than the physical treatment that many ‘patients’ had begun to receive. Many retreats were set up as an alternative to the many institutions that had sprung up at this time, most notably by philanthropists William Tuke, and Bentham. The York Retreat, which was founded in 1792, became the model of moral therapy, and the book ‘Description of the Retreat’ which was based on the retreat and its practices, outlined proper approaches to moral therapy and guidelines in carrying it out. This was very important, and allowed moral therapy to be received by a much wider cross section of society. Its popularity spread, and it soon became apparent that there was no place for medicine in this new treatment – in fact it went along way to affirming the doubts that many were starting to have about the abilities of the medical profession to treat the mentally ill. This doubt was increased further when one contrasted the retreat (with its kind practices and dignity) to the York Asylum which was controlled by physicians and relied on medical treatment which was neither effective nor humane.
With the popularity and faith in moral treatment rising, and with its organisation in the hands of the humanitarians, the medical profession appeared redundant. ‘Since moral treatment began to work, the medical profession had to find a way to accommodate it.’ The medical profession therefore, began to take the practice of moral therapy on board, and due to their status in society and better organisation, it became known to be part of their general expertise, leaving the lay persons who had created it far behind. Legally, the treatment of the insane lay in the medical professions’ hands.
With the Victorian age came the birth of the Asylum, which replaced the now redundant Madhouse. These institutions were purpose built, in that they took into consideration architecture and design to help with treatment. However, the positivism first associated with the asylum turned to great concern with large overcrowding in public institutions, which made moral therapy and its related curative treatments almost impossible to carry out, turning them to the same fate suffered by the Madhouses. Institutionalisation became a grave concern at this time, as many believed one could not live in the community again after entering an asylum. Harsh treatment and bad conditions crept in, and by the end of the 19th Century the insane were in no better position than at the end of the 18th.
However, although sympathy over conditions was afforded to the insane, and distress at the thought of sane, upstanding members of society being locked up for financial reasons, this was not enough to combat the real concern of the time – protection of the public and social order. So, with the introduction of the Lunacy Act 1890 came legal intervention. Medical control was no longer supported by society, as no positive results had materialised, which put control of the insane firmly in the hands of the law. The detention process, certification and treatment were all regulated, to the point where there really was no role for medicine in mental illness anymore.
However as always, it was not long before attitudes changed and the position began to switch. Yet again no suitable results were seen from legal control, so society turned to medicine once more for the answer. Medicine was beginning to prosper – a new system of care for the mentally ill came into force and preventative medicine became popular. The profession of the psychiatrist was born. World War I cemented this respect as their role in society increased, and the idea of certification started to meet with dislike, as stigmatism became a worry. Society didn’t want war heroes, who were coming home with illnesses such as ‘shell shock’, to be labelled as insane. The Mental Treatment Act of 1930 went further than anticipated, giving treatment without certification under the Provisional Treatment Order, and voluntary admission. Altogether treatment was more relaxed, but more importantly treatment happened. Another shift in social outlook meant a change in care provision.
The Mental Health Act 1959 took the era of medicine even further, and gave even more credibility to the psychiatrists. More emphasis was put on combating stigmatism by more access to voluntary admission and legal intervention diminished significantly, although Mental Health Review Tribunals were created to regulate compulsory admission. This was a positive step in care provision, as it began to realise the needs and rights of the patient – however despite this constructive influence of the law in this way, control was still firmly in the hands of the psychiatrists. Nonetheless it was a positive time for medicine, and patients had options which were unknown to them previously. There appeared to be a sensible balance between appropriate care and patient rights, epitomised by the strong emphasis on voluntary admission, and public protection appeared to be no longer a great cause for concern.
In spite of this, the tug of war between legalism and medicalism was not yet over, ‘confidence was short lived and by the mid-1960’s disillusionment and criticisms had again begun to resurface’
The Mental Health Act 1983 is the one of the most recent pieces of mental health care legislation, and currently regulates the majority of care provision. It reflects yet another change in social perception of mental health, especially with regards to the role of medicine and the law in the whole matter. This act largely characterizes the age of rights, and the new concern over patient protection and medical intervention. Positions adjusted, and patients began to be seen as holding rights, despite their mental state. An increasing interest in rights, with movements such as feminism gave weight to this, as did increasing awareness of the European Convention of Human Rights. If you add to this growing pressure from MIND, who gathered support throughout the 1970’s for patient protection and a legal framework within care provision, a legalist revival was beginning to take shape.
Not long after the 1959 Act came into force, the recent psychiatric ‘boom’ started to go into anti-climax. No new headway with regards to treatment were made, and the 1960’s/70’s were a time for consolidation – the lack of activity wasn’t popular, and the once optimistic view of psychiatric ability began to ebb. Furthermore, public protection was left in the hands of the medical profession with little legal support, and this caused alarm amongst many in society. Finally, much of the success of the 1959 Act relied upon community care, something which was proving to be far too much of a financial burden to be able to bear, leaving care under resourced and under managed. This prompted much investigation and with the emergence of the new Mental Health Act 1983.
Its aims were very clear – to regain legal control over mental health provision and care. There was a desire for a greater control of the professional’s power over the patient, and for more safeguards to be in place for the protection of the patient and more importantly society at large. This would come in the form of a legal framework, setting out policy on accountability, detention and treatment, and revising the roles of those in the profession, to ensure appropriate care was administered and received.
Patient rights were extremely important, and this encompassed such issues as appropriateness of care, and the level of rights a patient should be afforded dependant on his/her mental state. The MHA 1983 s(1) defines the term ‘mental disorder’ as four separate categories; ‘mental illness’, ‘arrested or incomplete development of the mind’, ‘psychopathic disorder’ and ‘any other disorder or disability of mind’. This is very broad, and many different types of illnesses can be made to fit the definition, although under s1(3) exclusions are made with regards to drugs, sexual behaviour and immoral conduct. What is perhaps important to note, are the distinctions made between different forms of mental disorder – this now means that depending on what you suffer, and how seriously you suffer it, rights will be afforded accordingly. However these terms do not attract a medical definition, rather a legal one or more accurately ‘what an ordinary person would consider’ these terms to mean.
· s2 – authorises compulsory detention for assessment for up to 28 days. This does not exclude treatment.
· s3 – compulsory detention for up to 6 months for treatment. Must reapply at the end of each 6 month period.
· s4 – compulsory detention of up to 72 hours for emergency assessment and treatment.
These provisions provide a clear legal framework within which the medical profession must work. The reasoning behind this is that by adhering to strict guidelines on detention, no patient is kept unnecessarily or unfairly, and in order to be detained for a 6 month period, treatment has to be administered meaning that there is a better likelihood that a patient will now receive proper care.
· s57 – serious treatments must have consent (for example Psychosurgery)
· s58 – less serious and reversible treatment (for example drugs) must at first have consent, if this is not forthcoming then a second medical opinion must be obtained.
· s62 – the above safeguards do not apply in an emergency (necessary to save the patients life or alleviate suffering or to prevent further deterioration)
Consent in this context must be given freely and the patient must understand fully the nature of the treatment. This again shows the efforts of the MHA 1983 to afford more rights and protection to patients undergoing care and treatment.
Under the MHA 1983 there is an even greater emphasis put on voluntary care, and this can be found in s131(1). It provides for patients seeking treatment on an informal basis, or staying in hospital informally after detention has ceased. This is perhaps one of the most important provisions in the act because ‘it recognises that an individual may seek hospital care for psychiatric difficulties in the same way as one would for a physical disorder’ This in turn should help to combat the ‘social stigma’ that has long been associated with mental health, an intention of all of the mental health legislation throughout the 20th Century.
As much headway as the MHA 1983 made, it was not, and is not without its problems. There is still serious overcrowding in hospitals and institutions, with the NHS struggling to provide the sort of care and treatment that the campaigners of the 1970’s envisaged. There is little money or resources, meaning the long term care of seriously ill patients is lacking. Voluntary patients are increasing rapidly, as was desired, and yet the legislation makes no provision for their protection – this is only provided for patients who are detained.
The Mental Health Act 1983 has failed to get the balance right, and this is perhaps its main flaw, and the flaw with all other mental health legislation which preceded it. What is required is equal weight placed upon patient rights, their welfare and the rights of society at large, and yet what we have is an unsatisfactory mix of all 3, with different things applying at different times. Stigma and labelling still exist, and are much worse today, and society has shifted again from patient care to third party protection – society is now more concerned with their own welfare, and yet the act does nothing to reflect this. Is it perhaps time in the 21st Century to move on again?
In December 1992 Ben Silcock, a schizophrenic, climbed into the lion’s enclosure at London Zoo, in order to ‘talk to the animals’, and whilst doing so was mauled and killed. He was discharged into the community and was left alone to deal with his illness and society around him. In the same year Jonathon Zito was stabbed to death by Christopher Clunis, another schizophrenic left without care. In the wake of the MHA 1983, much was made of community care, and in the early nineties actual policies began to take shape. Yet the above cases are just some of the examples of where community care went wrong.
Community care was supposed to be an enlightenment in mental health care provision – it would not only take the heat from the institutions and hospitals, but it would allow a patient to live in society with family and friends and maintain dignity and independence. However the reality was much different. The burden of providing proper facilities and patient cooperation was a harder task than first anticipated – and it was seriously under funded, leading to the cases above. At the time MIND estimated that it would cost £300m to bring the community services up to scratch, but the government’s answer was the Community Treatment Order, a debated policy throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
The Community Treatment Order would permit medical treatment for disorder outside of the hospital setting, and therefore overcome the problems of those patients in the community who couldn’t or wouldn’t continue their medication or treatment – it would be compulsory, therefore avoiding the sorts of incidents so often associated with the mentally ill who lived in society. It had many advantages – cost, less labelling of patients and the ability for patients to still live among their families safely. However, organisations such as MIND were far from supportive, believing the orders to be a serious breach of civil liberties – how far were patients actually free to live in the community? These treatment orders in one form or another were discussed and investigated for some time, before an appropriate solution could be found. The Department of Health came up with a ten point plan for caring for the mentally ill in the community in 1993, and in 1994 the NHS Management Executive introduced a supervision register of patients discharged into the community. These were a preliminary for the legislation that was to come in 1995, with the Mental Health (Patients in the Community Act).
This act introduced after care supervision, and was designed to gain more control over those patients released into the community. However, with many still concerned for civil liberties, and increased coercion, even when patients are supposed to be relatively free in the community, this act was limited in what it could achieve. After the tragedies of 1992, mental health provision, and especially that which occurred in the community was put under intense media scrutiny, and it became apparent that the services were lacking. However what followed wasn’t what those in the psychiatric profession or those in campaigning organisations had hoped for. Instead of proper community care, patients were served with orders and forced medication. What about the other advantages of community care such as patient independence and care in the family? It appears that there is neither the money nor the inclination to hold these in much regard, meaning a shift from community care to community enforcement. Yet how can anyone hope for community treatment to succeed with a lack of appropriate housing, financial security and occupational opportunities? The law has done nothing to address these much wider social concerns.
The role of the public on the success of community care is also an important factor. Quite often, although the public would see the benefits of treating a patient not in an institution, but in a friendly community environment, they would be resistant to having these types of facilities in their own neighbourhood . This is unsurprising, given the nature of education and the level of knowledge society has with regards to the mentally ill. If the public are unable to accept the mentally ill in their neighbourhood, this will surely only serve to increase stereotypes and stigma, meaning any positive effects of community care are lost. This was the attitude of the 1980’s, can it have changed all that much in the 21st Century?
Ben Silcock managed to kick start the government into thinking about patients in the community, yet its effects are not all seen as positive. Community care and its failures show the governments’ approach to mental health policy in the 1990’s – the first signs of coercion and repression of the mentally ill.
‘Medical solutions are being sought for a variety of deviant behaviours or conditions.’ It has often been thought that deviancy and mental illness are linked in some way – both are known to be forms of ‘social abnormality’, and as such attract a similar label, whether they are voluntary or involuntary. This has long been the case, ever since the days of lunacy and madness when all types of social abnormality were dealt with in the same way. As mentioned above, it didn’t make much difference whether a person was sick, poor, cripple, a criminal or mentally ill they were confined and hidden together, no treatment or help, just left so that they could no longer be a menace or drain on society. This is a dilemma that has faced civilization throughout history, and social control has been a hot issue throughout time. Many solutions have been applied, and their success or failure can be charted, but throughout the 20th Century, medicine has emerged as the method of choice.
Treatment, rather than punishment is sought for most forms of deviant behaviour, with rehabilitation schemes, institutions and community care being used for variety of different types of people, especially criminals. Medicine has started to replace religion, whose appeal has waned in these cynical times, and even faith in the criminal justice system and its apparent ineffectiveness to ‘solve’ repeat offences has ebbed. As knowledge and science has expanded, so has the expectation of what medicine can achieve, and this has led to its dominance of all that is considered abnormal in the recent past. In its attempts to normalise illness and allow people to rehabilitate successfully back into their role in society, it has managed to capitalise on the term ‘illness’ and use it to cover a multitude of subgroups – are criminals ill? Are they mentally ill? The reality is that whilst the question even exists, medicine will have an important role in this way.
In previous times ‘confinement [was] explained, or at least justified, by the desire to avoid scandal’ , and although the types of people being detained were distinct from each other, placing them together attracted very similar stigma, for whatever reason. Understanding mental illness was not easy at that time, and it was just another form of deviance – not an ailment that should be treated and cared for, therefore this was not much of a problem. ‘Some have argued that the stigmatisation of the mentally ill is one example of the common human tendency to reject disvalued subgroups and blame them for social troubles’ - and despite efforts to the contrary, legislation hasn’t changed this. In fact this problem is only getting worse, just changing to fit the social attitude of the time
Now the emphasis has shifted from confinement to care, through the medium of the medical profession. With ‘deviance’ as a whole now coming under medical practice and influence, the labelling of the mentally ill has not decreased, only changed. Now all those requiring treatment of any kind are part of the same subgroup of society and thus are one and the same – but this time they are receiving care so it is more acceptable to think of them in this way. One can consider it in this way; ‘Today, Americans live under two sets of laws: one applicable to the sane, the other to the insane. The legal regulations binding on the former – with respect to hospitalisation for illness, marriage or divorce, standing for trial, or the privileges of driving a car or practising a profession – do not apply to the latter. In short, individuals categorized as mentally ill labour under the handicap of a stigma imposed upon them by the State through Institutional Psychiatry.’ More accurate diagnosis of disorders and health problems are forthcoming, and doctors are quick to place a label or name on a variety of symptoms and complaints. However, ‘it is the conviction itself that marks the offender with the unequivocally negative sign’ , and this can be fully applied in a mental health context – the sectioning or even the actual diagnosis is often the stigmatising factor. Therefore it appears that medicalisation has only served to increase the prejudices faced by the mentally ill, through the lack of confidence medicine and practitioners invest in them to lead a ‘normal life’, at least, not until they are fully ‘cured’.
But what is society so afraid of? For every doctor or legislator who places these limitations upon the mentally ill, there are groups of society standing in agreement. As much as people have campaigned for patient rights and welfare, with more appropriate care and treatment, better facilities and resources and a system aftercare, people have also been campaigning for themselves, and third party protection. To those who are part of the norm, any abnormalities in life should be feared. Those with mental illness are perceived as dangerous – first dangerous to social standards, then to economics, and now to personal safety.
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Get custom essay‘There cannot be an ‘us’ without a ‘them’’
A middle school counselor at a large, suburban public school in the United States has been meeting weekly for one-hour sessions with a 13-year old male student in the seventh grade for aggressive behavior such as shoving, verbally disrespecting, and threatening classmates with physical violence when he is feeling anxious or frustrated. During the fifth weekly session in the counseling office, the student admits to the counselor that he has been encouraged by his father to enlist his two best friends and engage in a fight, after school and off campus, with two eighth grade boys who have been bullying him for months, both at school and cyberbullying through social media sites.
Get original essayThe student feels uncertain and conflicted about this suggestion, but wants to obey and please his father and to appear brave and bold; therefore, he has a plan in place to meet the boys in a wooded park near the school later that day. The student reports that his mother is aware and supportive of the situation, but the counselor believes the student is lying about that.
What, if anything, should the school counselor do to prevent the student and his friends from engaging in a fight with the bullies? Should the counselor contact the student’s father to discuss the situation and/or should the counselor alert the student’s mother? The parents have been divorced since the student was nine years old and the two do not currently have an amicable relationship, though they do civilly share joint custody of their son.
The school counselor turned to the ACA and ASCA codes of ethics for guidance. Following are three pertinent passages from the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (2016) and one from the ACA Code of Ethics (2014):
A.2.e. Keep information confidential unless legal requirements demand that confidential information be revealed or a breach is required to prevent serious and foreseeable harm to the student. Serious and foreseeable harm is different for each minor in schools and is determined by students’ developmental and chronological age, the setting, parental rights and the nature of the harm. School counselors consult with appropriate professionals when in doubt as to the validity of an exception.
A.9.a. Inform parents/guardians and/or appropriate authorities when a student poses a serious and foreseeable risk of harm to self or others. When feasible, this is to be done after careful deliberation and consultation with other appropriate professionals. School counselors inform students of the school counselor’s legal and ethical obligations to report the concern to the appropriate authorities unless it is appropriate to withhold this information to protect the student (e.g. student might run away if he/she knows parents are being called). The consequence of the risk of not giving parents/guardians a chance to intervene on behalf of their child is too great. Even if the danger appears relatively remote, parents should be notified.
A.11.a. School counselors report to the administration all incidents of bullying, dating violence and sexual harassment as most fall under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 or other federal and state laws as being illegal and require administrator interventions. School counselors provide services to victims and perpetrator as appropriate, which may include a safety plan and reasonable accommodations such as schedule change, but school counselors defer to administration for all discipline issues for this or any other federal, state or school board violation.
B.1.d. Explanation of Limitations: At initiation and throughout the counseling process, counselors inform clients of the limitations of confidentiality and seek to identify situations in which confidentiality must be breached.
I have chosen to approach this dilemma through the Solutions to Ethical Problems in Schools (STEPS) ethical-decision-making model, a school-specific method that involves nine steps:
The first two steps were covered in the sections above. Consider the student’s chronological and developmental levels. The student is 13 years and three months of age -- in the middle of puberty. His rational decision-making skills are not yet fully-developed, and he is confused by the advice of his father which goes against what he has learned and what he believes to be “right”. This student’s underlying issue is an inability to express difficult feelings in a healthy and productive manner, which causes a tendency toward aggression.
Consider the setting, parental rights and minor’s rights. The information was divulged in a confidential counseling session. However, in accordance with ACA code B.1.d. (Explanation of Limitations), the counselor is responsible for communicating the limitation of confidentiality in this case, as the student is actively planning to put himself and others in harm’s way.
Apply the moral principle. The professional involved in this situation must focus, first and foremost, on protecting and promoting the good for the student in this case. Determine a potential course of action and its consequences. Clearly, the boy’s plans to engage in a fistfight after school needs to be cancelled. The counselor should immediately call the boy’s mother and father and ask them to come in that day for an urgent meeting, with both the student and school administrator present. If this is not possible, the counselor should attempt to have a phone meeting with both parents. The two older boys accused of bullying the student in counseling also need to be interviewed.
Evaluate the selected action. Consider and be prepared for the possibility that the father will defend his misguided advice to his son, as, according to the student, his rationale was that the fight would, once and for all, end the internal torture that the bullying was causing in his son.
Consult with peers. The counselor needs to inform the other school counselors and administrators of this issue with the student so that a team of professionals can monitor the situation, responding with appropriate consequences in the event of further bullying. Implement the selected course of action. If it is not possible to meet with one or both parents that same day, arrange for the boy to be escorted home by a parent or school official so that the proposed fight will not be able to occur.
The Story of an Hour depicts what happens in a marriage when a wife is given news about her husband’s death by his friend from the office, Richard and her sister, Josephine. They carefully break the news to her because she has a heart problem. The story gives us insight on her feelings and thoughts towards this heart -rendering event where in the ending she makes a shocking discovery that her husband is alive, and it kills her. From this story we can see the “ Restrictions/Oppression of Marriage”. Although their marriage is one of love and kindness, she feels joy when she believes her husband is dead, but she is restricted by the thought of being happy without her husband.
Get original essayLouise Mallard is a woman of independence and intelligence. Louise knows that wives are to mourn their husband’s death, but she doesn’t allow it to make her feel empty, so she cries. In her thoughts she believes that she is robbed of independence by nature of marriage. Her heart problem represents the ambivalence toward her marriage. She realizes the freedom she will have without her husband. Louise has not finish weeping for a dear husband as she longs to see his face and feel his touch.
However, the “open window” represents the lack of restrictions and determination, she never thought of while her husband was alive. She once again allows herself to dream of the freedom which allows to her to accept excitement. This helps her to look forward to the years to come where she would live for herself. She imagined a long-lived life with opportunities for her fulfillment. Louise was ready to accept a life where she had to worry about herself. After her self- determination, being ready to move on and having a rollercoaster of emotion and thoughts flooding her imagination. Louise goes downstairs to later discover her husband is well alive. Louise Mallard have now passed away of a heart attack by shocking news once again and the disappointment of her freedom being taken away once again by marriage.
Louise Mallard heart problem are both physical and psychological conflicts of this story. Physically we can see a problem with her at the beginning. Her heart beats fast and she is weakened by the news she locks herself in the room to understand what this means for her. Louise regains her strength when she thinks about her newfound freedom from having to live for another person. Here the story describes it as,” She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her”. Psychologically she thought about what it would mean to hear the news of her husband being dead again. Her sorrow was because of Mr. Mallard not living again but not merely living without him. The death of his life gives her a new perspective on life, but it is solely taken away when he comes back alive. Louise Mallard is very emotional because she is denied the chance of freedom. The shock and disappointment kill her.
The story of an Hour is told by the narrator in third person as it relates to Louise Mallard emotions of the news. The story is like a big screen and the readers are looking in on it. The narrator tells us more about what the main character is thinking and not anyone else. We can see where she begins to relate to the character’s emotion in the third paragraph when she says,” Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul”. The narrator further relates to the thoughts that is going through the character’s mind. When she relates to freedom by the death of her husband. We see it here when she says,” She would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and woman believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow- creature”. The narrator then finally tells us what the reader would see when Louise leaves her bedroom.
If we look deeper into the analysis of the story, we can see were women are being oppressed in marriage and are remaining silent but are only free from their oppression when their husband dies. You have a story that you can get from many other married couples where Louise did things against her will to please her husband. She was a woman that desired freedom but deprived of it by being married.
This article analyses the strategic branding decision and positioning of Mercedes-Benz.
Get original essayA well positioned brand for any fine engineered product is likely to receive positive sales response while the bad ones just the opposite. Brand Management Concept by (Keller K. , 2008), highlights that
"Good brand positioning helps to guide marketing strategy by clarifying what a brand a all about, how it is unique and how it is similar to competitive brands, and why consumers should purchase and use it" (p.98)
The automotive industry is highly competitive, thus precise branding decision and positioning would be required for Mercedes-Benz to out-manoeuvre her contender.
Mercedes-Benz, one of Daimler AG's automotive division was found by Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in Germany. Mercedes-Benz invented the first high-speed engine in 1884 and by 1890s, Mercedes-Benz had her first automobile mass production. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018)
The three pointed star trademark symbolises Mercedes-Benz's engine usage over land, sea and air (Daimler, 2018). Registered in 1909, it's adorned at the front and back of all Mercedes-Benz vehicles. This trademark is used presently and is accompanied by the slogan "The Best or Nothing" (Mercedes-Benz, 2018).
Mercedes-Benz's positioning statement "The Best or Nothing" emphasise perfection in engineering, safety and luxury at the highest level. This philosophy projects elitism and intrigues consumers who share the same ideology.
Brand positioning begins with market segmentation. There's no absolute answer to address market segmentation. Different variables would be implemented, in solitary or blended, marketer will have to navigate for the best solution to comprehend the market. (Kotler & Armstrong, 2008)
Mercedes-Benz demonstrated the above, utilising and mixing different variables to fit the market. And the 4 Cs of Mercedes-Benz, clarity, consistency, credibility and competitiveness laid strong foundation to her branding success.
With reference to "3.1 Geographic Segmentation" on Chinese market, Mercedes-Benz exceeded 600 000 unit sales for year 2017 (gbtimes, 2018) and Daimler's Financial Report ranked China first place for markets sales (Daimler, 2018).
Geographical segmentation is established by utilising geographical variables such as local population and urbanised location (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2012). BRIC Market (Brazil, Russia, India and China) was discussed in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz's Sales & Marketing Proposal with strong emphasis on China.
Mercedes-Benz is expecting China to became the most important market due to the sheer population, impressive economical growth and urbanisation. (Daimler, 2012)
Variables such as age, gender, occupation, income, marital status and family size are crucial input for demographical segmentation (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2012).
The advertisement on Mercedes-Benz B-Class is labelled as "Safest Car Around For Young Families" (Mercedes-Benz, 2012). Campaign "She's Mercedes" in 2017 targets at female drivers (NOWNESS, 2017) & (Mercedes-Benz, 2018). And recent launching of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class foresees the requirement of business professional and is marketed as "The Most Intelligent Saloon in the Business Class" (Mercedes-Benz, 2018).
Lastly demographic variables on income. It's useless to make offerings when no one can afford. The cheapest Mercedes-Benz costs around $138 000 while average annual income of Singaporean was $55 016 (Ministry of Manpower Singapore, 2017).
"The lifestyle" was the chosen theme for Mercedes-Benz. This decision matches the theory of establishing differentiation in lifestyle and/or psychological traits (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2012). Advertisement and campaigns set focus on mature professionals from upper middle or higher classes with certain desirable personal lifestyle.
(Mercedes-Benz, 2018) champion her campaigns as,
"Your Mercedes-Benz isn't just a vehicle, it's part of your life, and an expression of your style."
This segmentation is established on the buying behaviour of specific item which variables includes; benefit expectations, loyalty, pricing...etc (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2012).
Purchasers would be expecting a long product lifespan from this German made engineering marvel. For some, buying a Mercedes-Benz is always her fashionable appearances or the smooth handling and engine performance. Above all, the price on a Mercedes-Benz indicates ownership only to the prestige.
Mercedes-Benz has also created her very own "Mercedes-Benz Brand Club" which provides benefits such as loyalty rewards or purchase discounts to members. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018).
The invention and patented "Lateral Protection System" (Mercedes-Benz, 2018) and "V8 M176" engine (Mercedes-Benz, 2018) are examples of engineering/design innovation focused differentiation strategy (Farhana & Bimenyimana, 2015). With innovation, price differentiation and symbolic promotional mix, Mercedes-Benz cast unique selling points into the minds of targeted consumers.
Mercedes-Benz offers a wide variety of car type. These offerings allows consumer to have more options, hence differentiate herself from other manufacturers with limited variations.
Sales potential, competitive situation and cost structure is to be evaluated before the development of the market mix (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2012). Reference to 3.1, Chinese GDP exceeded $8 Trillion in 2012 and this growth encouraged 13.4 million unit of passenger vehicles being purchased within that year.
With massive urbanisation project driven by the Chinese government, strong purchasing power and low car density, Mercedes-Benz makes plan for her Dealer Network Expansions over major metropolitan area in China. (Daimler, 2013)
As for competitors, Mercedes-Benz had plans to put up a tough contest. (Forbes, 2014)
Lastly, Mercedes had her manufacturing plant commissioned in china on the 18th Nov 2013 to gain cost effectiveness. (Daimler, 2013)
(Ghodeswar, 2008) states that;
"A brand essentially is intended to identify the goods or service of either a group of sellers or a seller through differentiating its goods/services from those of competitors." (p. 4-12)
Business article originally published by Booz & Company, Fall 2003 Issue 32, illustrated the footing of Mercedes-Benz in the following perceptual mapping (Booz & Company, 2003).
4 Brand Equity
Illustration on Mercedes-Benz's brand equity using (Keller, Aperia, & Georgson, 2012) Brand Equity Pyramid Model as follows:
(Johansson & Carlson, 2014) illustrates:
Following will analyze how Mercedes-Benz stays in tune with the above illustration.
Much of Mercedes-Benz's identity had already been mentioned in Section 2. However, this paragraph would like to emphasise that Mercedes-Benz had been identified as "the best car of the world" by winning 3 "World Car Award" in 2015 (Mercedes-Benz, 2015).
(Keller K. , 2008) had highlighted, "Sources of Brand Equity are Brand Awareness & Image." (p. 50-51). Mercedes-Benz leverage on her easy remembered trademark, superior engineering, unequal product quality and reliability to support her branding identity.
With the aid of marketing campaign and social media, brand awareness elevated. Study from ADWEEK found Mercedes-Benz's advertisement outperforms all her competitors (ADWEEK, 2014).
Moreover, Mercedes-Benz's involvement in Formula 1 competition such as financing the Formula One race team "Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport" (Mercedes AMG F1, 2018) further boost her brand awareness. Besides motor-sports, Mercedes-Benz also sponsors sporting activities such as equitation, golf, football, tennis...etc (Daimler, 2018).
Year 2017, Mercedes-Benz launched project, "Grow Up." This campaign focused on young professional millennial who has aspiration. This campaign aims to create awareness to younger consumer. (ADWEEK, 2017)
With all these current strategic measures in place, brand salience is considerably high for Mercedes-Benz.
The slogan "The Best or Nothing" and the vision of “Dedicated to Customers, Driven by Excellence" (Mercedes-Benz, 2018) represent total perfection of Mercedes-Benz's offerings in every aspects.
This is achieved by taking advantage of her rich automotive manufacturing history, heritage, product performance, after-sales services, advertisement and campaign as well as professional automobile critics and magazine reviews.
For example, Car Magazine UK had reviewed Mercedes-Benz S Class as a high performance car with ultimate luxury (Carmagazine UK, 2018) and AutoCar Magazine ranked Mercedes-Benz S Class as number one best luxury car in 2018 (Autocar UK, 2018).
Mercedes-Benz had also crafted herself a name for innovation on vehicle safety with "Lateral Protection System" (Mercedes-Benz, 2018).
Over the years, Mercedes-Benz has also enhances her image by involving in communities projects such as "Mercedes-Benz and Laureus". This global sport related project helps youth on employment and lessen criminal conducts. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018). Mercedes-Benz also takes effort in worldwide environmental protection on resources conservation and carbon reduction. (Daimler, 2016).
Although Mercedes-Benz suffers from setbacks such as vehicle recall, overall brand value still remain positive (Daimler, 2017), (interbrand, 2017) & (Statista, 2018).
Mercedes-Benz has portrays herself as being competence and sophisticated. This is linked to her reliable, high performance engine and fashionable car design. Mercedes-Benz had published her positive customers' reviews (Mercedes-Benz, 2018) and in accordance to www.cars.com 2017, customers rated Mercedes-Benz 4.9 stars out of 5 (cars.com, 2017).
Consumers have developed behavioural loyalty and attitudinal attachment by joining Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast Club (SG Merc, 2018) or "Mercedes-Benz Owners Singapore" on social media such as facebook (Mercedes-Benz Owners Singapore, 2018)...etc
This provides platform for Mercedes-Benz's owner a sense of community belonging and also opportunity to engage in any of Mercedes-Benz related activities.
Mercedes-Benz profiles all her makings as a luxury with vehicle category ranging from Saloons, Tourers, Coupé, Cabriolets, Roadsters to SUV. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018)
Product warranty, after sales services, safety factors, brand name and company image are also part of a product, not limited to its physical form. (McDaniel, Lamb, & Hair, 2009)
Indeed, the most crucial branding promise by Mercedes-Benz "The Best or Nothing" is reinforced by the customer support centre which operating 24 hours worldwide. Should any technical fault to occur and couldn't be resolved on the spot, vehicle shall to be pulled into the nearest Mercedes-Benz Repair-Shop immediately. On top of that, temporary replacement vehicle will also be provided till repair completion. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018)
Apart from premium after-sales services, car safety innovation has also been injected. Deployment of protective airbags to minimize or eliminate casualty rate had already been adopted by many car makers.
However, Mercedes-Benz escalate this engineering concept to another level with the invention of "Lateral Protection System" and seat belt air-bag integration. These systems shield and protect passengers more effectively from crash impact. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018)
The price tag on a new Mercedes-Benz ranges from $138 000 to $798 000. Low tier Mercedes-Benz would costs approximately 33% higher than any economical car. No drastic prices variation reflected in 2015 as compared to 2017. (Cycle & Carriage, 2015) & (Cycle & Carriage, 2017)
The location of sales, distribution and technical support is a contributing factor on how, where and when customer/s could purchase the product. (McDaniel, Lamb, & Hair, 2009)
Mercedes-Benz aligned this theory by setting up manufacturing site, sales and service centre worldwide. Currently Mercedes-Benz has manufacturing plants and sales offices in
Europe, Asia, North & South America and Africa. (Daimler, 2018)
Cycle & Carriage Pte Ltd is the approved sales distribution and repair agent in Singapore.
It's luxurious showroom sits near city-town. (Cycle & Carriage, 2018)
Sales promotion, advertisement, public relations, sponsorship and events all fall under the spectrum of promotion. Purpose is to notify, inculcate, remind and even convince the targeted market audience about the benefit of the product. (McDaniel, Lamb, & Hair, 2009)
Over the years, advertisement are published or broadcasted through the media. These promotion convey the vehicles' specification, handling and driving experience to the targeted audience. Most importantly, delivering the message the unequal luxury driving one.
Daimler AG also provides information for journalist in her "Press & Media Service" webpage. This acts as a platform for the company's public relationship. (Daimler, 2018)
For Sales Promotion, Mercedes-Benz Singapore attract potential client/s on appealing price adjustment, COE bidding and trade-in bonuses. (Mercedes-Benz, 2018)
Lastly, the sponsorship in movies and TV shows creates window/s for Mercedes-Benz to showcase her latest product.
The positioning of Mercedes-Benz has been well executed, not just on a par with academicals branding hypothesis but also fits the dynamics of the ever changing market.
With constant branding exposure and continuation of fulfilling what her marketing campaign and advertisement promise, current branding status should be maintainable.
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Get custom essayHowever, marketers for Mercedes-Benz might be hitting the bottle-neck when it comes to Brexit (Express UK, 2017), US Car Tariffs (Financial Times, 2018) and Chinese Retaliation Tariffs (CNCB NEWS, 2018) issues.
People thrive on relationships. The relationships that people make define who they are and family and friends are who we depend on for love and support. However, when obstacles are put in the way of relationships, it can result in the unification or separation of families and friends. When those situations are as tragic as the Holocaust and the bombing of Hiroshima, where hundreds of thousands of people are killed, the damage seems irreparable. In sources such as Life is Beautiful, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, and Barefoot Gen, we see how different families react to difficult situations, and because of the theme of family is very relatable, those sources are able to resonate with readers very well. Sources that depict the dynamics of families and friends after the Holocaust and the bombing of Hiroshima are more persuasive because they showcase the breakdown or strength in tragic situations that the audience, on a smaller scale, can relate to or fear.
Get original essayIn in the Italian film, Life Is Beautiful, one of the most attractive aspects of the movie that resonates with the audience is it’s theme of family and protection. From the beginning of the movie, the audience falls in love with Guido Orefice. His antics make him get in trouble with the high-class people and earn him the women of his dreams. When they have a kid, the audience can feel the protection and love for Guido’s son, Giosue. The play takes an unexpected turn when Guido and his family are sent to a concentration camp. However, despite the tragic subject, the movie is able to keep it’s humor, without romanticizing the Holocaust. We can see this in many parts of the movie, one being when Guido goes to the loudspeaker to shout “Buongiorno Principessa”, the one thing he would always say to his wife when he would see her. This symbolizes that despite the situation that Guido is put in, his humor and his spirit stays with him until he dies. When Guido is executed, and he is being taken to where he will be killed, he spots his son and does the “funny walk” that has been many times before in the movie as a way to tell his son and the audience that keeping yourself and your own sanity is most important in hard situations and his protection of his son’s childhood innocence and romancing the world for the sake of your children resonates with many parents as well. This act by Guido also serves as a way to remember the legacy and the humorous, fatherly nature that Guido showcases throughout the film.
In the anime film, Barefoot Gen, the movie follows a family of two boys, an older girl, a father and pregnant women. Despite a lack of food and the mother being malnourished, the family overcomes obstacles of hunger. This dynamic, however, is devastated by the bombing of Hiroshima, where the youngest brother, the eldest daughter and the father are all crushed by their house. Gen, the young boy and his mother Kimie are the only survivors in their family. Despite how humorous and unified the Orefice family stays in Life is Beautiful, the bombing of Hiroshima creates a breakdown of the mother. We see this immediately after Gen and Kimie’s family dies when Kimie starts to laugh hysterically when her family is crushed. Another place where we see the loss of family being is prevalent is when Gen’s infant sister, Tomoko dies and is cremated. When watching, the audience can see paralleling factors between this scene and the scene after the bombing of Hiroshima. There is similar music playing and an obvious parallel through the imagery. This symbolizes how although the bombing of Hiroshima was a devastation to hundreds of thousands all over Japan, the moment when Gen’s younger sister died was when he was truly devastated and that was when Gen felt as though the world was truly collapsing around him.
The final source that showcases family during calamity is Maus: A Survivor's Tale. The graphic novel displays The Holocaust more raw than any of the others sources, despite it being showcased through pictures. In the graphic novel, one of the most interesting things to observe is the relationship between Art and his father Vladek. In the book, Art is bluntly honest about his relationship with his father. He cannot understand his father nor in many areas even likes his father. However, through the duration of the book, Art begins at last to understand his father's stinginess with money, his emotional isolation with all the losses he has absorbed, and his complicated relationship with his son. Art desperately wants to know exactly what happened to his father, mother and brother while Vladek is torn between allowing Artie to see the horror while having to relive the terrible memories, and as a result, his father often shuts him down and represses memories of the Holocaust. By the end of the novel, neither Art nor his father feel as though their relationship is resolved, most likely due to the fact that Art still resents the fact that his mother committed suicide and his belief that his father may have contributed to her depression.
The family dynamic from each of these sources differs and resonates with its audience because of it’s of it’s worldwide ideology. The most persuasive source for me was Life Is Beautiful. This is because it incorporates humor and is able to funny without romanticizing the Holocaust. I think it is also very powerful because it was able to make me think about losing a family member and it gave me a good outlook on life and how I should act with family members.
The novel, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, takes place in a post-apocalyptic society where there is little to no hope left for the remaining survivors on Earth. Many people have given up on saving the world and now result to taking what’s left of it. However, the few people who do believe in a better life, including protagonist Lauren Olamina, all share one common ideology, religion. Illustrating religion as the last hope against the looming darkness of the dying world, Octavia Butler emphasizes the character development of religious believers and non-believers in Parable of the Sower to represent the differences in lifestyles and choices between them; ultimately making the argument that religion is the driving force in which gives us humans a purpose and reason to prosper, or in this case rebuild the world. Lauren’s relationship with religion sprouted at a very young age. Her father, a local reverend, instilled his Christian beliefs upon her such as many parents do to develop good morals within their children.
Get original essayHowever, Lauren has since abandoned her father’s beliefs and now devotes herself to her personal religion, Earthseed. Earthseed, a work-in-progress, is founded on the belief that “God is change”. Earthseed says that God shapes us as we change, but we are also able to return the favor and directly change God. In addition, Earthseed claims that God exists to change the universe, and paradoxically the universe exists to change God. Earthseed is a religion in the novel, even if hardly anyone in the world knows or acknowledges it. A religion does not need a minimum number of followers, but simply one person engaging in and sharing it with the world. The reason for Lauren giving up on Christianity is not clearly stated. It seems as though she has no hard feelings towards it, she just prefers to focus more on reality as she knows it rather than place false hope into unforeseen entities. Lauren never denies religion or shows any signs of being an atheist, she certainly believes there is something more going on in the universe and the novel as a whole seems to be a coming of age story for Lauren and her development of Earthseed.
Octavia Butler doesn’t always portray religion in the best way and often challenges it throughout the novel. However, it can be seen in the characters who hold religion dear to their hearts that their faith is the much-needed foundation for the reconstruction of the broken world. It seems that almost every character who holds a belief in some sort of religion, are also the only people left on Earth actively making it a better place, or at least trying. In order to show how each believer will achieve their common goal of restrengthening the world, the main characters’ purposes, in which they will strive towards, are revealed through their religions and actions. Lauren’s father’s purpose is being a teacher. He works tirelessly as a full-time professor, dean, pastor, and leader in their community. He not only teaches the youth how to read and write at the local school, but he is also a teacher of morality. He teaches those around him through words and actions on how to maintain a solid community and relationships with others. It is safe to say that most of his actions are religiously motivated, and it’s not a coincidence that his actions are unselfish and out of love for his family, community, and the overall good of the world around him. He is the epitome of a leader during times like the one they’re in, and without him, Lauren would not have the role model and friend she needed as a child. Similar to her father, Lauren is also a believer trying to pick up the pieces of a broken world. However, instead of using Christianity as her main source of reasoning, Lauren makes decisions based on what’s best for Earthseed. Lauren treats Earthseed as if it is her child, and will do anything to protect it because she believes Earthseed could be the savior of humanity. Lauren can be seen as a type of prophet in her new religion. Similar to many other prophets from different types of religions, Lauren is a leader of a group walking into the unknown wanting to share and grow her faith with the world. Lauren strives to find “good ground” to create Earthseed communities such as Acorn, and develop a population that will join her in creating a better life, and ultimately “take root among the stars”.
Contrastly, the characters in the novel who don’t belong to any sort of religion seem to have accepted the fate of the Earth and don’t strive to improve the general quality of life. The pyromaniacs embody this persona and have no regard for anyone or anything aside from feeling short term pleasure by burning the world to the ground. In addition, Keith Olamina, Lauren’s brother, believes “God is the adults’ way of trying to scare you into doing what they want”, and he certainly fits the theme of non-believers who don’t care about the well-being of society. Keith’s role in the novel is short, but meaningful. Keith, with money as his incentive, chooses to constantly sneak out of the gated town and get involved in dangerous activities against his father’s wishes. While he was trying to do what he believed was good for his family, Keith was unable to realize that he put his entire community at risk, and ultimately led to its demise. Characters such as these have tunnel vision and seem to have no sense of responsibility for the greater good of society but would rather take advantage of the broken world and deprive it of its last chances of recovering from such a plight. Octavia Butler continues to show that religion is the only thing keeping society together, and those who approach life with religion in their corner understand that it’s up to people like them to save humanity. In a dystopian world, religion is the hope that people need and cling on to desperately to survive.
While religion seems to be the motive for bringing the world back together, it is also possible that religion could be hindering society’s ability to progress. Wasting days at Sunday masses or using resources and money for baptisms are a few examples of how religion may seem to have a negative effect on the outlook of society. The time and energy that Lauren’s community spends on organizing and putting on religious events could very well be used to help one another prosper and grow their community. Religion forces them to work towards achieving their ultimate goal of gaining access to heaven, but is it really worth it to spend their lives working towards something that may not even be true when people all around them are struggling to survive in this life? While religion may seem as though it could be a false hope and a waste of precious resources, losing it would leave humans with no purpose or reason to do anything but survive, such as Keith or the pyromaniacs. If there is no goal or something to work towards and everything is meaningless, then what is the point of doing anything? Even Earthseed, a religion that doesn’t believe in an afterlife, still has a heaven. However, this heaven is attainable during one’s life and “the destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars”. Religion pushes us to create a better life for ourselves, and a better future for the generations to come. Even if the religions in Parable of The Sower are false, they are necessary because in achieving their ultimate goals, society will also begin to be restored. Parable of the Sower offers a potential look into our near future and serves as a warning to all of humanity. The horrors of this dying world are explicitly shown by the harsh conditions Octavia Butler displays throughout the novel, leaving many of the non-believers to give up and assume hope for this world is all but lost. However, religion constantly serves as a beacon to those who believe in a new life, a better life; and those who choose to follow this beacon are tasked with the responsibility of saving those around them and the ones who will make up our future. Religion offers the hope that can be used as motivation and the end goal its followers are longing for and striving to achieve, it ultimately gives them a reason and purpose to keep on living.
In 'The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action' essay Audre Lorde reflects on the power of speaking up and taking action in the face of oppression and marginalization. Lorde argues that silence can be both a tool of oppression and a self-destructive force that prevents individuals from taking action and advocating for their own rights and the rights of others.
Get original essayLorde begins her essay by describing her own experiences with silence and the ways in which it has been used to control and marginalize her. She notes that as a black lesbian woman, she has often been silenced by those in positions of power who refuse to listen to her voice and acknowledge her experiences. However, Lorde also recognizes that she has at times chosen to remain silent out of fear or self-doubt.
Lorde then argues that silence can be transformed into a powerful tool for resistance and social change. She notes that when individuals choose to speak up and break the silence, they can inspire others to take action and challenge oppressive systems. Lorde emphasizes the importance of using language to express our experiences, share our stories, and connect with others who may be facing similar challenges.
According to Lorde, the transformation of silence into language and action requires courage, vulnerability, and a willingness to take risks. It involves acknowledging and confronting our own fears and insecurities and stepping out of our comfort zones. Lorde notes that this process can be both empowering and challenging, but it is essential for creating social change and challenging systems of oppression.
Every rule designed for certain places has a purpose and should stress safety and respect. There are certain norms that not everyone wishes to conform to, and some may even feel unfair, but everyone deserves the right to question the rules that are given to them. “The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self-revelation and that always seems fraught with danger”. It depicts the right for people to speak out through this statement, however, it also shows how hard speaking up for what one believes in is.
In conclusion, Lorde's essay 'The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action' highlights the importance of speaking up and taking action in the face of oppression and marginalization. By breaking the silence and using language to express our experiences, we can connect with others and create a powerful force for social change. While the process of transformation can be challenging, Lorde reminds us that it is essential for our own liberation and the liberation of others. Going along with social norms is crucial to be successful and respected in some situations. Social roles provide an example of social influence and conformity in particular. Social norms influence actions. We have to adjust our actions and behaviors to match the appropriate social norms in a specific environment. This is the best way to thrive and succeed in every scenario in life, as each place has its own common norms.
In this essay I will be talking about the use of mise-en-scène to convey narrative in a film sequence from the movie Titanic, directed by James Cameron.
Get original essay“A narrative is a story that you write or tell to someone, usually in great detail. A narrative can be a work of poetry or prose, or even song, theater, or dance.”
Mise-en-scene is the terminology used for the arrangement of everything within a frame, such as setting, lighting, actors, body language, props, costumes and staging. The term mise-en-scene itself is a French word, which means ‘The arrangement of the scenery’. Another part of Mise-en-scene is considering the way a film sequence is shot, so things like the framework and camera angles are also apart of this. David A.C. writes in his book a History of Narrative film that Mise-en-scene is made up the things that actually “within the shot itself as opposed to the effects created by cutting”, so basically, he is trying to say here that everything that you film, and that is physically there in front of the camera, then that is mise-en-scene.
The scene that I am going to look at in this essay is from the movie titanic and it is one of last sequences when Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater sink into the ocean and Rose DeWitt Bukater climbs on to a door, which is unable to hold both of them.
When talking about setting’s we are normally looking at things like costume, make-up, lighting and staging. The setting creates the sense of the mood of the scene and gives an atmosphere to it, it can also give us a sense of the characters emotions. Settings when making a film is a main part the mise-en-scene. The setting can be both a fictional or non-fictional set. The sets that get used in a film all contribute to showing the realism and atmosphere. The term realism is what people who watch the film sequence say when the film sequence creates and truthful picture of a society, or a character or whatever aspect of real life that the movie is trying to portray. When viewers talk about realism is can relate to the psychological or emotional accuracy in the characters, viewers want to see recognizable or logical actions and developments in a story line, they basically want to see something convincing and relatable.
If we look at the setting of the scene above, we can see that it is dark lighting and the costumes of Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson have been covered with ice to show us that they are freezing to death. Rose DeWitt Bukater is laying down on top of the door out of the water and Jack Dawson is nearly fully submerged into the water. This shows us how chivalrous Jack Dawson is by giving Rose DeWitt Bukater the opportunity to climb up on the door instead of himself. Both Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater are filmed in the same shot together, so we can see both the characters and their situations.
The way that this scene is portrayed really goes into the aspect of realism, even though the scene itself was shot in a studio, the way it was portrayed and acted, it looked real. With the lighting in the studio, to Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson being covered in white frost and blue lips to show the impression that they really were freezing to death. This really helped the development of the storyline and it was convincing, with all the mise-en-scene that was in front of the camera whilst it was being shot in the studio, it really led to a really convincing performance on screen. The viewers really got to view what could have been a reality, with the dead frozen bodies around them in the ocean, it looked like a convincing act.
Lighting has one of most important thing when making a film to show emotion within the film. The director of a movie must make that the lighting is matching what atmosphere they are trying to portray. When making a film a director uses two types of lighting approaches, low-key lighting and high-key lighting. High key lighting is mostly seen in movies like comedies, romantic movies and musicals. With high key lighting a director trying to avoid any dark areas in the frame, the director wants to make sure that everything looks bright, trying hard to make sure there are no shadows. The high-key lighting has an effect of its own. Low-key lighting is usually used in movies such as thrillers and horror movies.
The lighting pattern that is used with this type of lighting that has both bright and dark areas in the frame. This adds to the eerie atmosphere that these movies are trying to create. During this scene in the titanic, we can clearly see that most of the scene we can see the use of low-key lighting in order portray death and to really show what has happened when the titanic sank. The movies director used both high-key and low-key lighting whilst filming to show the contrast of everything when the titanic started to sink. We can clearly see that because the ship is meant to be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and this is meant to be late at night, so the lighting is very dark around the titanic. The lighting that is used whilst filming the scenes in titanic really show us the contrast throughout the movie it attracts viewers when we physically see the difference in the scenes with the low-key lighting and high-key lighting contrast.
Costume is really big part of mise-en-scene because it is what the characters are wearing within the frame. Make-up is another massive part of costume as it adds to the realism that is being portrayed. Costumes also give a sort insight to the viewer of a character’s personality or status in society. Actors can wear costumes that range from fashionable suits and dresses, (which would portray on upper class characters) to wearing more normal dull coloured clothing, or clothes that are a bit ripped in places (this would portray lower class characters).
Make-up is another thing is important when it comes to costumes, the way make-up is applied to an actor’s face and body and the way they may sometimes alter a person’s face to look disfigured really contributes towards what the character may be like and what the story might be. In the scene in the titanic where Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson are drowning we can see that clearly that they both have been through a struggle. Rose DeWitt Bukater is wearing a Jack Dawson et that was put on her by Caledon Hockley. Jack was in his usual dull coloured shirt and pants with his iconic suspenders. In this scene it wasn’t just the clothes that added to the scene, it was the make-up. Rose’s lips were coloured blue and so were Jack’s, they were both covered in frost that gave us the impression of them slowly freezing to death. This really gave viewers a realism approach, so they can really see in the frame shot how much they were both suffering, alongside the low-key lighting. The mise-en-scene used in this film sequence to portray the narrative to the viewers really was enough to pull off a convincing performance.
One of main things in mise-en-scene is an actor’s performance itself, the way the actor delivers the performance on screen can bind all of the movie together. When a shot is being taken it is the actors duty to bring that particular character to life because if the actor does not pull of a convincing performance, the realism aspect of the story is then taken away (if that is what is meant to be portrayed). The emotions that an actor shows whilst in shot must engage the audience. There also two methods that used in modern cinema in this era, these two types are naturalistic and stylized. When an actor is taking up the role of a character then it becomes their responsibility to become one with the characters, dressing, personality and basically all of their characteristics that this character may possess (this is when a character is using the naturalistic approach). However, the opposite of this is stylized acting which is more of an evident approach which is used to get what the director wants to portray across.
The main purpose of stylized acting is to over dramatize the acting in order to portray a comical effect to the film sequence. Within this scene in the titanic the acting skills of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson and Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater were very convincing. Throughout the movie itself the chemistry between the two characters had been incredible. When Rose was laying down on top of the door, and she was desperately trying to wake Jack up after he died we could almost see the desperation on her face to try to wake him up. When Jack let Rose climb up on the door instead of himself we really got a sense of the character’s personality and how much he cared for Rose. The acting in this scene was very moving and the way it was shot with close up’s and the different angles creates more of the atmosphere. In this scene we see many close ups and in the background, we can see the dead bodies of those who had frozen in the ocean, this really adds to the scene, so the viewers can see the severity of the coldness in the water. The mise-en-scene in this scene are mainly the actors and the make up and costumes that pull of a realistic performance.
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Get custom essayIn this essay I have talked about the use of Mise-en-scene in the narrative sequence from the movie titanic. We can see that there were clear uses of setting, lighting, costumes and acting in this film. All of these were used to the full potential in the movie. With the many different camera techniques and the high use of low-key lighting to the actors pulling of a convincing performance within each shot. We can clearly see that the mise-en-scene has been used to a full potential to convey the narrative in this scene. We have a clear understanding of what mise-en-scene and why it plays an important part in conveying narrative to an audience. Mise-en-scene isn’t normally a term that directors use on set however when doing analysis, the technical term for everything within a camera frame or shot is classed as the mise-en-scene. I have gone through the many different ways the mise-en-scene helped create an atmosphere and deliver and convincing and realist performance within the movie.