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Disturbance within an environment can have a substantial impact on the abundance of species present. Areas with high disturbance tend to foster low species diversity, while areas with low disturbance that tend to promote higher species diversity. In this study, the bird species diversity in natural settings was compared to that of a habitat with man-made characteristics. It was hypothesized that there would be less species diversity amongst birds found outside of a natural habitat. Four groups were tasked with observing the number of different bird species present within a specified location. In total, there were ten species of bird found in the natural habitats, while there were only eight species of bird found in the man-made habitats. Still, because the value of our statistical analysis was so low, we could not conclude that there was a significant difference in species diversity between the two locations. The results did not support the hypothesis, but this could have been due to the collection of data in one day and the overall adaptation of birds to their environment.
Get original essaySpecies diversity is exceptionally important in determining the overall health of a community and/or ecosystem. Habitats that contain high species diversity are more likely to withstand disturbances, as opposed to habitats with low species diversity. In a report written by WA Ntongani and SM Andrew, it is cited that researchers Hill et al. , along with DM Green and MG Baker, found habitats that have experienced some type of disruption tend to offer less species diversity in contrast to more resourceful natural habitats (2013). Another study conducted by Reijen et al. , found a lower abundance of bird species to be present in areas that produced significant interference and impeded their ability to communicate (Phipps 2000). The objective of this study was to determine if, within the Winthrop Recreational and Research Complex, bird species diversity in an area that fostered a natural habitat differed from that of a habitat that featured more man-made characteristics. We sought to observe whether or not there was truly any disparity between the two, or whether habitual conditions had little influence on species diversity in our areas of observation. Given the information above, I hypothesized that if a community of birds were located outside of their natural habitat, then there would be less species diversity present amongst the group.
Experimental observations were recorded on the afternoon of September 12, 2018 at the Winthrop Recreational and Research Complex, located near the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. The 325-acre outdoor site consisted of a lake and wetland habitat, a wooded area with three succession plots (known as Winthrop Woods), soccer fields, softball fields, a golf course, a track and a nearby coliseum. The main areas of focus were centered around natural habitats and man-made habitats. We decided to narrow our scope, more specifically, to the lake and wetland habitat, the succession plots of Winthrop Woods, the softball fields and the parking lot of the coliseum. Winthrop Woods was created to serve as an area for students to survey and conduct research studies. In 1989, 50x50 meter succession plots were set aside to be intentionally undisturbed, allowing for future observations of the area (Winthrop Biology). This action was followed by the creation of two more succession plots in the years 1994 and 1999, respectively, to serve the same purpose (Winthrop Biology). The collective area has currently been in succession for about 30 years, to this point, and consists of a climax community of deciduous trees.
The process began by dividing the class into four separate groups, each responsible for one of the areas shown in Figure 1. Each group contained about five students and was responsible for collecting data in their own respective fields. Groups were properly equipped with two to three sets of binoculars, a smart device consisting of the Merlin Bird ID application (to aid in the identification of birds), and pen and paper. Areas boxed in with different colors indicate the four different locations where observations were made. The parking lot and softball fields are outlined in red and yellow, respectively, while the wetlands and succession plots are outlined in orange and white. Data was only collected for one day, a Wednesday afternoon, for approximately one hour between the time of 3:45 PM and 4:45 PM. The weather was generally clear, with a slight overcast, and it should be noted that a significant storm was due to make landfall over the next couple of days. Over the course of the hour, each group surveyed their respective areas in search of different bird species, using natural eyesight, binoculars and their sense of sound. Individuals walked around the entire vicinity of their section scanning multiple sectors, including the skyline, areas of low ground, tree limbs, marshy wetlands, etc. , and made note of any bird they found. In an effort to make the process more efficient, each group designated two to three individuals to carry the binoculars and serve as observers, while the remaining individuals shared the responsibilities of using the Merlin Bird ID application (to aid in the identification of bird species) and being general note takers.
At the conclusion of an hour, all groups congregated back into the lab and consolidated all of their recorded data. My research group was tasked with surveying the parking lot of the Winthrop Coliseum. Two individuals, as stated above, were primary observers and used binoculars to scour the sky and tree lines that were within close proximity. Once a bird was spotted, general descriptions (color, size, bird calls, etc. ) were given to the note taker and to the individuals with the Merlin Bird ID application to determine the actual species. We began in the northwest corner of the parking lot, and traveled generally southeast throughout the duration.
After combining all of the data from each research group, a total of ten different bird species in the natural habitats, and eight different bird species in the man-made habitats were found. There were three common birds observed in both areas: The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), and the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).
To determine if there was any significant species diversity amongst the birds present in the complex, we used the chi squared formula, where = chi squared value, = sum of all values, O = the number of observed bird species and E = the number of expected bird species (Equation 1). With our data, O = 10 for the natural habitat and O = 8 for the man-made habitat, while E = 9 for both. Given that our degree of freedom for this experiment was df=1, we needed to have a chi squared value greater than 3. 84 in order to support the proposition that there would be a difference in bird species diversity between the two areas (Figure 3). This value would correspond to the idea that our observations were not due to a matter of chance, but instead were a result of significant disparity between the two areas of concern. We, however, determined our chi squared value to only be 0. 22, indicating that our findings were not of any significance.
Equation 1. Formula for the calculation of chi squared value. In any given scenario, if you have a chi squared value that falls within the significant range, depending on your degrees of freedom, then you can be confident that your results were not due to chance. In calculating our degrees of freedom (number of groups – 1), we find that we only have 1 degree of freedom. Since our chi squared value falls below 3. 84, we cannot say with certainty that our results are significant.
This study revealed that there was actually no significant difference in bird species diversity within the Winthrop Recreational and Research Complex, at the time. Although the natural habitats appeared to have an abundance of species slightly greater than that of man-made habitats, statistical analysis showed that the results were most likely due to chance. Originally, I inferred that there would be more diversity in the natural habitats since they were less disturbed and away from areas of high traffic. However, after only finding minimal difference between the two, and given such a low chi squared value, I do not have enough evidence to support my hypothesis, nor can I reject the null hypothesis.
There are several reasons that could have contributed to the results given above. Bird species within the complex may have adapted to their environment, as disturbed urban dwellings have exhibited the ability to offer a variety of resources, and to be hospitable for multiple species (Melles et al. 2003). Moreover, non-natural disturbance has been found to have a low correlation between the bird species diversity of two given areas (Ntongani and Andrew 2013). One must also consider that our survey was conducted for a single day and over the course of just one hour. This was only a one-time observation; no subsequent observations took place. There was also the impeding noise of individuals conducting the study, as well as no distinct method to survey any of the respective areas. In future studies, I would suggest multiple observations be made over the course of several days, each at different time intervals. I also suggest that each group examines more than one territory, as this would allow for better visualization of each area.
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Get custom essayFurthermore, the addition of one standard method for every group to follow would aid in getting accurate results. In doing so, I would still expect to see results similar to the outcome of our study. I believe that bird species at Winthrop’s Recreational and Research Complex are suited to survive in this locale, and are thriving off of the resources that are provided to them.
J.D. is an 8 year-old male student at Central Philadelphia elementary school whom is diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. J.D. was referred by his physician to receive psychiatric inpatient treatment following incidents that occurred at school where he portrayed disruptive mood dysregulation. Schoolteachers informed his mother that he is highly disruptive in class and has trouble following directions and that sometimes he will want to accomplish the task and other times he doesn’t seem to understand it. His mother reported that he exhibits severe frustration, oppositionality, aggression, and hyper-arousal. She says that J.D.’s frequent frustration often results in prolonged outbursts at home that turn violent. Sometimes he has to be removed from class when this happens at school because his behavior becomes dangerous to his peers and himself. When parents or the classroom aide have to resort to restraining him, he occasionally becomes even more agitated and aggressive. His mother reported that he made one comment about hurting himself before and when asked about it, J.D. denied it. His mother informed us that she was concerned for her son’s wellbeing and overall safety. He is exhibiting behavior as a result of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder and Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity disorder that is detrimental to himself, his family, and his peers. He will need to be introduced to relaxation techniques, impulse control, anger management, and distractive physical activity where he can use his energy in a positive way.
Get original essayThe purpose of this case study is to identify the background of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder, as well as the nursing assessment, diagnoses, potential outcomes, and goals. In addition, nursing interventions and the assessment of a child with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation will also be discussed.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a mental disorder in children and adolescents characterized by extreme irritability, anger, and frequent, intense temper outbursts that are disproportionate to the situation and cognitive-behavioral development. JD, among other children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation, experience severe impairment that requires clinical attention for unipolar depression, rage, and outbursts. The prevalence of all mental health disorders in childhood and adolescents range from 1.8% to 39.4% in low-middle income homes. According the Journal of Affective Disorders, after evaluating 3,563 subjects at 11 years old, the prevalence of DMDD is 2.5%. This data correlates to the risk factors including maternal mood during pregnancy, maternal depression during the first years after birth, and low maternal education. To be diagnosed with DMDD, a child must have symptoms steadily for 12 or more months. These symptoms include irritability and anger for most of the day- nearly every day, verbal and behavioral temper outbursts at an average of three or more times per week, and trouble functioning due to irritability in more than one place (e.g., home, school, with peers).
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder is a new diagnostic entity to the DSM-V primarily due to the concerns over pre-maturely diagnosing bipolar disorder in young children. Studies have found that when these children grow up, they do not experience manic episodes and severe depression. Considering that pediatric bipolar disorder is, many times, misdiagnosed in children with DMDD, the nurse should obtain an order to review lab tests to look for any significant evidence of bipolar disorder. Although there are no anatomic findings in a standard brain imaging in bipolar disorder, new techniques in neuro-imaging provide clues about what is different in the brains of individuals with bipolar disorder. SPECT and PET scans are frequently used for early functional imaging.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is also very closely related to DMDD but the difference is the symptom threshold for DMDD is higher since it is considered more severe. If a child meets both criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder then they should only be diagnosed with DMDD. Thyroid function tests can be utilized to rule out hypothyroidism, which mimics depression and a blood test can be performed to check for any exogenous toxic materials or if other medications are being used that can cause J.D. to experience physiological derived depression and uncontrolled frustration. Regardless of how chronic irritability is classified into a diagnosis, it can be extremely impairing and requires treatment. Risk factors associated with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder are not black and white; therefore there is a need for more research. However, we are aware of some successful methods used to treat children undergoing this disorder, which correlate to the treatment of similar disorders including anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder, major depressive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mental health nursing treatments include counseling, parent training, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Pharmacological interventions should be considered second and they include stimulants, antidepressants, and atypical antipsychotic medications. However, these interventions will be later discussed in the case study.
Assessment First and foremost, it is imperative to do a thorough initial assessment on the patient including subjective and objective data. Upon admission, a nursing assessment and interview must be performed. The nurse should obtain a psychosocial and family history from the patient due to possible genetic correlation. After these components of the assessment are completed, it is important to ask the child about his experiences and his understanding of the disorder. Nurses should identify issues that lead to power struggles, including when they began and how they are handled. They should assess the severity of the disruptive behavior and its impact on the child’s life at home, at school, and with peers. Nurses should also assess how the child responds to limits and being told “no”, having to wait, share, or end a favorite activity. Assessing the child’s consequential development for the ability to understand how his behavior impacts others is important alongside of assessing the child’s level of anxiety, aggression, anger, and hostility toward others and the ability to control negative impulses. It is also important to perform a mental status exam (MSE) to further assess J.D.’s judgment skills, orientation, attention span, memory, and appearance. The nurse should convey empathy in a respectful and non-judgmental manner to establish a strong rapport and foundation of trust with the patient. By performing the MSE, the nurse will gain insight into the patient’s perception of the problem, possible delusions and hallucinations, thought content and processes. The nurse should pay special attention to any potential suicidal or homicidal ideation due to the patient’s frequent inability to control his frustration and aggression. The nurse can determine suicidal intent by asking “Do you plan to kill yourself?” and “How do you plan to do it?” Direct, close-ended questions are appropriate in this instance. Patients who have access to a plan are at higher risk than ones who do not. Children with disruptive mood dysregulation can experience severe depressive states, which makes them at risk for suicide. The nurse should obtain a verbal or written contract from the client agreeing not to harm himself and agreeing to seek out staff in the event that such ideation occurs. Discussing suicidal feelings with a trusted individual provides a degree of relief to the patient. A contract helps the discussion happen and also places some of the responsibility for his safety on himself.
The medical diagnosis for J.D. is Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD). He exhibits symptoms on a multi-dimensional level including aggression, chronic-prolonged frustration, and outbursts that are inappropriate to the severity of the situation and his developmental stage. According to the DSM-V, there are two similar diagnoses with related symptoms including pediatric bipolar disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Those disorders will be ruled out first because J.D. does not experience any hallucinations, delusions or manic depression. However he does experience irritable mood, defiance towards authoritative figures, and violent aggression, which falls in line with the diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Although this disorder would be examined first for diagnosis, J.D. experiences the same symptomology due to a mood disorder, which is the difference between the two diagnoses. Children with ODD have intent behind their behavior, they want to anger or scare someone but with DMDD, they may elicit the same responses with no purpose to be vindictive.
The DSM-4 refers to Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder as a first axis diagnosis as evidence by the patient’s tendency to get aggressive with peers and family which requires immediate inpatient services. There is no evidence for a need of the second axis because J.D. does not have a personality disorder. The third axis refers to his medical condition in which does not apply to this specific individual. The fourth axis refers to J.D.’s psychosocial stressors while in school. The inability to carry out tasks and his aggression presented during class impairs his social relationships. Axis five is related to his level of functioning, which is measured at a 35 on the GAF scale between 0-100. His behavior is considerable influenced by frustration and irritability, which impairs his functionality in school, home, and with peers. The priority nursing diagnosis for this patient would be risk for self-injury related to Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder as evidenced by having to be removed from the classroom due to the inability to control tantrums and throwing himself on the ground or punching walls. The second priority nursing diagnosis is defensive coping related to Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder as evidenced by acting out aggressively in classrooms when he feels incapable of expressing feelings, for example, threatening other students or throwing a book.
The patient will demonstrate the ability to control aggressive impulses and delay gratification. Patient will also demonstrate a reduction of tantrums, temper reactions, or other acting-out behaviors.
Expected short-term outcomes include the following: patient will demonstrate a reduction in irritable mood and aggression by discharge, patient will demonstrate breathing techniques to help calm himself by discharge, patient will accept responsibility for negative behavior by discharge, and patient will report any feelings of aggression to staff immediately following the next three days. The patient will attend and participate in counseling and cognitive-behavioral sessions while in the hospital. The patient will also only have to be redirected by the nurse once per day instead of three times by discharge.
Long-term expected outcomes for J.D. include: patient will be kept safe from self-harm and other directed harm while in the hospital, patient will interact with others using age-appropriate and acceptable behavior when returning back to school, patient will demonstrate and report positive stress-reduction strategies while in the classroom, and patient will attempt to communicate to authoritative figures when he feels like he is going to have an outburst of frustration so he can be strategically removed from classroom.
The priority nursing diagnosis for J.D. includes risk for self-injury and aggression, so it is imperative for the nurse’s course of action to be centered on protection. It is important for the nurse to remain in control of the environment so using one-to-one observation to monitor rising levels of agitation help promote safety and determine emotional and situational triggers. External controls are often needed to prevent acts of aggression. Setting clear and concise limits in a calm, non-judgmental manner and reminding the patient of the consequences of acting out helps them gain a sense of security with clear limits and calm staff who follow through on a consistent basis. When limits are realistic and enforceable, patient-nurse manipulation can be minimized. There are also many ways that nurses can help alleviate certain symptomologies of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder. One includes intervening early to calm the patient and defuse potential accidents when the nurse infers that the patient is getting stressed out or agitated. Learning can take place before the patient loses control therefore new ways to cope can be discussed and practiced. Since patients with DDMD exhibit disruptive behaviors when feeling frustrated, the nurse should redirect their expressions of these feelings into non-destructive, age appropriate behaviors by channeling excess energy into physical activities. Learning how to modulate the expression of feelings and using anger constructively is essential to obtaining self-control. Since J.D. has Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on top of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, he exhibits impulsivity and if he feels impulsive to be aggressive then this behavior must be intervened accordingly. The nurse should make use of a behavior modification program that rewards patients for seeking help with handling feelings and controlling impulses to throw tantrums. Rewarding J.D.’s behaviors can foster self-esteem and positive reinforcement for appropriate behaviors. To target the second priority nursing diagnosis of defense coping is to avoid power struggles and “no win” situations because therapeutic goals are lost in power struggles and can often result in the patient taking revenge on staff and peers. Nurses should also allow the patients to question their limits within reason. Perhaps giving a simple, clear explanation for the request can benefit the patient’s sense of autonomy and power. This rationale is tailored to the developmental age and promotes socialization. Sometimes patient’s may need a second line of therapeutic management through pharmacological interventions. If indicated, the usage of medications can help reduce anxiety, rage, aggression, and modulate moods. The nurse will be required to perform parent education on the specific drug. Parent education would include safe dosing, side effects, contraindication, adverse effects, and printed out copies of the information presented and a number to call if any questions/concerns arise. Certain drugs, like stimulants, can be suitable for children to treat irritability. There is some evidence that shows CNS stimulants were associated with clinically significant reductions in rage and conflict along with small improvements in mood. However most recipients of CNS stimulants still exhibit severe impairment so this indicates that they will need additional treatment. Antidepressants are also sometimes used to treat irritability, aggression, and disruptive behaviors in children. Many times antidepressants are not successful in treating the irritability component of DMDD but they significantly improve mood. Children must be closely assessed, specifically when they begin taking antidepressants due to a higher risk for suicidal ideation. Children with very severe outbursts that involve physical violence towards others and property get prescribed an atypical antipsychotic medication. Risperdone, for example, is one of the many FDA-approved drugs for treating irritability. Some side effects associated with these drugs include suicidal ideation, weight gain, metabolic abnormalities, dyskinesia, and hormone changes. Patients and families of minors should always be educated on the side effects and potential risks of taking medications and advised by educated healthcare providers on the warning of each specific drug to help keep them safe.
Through both psychological nursing and pharmacological interventions, J.D. began to report the reduction of constant irritability and anger by circling a positive facial expression that correlates to his current mood by day 2. He started a new medication regimen of Risperidone and Escitalopram to effectively improve his mood and feelings of irritability that lead to aggression. J.D. is able to recite the limits and expectations of him when asked to by the staff. He performs every day activities with reduced signs or reports of agitation and aggression. He also explained that when he feels himself beginning to act out, he takes a walk and helps the staff clean the community rooms. This shows he is putting his excess energy to use by being productive and not destructive. J.D. reports, “I finally feel like I am making some friends” and also, “It makes me feel good when I accomplish a task my therapist gives”. This emphasizes and promotes self-esteem, which allows for him to feel more confident going back to school and asserting himself appropriately with his peers. As J.D. moves forward, the nurses will have to keep educating him on being more aware of his actions toward others when leaving the hospital. Although J.D. has made significant progress, nurses must constantly change and initiate new goals to accomplish. One goal may be accepting responsibility for his prior actions and writing an empathetic apology to the teachers, family members, and peers he may have hurt in the process.
Nurses need to know that this is a relatively new diagnosis and it is very evident that we do not have nearly the amount of research and answers on Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder as we should. We do know that Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder is extremely similar to pediatric Bipolar disorder and Oppositional Defiant disorder to the point that many clinicians are unwilling to recognize DMDD as an independent disorder. As nurses, we must be aware of the severity in children’s irritable moods and advocate for them when it looks like it is going to become violent. The most significant gap in education is that parents commonly excuse children with DMDD as just being the “problem child” but in reality, it is an actual mood disorder that needs intervention, care, and management to help the prognosis of their everyday life. They are diagnosed with this disorder between 6-18 years of age meaning that it is the most impressionable time of their lives. As nurses, we must set boundaries and expectations of how to manage anger and cope with agitation in a healthy way. There should also be more research on how nurses can implement adaptive coping mechanisms for children specifically with DMDD. Most of the information applied to plan of care for patients with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation disorder is derived from taking bits and pieces of other related illness. If we are going to acknowledge DMDD as its own unique diagnosis then we, as nurses, should be educated on how to formulate an exclusive care plan specific to the disorder.
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Get custom essayDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder is a pediatric diagnosis characterized by extreme, prolonged outbursts of anger, aggression, and intense irritability. J.D. was diagnosed after exhibiting these behaviors for over 12 months and immediately after his behaviors turned aggressive, he was committed to inpatient care to gain mood stability and overall safety. Once safety and stability are achieved, nursing staff must begin directing a J.D.’s care plan towards symptom management, psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and pharmacological treatments if indicated by the physician. In addition to an acute care plan, the nurses working directly with J.D. must create new goals and positive coping strategies for managing irritability to better the prognosis for J.D.’s every day life.
When Twilight was initially published in 2005, it received the attention of young adult readers of predominantly female due to the plot of the novel; charting the life of Isabella “Bella” Swan, a teenager who relocated to Forks, Washington to live with her police chief father, Charlie Swan. The storyline gradually develops when Bella meets a vampire named Edward Cullen and falls in love with him, often jeopardising her human side throughout the journey of their complicated romance. With the success of the first book, this fantasy romance novel written by Stephenie Meyer becomes a tetralogy series for her readers to indulge in.
Get original essayIn regards to the novels’ popularity, several debates and criticisms are raised upon their releases. One issue that will be focused in this essay is feminism. According to Bryson (2017), Meyer definition of feminism is that “it is purely about a woman being allowed to make her own choices, regardless of what they are.” With this definition in Meyer’s mind, it is then visualised in the form of Bella, a female protagonist who deems to be a representative for feminism. However, I argued that the portrayal of Bella Swan does not correspond with this definition of feminism; advocacy for women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. In other words, feminism means that women have the same rights or opportunities as their men counterparts in every aspect of society including challenging the ‘societal label’ that they have. Even so, Bella Swan is seen as regressive in regards to this feminist idea. Renfro (2017) also notes the controversial portrayal of women in literature and media, that Meyer’s Twilight is “no exception”.
Lovely (2015) also claims that Twilight writes about the women’s stereotype and how the patriarchy has control over the society, which supports the anti-feminist definition. Anti-feminist advocates traditional gender roles, where men are still in authority over women. Petersen (2011) also asserts that even though she acknowledged the several feminist oppositions to Twilight, it does attempt to explain the crucial tensions within feminism today by emphasising the difficulties in determining what it means to be a feminist. Although Twilight may be portrayed as a feminist text in correlation to the author’s conviction, I argued that Twilight is an anti-feminist text in several aspects that are Bella’s decisions, her conformity to traditional feminine roles and Edward’s domination in their relationship.
The heroine still lacks in the ability to choose or decide for herself due to the existence of Edward Cullen, her supernatural significant other. In the means of anti-feminism, Wilson (2014) stated that the core of anti-feminism is contra-wise which is simply dismissing a woman’s acts over the reason that she is a woman. This is what Bella struggles throughout book series and that her decisions still revolve around Edward’s wellbeing, in order to please him. This also implies the superiority standpoint that Edward has over Bella, repressing her from deciding for herself as she is constantly being asked to do something. For instance, when Bella confesses to Edward that she is hoping that he changes his mind to change her into a vampire; “a dozen of emotions played across his face. Some I recognized: anger … and pain …”. Perhaps, it shows that Edward has yet to accept the idea of Bella becoming more powerful than him despite willing to sacrifice her human life just to be with him. Moreover, it seems that he does not believe with the ideology that men and women should have equal power. If Bella is powerful than him, it emasculates him and he is trying to prevent that by not allowing Bella to change into a vampire.
The other anti-feminist aspect of Twilight is Bella’s conformity to the traditional and stereotypical feminine roles, such as cooking. In the scene where Bella discovers that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon as well as having an insufficient food supply in the house, Bella said: “So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay.” This demonstrates that she lives in a patriarchal environment that normalises respective gender roles, where household duties are considered as feminine and women should always be in charge for it. It is considered as anti-feminist because she is submitting to the ideal women conduct and it is a part of her most proactive decisions. As what Eddo-Lodge (2013) states, Bella is not a liberal character due to her lack of defiance towards regressive gender roles and instead she conforms to it.
Furthermore, the point of view of the book is gynocentric. As the book focuses on Bella’s outlook, her thought processes are scrutinised which shows the vulnerability side of the female’s mind. This somehow leads to the oppression of Bella’s behaviour that is being depicted as insecure and impotent which fits the common stereotypical view of women. Furthermore, having a female antagonist and a female writer as well as providing a ‘happily ever after” or “happy for now” ending which some feminists sought for is still not sufficient enough to justify it as a feminist text.
Besides that, Edward’s dominance towards Bella has an influence on how their relationship develops when Edward finally succumbs to the temptation of interacting with Bella despite meeting each other countless times. The pair ultimately communicates at Mr. Banner’s Biology class, where Edward introduces himself despite sitting at a distant from Bella and says “I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan.” This scene fits the conventional act where it always the male who initiates a conversation with a female. Even after not talking to each other after a half-dozen weeks, Edward explains to Bella that it is better if they are not friends and to trust him on this matter. Ironically further towards the story, Edward admits that he follows Bella to Port Angeles and that is not the first time he does it; showing his lack of trust on her. This specific scenes further support the anti-feminist argument, as Edward tries to have control over Bella which inevitably strains their relationship as one-sided.
Although Bella has the right to express herself verbally, Edward often disregards her. This is evident in several scenes of Twilight particularly where Bella says she is glad that Edward craves her company excessively, and he harshly dismisses that idea. Her ‘freedom of speech’ is somehow constrained and it is frequently Edward himself that has the final say. Bella is depicted as a “damsel in distress” while Edward is a “knight in a shining armour” who has to save her due to his better psychic abilities as a vampire. Bella is deemed as powerless, always requiring reassurance or protection from another masculine figure such as her father and Jacob, another male interest in the book. She is clearly not allowed to develop thus making her character stagnant and questionable to be considered as a feminist figure. Her dependency also refutes the feminist role that Meyer is presumedly trying to portray, that even the simplest act such as keeping her balance can be difficult for her and needs assistance from Edward several times. According to Fetters (2012), Bella is the personification of submissive passivity, allowing men to decide what is desired for her. She is naive enough to allow men to manipulate her which affects her self-determination.
In addition, Bella as a love-struck teenager and her obsession with Edward are the main elements of the story. As she is seventeen, Bella is still naive over the concept of relationship. Due to being inexperienced, she does not realise the toxicity of her relationship and Twilight romanticises this which against the feminism idea. Bella is already emotionally unstable and Edward further abuses this by acting distant and often prioritising himself first. With this in mind, it can be argued that this particular text supports the ideology of men dominance over women in a relationship making the text as anti-feminist.
Furthermore, there are also several instances where Bella views Edward as physically more superior than her, pointing out his physical features as beautiful which she frequently fantasises. Bella’s descriptions of Edward are mainly emphasising her infatuation on him as if he is flawless. An obvious instance is when Bella describes Edward in the sunlight: “His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface.” his superior appearance is over-idealised by Bella, which implies the significance he has in her life and the extent of control that he has over her.
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Get custom essayTo summarise, the definition of feminism that is being applied here is equality for both genders, including challenging the ‘societal label’ that women have. Twilight is considered to be an anti-feminist text by taking into account several elements of the book that are Bella’s decisions, her conformity to traditional feminine roles and Edward’s domination in their relationship. It is indisputable that Twilight gathers numerous criticisms from feminists and anti-feminists alike due to the clashes in their definition of feminism. Hence, viewing Bella Swan as a feminist character role that other females should identify with may not be verifiable as she still lacks in the essence of how women in the post-feminism era should be.
As a kid we all wanna grow up to be something that sparkles in our eyes when we see it, but as we get older some of those dreams fade away, we start to wake up and realize what job really fits with our personality. My dream for all my high school career has been to do Cosmetology, I wanna go to a beauty school and do hair and help women feel beautiful and confident about themselves, love who they are on the inside, outside, and feel confidence in who they are.
Get original essayWhat is cosmetology and why did I choose it? Cosmetology is a beauty treatment. There are different groups of cosmetology but General Cosmetology in the United States mainly focuses on Hair manicure/pedicures. When I was a little kid I used to dream of doing people’s hair, I would use my baby dolls and barbies as customers and try and fix their hair until it was hot and in style and clean. I have decided to be in the cosmetology field because I like to help other people with their needs and beauty and also try to help with my own. I am aware that in doing this I will be working with many different race groups and many different hair types from long, short, soft, rough, smoothed tangled, nappy, thin, thick, straight, and curly hair. I feel I can help anybody as long as I have the mindset to do so. In some cases people go to cosmetology school or beauty school to work for somebody but I want to have my own salon where I make women feel safe and comfortable i wanna make it homey and let them relax and tell me about their day.
Cosmetology school takes up to 8 months to 4 years it will cost about $13,852. To enter beauty school you must reach the age requirement of being at least 16 and must have high school GED or diploma. ?Starting wage starts out at $9.14 and overtime you can increase your pay to $30.00 that is not including tips. ?I have some t?alents that are also required for cosmetology field that will help me succeed in the cosmetology hair field like business skills, communication skills, good grooming habits, a sense of creativity and technical skills. ? Requirements to get into beauty school are you must continue education afterwards you must also have education in cosmetology, creativity, interpersonal skills, and customer service, active listening, positivity, dexterity, good grooming habits, time management. I could gain experience from a junior college in my hometown called howard college. I am very capable of doing well and learning new things when it comes to something I love. ?Many people enroll in hair school to learn the basic fundamental skills to become an outstanding candidate in the field. A cosmetologist’s creativity skills, business skills and communication skills need to be very effective. Other skills are required as well, but without the most basic skills a cosmetologist will not do good in the industry.
How can you own and be in charge of a business if you do not know any of the basics? How can you work on someone’s hair and knowing it could be permanent without knowing what style would most likely fit their face and personality? As a student wanting to be in the cosmetology field sometimes you have to let your client know its okay to try different trends and styles and be different and that not every hairstyle is meant for everybody. As new trends are invented and start to be what is popular from previous years we will need to get used to working with different kinds of hair because we have all different kinds of races in my family and it is not as easy on one person’s hair like it is the others. You have to try and get to know the people and make them want to tell others about you and keep customers coming. You have to be nice a respectful and take care of their hair for them or they will give you a bad review and people will stop going. You do not go to college for cosmetology you basically go to beauty school and do classes it is not gonna be easy to do with no job and trying to afford beauty school and a place to stay and eat. I wanted to always do hair because I am really girly person I love self care and helping people look like a new person and feel like nobody can compare to them I have an aunt who does hair and I enjoy helping her mix chemicals see what is popular and new in style.
In conclusion everybody has a dream and wants to be an adult but being on your own is hard and a struggle and the life you had as a kid will never be the same as the life you will have as an adult that is why I am going to save my money and focus on the best life and best version of myself to make sure I get the life I want without being miserable cosmetology is something I will always love and admire it is what keeps my soul happy.
I have lately come to terms with my obsession with water. There is something about it that draws my attention, and if I can express one wish, I’d say that I wish to hike more water places. The good news for me, in this case, is that I don’t have to travel too far to find them. Niagara Falls State Park is on wish that is about to happen. What influences me in choosing Niagara Falls was Social media. I came to see fantastic pictures of the falls from Instagram, reading a bunch of posts from bloggers and people who have visited the falls.
Get original essayNiagara Falls State Park is a national park situated in Niagara Falls city, New York. It is known as the oldest national park in America as was established in 1885. It has the American, the Canadian, and the Bridal Veil Falls (Department of Interior National Park Service, 2013).
I am planning a niche tour for my friends and me to the state part for one week. The trip will be in the last week of June that is, from 24th to 30th.
The booking will be made two months in advance that is, in April, by calling them through a phone. We will buy the Niagara Falls USA Discovery Pass which will allow us to bundle the tickets for various attractions in the Niagara Falls area at a smaller price. We will travel to Niagara fall State parks on 24th June by plane. We will board a flight to the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport which is the main airport to Niagara Falls. It is about 30-40 minutes away. We will then take a WEGO bus which will take us to the state park. We will use the Niagara Scenic Trolley and Discover Niagara Shuttle to get around the park. The Niagara Scenic Trolley is warmed up during the cold seasons and equipped with a system for cooling during the hot seasons for passengers comfort. It takes a 3-mile route and makes stopovers at various places all-round the park, enabling one to travel the state park at his/her convenience. One can board or alight from the trolley at separate locations as he/she wishes. The Discover Niagara Shuttle is a hop-on/hop-off shuttle which will help us connect to 15 destination sites along the 14-mile route from the "Falls to the Fort." ("Niagara Falls State Park," 2018)
Meals will be taken from my favorite restaurant, The Top of the Falls, which offers modern American cuisine and classic dishes. It is located on Goat Island, and it gives you a good view of Horseshoe Falls while eating. After each day’s adventure, accommodations will be at Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, located on Fourth Street. The hotel is a walking distance from the park.
Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, located in the park, organizes interpretive programs for school groups and organizations. These programs are to offer environmental and historical education. They help people get to know about their natural resources and the natural history of the Niagara Region (Department of Interior National Park Service, 2013).
In addition to its views of the American Falls, Canadian Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls, we will get a chance to have a view of other attractions. These attractions include Niagara Gorge, Maid of the Mist, Nikola Tesla’s statuette, Cave of the Winds, Goat Island, Aquarium of Niagara, the Prospect Point Observation Tower Niagara, Falls Discovery Center, and watch movies shown at the Niagara Adventure Theater. ("Niagara Falls State Park," 2018)
With the help of the Discovery Pass, we will get a chance to explore various attractions at a smaller price. We hope to make the most memorable experience ever by adventuring the state park, the restaurants, the shopping, recreational activities, the museum, orienteering, hiking, and water experience.
Wholly defining the sublime seems to lead to a near endless compilation of puzzle pieces, all of which fill in only a small portion of the final picture. Edmund Burke attempts to assemble an authoritative definition of the sublime-and the human experience that accompanies it-in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. Burke's definition proclaims that "whatever is in any sort terrible" (Burke 499) invokes the sublime, which he considers "the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling" (Burke 499). In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the monster exemplifies the Burkian sublime. Shelley's descriptions of the monster and his actions cohere with Burke's definitions and his categories of Obscurity, Power, Terror, Difficulty and Vastness, each of which facilitate sublime experiences.
Get original essayAlso, the monster elicits feelings of extreme fear, astonishment and terror (each necessary for Burke) in Victor, Walton, and the De Lacey family, but in no case harms or kills any of them. By not enacting direct physical harm on the above characters, the monster holds his power and dangerousness at a "certain distance" (Burke 500), which fulfills Burke's requirement for the delightful astonishment of sublimity. The monster further embodies the sublime because of his perpetual liminal state. The monster is elementarily human, but remains an inhuman creation; physically immense, yet recounts his experience learning to read and speak as a child would. The liminality contributes to Burke's concept of the Obscurity that causes the sublime experience. Even the monster's ultimate end maintains an air of sublimity, as Shelley never clearly states what happens beyond Walton's view.
In A Philosophical Enquiry (from Difficulty) Burke states, "When any work seems to have required immense force and labour to effect it, the idea is grand" (503). The great effort Victor puts forth in assembling and bringing the monster to life in Chapter IV of Frankenstein falls nothing short of the difficulty Burke deems sufficient to create a sublime experience. Victor ruminates on the process by which he created the monster and the emotional experience. Shelley writes, "No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success" (32). Victor cannot adequately describe the emotional attachment he holds for his creation and the difficulty of the endeavor, and defaults to a metaphorical hurricane. The power and force of a hurricane seems to adhere to Burke's notion of feeling the strongest emotion possible as the outcome of the sublime, which alludes to the monster's inherent sublimity. As the monster comes to life, the sublime effect on Victor becomes apparent in the following lines:
I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart (Shelley 34).
The monster's appearance overwhelms Victor, reminding him of the incredible effort-"worked hard for nearly two years"-he invested in something he does not see as beautiful. Victor's disappointment in the monster's form fills him with a nearly painful fear that resembles the sublime astonishment Burke postulates in the section: Of the passion caused by the Sublime. Even as the monster lies motionless on the table, Victor overflows with a disheartening and powerful emotion that is nothing short of sublime. The monster's physical construction further fulfills Burke's image of the sublime from Difficulty because "His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath" (Shelley 34) corresponds to the concept that "the rudeness of the work increases the cause of grandeur" (Burke 503). Although the monster lives his incomplete form with uncovered muscles removes any semblance of perfection, and thereby makes its creation even more Burkian sublime. Imperfection seems to be a precept of the horror genre, making a single frightening flaw or eccentricity the root of the danger.
Obscurity stands as another of Burke's sources of sublime events. His definition stretches beyond the unknown, citing the natural apprehension that comes with the unclear. The monster is ultimately the "dark, confused, uncertain image" (Burke 501) that has "greater power" according to Burke. The monster's body, made of several different bodies sewn together and reanimated, remains an obscure example of humanity. He is both a living being and the undead combination of other beings. How can the question of his true state be reconciled without considering the importance of obscurity? In Volume II, Chapter IV of Frankenstein the monster recounts his first months of life in the hovel amidst the cottagers and his experience learning about the world: "I discovered the names that were given to some of the most familiar objects of discourse: I learned and applied the words fire, milk, bread, and wood" (Shelley 75).
This quote is relevant to Burke's notion of Obscurity in two ways. Firstly, considering the monster's size, "about eight feet in height, and proportionably large" (Shelley 32) the idea that he still needed to learn the basic tenets of language seems problematic. The sort of elementary learning the monster in which the monster describes taking part indicates that at the point described in the quote, he would have had the intellect of an infant and the form of a giant man. This confusion of outside appearance and inner reality seems representative of obscurity in the Burkian sense. Another important aspect of the quotation from page 75 revolves around the diction. Including the words "discovered," "discourse," and "applied" indicates an eloquence that readers do not normally associate with monsters. Arguably, the disparity between a monstrous form and an eloquent tongue fulfills the example Burke lays out of obscurity. The true nature of the monster is uncertain and confused because it straddles the line between human and inhuman. Also, the monster is literally nameless. Throughout the novel, he is referred to only as "the monster." His nameless nature compliments his obscurity of form, and makes him difficult-if not impossible-to completely discern. Due to the obscurity of the monster, he wields great power (as Burke might say) from the inability of others to discern and understand him, which leads to the fearful thoughts that accompany the sublime.
Another Burkian facet of the sublime is Vastness. Burke states, "Greatness of dimension is a powerful cause of the sublime greatness of dimension, vastness of extent, or quantity, has the most striking effect" (502), which applies intuitively to Victor's monster and his physical form. As stated before, the monster's size, close to eight feet tall and proportionally large, a "being of gigantic stature" (Shelley 32), clearly demonstrates the monster's vastness. Besides being obviously intimidating in size, the monster's proportional largeness indicates an even greater mass. Merely the monster's dimensions demand attention and embody an undeniable vastness. Imagining any human or creature of that size, the reader must accept that such a creation would evoke an intense admiration and astonishment. Throughout the novel Shelley returns to descriptions of the monster's extent and a notable example occurs near the end of the novel when Walton-a ship captain trapped in the arctic and new acquaintance of Victor's-first sees the monster himself.
"Over Victor hung a form which I cannot find words to describe; gigantic in stature, yet uncouth and distorted in its proportions" (Shelley 152). After acknowledging the great size of the creature, Walton "shut his eyes involuntarily" (152), and attempts to recollect himself. The intense physical reaction to the monster that Walton describes parallels the sort of powerful emotional response Burke derives from sublime incidence. Through his appearance, the monster exemplifies the concept of Vastness and attends well to Burke's definition for the sublime.
In studying the Power and Terror qualities of the sublime which Burke describes, the monster seems, almost elementary, to typify both. Victor's monster is unquestionably terrible, eliciting extreme fear in Victor and Walton as quoted above. The "breathless horror and disgust" (Shelley 34) that Victor feels at first gazing upon the living monster clearly equates to fear, or for Burke's sake terror. Walton calls the monster's appearance "appalling hideousness" (152) and his reaction cannot be considered anything but terrible fear. The terror the monster educes in those people who see him stays to Burke's belief that fear can induce the sublime. Also, Burke maintains, "Whatever therefore is terrible, with regard to sight, is sublime too" (501).
Considering the monster's horrific, gigantic and disturbing appearance he easily fits with Burke's idea of something visually terrible, which makes the monster inherently sublime. The monster is also the ultimate "modification of power" (Burke 501) and that intensifies the danger and fear, which lead to the sublime. The ease at which the monster snuffs out the lives of Victor's friends and loved ones shows the power the monster possesses. In Volume II, Chapter VII of Frankenstein, the monster describes his encounter and murder of Victor's brother William, the child still struggled, and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart: I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet (Shelley 97).
The monster grabs the William's throat only in an attempt to quiet him, but because of the great power he possesses the child dies. Although the monster reacts strongly to his murderous work, the way in which his attempt to hush William went wrong seems to indicate that even the monster cannot foresee the power he boasts. The monster moves quickly and powerfully too, as he pursues Victor, and Shelley describes him, "advancing towards Victor with superhuman speed. The monster bounded over the crevices in the ice, among which Victor had walked with caution" (65). The diction "superhuman" seems especially relevant in reference to the power the monster possesses. By exceeding the abilities normally attributed to humans the monster demonstrates a sublime might. Imagining such an occurrence evokes astonishment almost instantly and begs the question of how a creature so amazingly robust could exist. Superhuman speed is the sort that would also bring terror and fear to the viewer who may wonder if such speed would be used against them. For Burke, the fear intrinsic to the sublime occurs "wheresoever we find strength, and in what light so ever we look upon power" (502) that is "the concomitant of terror" (502). So, any strength that causes fear for the observer is sublime in nature. The monster bears immense power that intimidates and frightens Victor and thereby brings about the sublime.
Burke emphasizes early in A Philosophical Enquiry that the sublime occurs only when the pain, danger and fear are viewed or experienced from a distance. Experiencing pain first hand rends it "incapable of giving any delight" (Burke 500), but when the pain and danger is implied by Terror, Obscurity, Power, Difficulty and Vastness then the sublime occurs bringing with it feelings of astonishment. Although Victor perceives himself to be in imminent danger throughout the Frankenstein, the monster never attacks or harms him-Victor dies before the monster finally reaches him. Instead, the monster converses with Victor, relating to him his life experiences. In practice, the monster is eloquent, polite and unthreatening to Victor, and this creates the distance that Burke believes must exist for sublime fear. This distance asserts again in the danger the De Lacey family and Walton perceive during their respective encounters with the monster. When Walton first beholds the monster he is struck by the creature's terrible appearance, but once the monster turns to him miserably Walton has a change of heart:
His voice seemed suffocated; and my first impulses, which had suggested to me the duty of obeying the dying request of my friend, in destroying his enemy, were now suspended by a mixture of curiosity and compassion (Shelley 153).
Walton's perception of true danger abates in the above passage because he realizes that the monster means him no real harm or pain, and that creates the "certain distance" (Burke 500), that allows him to feel a sublime delight and empathy. Interestingly, once the distance appears Walton's entire thought process becomes "suspended" by new powerful emotions that overwhelm his original vengeful hatred for the monster. A similar scene occurs between the monster and De Lacey as the monster attempts to make a connection with the old man, hoping that his disturbing appearance will not prejudice a blind man. Without his vision, De Lacey cannot perceive the monster through any means beyond conversation and that works in the monster's favor. De Lacey calls the monster his "best and only benefactor" (Shelley 91) clearly showing that blindness creates the distance between the terrible monster and the man. De Lacey delights in his discourse with the monster, and continues to until his housemate, Felix, returns and sees the monster's form, effectively collapsing the distance and the sublime delight that accompanies it. In the above scenes, the monster never hurts the character with whom he interacts. His power and terrible nature sit at a distance that allows them to be perceived as astonishing, delightful and subsequently sublime.
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Get custom essayThrough Edmund Burke's definition of the sublime he posits the causes and requirements and lead to such an obscure and emotional experience. Burke considers fear, Power, Vastness, Obscurity, Terror, and Vastness as key qualities of the sublime. Having applied these concepts to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the monster emerges as an example of Burkian sublime. The monster possesses great power and size, but is wrought with contradictions, confusions and uncertainties. He instills great terror in the human character he encounters, but also evokes feelings of astonishment, empathy, and caring. Even as the monster threatens and harms some of the novel's secondary characters, he creates a distance between himself and Victor, Walden and De Lacey that allows him to be primarily dangerous in perception only. Shelley creates a monster that fulfills Burke's requirements, and gives readers a character that embodies the sublime.
There are two types of games that people usually play: indoor and outdoor. Now I am going to compare and contrast indoor and outdoor games as this essay reveales deeper exploration of similarities, differences and benefits both types of games.
Get original essayPlaying game is an activity that players engage in for amusement or fun. The game is played according to regulations with the players in direct opposition to each other. It is a structured form of activity that usually undertaken for enjoyment and used as an educational tool at certain times. Playing games is essential for the people from all age group but not for children only. A game will lead us a change from the monotony of our daily life. It becomes one of the most important things in human nature for enculturation and socialization. For example, gymnastic was previously the only physical exercising for human and it is dull and humdrum. This made people wished to acquire pleasure in the aspect of mental during physical exercise. Hence, many outdoor and indoor games with the transition of clip were invented. In addition, The Egyptians' senet is the earliest example of a board game and it was invented around 3000 B.C. The first traces of competitive sports also happened to the Egyptians around 2000 B.C. In an Egyptian tomb at Beni Hasan, numerous wrestling pictures depicting many moves that are still used today were found by archaeologists. Indoor games are the games which are played somewhere inside the house or shelter without physical exercise. On the other hand, outdoor games are the athletic games which are played outside the home or shelters. Outdoor games are mostly related to physical fitness. There are many similarities and difference between indoor and outdoor games, which make them special. Both types of games provide entertainment as a stress buster as well as for all round personality development. The difference between them is health in terms of physical and mental.
First and foremost, playing indoor games and outdoor games bring joy to the life. Recently, stress and anxiety are common root causes that lead to a bigger and more serious problem called depression. Many people are becoming victims of depression because of loneliness due to the growing competition and various other reasons. As we know, academic pressure these days often leads to high level of stress among students. Students usually back to their homes being tired as school life is full of stress. A good way to distress is to take a break from the daily chores and play games for some time each day. Playing games creates leisure time that every student must has to reduce the stress of studying as well as the other problems among students these days. It gives them the needed break and helps them to rejuvenate. Hence, playing games is a good approach to get respite from the daily grinds. Researchers found that people who spend at least one hour playing their favourite games every day are far less prone to stress and anxiety compared to those who not. Therefore, every individual must play games to forget the daily life’s problems and to feel relieved. Playing outdoor games will help to release pressure since the tired body will release hormones that relax us and make us feel better. Increased heartbeat rate during outdoor games or an actively concentrated brain will ultimately bring our stress level down and help us to have free time without stress. Healthy distraction like playing board games will always bring advantages to human since it is a superb way to kick back and relax. Playing indoor games brings laughter and decreases stress level. Laughter is one of the vital ingredients for creativity and enjoyable learning experience. According to online survey by RealNetworks Inc., a games developer found that 64 percent of respondents said they play games as a way to unwind and relax and 53 percent of people play board games to get rid of stress. Furthermore, playing board games will trigger the release of endorphins; those are the body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals that bring up the happiness level. “Happy hormones” has the influence on improving conscious and unconscious mind functions, make the person cheerful, compassionate and ultimately content. Besides, many adults gain the amusement of their previous childhood repeatedly while playing games with the child living in their spirits. For students, they must get bored with their daily routine activities after a day’s hard work at school. A student can get rid of boredom by playing games. They feel themselves with no worries and tension while playing games. Therefore, it is one of the best means to get relaxed.
In addition to providing entertainment as a stress buster, indoor games and outdoor games play an essential part in developing personality of human in all round. It is rightly said, “All work and no play makes Jake a dull boy”. Playing games is a good approach to ensure the all aspect development of a person. A person who regularly doing sport activities is known to have a better overall personality than those who are not. In this era of growing competition, students often treat their fellow course mates and friends as their rivals or competitors. They are always looking for ways to defeat them in studies and other activities. Games such as basketball, football, volleyball and cricket can help the students to understand and realise the importance of staying united to achieve a common team goal. This is because success in a game depends on co-operative team spirit and combined energetic efforts of all the members of the team. A team has to play as an organised whole with a united and competitive spirit, against the other team. The players will have the spirit of adventure, discipline, fair play, team spirit, cooperation and critical decisions making by playing games. Hence, they will build team spirit which is very essential to lead to a successful and fulfilling life. Moreover, it is said that, “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” because the hero of this battle was one of the students of this famous school. It is here, as a student and player, that he developed the great qualities of leadership, patriotism, heroism, endurance, courage, and team-spirit which later helped him in defeating Napoleon. These personalities are cultivated with the help of playing games are quite essential for a person to be successful in life. Playing games provide the self-confidence and sense of fair play to the players and sports-related persons. They also broaden the mental horizon of players and make them true followers of the rule of law. The players have to find out how rules operate while playing and always agree to the regulations. This is because the rules involve a deliberation of the civil rights of others. The players have to comply with the decision of the referee and they will be penalized if they foul or violate the rules of the games. They will gain knowledge of the competition, however within a limited and secure system where the penalty of losing is reduced. Playing games teaches people how to deal with hardship by showing them it is fine to make a mistake. The players will learn from their mistakes and know the importance of moving on once a mistake has been done. It is in the same games where the people can learn that life is not a smooth path as it entails both ups and downs. For example, there are times in life when someone can achieve success but there are still other times when someone can fail. However, as in games so in life, a good player will neither admit defeat nor give up and he or she will not be demoralized by lose. Instead of losing his or her temper and morale due to failure, the player would accept it coolly, calmly and then would try to perform better next time. He or she will also keep his or her cool and equipoise in joy and success. Someone who takes part in the games will know that victory and defeat are the two aspects of the same coin. There is more fun in playing than in its end result. Congratulation and greeting will be given to the winning team by the defeated players. From this experience, they learn to face the realities and difficulties of life with a smiling face as well as always be optimistic and look on the bright side of life. Obviously, playing games encourages the spirit of healthy competition into our minds. It also teaches us to play for enjoyment and not to feel depressed when defeated. The kind of excitement, joy, thrill and entertainment provided by games are unbeatable. They make the both physical and mental exercise interesting and inspiring confidence in one’s work. Therefore, games and sports have all these additional benefits which an exercise taken for physical fitness and health lacks. A player is bound to become broad-minded, tolerant, principled, disciplined, honest, and more secular in his approach and methodology to tackle problems. Playing games also help in overcoming the sense of violence, arrogance and superiority as games always come with rules.
On the other hand, physical and mental fitness are the two different aspects between indoor games and outdoor games. It goes without saying that more effort and physical energy are required for outdoor games compared to the indoor games. One of the main attributes of outdoor games is physical fitness. It is essential for everyone to play outdoor games because it is the main activity which keeps us fit and energetic in every field of life. One of the tips to stay fit is to follow a healthy lifestyle that includes a balance diet and sufficient exercise. Various type of outdoor sports such as cycling, swimming, hiking and camping are good ways to exercise. These sports not only help in improving our physical health intact but are also a great way to make us stay fit. It will get our body fit by keeping our vital organs healthy and boosting metabolism. Regular sport activities and physical exercise could help to cure various communicable and non-communicable diseases and it is also a cost-effective way to improve the health of people. According to researches done by scientists, we can prove that outdoor games are important for our physical health because 70 percent of middle aged people who did not do sports in their young age are now struggling with the health problems such as hypertension, poor blood circulation and easily become weary and sleepy due to the lack of physical exercise. Therefore, people who do not take part in outdoor games are often seen fighting with illness in their old age, such as heart disease, diabetes and etc. However, people who do exercise regularly are seen leading comparatively healthier lives. According to the research done by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, adults require 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week and muscle-strengthening exercise at least twice a week. One of the approaches to achieve these goals is to play outdoor games such as tennis, basketball or badminton which are qualified as aerobic activities. In contrast, it is proved that indoor games do not help in boosting physical health but it is definitely the best for mental development. These games stand a chance for our brain to have wonderful exercises. For example, brain areas which are responsible for complex thought and memory formation for kids and adults could be stimulated by playing board games. It helps in practicing essential cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, decision making and problem solving. Playing board game will also reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease and help to keep elderly’s mind fresh. Study by Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre confirmed that regular game-playing and puzzle-solving were shown significantly promote mental stimulation that kept high level performance of memory function as well as language function, attention span and spatial ability. The risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease was shown to be reduced by 47 percent for people who did these activities often. There are many benefits for youngster as well. Board games are known to be good for children’s mental growth as it helps to develop our brain skills and making teens more brilliant. Moreover, our minds become fresh and strong after playing indoor games. It is said: “A sound mind lives only in a sound body”. After playing for sometime, students can concentrate much better on books as indoor games serve as a good exercise for our brain. This will enhance our thinking capacity and analytical skills as well as sharpening our mind. It is suggested to inculcate the habit of doing sport in children from the very beginning as it is good for their mental and physical growth. A book-worm, who pores over his books day and night, definitely will get his mental faculties blunted. He may show a slightly better result in the examination, but at best he just ends up as a crammer, devoid of all sense of uniqueness and originality. Most of the games make players to think conceptually while playing. For example, games which includes question and answer make a person think about the particular question before giving answer thus it makes the person to think logically to come out with a correct answer. Furthermore, games also improve the observation and orientation of the child and adult. Many of the games need players to perform particular action or the task. For example, drum shiraz is a game in which a person has to act without saying a single word, thus the other person has to observe the action performed in a more proper manner in order to get the right answer. Therefore, indoor games provide a mental exercise for the player.
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Get custom essayIn a nutshell, both indoor and outdoor games provide entertainment as a stress buster and for all round personality development of people as well. Whereas the difference shared between indoor games and outdoor games is physical and mental fitness. We should not underestimate the importance of these activities. Young children can learn a lot of things by participating in both games. Participation of adults in games can lead to happier, healthier, more effective and productive lives. In my opinion, the corporate and private sectors should show their determination to lend a helping hand to promote both indoor and outdoor games as well as deliver the importance of games to public. A beginning was made to boost this key sector. For instance, some famous business houses, corporations, firms, companies and establishments sponsor many national sports events. Additionally, the business and corporate bodies should spend part of their earnings and profit not only in sponsoring national sports events, but also in providing equipment and other facilities which are indispensable for the promotion and betterment of games and sports. It must, however, be acknowledged that remaining busy in games day and night at the cost of studies is by no means something wise. The wisest thing is to maintain a healthy balance between the games and the studies. They should be complementary to each other. In any case, games are essential for all round development of one’s personality. Since life is a game in which the players are we, it is inevitable and inescapable to spend time without playing games at any age.
Pop music is always a part of the culture of a place. Beyond and Leslie Cheung represent the 80s and 90s pop culture. But nowadays, most young generation listens to Korean pop music and western music more than the local Chinese pop music (C-pop). But what is Chinese pop music?
Get original essayChinese pop music (C-pop) are from countries where have a large number of populations using Chinese language, mainly China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia are also one of the countries on the list, but because of the multicultural characteristic, C-pop has a limited market in these countries, some singers who are Singaporean or Malaysian would move to China, Hong Kong or Taiwan to find better opportunities. C-pop included mandopop and Tai-pop. The Cantopop was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but after this period of time, in the 21st century, Taiwanese singers like Jay Chou, and singer from mainland started to gain more fame. And since 2007, the Korean girl group Girls Generation made their debut, the K-pop started to be popular worldwide. Using the famous Korea boy band ‘BTS’ as an example, they made their debut in 2013, but they already have 17 MV (music video) have more than one hundred thousand hit rate. But only three C-pop singers have more than one music video get over a hundred thousand hit rate on youtube. This essay will mainly focus on Cantopop and Mandopop because one of them is the start of C-pop and the other one is taking the lead now in C-pop, because of the low usage of Taiwanese Hokkien, the Tai-pop are less popular than the other two pop, mainly listen by Taiwanese only. This essay the reason why C-pop becoming less popular in the past decade.
The first part of the essay will talk about the history of C-pop because before analyzing the reason why C-pop becomes less popular, we need to know why C-pop was popular in the 20th century, it can give a better understanding of the background of the problem. And researching the change of C-pop music industry can let us understand how the change of world introduce C-pop to the world also other competitors to the Chinese. The method of people listen to music also affect the industry because the companies earn profit by selling music, so the method people listen to music affect the way the company sells and promote their music.
Firstly, this essay will introduce the history of C-pop. Most audiences of Cantopop are Hong Kong citizens and citizens around Guangzhou like Shenzhen because most of the citizen share the same mother language, Cantonese. But Cantopop is mainly based in Hong Kong, so the essay will only focus on the history Cantopop in Hong Kong.
In 1974, Cantopop had the most important moment of the history, this will be the start of Cantopop famous era, in this year there were two people released two songs that shock the whole Chinese music industry,Sandra Lang released a song composed by Joseph Koo, called ‘Between tears and laughter’(??????), and Sam Hui,Kwun-kit debut his album ‘Gwai ma Seung sing’(??????) with the movie that share the same name. And from that moment, The most glorious era of Cantopop has begun. After that, the Cantopop industry grows rapidly. Some singers that are more well-known like, Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, and George Lam. And from the 1980s, the new Cantopop singers that debut at that time starts to mix foreign music style with the local music style, for example, Sandy Lam used R&B. And at the same time, Mandopop joins and become part of the industry. Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng is the best example.
From the 1990s to the 2000 band become more popular in C-pop, Beyond is the most successful band among that time. Hong Kong have the four heavenly king (Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai) and Eason Chan, Mainland has Faye Wong, Taiwan has the biggest part, the most famous singer and band for nowadays almost debut all in this period, for example, Jay Chou, A-Mei, Mayday...etc.That is the golden age of C-pop, after that, the Canto-pop didn’t have any impressing movement or singers debut, most of them are only popular among a certain age group in a specific region.
The method that people listen to music changed in these years too. People used to listen to radio programs to know a new song, people can’t decide what songs to hear. The Commercial Radio Hong Kong founded in 1959, people hear western music on the radio, such as the Beatles. In the 1970s, the economy of Hong Kong had an increasing trend at the same time, people have spare money for entertainment, such as buying albums or supporting their favorite singer, and also television. Television uses widely in Hong Kong families, then the other entertainment was formed, television drama, which also helped the music industry because now they can make theme songs for the television drama. Although the radio program in the 1980s and 1990s provided songs from other countries, such as Japan and America, still the radio controlled what music can the people listen, so C-pop can still keep in the trend. And the method of how people listen to music has changed rapidly in these decades. But after the internet has been invented, people started to go online, and the can listen to music on Youtube, they can listen to music all around the world, there are more competitors for the C-pop singers.
Except for the way that people know about new songs, the way that people store up their songs also changed a lot. Sony develops the first walkman in 1979, and the CD player, mp3 player. Until now we listen to music from the app on our phone, like Spotify and Apple Music. Before the internet become popular among the world, people would buy an album just to listen that one or two songs that they really like, but people stop to buy albums since the technology nowadays don’t need a solid thing to store music, you can store a million songs on your phone, just a click when you can hear any music you want. The change of method that people listen to music caused a huge change in the music industry, the physical albums are no longer be the trend of the music, if people can listen to music on youtube, without paying any money, why would they they waste money to buy a album that they might only know one or two song? In conclusion, the change in the method that people listen to music made a huge loss for the C-pop. Since the C-pop started to develop in the 1980s, when the album is still the main income, they can’t keep up to the rapid change of technology, because as a business, every time they change their direction of operating a business is complicated. But K-pop is started to begin the develop after 2005, the company already know how to use the internet to promote their songs.
Although music app like Spotify and Apple Music pay and buy the right of using the music, there are more people outside listen to music by downloading them illegally online. According to a survey by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, they interviewed seven universities in Hong Kong, and receive three hundred and twenty-one reply, over 89% of students used to download music online illegally. The main reason is convenience. One of the students mentioned: It (pay money to buy music) depends on the quality of the song. But even the albums and songs that they think is in a low quality are something that people worked hard to make. People don’t have the awareness of intellectual property, they download music freely from online, but people who worked hard for the music, for example, the lyrics writers, composers are ignored. Unlike the singers, singers can earn from going to shows and do concerts, these workers can only earn from the copyright, the amount of album and mp3 official resources selling are their income, even you think physical album is no longer useful, people can still buy digital album or buy an account on the music app. But most people just ignored and download it directly. Professor Leung Wing Chi Louis, has said in an article: music and videos are free for the public, just like air. The younger generation has already get used to free TV programs and free radio. But media are also a product.’ He said MP3 need to charge because unlike TV can put an advertisement, MP3 cannot put an advertisement. Finally, the style of the songs in this decade is not the same as the past. In the past around the 90s, the theme of Pop songs are mainly about love, society, friendship. These topics can attract the adult age group and the singer himself or herself, including outlook, and their music style, attract the younger age group, for example, student.
But nowadays in the 21st century, the young people student in the past become adult, of course, they listen to new songs but also they will stay close to the singer that they like in the past. But the new singers can’t get the support from these age group of people, the style of the song and the promoting method is the main reason.
The theme of the songs is confusing, take the first song “Say meow meow” as an example, the meaning of the lyrics is basically: Said meow meow. The rhythm is interesting and easy to remember, but the lyric itself has no meaning at all. Just like the Kpop, the rhythms are easy to remember and they don’t understand the lyrics because most of it written in the language of that country, for example, Kpop mostly writes in Korean so fans from other countries might not understand the meaning of the lyric. But the singers of the song usually only have a single instead of an album because they don’t many resources like the Korean music group to produce an album. Most of the new singer of C-pop only one song become famous, they have ways to earn a profit, at least they can’t have a concert.
The adults have a high expectation of music because singers or bands in the 90s or 80s have a higher quality. The popular songs nowadays is obviously way different from the old ones, of course, there are new singers that are still following the original style of C-pop. And they will fix their mindset and think that all the new music nowadays are all like this because they don’t have time to prove though, they are already busy working or handling their life so they don’t have time or mood to explore new singers that they would like. And the new generation listens to these songs since they were small, so they think these music are good and don’t like the music from the 80s and 90s. But only like and comment on social media is not enough to make those singers rich. Student or the younger generation don’t have much finance income or even don’t have finance income, they can’t support singers and bands on buying their albums or going to the concert. Companies are not willing to train new singer and bands now because they won’t earn profit from the new singers, so they put their resource on the old generation of singer.No new singers in the market, some old generation of singer started to retire or start a new business, there is a huge gap because no human resource fill in.
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Get custom essayIn conclusion, the reason that causes C-pop is dying the threat from outside countries after the internet has been popular in society, the change in the music industry also affect the whole C-pop industry. Physical album no longer is the trend of music producing and illegally free mp3 music flood on the internet and causing the profit of the company decrease, also decreased the willingness to investigate new potential singers. Due to all these factors, the future of C-pop is not as bright as the other popular Pop like Kpop. The threat from other countries’ pop and the shortage of human resources in the music industry are also making the situation worse, but still, there are some people believe that this is just the presage of a storm, I believe C-pop would take the world by storm again one day.
Brazil allows vast geographical areas with mountain trails. Brazilians express their interest towards outdoor activities specially cycling. Due to lack of knowledge, some Brazilians of smaller cities don’t know about benefits of bicycling. Because of that some Brazilians are facing some health problems. Cycling is cost efficient as well as non-polluting, the environment, so it is the best preferable mode of transport for all class of people. Devinci Company started their bicycle business in Brazil at that time what they face issues and how to overcome that problems which includes in that report.
Get original essayA mountain bike is a simple yet elegant machine that provides one of the best ways to enjoy the backcountry of the Rockies, with the fresh air and a close to nature feel, mountain biking offers a unique experience second to none. In 1996 the World Bank declared that bicycles, like other non-motorized modes of transport, would bring economic, social and environmental benefits to the city, and should not be demoted (World Bank, 1996). Fishman states that the use of bicycles has been linked to positive values such as social equity and an environmentally friendly and healthy mode of transport helping cities to promote themselves as leading players in a low-carbon-emissions society of the future (2013). Every year there are more cycle lanes and some cities are now quite cyclist friendly. There are now quite a few “Boris bike” systems where you can pick up a bike, ride to your destination and drop it off for a very small charge.
The main problem to sell a Devinci mountain bike in Brazil is absence of benefit of bicycle as well brand awareness in smaller cities such as Ubatuba, Lorena, Rio Branco, Montes Claros, Aracaju, and Praia Grande. In this cities bicycle remains an initial form of transport.
The other problem with is costly.
Product Analysis
Product Description
Devinci’s Atlas is a 110mm travel trail bike with a Dave Weagle designed Split Pivot rear suspension. The Atlas combines incredibly short chain stays with one of the best rear suspensions we’ve ridden to create a supremely capable trail bike. While 11omm may seem short by today’s all-mountain standards, it feels like much more, and it’s all placed on a bike with tight, whippable handling that’s just plain fun to ride. The Atlas comes with a 12×142 thru axle using their own axle that bolts into place. There’s only a 1.5cm difference in wheelbase between L and XL, and a 2cm difference in ETT between each frame size. The 29-inch wheel platform on both the Aluminum and Carbon chassis is a tire-to ground formula that holds momentum longer, while delivering a sasquatch-sized footprint for improved stability and grip across mud, root, and rock ravaged environments. Overall, the Atlas is a phenomenal mountain bike. It’s fast and efficient enough and could certainly be built light enough to be a racer. (Irimia R, Gottschling M, 2016)
Devinci has maintained their top position in Canadian market by providing quality product and innovative designs. While there are mountain biking trails in all provinces, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario have the most trails and operators.
This research does tend to focus on recreational cycling as opposed to cycling as a means of transportation. Cheap overseas manufacturers stole the low-end market and changed the high-end market by bringing down the prices of more exclusive parts and models. Devinci has mainly focus to their customers demand and market demand, according to they make their upcoming model and compete to their competitors.
Gauthier says "You can't underestimate anything and dependably should be prepared for the unforeseen. Our dedication toward quality control and consistent advancement is constant."(Company, 2016)
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PESTEL Analysis of Brazil
Economical Landscape
Financial system
More than 25 years of democracy and political stability have allowed Brazil to make major strides in economic development, including cutting its official poverty rate by half. Brazil is 7th among world’s largest economies by GDP. Brazil has 7th in global FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflows and 30th in outflows. The Central Bank of Brazil controls foreign trade operations, executes foreign exchange operations on behalf of the National Treasury and other public authorities, and implements rules set forth by the Bank of Agriculture, Industrial, and Commercial Credit. In addition, the bank also receives voluntary deposits and reserves requirements from other commercial banks operating in the country.
Raw ingredients and intermediate goods (45% of total exports), capital goods (22%), consumption durables (10%), oil (6%) and motor vehicles (4%) are the Brazilian main import products. The main imports partners are: China, United States, Argentina, Netherlands, Japan, Germany and India. The chart shows that data of Brazil import and export by year. In 2011, Brazil spent $307.95 billion for imports goods and services and export only $291.37 billion. Brazil invested goods and services from other countries almost same $331 and $325 billion in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Overall, chart indicates that Brazil spent more money in import rather than export during 2011 to 2016.
Brazil has a mixed economy with ample natural resources. Major export products include aircraft, electrical equipment, automobiles, ethanol, textiles, footwear, iron ore, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans and corned beef. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is part of the group of four emerging economies named BRIC.
Bank of Brazil is the second biggest bank by resources in Brazil and all Latin America. The bank, headquarter in Brasília, was established in 1808 and is the most established dynamic bank in Brazil, even more established than the nation's national bank. It is additionally one of the most established banks in constant activity on the planet.
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It is the most reputed Brazilian manufacturer bicycle company in Brazil and it’s maintain their top position in market more than 45 years. Also, its provides bicycles equipment.
Bicycle training and advancement programs are an essential part of a bike friendly city. The Devinci Company arrange special marketing campaigns in smaller cities of Brazil like Ubatuba, Lorena, Rio Branco, Montes Claros, Aracaju and many more and awake about the benefits of bicycling. The company have to arrange cycling race competition and motivate to citizens of Brazil, so they keep touch with it. Price reduction of product is the best way to company manufacture their product in the target country because of that they pay fewer taxes and tariffs.
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Get custom essayThe historical lack of national policies for promoting the use of the bicycle in Brazil has become a barrier to increasing bicycle modal share. The bicycle has bunches of advantages to maintain air pollution, noise pollution. The bike has the benefits of being Healthy, efficient, and eco- friendly. The average temperature of Brazil is around 22 degrees, so people can ride an anytime easily. So, it’s a great country to export mountain bikes. Main reason to export mountain bike in Brazil is that less competition in Brazilian market.
“Every myth is psychologically symbolic. ” Joseph Campbell (1985) argues that myths are an allegory for everyday life and should not only be taken at face value. That there are hidden ways that characters written from hundreds of years ago resonate with people of the 21st century. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is a “fairytale for troubled times” (Del Toro, 2018) that begs to be picked apart and understood by its audience for its unusualness. It contains mythological representations and archetypes, similar to that of the story of Psyche and Cupid wrote by Lucius Apuleius. Archetypes are certain universal symbols that served to trigger the collective unconscious, a fundamental collection of shared memories that reside in the unconscious of every human being. (Jung, 1959). Although it is unrealistic that gods and monsters exist, the story continues to appeal to its audiences. Jungian psychology states that archetypes are ancient patterns of personality that are the shared heritage of the human race. This essay illustrates how the film The Shape of Water follows the archetypal presentation of the young woman in the Greek myth of Psyche and Cupid, suggesting the shared memories or shared heritage that reflects the fundamental human condition.
Get original essayThe Shape of Water is an Oscar-winning film directed by Guillermo Del Toro in 2017 which is more like a mythological fairy tale. It is set in the year 1962, against a backdrop of post World War II and the period of time that America was flourishing. It follows mute woman Elisa Esposito, who works as a cleaner in a top secret military research facility. She encounters a half amphibian half man creature that was trapped by the scientist. Elisa gradually establishes an uncannily close relationship with this being and eventually falls in love with him. With the knowledge of the grave fate that the creature will face in the scientific facility, she plans to smuggle this River God out of the facility into her home. In the last scene, Elisa was killed by the military officer. She dropped into the river but was resurrected by the power of the River God as another river-dwelling being. The other story, Cupid and Psyche, is a Greek myth, earliest found in Lucius Apuleius’ book, The Golden Ass written in Late 2nd century AD. According to Thomas Bulfinch’s (1855) version of this myth, Psyche is worshipped by her fellow mortals because of her divine-like beauty. This angers the goddess Venus, who in return, asks her son Cupid to wound her with his arrow. Meanwhile, Psyche’s parents consult an Oracle about their daughter’s marital woes. The Oracle claims that Psyche is destined to be with a monster. However, Cupid himself falls in love with Psyche and takes the identity of her monstrous husband. Consequently, he forbids Psyche to see him in the light, yet she disobeys him. Their happy marriage is broken as Cupid flees from their home, leaving Psyche to find a way in order to reunite with him. Although The Shape of Water and the myth of Cupid and Psyche were not created in the same time period and comprise of completely different characters, settings, and plots, they still share a few similarities. If mythologies are the continuations of our human condition, then both stories are possibly reflecting some fundamental truths that are still applicable to our society today. The analysis below will shed some light on these important aspects of both stories.
Firstly, Shape and C&P portray the male protagonists as gods. In The Shape of Water, the male protagonist is an amphibian man-like creature that “natives in the Amazon worshipped (it) as a God. ” Although the creature is well-built with broad shoulders, similar in mould to an athletic human male. Yet, is described by the military sergeant to be “ugly as sin” for his more evident monster-like exterior. He also possesses healing powers that magically resurrects Elisa after her death. By transforming the scars on her neck into gills, he gave her a new life to live underwater with him. Similarly, in Cupid & Psyche, the male protagonist is described by the Oracle to be “a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist”. Although it is revealed to the readers that Psyche’s husband is in fact, Cupid, the “most beautiful and charming of the gods,” characters still speculated that he was a monster and proceeded to her fate “which more resembled a funeral than a nuptial pomp”. Psyche then opens a box from the underworld and falls into a “Stygian sleep” but Cupid also resurrects her by using his godly abilities. The immortality and supernatural powers of the male protagonists place them at a high ranking in terms of authority and value. This gives the men an air of dominance and they appear as untouchables; individuals who are transcendent compared to other characters in the film and myth. Secondly, the female protagonists are portrayed as the lesser mortals. Shape and C&P’s protagonists are both mortals, not gods.
In Shape, Elisa is a mute woman, who works night shifts cleaning at a military research facility. She is clearly from a humble working-class background, far from being godly. As she is mute, she can only communicate with some people through sign language. This includes her neighbour Giles and colleague Zelda. They often served as Elisa’s interpreter to the audience when she was signing to others. Zelda tells the military officer “I answer mostly, on account that she can’t talk. ” Somehow, Elisa and Psyche are both presented as helpless individuals that require the help of others. Psyche also has people around her to decide and do things for her, such as her family who quickly arranged a consultation with an Oracle to assure her of her marriage. Knowing that she is carefully stigmatized as an unfortunate woman, she tells her parents that she “submits” and to “lead me to that rock to which my unhappy fate has destined me. " Muteness and blind trust in an oracle paint the female protagonists as meek. They are made out to be gentle and easily imposed on by others, completely submissive to their fate. Both are doomed in one way or another, victimized as lesser mortals. Thirdly, the godly male and the victimized mortal female form a natural hierarchy. The men are put in a higher position of power, as shown by the archetypal pairing of gods and mortals. Elisa and Psyche fall helplessly for their charms, perhaps because their lovers are gods. They come to depend on the gods for romantic love and eventually to resurrect them. In mythology across all cultures, mortals have been subjected to worship divine beings or gods, as they control everything from the weather, agriculture and even their own lives. Gods have their own specialities in which they are in control of. Some are rulers of the sky, sea, land, love etc. Stories of gods seducing or taking advantage of mortal women are different in every pantheon, yet common. For instance, Medusa (Greek) and Rindr (Norse) who were violated by Zeus and Odin respectively.
The River God and Cupid do not only hold physical power over Elisa and Psyche, but also sexual and emotional powers. This reinforces the power imbalance that is the normal structure between men and women, the men being on top of the social hierarchy. Fourthly, in Shape and C&P, both female protagonists are juxtaposed as incomplete or excessive. Being a mute woman, Elisa is not only deemed incomplete by society but also by herself. This is bridged across to the audience when Elisa is confronting Giles about her plan to break the creature out of the military research lab. She gets into a heated argument with Giles because of his refusal to help. The audience comes to understand Elisa’s feelings for the creature during her passionately signed monologue, which she made Giles repeat verbally. “And what am I? I move my mouth - like him- and I make no sound- like him. What does that make me? “ She explains that “the way he looks at me. He doesn’t know what I lack. . . Or how I am incomplete. He just sees me for what I am. As I am. ” Del Toro uses this scene as a tool to explain how society sees her disability as a factor that decreases her value as a human. She knows that people look at her and think that she is broken; not enough and she needs recognition from others that she is not so. Thus, she has been viewing herself as an outcast and yearns to complete her incompleteness through this love affair with the river god. On the other hand, Psyche is presented to be excessive. Her beauty “was so wonderful that the poverty of language is unable to express its due praise. ” Men are too intimidated by her beauty to court her and she is worshipped as if she is a goddess. Her completeness brought her downfall as she is considered at fault by the goddess Venus. She sends her son Cupid to unleash her revenge on Psyche. When he too falls for her attractiveness, it angers the goddess even more. All that her beauty brought is jealousy and trouble, dooming her to a seemingly unfavourable marriage with a monster. She was “sick of that beauty which, while it procured abundance of flattery, had failed to awaken love. ” (Bulfinch,1855).
Both Elisa and Psyche are being shamed, either by themselves or others for something that is in their nature and cannot be changed. Elisa’s sense of incompleteness and Psyche’s over completeness are ironically treated as being at fault. They reflect an uncompromising reality so extreme that suggests society’s strict expectations of women. It exhibits that women are expected to fit into a box that society puts them in and the women themselves reinforces it to perpetuate a sense of incompleteness, or a longing for acceptance from the outside. Fifthly, both the film and myth sees the female sacrificing themselves after they were accepted by the godly male. It may appear that it is the result of the love they felt towards their lover, but similar to the archetypes in mythology, it is also a recognition of the union of mortals and immortals. In Shape, Elisa gradually develops a sort of kinship with the creature because like her, he is unable to verbally communicate. For her, his captivity is the “loneliest thing”. So, she devises a complicated and high-risk plan to break the creature out of a military research lab. She asks her friends to be accomplices and lie to the authority, providing enough time to carry out her plan. In doing this illegal act, Elisa is prepared to risk both her life and liberty, as well as those of her friends’. Out of her sense of incompleteness, she felt completion through her acceptance by a god and is ready to fight for it. As for Psyche, she lives a blissful married life with Cupid, though they can only be together in the darkness. However, to her, it wasn’t enough. She gives in to her sisters’ urge to secretly peep at her husband in the light, regardless of his explicit opposition to it. Cupid immediately abandons her because of her betrayal. She is distraught and “wandered day and night, without food or repose, in search of her husband. ” Tasked by Venus to undergo “a trial” for her “housewifery”, to prove her suitability of being Cupid’s wife. She accepts in order to reunite with her beloved Cupid.
In order to experience that completeness with the godly lover, the woman undergoes sacrifices. The film and myth shed light on the sense of completeness or empowerment women felt after their union with the male god. triggers sacrifices and hardships that women are willing to undertake in order to find that completion again. Finally and most importantly, the woman’s strength is undeniable in both Elisa and in Psyche. Their actions celebrate a meek, yet powerful force that is innate in the female figure. Undeterred by the dangers that they may face in achieving their own goals, they readily sacrifice their own personal safety. Their voluntary choice to sacrifice themselves paint them as noble and transcends the mundane view of physical and mental dependence or a selfish notion of wanting to be with a god. A certain type of strength is required to muster up the sheer courage and selflessness to prioritize another person above oneself the way that Elisa, Psyche and all women naturally do. Their will and determination in the pursuit of their goals are evident. This shows that women can equal men in terms of willpower and courage. Perhaps women find their strength through suffering throughout their lives, allowing them to put other’s well being and safety over their own. If men express their strength through dominance and power, then women express theirs through love and noble meekness. Not only does this happen in this particular film and myth, but it is a common characteristic among many other stories. These archetypal expressions also reflect the shared heritage of our human condition.
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Get custom essayTo conclude, the similarities and difference between Shape and C&P reflect the plight of women throughout the centuries. “Myths are first and foremost psychic phenomena that reveal the nature of the soul” (Jung, 1905-1961) Despite being millennia apart, Shape and C&P are interconnected and at its core, very similar. The film and myth show that women’s suffering gives them unparalleled strength. Like men, they too can assert power, albeit differently. The reason why similar stories such as these continue to be reproduced is that humans need them to. They share a universal reaction of familiarity with the story and see aspects of themselves in the characters. As the stories are retold, the human condition unfolds accordingly. They are specific archetypal stories that resonate with us as a species, as our shared memories and heritage. They are ageless, told and retold, across all channels because that is how humanity weaves the fabric of storytelling.