The Extent to Which the Todays News Media Play a Democratic Role in Essay

The Extent to Which the Todays News Media Play a Democratic Role in Our Society - Essay Example This essay highlights that the media can be referred to as the fourth arm of the government after the parliament, judiciary and the executive due to its role in connecting the society as a whole. In this respect, the media is the fourth pillar of the society. According to the report findings the present news media plays a crucial and democratic role in the society in various ways. These ways are defined depending on the way they impact on the society. Creating Awareness/Informing the Society. The media since its development has been used as a major source of information to the society. Today, it makes people aware of their political, economic and social happenings across the globe. Due to its growing active role in the society it is currently being used as a mirror which shows the citizens the truth and the realities of life. For instance it is through the media that politicians are reminded of their unfulfilled promises to the citizens. Socially, both Television and radio have participated in informing the illiterate people in the society by creating channels in various vernacular languages. This make sure hat even the illiterate are aware of what is happening in the society and take part where necessary , for instance during elections. The news media also makes people aware of social gatherings which are important in channeling their interest to the government hence democracy. The increased technology in the media has also played a democratic role in economic aspects of the society. ... Creating Awareness/Informing the Society. The media since its development has been used as a major source of information to the society. Today, it makes people aware of their political, economic and social happenings across the globe. Due to its growing active role in the society it is currently being used as a mirror which shows the citizens the truth and the realities of life. For instance it is through the media that politicians are reminded of their unfulfilled promises to the citizens. According to Calcutt and Hammond (2011, p132), the today’s news media makes an excessive coverage when there are general elections to help people know the type of politician they would elect to represent them by showing what they have failed in and what they have achieved. Hence most politicians today are on their toes to achieve their goals to avoid being embarrassed to the community. Socially, both Television and radio have participated in informing the illiterate people in the society by creating channels in various vernacular languages. This make sure hat even the illiterate are aware of what is happening in the society and take part where necessary , for instance during elections. The news media also makes people aware of social gatherings which are important in channeling their interest to the government hence democracy. The increased technology in the media has also played a democratic role in economic aspects of the society. For instance the internet has made access to various products at the click of a mouse Liebes and Curran (1998, 28). The individual are also capable of getting information about certain products through advertisements and the internet. It is also through the media where people are made aware of the

Political Philosophy and National Integration Essay Example for Free

Political Philosophy and National Integration Essay 1. Central Quotation â€Å"National integration is partly a by-product of other social and economic developments, partly the result of deliberate government policies.† (Birch, 36) 2. Argument In this text Birch gives a historical overview of national integration process. He discusses different attitudes towards assimilation of minorities that existed in North America and Europe. Before 1960s that it was current believe that national integration could be challenged by the existence of different ethnic groups within the borders of the country and assimilation was desirable. After 1960 however, this attitudes has changed in favour of social pluralism. Birch also presents patterns, which describes common practices of national integration. 3. Question The question raised in this text is â€Å"Whether the process of national integration must be accompanied by wholly or partial assimilation of minorities?† Birch describes both negative and positive effects, which social, economic and political integration of minor ethnic and cultural groups could have on building a sense of nationhood. His argumentation is based on contradictory assertions. One argument is in favour of social homogeneity i.e. stresses the importance of common language and feeling of unity among people for development of democratic institutions. In the same time author mention several scientific works that question the assumption that further integration is required for establishment of representative democracy. 4. Experiential Connection Even thou I grew up in Sweden, I have a lot of friends with different ethnic origin who lives there, mostly 1st or 2nd generation immigrants. All of them had a chance, upon their own will to learn Swedish free of charge as soon as they arrived. That was the part of integration programme established by government in order to facilitate immigration process. That makes it easier for immigrants to interact with local citizens, get the jobs and thus contribute to social, political and economic development of the country. 5. Textual Connection. Birch’s argumentation is quite similar to Will Kymlicka’sagrument in the text â€Å"Western political theory and ethnic relations in eastern Europe†. As well as Birch, Kymlicka stresses that attitudes toward ethnic minorities among democratic liberals in West had changed since 1960 and multiculturalism become more acceptable (Kymlicka, s. 33). Kymlicka focuses on different ethnic groups and describes assimilation attempts made by governments towards these groups. He also emphasizes the importance of different governmental policies that determines integration process (Kymlicka, s. 42). 6. Implications. This text analyses the different ways in which minor groups can be merged into national societies and poses the question of whether national integration is a positive or a negative process. This question must be answered by citizens and representative governments in every country before there will be taken any further action toward national integration or disintegration. I think government have to consider prior experience of integration of minorities in different countries to choose appropriated policies for the particular county. This can be done throughout case studies and with help of patterns of integration drawn up by theorists and scientists.

Stem Cells for Cell Replacement Therapy in Parkinsons

Stem Cells for Cell Replacement Therapy in Parkinsons Stem Cells for Cell Replacement Therapy Said AL Hakmani Introduction Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that results from damage to the neurons in the brain that produce the chemical named dopamine. The dopamine sends signals to parts of the brain that controls movement, allowing movement of smooth muscles. In Parkinson’s disease there is loss of the dopamine neurons. Symptoms of the disease include abnormal movement and tremor when a significant amount of dopamine has been lost. It is still not known exactly what causes Parkinson’s disease and the detailed pathophysiology is an area of active research (1, 13). Parkinsons disease is of progressive nature, which implies that it deteriorates with time. But this happens gradually over numerous years. On the other hand, researchers are doing a great deal of exploration to better comprehend what is occurring in the cell. Some studies show that Parkinson disease is associated with an abnormal gene in some individuals, however so far there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that it’s genetically inherited (1). Braaks hypothesis recommends that Parkinsons disease starts in the digestive tract and in the brain’s centre of smell. The hypothesis is upheld by the way that side effects connected with digestion and smell happen at an early stage of the disease. Professor Jia- Yi Lis research team has now possessed the capacity to tack this methodology further, from the gut to the brain in rat models. The experiment demonstrates how the poisonous protein alpha-synuclein is exchanged starting with one cell, then onto the next before arri ving at the brain’s movement center, leading to the characteristic movement impairment seen in Parkinsons disease. He proves that disease process really can go from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system, in this situation from the wall of the gut to the brain (3, 23). Usually people start to have symptoms of Parkinson’s disease between the ages of 50 and 60 years. But in certain cases it starts earlier. The first presenting symptom of Parkinson’s disease is tremor (shaking or trembling). It affect the hands, arms, or legs. It is one of the most common signs, but not everyone has it. Also, not everybody with a tremor has Parkinson’s disease. The tremor often starts only on one side of the body or just one arm or leg. In addition, Parkinson’s disease can cause stiff muscles all through the body, so it causes problems like inconvenience gulping or constipation. In the later phases of Parkinson’s disease a person may have fixed expression, trouble talking and other problems. Some individuals lose mental skills (1, 22). Figure 1 shows the nerve cells in the brain (1) The power of stem cell Stem cells have the potential to develop into various cell sorts in the body during life and schedule growth. In many different tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing without limit to replace other cells as long as the animal or person is alive. At the point, when a stem cell divides, every new cell has the capacity either to remain a stem cell or get to be an alternate kind of cell with a more specific function, for example, a red blood cell, a muscle cell, or a brain cell and other cells (5). The stem cells are featured from other cell types by two essential characteristics. First, they are capable of renewing themselves through cell division, frequently after long periods of inactivity. Second, under some physiologic or trail conditions, stem cell can become tissue- or organ-particular cells with special functions. In particular organs, for example, the gut and bone marrow, they consistently separation to repair and supplant exhausted or harmed tissues. Moreover, in diverse organs, for example, the heart and the pancreas, stem cell just partition under exceptional conditions (5, 20). Researchers fundamentally worked with two sorts of undeveloped cells from animals and human: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic stem cells. Researchers in 1981 found approaches to get embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos. In 1998 the definite investigation of the science of mouse undifferentiated cells prompted the revelation of human stem cells. However, these cells are called human embryonic stem cells. The embryos utilized in these studies were the result of invitro fertilization strategies for reproductive purposes. When they were no more required for that reason, they were donated for research with the informed consent of the donor (5, 21). Scientists made an alternate achievement by distinguishing conditions that would permit some particular adult cells to be reprogrammed to accept stem cell-like state in 2006. This new sort of stem cell, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (5). These IPS cells may be used in the future to make the patient’s own cells, a safe cell source that is free from other factor which affects the patient. Animal studies in rat and mouse have been carried out to test the possibility of replacing the lost neurons and results have shown that these cells can develop into dopamine neurons. In human studies, it is possible to measure the increase of dopamine neuron function in the striatum of the patient by using positron emission tomography (5). The Stem cells are essential for living organisms for different reasons. In the three to five days old embryos, called a blastocyst, the internal cells give rise to the entire body of the organism, including all of the many specific cell sorts and organs for example, the lungs, heart, skin and other tissues. In certain adult tissues, such as bone marrow, brain, and muscle, the adult stem cells create replacements for cells that are lost through ordinary injury, or disease. The stem cells make new potentials for treating diseases such as heart disease and Parkinson disease. However, much work remains to be carried out in the research facility to understand how to use these cell therapies to treat disease (5).Research on stem cells continues to advance about how can an organism develops from a single cell and how can healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. The stem cell research is one of the fascinating areas in contemporary biology (5).Many researchers believe that em bryonic stem cell could be an excellent source of dopamine neurons because they can grow in a culture dish and make into any type of cell after long time in culture. Now, the dopamine neurons have been generated from the Human embryonic stem cell. One research study used the special type of companion cell with specific growth factors to promote the differentiation of the embryonic stem cell through several stages into dopamine producing cell (5). Growth of the Human Embryonic Stem Cell To grow the human embryonic stem cell, the cells will grow in the culture dish and will spread and divide on the surface of the media. The culture dish contains the mouse feeder cell which provides the nutrients into the culture media to grow the cell. However, researchers now devised a method to grow the embryonic stem cells without mouse feeder cells to avoid the risk of transfer of viruses from the media to the human (5,6 ,18). The tests used to identify embryonic stem cells in the laboratory are lacking. But, the laboratories that grow the human embryonic stem cells use different types of test such as: Growing and subculture of the stem cell for many months to make sure of the health of the cell. The use of techniques to determine the presence of transcription factors that are produced by undifferentiated cells. There are two important transcription factors Nanog and Oct-4. Both factors help the genes to turn on and off to maintain stem cell undifferentiation and self-renewal (5, 24). Conversion of human ES and iPS cells One study of culture of stem cell found that the effectiveness of PSCs mouse derived DA neurons have shown efficacy in the models of Parkinson Disease. The developing midbrain is characterized by expression of the floor plate (FP) marker FOXA2 and the roof plate marker LMX1A. Canonical WNT signalling is critical for both roof plate function and midbrain DA neuron development. WNT activation incite LMX1A expression and a neurogenic change of PSCs derived midbrain FP towards DA neuron fate. Exposure to CHIR potent GSK3B inhibitor known to strong activate WNT signalling induce LMX1A in FOXA2 and FP precursors. CHIR is more potent than recombinant WNT3A or WNT at inciting LMX1A expression. The efficiency of LMX1A induction depends on the time of CHIR exposure it effect from 3-11 days. Thus, CHIR is the most critical factor for inducing coexpression of FOXA2/LMX1A. FOXA2/LMX1A coexpression require strong expression of SHH signalling using purmorphamine small molecule agonist. Treatment wi th SHH agonist and FGF8 in the absence of CHIR show significant lower expression of FOXA2 by day11 and complete absence of LMX1A expression. An expression of, NGN2, LMX1A and DDC showed establishment of midbrain neuron precursor fate already by day11. Both midbrain FP and DA neuron induction ready to reproduce in independent ES cell and human induced PSCs line. In culture TH positive cells showed coexpression with NURR1 only in FP derived DA neurons coexpressed FXOA2 and LMX1A. Few GABA and serotonin can observe. But, DA level present in culture about eight times higher in FP (9, 12, 15, 19). There are several lines of evidence to demonstrate a crucial role for SMAD signalling during neural induction. Studies in frog identified bone morphogenic protein (BMP) inhibitors, including, follistatin, chordin and noggin as the basic neural affecting factors in the Spemann organizer (10). The drug SB431542 was demonstrated to improve neural prompting in an embryoid body-based hES cell neural induction protocol. SB431542 inhibits the Lefty/Activin/TGFÃŽ ² pathways by blocking phosphorylation of the ALK5, ALK4, and ALK7 receptors. In addition, Noggin or SB431542 treatment improves the neural induction and blockade the SMAD signalling to achieve full neural conversion. The hES cells were exposed for 72 hours to the drug SB431542 or Noggin and observed the growth factor of neural induction was monitored by expression of PAX6 earliest marker of neuroectodermal differentiation. The combined treatment with both Noggin and SB431542 increased the efficiency of neural induction to more than eighty percent of total cells , compared with less than ten percent PAX6 cells when used Noggin or SB431542 alone(10, 17).However, the only PAX6a converts the human embryonic stem cell to neuroectoderm (11, 16). Figure 2: show the model of proposed mechanisms contribute the action of Noggin and SB431542 (10). From the diagram above at the higher density, essentially CNS cells that are PAX6 are formed which are equipped of giving rise to R-NS cells and example capable neuronal populations of motoneurons and dopaminergic neurons inside 19 days of differentiation. While at lower densities both CNS fates and neural crest fates are observed. The neural crest lineages include melanocytes and the neural crest precursor cells amenable to designing and subtype determination reactions (10, 18). In this figure3 shows one research on mice how the people try to make new dopamine. Isolated ventralmidbrain cells were expanded and patterned in vitro before to transfection to overexpress WNTs. The cell phenotype was examined following in the vitro differentiation or transplantation into Parkinsonian mice. Morphogens SHH and FGF8 significant increase the proportion of TH positive spheres out of total spheres compared with FGF2 treatment alone (13). Dopamine Dopamine is a chemical signal that transfers information from one neuron and the next neuron. The receptors found on the cell surface bumps the signals down to the receiving neurons. The dopamine interested in many different important pathways and it found primarily in the mesolimbic pathways which starts with cells in the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain (2).Dopamine plays a number of roles in human and other animals. It controls many functions such as movement, memory, pleasurable reward, attention, sleep, learning, mood, inhibition of prolactin production, and behaviour. The increase and deficiency of this dopamine chemical are the cause of several diseases like Parkinson’ disease. In the brain, part called the basal ganglia controls movement. Basal ganglia thus rely on upon a certain amount of dopamine to function. The action of this occurs by dopamine receptors D 1-5. The deficiency in dopamine in the brain may become delayed and uncoordinated the movement and other function of the body (3). The dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the brain. Substantial part of the overall dopamine in the body is produced outside the brain by mesenteric organs. The production of dopamine within the central nervous system, depend on the dopamine biosynthesis. There are two steps of dopamine biosynthesis takes place in the cytosol of CAergic neurons and starts with hydroxylase of L-tyrosine at the phenol ring by tyrosine hydroxylase to produce DOPA(4, 14). Figure4 shows the neuronal dopamine metabolism(4). This figure5: show how process of the fibroblasts are taken to culture to induce neural stem cells to make dopamine neurons and transfer to the patient to functional recovery (25). Good Manufacturing Practice There are many challenges to the use of stem cells for replacement therapy. However, the good manufacturing practice (GMP) is a quality assurance system that is used to make sure the product of stem cells is good and safe to use for treatment. The GMP in human embryonic stem cell culture required several components for good clinical practice. First, the culture or the feeder media that use in the laboratory must be reached with standard of GMP. That is why so many are now trying to grow these cells in feeder free conditions. Finally, all components of the culture and cryopreservation media should be validated for use in the GMP system and be non animal derived products (7). The ethical issue surrounding the use of embryonic cell need be carefully controlled. In UK human embryonic stem cell can gathered from left over embryos produced as part of in vitro fertilisation. This can done under strict UK guidelines from Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the human tissue authority (HTA) only in the early stage embryos can be used in research up to a maximum of fourteen days of development(8). Conclusion In my conclusion, the development of the research in the recent year will found the treatment of some diseases that affect the human in the neuron system like Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the study of stem cell research may treat disease by transplanted the cell to the body of the human, but the risk factor that makes this study difficult is the potential of the stem cell growth. The study of stem cell factor may solve the problem of cell growth. Also, the feeder that use to make culture is important to grow the cell without any contamination. There are many factors that help the stem cell to grow in the culture dish. These factors make stem cell to grow fast and convert to the different type of tissue organs. Also, there are some inhibitors that inhibited the factors when stem cells are converted to the different sorts. The research on the stem cell still under the process of trail. It is successful to treat some disease, but in other disease is still trying in animal model if it’s successful may try with human, those have Parkinson’s disease.

Amd Vs. Intel :: essays research papers

AMD vs. Pentium   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple of years ago when Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) introduced it’s K5 microprocessor, the phrase “too little, too late'; was plastered across their name countless times. At that time, if anyone were to name an underdog to the Intel dominated microprocessor market, Cyrix with their dirt-cheap 5x86 processor would have been the favorite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intel had been the only processor that could handle day-to-day functions at reasonable speeds. Such simple tasks as word processing and calculations, then later gaming and educational work, the processors were unable to perform. The Pentium processor was introduced in 1994; no company could compete with Intel at this point. It took until 1997, for AMD to even be noticed, and then later in 1997 the AMD k6 series was introduced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When AMD’s k6 was introduced to compete with the Pentium!! Processor, it fell short in all areas, except one-price. It was the cheapest micro-processing chip (chip) on the market. The downside to this chip is that it did not follow the same format as Intel chips. It needed a different motherboard, a socket-7 motherboard. This hurt AMD’s chances at the beginning, but in early 1998 they unveiled their mighty K6-2 processor. The K6-2 Processor was “bigger, better, and cheaper.'; The processor ran on a 100mhz bus, while Intel’s chips still ran on a 66mhz bus, this made AMD’s chip faster. It also was nearly 16% cheaper than any Intel based Pentium!! computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gaming community accepted the k6-2 with cautious, but open, arms. With their new SIMD-Enhanced (Single Instruction Multiple Data) 3Dnow! the graphics this processor were able to produce were amazing, for the time, due to the use of floating point intensive programs. With the new processor and their own design they were not only keeping up with the giant Intel, but they were innovating.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intel answered back with its “SSE';, which was to be included in its Pentium!!! processors. This new enhancement was to push graphics acceleration twice as fast as AMD’s 3Dnow! could. When Intel prematurely released the Pentium!!! processor it fell short. Many people got chances to take the new P3 for a run, and they were barely faster than the similarly clocked AMD K6-2’s. Not only that, but they sold for over four times the price. When news of this reached the dealers and public, K6-2s sales had sky rocketed to 43.9 percent of the market, while Intel’s dropped to 40.

How does Edgar Allan Poe create atmosphere in “The Tell Tale Heart” Essay

This essay is about how Edgar Allan Poe created tension and atmosphere in his short story â€Å"the tell tale heart†. The Tell Tale Heart was written in the year 1843 by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe was born to a Scots-Irish family in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809, the son of actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe. His later life was over-shadowed by financial and mental problems and periodic drunkenness, and he was temporarily disinherited by his foster father, but this could have influenced many of his short stories and poems, some of the short stories and poems he is most famous for are: â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum,† â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† â€Å"The Gold Bug,† â€Å"The Black Cat,† â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"Annabel Lee.†. On October 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious and â€Å"in great distress, and†¦ in need of immediate assistance,† according to the man who found him. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died early on the morning of October 7. This was most distressing for people who were a fan of his work, but they knew that his work would still be read over a long time past his death. There was never a certain cause for his death but some of the suggestions to why he died were: alcohol, drugs, and other agents. Poe’s Tell Tale Heart is of the gothic and horror fiction genre; this means it is a story that is wrote to induce a pleasing terror on the reader. Gothic is a genre that many people enjoy to read, because people like the suspense and shock that is involved in a gothic story, it gives the reader a sense of insecurity, making sure that they think about what could happen. Its stories like this that class as a gothic genre. The Tell Tale Heart is most definitely of this genre because the suspense in the story is immense and there is much tension, in this essay I will try my very best to describe how Edgar Allan Poe does this. Tension plays a pivotal role in the short story, so Poe used all the techniques available to create this tension. These techniques are stylistic. He uses things like characterisation, setting and plot. In the following paragraphs I will explain all of these techniques. Poe’s â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† is set at night time in a house that sounds like an old gothic manor. At night the house is sealed off from light. This creates a dark, eerie feel to the story. Night time sybolises danger and evil; it sybolises this because vicious things like dangerous animals (e.g. wolves) strike at night and kill their prey, also mythical creatures such as vampires are more active at night, this creates a scary atmosphere to night time. A descriptions in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† that show its night time is: â€Å"His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness.† This shows how dark it really was. It’s also as if the narrator can feel the dark, and has to push through it. This description of the dark paints a picture in your mind and it gives the effect of being in a silent room with no light and no escape. The effect of no escape is important because it’s as if the old man cannot escape. The main thing that triggers the narrators murderous tendency is the old mans eye. The old mans eye is described as the â€Å"Vulture Eye†. We do not know the relationship of the narrator to the old man; this adds tension because we do not know how the narrator knows this man and why he would want to kill him. There are some ideas of what the relationship is; my view on the relationship is that the narrator is a person who cares for the old man, due to poor vision. I get this impression because it says: â€Å"with a film over it†. It’s difficult to see through a film, so this denotes an impression of poor vision. He may have gone not expecting this â€Å"vulture eye† to begin haunting him. This eye is basically sending the narrator insane. The narrator’s obsession with the old man’s eye culminates in his own undoing as he is engulfed with internal conflict and his own transformation from confidence to guilt. The fixation on the old man’s vulture-like eye forces the narrator to concoct a plan to eliminate the old man. The narrator confesses the sole reason for killing the old man is his eye: â€Å"Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to rid myself of the eye for ever†. The narrator begins his tale of betrayal by trying to convince us (the reader) he is not insane, but we quickly surmise the narrator indeed is out of control. The fact that the old man’s eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is so mentally unstable that he must search for justification to kill. In his mind, he rationalises murder with his own unreasonable fear of the eye. Another reason this adds tension is because the narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man’s â€Å"Evil Eye†. Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man. The narrator shows his contrariety when he confesses he loves the old man, but he is still too overwhelmed by the pale blue eye to restrain himself from the all-consuming desire to eliminate the eye. His struggle is evident as he waits to kill the old man in his sleep so that he won’t have to face the old man when he kills him; but on the other hand, the narrator can’t justify the killing unless the vulture eye was open. The narrator is finally able to kill the man because â€Å"I saw it with perfect distinctness – all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man’s face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot†. This creates tension because all of the conflicting emotions make us think â€Å"will he do it†. It really keeps us in suspense and we are desperate to find out what he does. The story hooks us in and makes us read the whole thing. We know that the man is insane but we do not know if he regains his mental stability until he actually kills the man nearing the end of the story. But still then we cannot be certain he is insane until the very end, I will explain this further in the next paragraph. It is said that a neighbour had heard a shriek and that â€Å"suspicion of foul play had been aroused†. The narrator is very confident and does not seem to be vexed by the murder he had just acted out. The narrator’s language show his confidence and audacity, even pride, in his kill: â€Å"Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers – of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph†. The narrator’s assurance in his dark deed continued even when the police came to check on the old man and investigate the loud noises neighbours heard the night; â€Å"I smiled,-for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome†. He is very polite and confident. He is also very persuading, it’s almost as if he is sound of mind. He manages to persuade the men that the old man is somewhere else in the country. He invited them around and even showed them his treasures to show that nothing had been disturbed. He even had the audacity to get some chairs and tell the men to rest in the old mans chamber whilst the whole time the old man was dismembered beneath the floor boards. However, the narrator’s mind is quickly consumed with guilt, which creates his delusion of hearing the old man’s heartbeat taunting him from under the flooring. His paranoia makes the heart beat â€Å"louder – louder – louder!† and in his state of delirium he confesses to killing the old man in hopes of ridding his life of the menacing heartbeat: â€Å"I felt that I must scream or die!†. His guilt reached his imagination which then went on to make him hear things that wasn’t real, his conscience was putting an image into his head that this old man who he had no quarrel with was going to haunt him because he killed the man for no justifiable reason. He ends up driving himself even more insane and confesses. The story ends with his shrieking â€Å"I admit the deed! – tear up the planks! – hear, hear – it is the beating of the hideous heart† The most dramatic way of which tension is created is through plot and character. As shown already the plot is very sinister. But the characterisation is very good. The plot evolves around the killing of someone who is obviously vulnerable. With the poor vision, old age and treasures he is obviously a very vulnerable man, he has no safety apart from the narrator who is going to kill him, so he has no safety. This adds tension to the story because we want to know if the narrator will show this compassion he has for the old man, or murder him regardless. We know the narrator loves the old man because he says: â€Å"I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult.† The narrator loved the old man, the narrator even admitted it, but he still had plans to kill him. The fact that the narrator chuckled at the fact that the old man was oblivious to his plans also showed the old mans vulnerability. The narrator also said that he did not have any problem with the old man, who he saw himself as vulnerable. But it was the eye that vexed him: â€Å"it was not the old man who vexed me but his evil eye†. It is the characterisation that leads to the biggest tension in the story. This is because the story is a confession, told in a first person narrative. The reader feels what the narrator feels. The punctuation and tone that Poe used in the story shows us that the narrator is hysterical and mad. But the schizophrenic tendency he shows at the end confirms his insanity. This adds a lot of tension because we see how evil he can be but how calm and friendly he can be a short time later. It makes us wonder what he will do next, his actions are very unpredictable, which also tells us he is insane. With this conflict within himself it really makes us wonder, this also makes the story exciting. In this section I will focus on the stylistic devices used by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe creates tension with the use of short, choppy sentences with active verbs signal tension. In a way mirroring the narrators racing heart. Long, meandering sentences filled with adjectives and adverbs imply a relaxed pace, so Poe rarely used long sentences in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†. Short sentences are vital whist writing a story with tension. An example of short sentences in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†: â€Å"There was no pulsation. He was stone dead.† This shows an urgency to make sure he was dead He could not risk the old man to be alive It adds tension because we do not know what he will do. Will he stab him more to make sure he is dead or will he just finish the deed and hide the body It leave us open to guessing. Poe also adds tension through the use of his punctuation. Poe heavily relies on the exclamation mark to show the narrators growing discomfort. The use of this exclamation mark shows us the tone that the narrator must be using. For example: â€Å"But the beating grew louder! I thought the heart must have burst. And now a new anxiety seized me – the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old mans hour had come!† This shows how panicked he was becoming. You could practically hear the panic. As of he is saying it in a high voice. It has a sense of upset to it, the panic was upsetting him and he was worried that other people could hear it. It is clear that the narrator is becoming hysterical. As he does so, tension is added because his actions become even more unpredictable, will he panic and leave or will he dismiss it and kill the man anyway. Edgar Allan Poe uses a lot of repetition in this piece â€Å"Louder – louder – louder†. He does this a lot in this story; it adds tension, because it can add a variety of things. It can mean sinister planning â€Å"I proceeded – with what caution – with what foresight – with what dissimulation† There is a sinister planning I this, how should he proceed with his plan, with what caution, with what foresight etc. Repetition can also show panic â€Å"Louder – louder – louder† he is beginning to panic about the beating of the â€Å"hideous heart† He can hear it and he is worried that the police can also hear it so he begins to panic, this leads to his confession. In the last paragraph it was probably noticed that I used dashes (-) in the repetition. This is because Edgar Allan Poe used them at two very important scenes. The first time he consistently used them was when he was stalking the old man: â€Å"I proceeded – with what caution – with what foresight – with what dissimulation† He is stalking the old man and is planning how to kill him, he is trying to figure out how he should follow the old man as he is doing it, the dashes indicate a pause as he plans his next step. The second time he uses them is just before he confesses the murder, and can hear the heart beating â€Å"Louder – louder – louder†. The man is obviously panicked. This adds tension because we don’t know what he will do because he is so unpredictable. It adds a lot of tension, because we want to know what happens and we are waiting to fid out. Finally I will conclude with if I think the story was effective or not. I have described in the essay numerous techniques to why it is effective. I must say that I agree with all of them. I think the plot is engrossing and it really hooks you and you want to know what happens. The characterisation is excellent and the mystery of the sex of the narrator (who I have referred to as a he) adds tension because it’s hard to think of a woman committing such an act, but it is possible because the narrator confessed to loving the old man. The old mans eye, it is possible to picture it and I find it chilling to think about, but I find it even more chilling to think that someone would kill over it. The setting is marvellous, an old house, sealed off from all light, its chilling and scary making me feel lucky to live where I do, in the light. I also think that all the punctuation that Edgar Allen Poe used was used at an appropriate time and was an asset to the piece as a whole. The punctuation shows how clever the killer is and how cunning and sinister he is. But it also shows how panicked he can get. The start of the piece was also very good, because it began in the end, when he is where I can only assume, a mental institution. Where he is telling his story. In all it is a very good and very effective piece of writing.

American Revolution and Social Change

The American Revolution in the latter half of the eighteenth century was a time of great social change (United States, 2007). As a matter of fact, this social change was global in nature, seeing as the international parties involved in the Revolution for some reason or the other, took the American Revolution as a model for social change in the future (American Revolution, 2007). During the period referred to as the American Revolution, the Thirteen Colonies that were to become the United States of America, managed to gain independence from the British Empire.The Colonies had to rebel against the British Empire in order to gain independence, of course. Thus, they entered into the American Revolutionary War, which is also called the American War of Independence. This war, like all other wars, led to massive social change to boot. Lives were lost, and the birthing of new ideas occurred with respect to how societies must conduct themselves. Happening between 1775 and 1783, the war culmin ated in the famed American Declaration of Independence in the year 1776. Victory for the Colonies was actually achieved on the battlefield in the year 1781 (American Revolution).France had played a vital role in helping the new nation of Americans with finances as well as munitions. France also helped the Colonies to organize a coalition against the British Empire. The Americans were rebelling against the royalty or upper crust at the time (American Revolution). Naturally, they were desirous of social change, enough to fight over it. Theirs was a struggle to achieve a kind of an equalizing democracy. The American revolutionaries tried to change through bloodshed their government. They did not appreciate the laws and regulations of the British Empire.Rather, society in their opinion had to conduct itself outside most of the laws.AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGEPage # 2 and regulations of the British.By eradicating monarchy and the establishment of republics in the end, the Ameri can revolutions had changed the society drastically. Hence, John Franklin Jameson (1968) has written: â€Å"The stream of revolution, once started, could not be contained within narrow banks, but spread abroad upon the land.†Also according to Jameson, the social change brought about via the American Revolution concerned many areas of American life, including business, slavery, the ownership of land, the intellectual as well as religious life, and the interactions between the members of different socioeconomic groups. In a way, the Revolution was Karl Marx’s dream come true, seeing as the lower socioeconomic groups were no longer able to tolerate the ruling class and had decided to overpower the ruling class for good.What is more, the society of the Americans after the Revolution had no longer to apply the principles of the British Empire in their lives. They had no longer to be influenced by the British religion, for example, nor by the political ideologies of the Brit ish. By changing the government of the land, the Americans had in fact changed the social order, including the norms and principles to live by. The idea of American democracy was brought out in the open for the first time.The republican ideology was introduced with its emphasis on liberty, equality, individual rights, and struggle against corruption. Not only did this ideology change the lives of the American people for good, but it also entered the European mind that had for centuries seen only imperialism in practice (American Revolution). The idea that a society could revolt against the monarchy was taken seriously, worldwide. Hence, the impact of the social change brought about by the Revolution became global. As a matter of fact, the eradication of the social control of the BritishAMERICAN REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGEPage # 3Was seen in various countries around the world after the American War of Independence. The British Empire that had established colonies in many parts of th e world was asked to leave, very often by force, thanks to the American Revolution that had done the same successfully by showing the world that it was possible for nations to achieve prosperity for themselves without the social control of the British.Moreover, it was possible for nations that had previously been ruled by the British to formulate their own laws, such as the social control of corruption, without the supervision of the British. Today, the word ‘democracy’ is heard day after day on international television. Moreover, every nation is required to include the democratic model of government into its political practices, even if it is difficult to include this model for some reason. Even the United Kingdom believes in democracy today, despite the survival of the British Empire.Regardless of whether democracy has a hold over a certain government’s practices or not, however, the American Revolution has shown the world – like other revolutions in his tory – that it is possible for common people to rebel against governments, when in fact, their voices have been totally ignored. ‘Enough is enough’ is the impetus to social change that a revolution implies. In other words, the common people are expected to be patient for only a limited amount of time before they get ready to impose social change on the entire society.Not everybody in the Colonies would have agreed with the idea of the American Revolution. There are always people in society that resist change, and particularly resist the kind of change that is brought on through violence. Countless people hate wars, even if certain wars are fought for human rights. Regardless of such people’s reactions to a revolution, however, the American.AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGEPage # 4 Revolution became a reality.Besides, the social change that it implied took into consideration all corners of society, including the people that had resisted change and war. Before the American Revolution, man was held as superior to another man. The British Empire was superior to the Colonies. The American Revolution changed that also by helping the slaves realize that they were equal to their masters in essence. After all, if the people of the Colonies could, as a whole, fight against the monarchy, the slaves too could eventually achieve their freedom. The idea of equality imposed through the Revolution was groundbreaking for the slaves.Eventually, they were able to become legally emancipated, when the United States abolished slavery for good. A vast number of slaves at the time of the American Revolution were Africans. Although they had achieved freedom in the United States, their children and grandchildren were to continue struggling against the racism that they felt was prevalent in society, long after the American Revolution. In point of fact, Africans experienced that the whites had a low opinion of them, and did not offer them the kinds of oppor tunities they deserved.Because of their ancestors’ experience through the American Revolution, however, the Africans were able to use the model of the American Revolution to continue struggling against the alleged superiority of man over another man. The struggle against racism has continued. Even today, Africans in America try to fight racism in one way or another. The Civil War has passed. And yet, the social change that the absolute end of racism would bring about is awaited. Already, it is a known fact in America thatAMERICAN REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGEPage # 5The African Americans are equal to the white Americans in essence, despite the fact that the latter had owned the Africans during another period of time. Yet another kind of social change brought about by the American Revolution was the change in the role of women. Before the American Revolution, women had contributed to the operation of agricultural farms and small businesses. However, they had seldom acquired ind ependent economic status.When the War of Independence started, the role of the women changed in that they were expected to take complete charge of businesses and farms in the absence of men. Furthermore, the republican ideas called for discussions on women’s rights, roles in society, as well as education. Eventually, women, too, were to achieve an equal role in society with men. Today, discrimination against women is against the law in America. This kind of social change is particularly helpful for society as a whole, given that women may now contribute equally with men to the economic growth of America.Some of the states of America, after the Revolution, changed their property and inheritance laws to allow women to inherit shares of estates and to exercise a certain level of control over property following marriage. Women no longer had to suffer after the deaths of the men in their lives. They could support themselves through inheritance. All the same, according to the Encyc lopedia Britannica, â€Å"the Revolution itself had only very gradual and diffused effects on women's ultimate status.Such changes as took place amounted to a fuller recognition of the importance of women as mothers of republican citizens rather than making them into independent citizens of equal political and civil status with men† (United States).AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGEPage # 6Once again, because the American Revolution introduced into the minds of all Americans the idea of equality between men, the issue of women’s rights erupted long after the American Revolution as well.Although the immediate effects on the status of women were seen to be little, the long term social change brought about by the American Revolution in terms of the role of women in society, is massive. Man could rise against a monarchy during the Revolution. In the case of the women of America, this idea meant that they no longer had to consider themselves subjected to men. As a matter of fact, the issue of women’s rights, like democracy, is discussed globally today. The American Revolution has, at least, some part to play in the social change that this issue implies for women around the world.Apparently, the people of America were satisfied with the social change brought about through the Revolution. If not, another revolution could have begun to introduce new norms and forms of social control. ‘Enough is enough’ remains the impetus to revolutions. But in the case of America, ‘so far so good’ appears to be the way the social changes have been perceived. In other words, the social changes brought about by the American Revolution have been seen as positive.AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL CHANGEPage # 7References1. â€Å"American Revolution. † (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/American_Revolution. (26 March 2007).2. Jameson, John Franklin. (1968). American Revolution Considered as a Social Moveme nt. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.3. â€Å"United States. † (2007). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www. britannica. com/eb/article-77713. (26 March 2007).

West Side Story Essays

West Side Story Essays West Side Story Essay West Side Story Essay Essay Topic: A Dolls House The Winters Tale We Real Cool In the context of 1960s, chain gangs and gang wars are prevalent between Latin and White American adolescents. For the reason that the White American adolescents despise and discriminate against the Latin Americans (particularly the Puerto Rican race), the Whites resort to bully the minorities and they even ostracize the Latin Americans by depriving them of their rights to use recreation places like the street’s basketball court, food houses, and the like upon believing that the White Americans are the most superior and the better race than the Latin Americans; and in so doing, the White Americans perceive and believe that should not mingle with those inferior and minority race (such that of the Latin Americans as an example) who were different from them (Brian 2005). Moreover, in this movie directed in 1961 by Jerome Robbins Robert Wise entitled: West Side Story, the conflict between the two opposing races namely the White and the Latin Americans was further described throug h presentation of some prevailing scenarios that the Latin Americans unjust encounter and experience with the White Americans.BodyThe West Side Story is a movie adapted from Broadway’s musicale. It was an adaptation of the infamous Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet (UAPI 2009). Starred by Natalie Wood as â€Å"Maria,† Richard Beymer as â€Å"Tony,† and George Chakiris as â€Å"Bernardo,† the rest of supporting characters of the film includes: Russ Tamblyn as â€Å"Riff,† Rita Moreno as â€Å"Anita,† Simon Oakland as â€Å"Lieutenant Schrank,† Ned Glass as whom they call â€Å"Doc,† William Bramley (as the notorious police of the street) named, â€Å"Officer Krupke,† Tucker Smith as â€Å"Ice,† Tony Mordente as â€Å"Action,† Eliot Feld as the â€Å"Baby John,† and lastly, David Winters, as the one who portrayed the character of â€Å"A-Rab (Shulman 1961).†The Plot of the West Side StoryThe Movie West Side Story was depicted in the life of the citizens of the White and Latin Americans living in the 1950’s in Manhattan streets of the United States. A division was clearly evident as it was created and recognized by the adolescents of the east coast and west coast of Manhattan. The setting begins in the mentioned streets of Manhattan as a self-gratifying and self-centered musical song was sung by the Jets (the name for the White Americans’ gang and clique). Throughout the song sung by the Jets, the Puerto Ricans/Latin American adolescent gang led by Bernardo were discriminated and ostracized. First instance was when a fruit held by one of the Sharks (the name of the Latin adolescent Americans)it was abruptly grabbed by another member of the Jets without consent and respect to the quiet Latino. Moreover, the Latin Americans/ Puerto Ricans were mostly driven away and out of establishments and public leisure places. It was evident in the entire film that the he ight of discrimination and prejudice occurred in the late 1950s to early 1960s and it was shown how the Latinos were mostly bullied by the White Americans (Dirks 1961).The setting of the West Side Story is at the basketball court of Manhattan. Even if the scenario in the court, it was obvious that the Latin Americans were discriminated as they were not favored to play in the same court with the White Americans. It was evident however, that there was a rival even in basketball for the two different races. Furthermore, a representative member of the Jets (White American adolescents) vandalized a wall and wrote: â€Å"Sharks stink!† Upon catching this adolescent in the act, the Sharks saw what the White American adolescent did and so they chased after him and the riot between the White and the Latin Americans began (Howe 2003).The Sharks (East side) and the Jets (West side)A hot-tempered and authoritative cop was assigned in monitoring the activities of the two distinct groups, The Sharks and Jets. The cop’s name was Officer Krupke, played by the actor William Bramley. Officer Krupke’s major task and obligation is to control and to minimize the rate of crime and therefore maintain peace and order in the streets of Manhattan.Meanwhile, the Jets (West side) were preoccupied in praising themselves with all pride and self-centered egoism. According to the Jets, they walk tall as they consider themselves the kings of the streets in Manhattan. The Jets perceive that the east side, Sharks (the Latin Americans) were a threat to their dream of being the king of the streets, in so doing, the Jets consisting of the White Americans just would not stop throwing mock at the Latinos and drive them away wherever the Jets hang out. Further, the Sharks or the Latin Americans led by Bernardo just kept themselves mum at a time just to keep their group away from trouble. However their threshold of patience was reached at a certain point of them when Bernardo was mocked by the cop, Officer Krupke himself- showing that he was in favor of the White Americans. In this case, Bernardo decided he would stand up for his group and race and they decided to fight in defense of those Jets and other White Americans who interfere with their freedom and right of peace (RC 2008).Upon Bernardo’s (leader of the Sharks in west side) and his group’s implicit decision to fight for their right of freedom, respect, and peace in Manhattan, they resort to fight with the Jets in a dance showdown. From that dance, the difference of the two cultures was shown in terms of their specialties in music genre: the Latinos were good dancers of boogie, salsa, twist, and cha-cha, whereas for the white Americans, they are good dancers but not as good and as creative dancers as the Latin Americans. During the dance showdown, two eyes met as if they were magnetized to notice each other inspite of the numerous Sharks and Jets dancing on the floor. The two love birds were Maria (played by the famous Natalie Wood) and Tony (as portrayed by Richard Beymer). Maria (a Puerto Rican/ Latin American woman) fell in love at first sight with Tony ( a member of the Jets, a white American) during the first dance showdown between the White Americans and the Latin American adolescents. Further, the dance showdown halted as soon as Bernardo (Maria’s brother) noticed the undesirable scene. Bernardo obviously did not want his sister to fall in love with a White American especially with belonging in their opponent Jets (Shulman 1961).In the next scene of the film, the West side Jets claim they have departed the social norm that is why they are anti-social and juvenile delinquents. According to the songs they sing, they need help and they could not be blamed for their behavior since each one of them have their issues and problems in their families. Most of them were misunderstood and belonging in broken family set-up. At the end of their song, they address officer Krupke (RC 2008).The climax of this move is when the conflict between the Jets and the Sharks became intense up to the point that both parties decided to pick a fight and end their rival in duel. ON the other hand, Maria (Bernardo’s sister and Tony’s girlfriend) secretly meet with Tony even she knows that it is dangerous for the both of them. Since Tony was madly in love with Maria, he took the risk and courted Maria. However, Maria requested and pleaded her Tony to try to stop the war between the two groups. Tony, hesitant at first for the difficult request of Maria, agreed to do his best and try to stop the fight as soon as possible (Shulman 1961).The West Side Story: A grand slam receiver of Academy AwardsHaving been released by the United Artists in 1961, the West side story gained praise and at the same time critiques from the viewers and it also achieved the title of: â€Å"the 2nd highest grossing movie† in 1961. The West side story received a tot al of ten Academy awards and it achieved several nominations and recognitions in the United States.This award winning movie, West Side Story achieved success in depicting the current existing culture of the Americans (both for the White and Latin Americans) during the 1960’s. The West side story achieved several honors and Academy awards namely for the following categories: for Best Picture, considering Robert Wise is the producer; Best for Supporting Actor played by George Chakiris as â€Å"Bernardo;† Best Supporting Actress for Rita Moreno who portrayed the role of â€Å"Anita;† another Academy award for the film’s Best Art Direction category considering the aspects of the right choice of set color and design, claimed by Victor Gangelin and Boris Leven; Best in Cinematography category: good choice and quality for the film’s color which induces the movie’s theme, claimed by Daniel Fapp; another award of Best in Costume Design for Irene Shar aff; Best in Directing for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins; Best Academy award in Film Editing for Thomas Stanford; Award for the film’s Original Music Score and of the   Musical Picture credited to Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin, Sid Ramin, and Irwin Kostal; and last but not the least, the West side story also gained the Academy award Academy for Best Sound as credit to Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD) and Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD) (Howe 2003).In addition, the West side story achieved further recognitions, awards, and nominations were the result of the cooperation of the cast and those working staff behind the scenes. In 1997, the film was promoted by the United States Library of Congress (USLC) as it has been considered as a film that is being culturally significant and it was chosen to be preserved in the collection of the National Film Registry. Similarly, the West side story achieved further awards and recognition as Best in Writing and Screenplay based on material from an other medium, as credited to Mr. Ernest Lehman; another received award by this film is the Academy Award for Brilliant Achievements in the Art of Choreography on Film credit to and for Jerome Robbins (one of the directors of the West side story). Furthermore, the west side story achieved 1998 American Film Institution Recognition (AFI) as rating number 41 out of 100 movies in the United States. In 2002, it also gained American Film Institution Recognition (AFI) as rated number three in the Passions of the United States for 100 years. The songs used in the West side story also top rated the charts especially for the songs: Somewhere (rated number 20 for 100 years), also for the song America (rated number 35 for 100 years), and also including the song, Tonight (rated number 59 for 100 years) consecutively as recorded in 2004 charts. In 2006, it achieved recognition of100 Years of Musicals rating number 2 from AFI and apparently, the West side story achieved the recognition of 100 Year s for 100 Movies in its tenth (10th) Anniversary Edition rating number 51 from AFI, as put into account in year 2007 (Howe 2003).The Soundtrack used in the West Side StoryIn order for a great multi-million dollar winning movie to become possible, the choice of songs as background music for the movie’s soundtrack plays a very important factor in determining the success of the movie. Originally, the West side story was a musical created by Johnny Richards. In 1961, West side story was adapted and recorded by the Stan Kenton Orchestra as musical collection jazz orchestra using Bernstein scores. However the Stan Kenton Orchestra’s version was viewed and evaluated by the film directors of the West side story, it was the different version of musicale from the musicale included in the ongoing film. In fact, upon seeing the Stan’s orchestra jazz version, the directors claim that they should have used Stan’s version as soundtrack of the film but it was too late an d a new and different version was created by the song directors to be used in the West side story. Although The Stan Kenton’s version was not used as the basis of musicale background of the film, it gained a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Recording of a large group in 1962 (Shulman 196).This is not saying that West side story was free from flaws and considered therefore as perfect, but it was generally agreed by majority that the film was a good and timely musicale reflecting the current cultural norms and values of the Americans in 1960s. In manner of clothing, perception of power, basis for conflict, the prevalent prejudice and discrimination, and the diverse nature of language, music, and dance steps. The difference between the White and Latin Americans was explicitly described and presented in the portrayal of the main and supporting characters of the movie (RC 2008).Characteristics of the Characters in West side storyDescribed as â€Å"New York’s classic of the 1960s ,’’ West side story was astoundingly studded with magnificent and good starts who sang the songs like Tonight, Maria, I Feel Pretty, America, Officer Krupke, A Place for Us, and I Have Love (citation). Although Maria was criticized for delivering some lines the songs with uncertain accent, the musicale was a success for its overall success in portraying the life and culture of the adolescent, White and Latin Americans in 1960s. The characters of the West side story played a major role in making the film on of the best musicale created in the United States.First and foremost, Rita Moreno (girlfriend of Bernardo) and the one who played the role of â€Å"Anita,† delivered a great portrayal of her character in the movie. Anita, as a Latin American, was a graceful and flexible dancer, and at the same time, was good singer as she sang some songs in the film. Similarly, Russ Tamblyn, who played the role of Rif, was the persuasive leader of the Westside Jets and portray ed his character fairly as well.Having been playing the role of Maria, Natalie Wood portrayed her character as an innocent-looking, young, and a graceful dancer and singer, Maria. The character Maria fell in love with Tony, the member of the Jets gang in the west side. On the other hand, George Chakiris playing the role of Bernardo, as the brother of Maria and leader of the Sharks in the East side, portrayed the role of a discriminated leader of a minority group of the Latino adolescents in Manhattan. Bernardo could be quiet and soft spoken at times but he has the tendency for aggression to assert himself and represent his group in defending their race against discrimination and prejudice of the white Americans. Most and the rest of the characters exerted their best performance level in portraying their roles for the West side story (UAPI 2009).The Significance and Recommendation of the West side storyThought the West side story was just presented in such a simple way, it successful ly addressed the important issues and problems in the society existing long, long time ago at the onset of 1960s and still exists nowadays. The social issues of family set up of the adolescents (particularly as sung by the Jets), the lack of attention parents and school personnel who should aid the personality development of the disturbed adolescents, the racial issues, conflict, discrimination and prejudice existing among culturally-diverse communities, increased the awareness of the viewers (who may be a parent, a policymaker, or district guidance counselor) and so, they could devise ways and create programs for the benefit of the currently growing adolescents. Even if the culture describe in the film was during the 1960’s it is obvious that discrimination and prejudice is still occurring in some communities in the United States; in so doing, this film may serve as a guide for the adolescents and the adults to address and provide solutions to current problems in the society and its members- especially for the benefit of the adolescents who are in pressing need of guidance, understanding, attention, and advice from the adults. In such case, the West side story is must-seen (UAPI 2009).Indeed, the West side story is a re-tell or a remake and a musical version of the popular novel/movie Romeo and Juliet (citation). It is a musical drama with soul-inspiring and enervating song lines sung by the stars of the film. Just like the tragic Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet, the West side story ended with a tragic accident of killing the major characters in the movie namely Bernardo and Tony. Maria was left alone by her two loved ones due to the hatred built between the Jets and the Sharks of Upper West side Manhattan, New York City (RC 2008).Compared between the rival between Montague and Capulet families of Romeo and Juliet, the gangs Jets and Sharks hate could not stand each other as well. And so the gang wars between the two different races began (war exis ted between the Latin and White Americans in Manhattan, New York). Thus, the creation of the West side story was just in time to support the cinema/ silver screen in competition with the shows on television popularized during the 1960s (UAPI 2009).The Staff behind the Scenes of the West side storyThe film version of the West side story was based from the book of Arthur Laurents having the same title. Further, the musicale collection based from the collection of musical scores of Leonard Bernstein. The lyrics of the songs sung by the stars in the West side story were composed by Stephen Sondheim. Moreover, the choreography and the musical concept were contributed of Jerome Robbins. Further, the screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman. Producers of this film were Walter Mirisch, Robert Wise, and Saul Chaplin respectively. The cinematography on the other hand, was powered by the creative mind of Daniel Fapp. Color for the film was also powered by Technicolor and thus, the film itself w as taken in Panavision 700. This movie was astoundingly directed two of the greatest directors of the era: namely, Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise (UAPI 2009).The Relationship of the West side story to Shakespeare’s Romeo and JulietThe West side story was indeed a vibrant film which is full of life among the characters. Further the Broadway musicale style of the 1961 film written by Laurents and directed by Robbins was a â€Å"hit† top-notching the charts of the best movies in 1960s in the silver screen. Replicating the tragic, Shakespearean novel, Romeo and Juliet, the West side story has the same characteristics of the play Romeo and Juliet since the lovers in the story, Tony and Maria attempted to risk the danger of having a relationship despite of their difference in their races. Maria was Puerto Rican and Tony was a White American making them members of the two opposite races (UAPI 2009).The two opposing and distinct races and ethnicities, White and Latin Americans were the focus of this movie. In order to present the differences in culture of the White and Latin Americans, the movie was able to show the attitude of White, European adolescents towards the Latin, Puerto Ricans. Further, the story was presented by producing the story using a ground-breaking, exhilarating musicale with an astounding well-performed choreography by the various outstanding artists. The West side story poses the emerging conflict present among the inhabitants of the Upper West Side Manhattan in New York City during the 1960s. The movie poses the problems of the adolescents in engaging in criminal chain and gang wars which obstructs the peace and order in the community of Upper West side New York. Moreover, in order to present such existing culture and social problems of the United States in 1960, the entire movie was taken and shot in the streets of Upper West side New York City and in Manhattan. However, some of the parts and scenes in the movie were shot and recor ded on the improvised sets and studios prepared by the floor directors (UAPI 2009).In comparison of the West side story in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Montague family came to be the counterparts of the White American Jets in the West side story. Similarly, the Capulet family was the counterpart of the Puerto Rican/ Latin American Sharks. Relatively, Bernardo’s abduction of Riff in a gang fight (Tony’s elder brother), simulates the similar scenario of the tragic accident of Mercutio (Romeo’s friend in Romeo and Juliet) being killed by Tybalt, who appears to be Juliet’s cousin. As a result, Romeo resorted to kill Tybalt as well as a revenge for the death of his friend Mercutio. Apparently, the same related scenario of revenge in a fight simulates the scene where Tony abducted Bernardo after stabbing Tony’s elder brother, Riff. Furthermore several characters in the west side story have their counterpart or equivalent characters that por trayed similar roles in Romeo and Juliet and these are the following: Anita in the West side story portraying the â€Å"Nurse† (Juliet’s confidante in Romeo and Juliet) and Doc in the West side story portraying the role of â€Å"Friar Lawrence† in Romeo and Juliet novel. But it is to put into account that the tragic suicide of Romeo and Juliet at the end of the story was not the same with the ending of the West side story since Maria, after the death of her beloved Tony, did not kill herself but she just furiously pointed the blame to the pointless, mad desire of the Shark and Jets gang (citation).Critiques argue for the West side story that the movie was a similar recreation of other classic hit musicales like the â€Å"Gypsy† and the â€Å"Dolls.† However it was interpreted that way by critiques and viewers, The West side story is considered as one of the America’s masterpiece production in the global silver screen. The West side story was a hit for it was a divergence from the current popular culture of movies in the 1960s. The unique musicale of the West side story discussed social problems in the United States: gang wars, racial discrimination, juvenile delinquencies and family problems through the songs sung by the adolescents, Jets in the entire movie (Zoglin 2009).Salient points to consider and some important scenarios in the West side storyFocusing on Maria and Tony’s love affair, they seem to risk what danger could happen the moment the other members of the Sharks and Jets the get to know the forbidden relationship of Maria and Tony. When the lovers hear the arrival of Anita (Bernardo’s girlfriend) Tony quickly escaped his way out of the house and he said Maria that they should meet at the drug store owned by Doc to elope and get married. However, Anita accidentally caught the presence of Tony quickly escaping the house. Anita was startled and reacted negatively at first but she listened when Ma ria explained how she loved Tony so much. Inspite of Anita’s grievance over Bernardo’s death she resorts to help Maria arrange their plan of eloping and getting married. Moreover, Anita gave Maria a hint that Chino of the Sharks is after Tony to kill him with a pistol (Zoglin 2009).As the officer, Lt. Schrank arrived at Maria’s house he questioned Maria for the riot/gang wars that recently occurred between the Sharks and the Jets. Maria was careful enough for covering up Tony in order to protect him from the further questioning and investigation of the officer. Maria lured the Lt. Schrank by sending Anita as an errand to Doc’s drugstore to buy a medicine to relieve the pain she is feeling in her head. Such action of Anita was for the purpose of delivering a message to Tony at the drugstore that Maria could not come and meet her for Maria was held as a detainee a under investigation of Lt. Schrank. However, upon entering the drugstore, Anita did not expect that she was going to be mocked by the White American, Jets. Not only this, the Jets tried to harass her as an insult to her being a â€Å"Puerto Rican.† Maria was disrespected by the rest of the Jets not giving her a chance to deliver Maria’s message for Tony. In so doing, the circumstance really made Anita really furious. Consequentially, Anita distorted the real message that she has to deliver (that Maria was detained due to Lt. Schrank’s queries) and she imparted that her message was to tell Tony that Maria was shot dead by Chino with a gun. The chaos was stopped by Doc as he yelled to them inside the drugstore and also, for the Jets to stop harassing and making fun of the Puerto Rican lady, Anita. The jets stopped and listen to the old man (Doc). However, Doc went down to the basement and checked out the hiding Tony. Further, he relayed Anita’s untrue, bad news to Tony that Maria was shot dead by Chino. So, Tony abruptly ran his way up and out of th e drugstore’s basement and then he searched for Chino with desolation and hopelessness and how he’d wish that Chino would kill him as well (Zoglin 2009).While searching for Chino, Tony saw Maria on the road. The lovers were so happy to see each other again especially Tony when he thought that his beloved Maria was already dead. Suddenly, Chino appeared in the scene and shoot Tony. Maria was so startled as her lover fell on his knees and landed on Maria’s arms. Maria, trying to comfort her dying lover sang a song for him so that he will not be afraid. The lovers affirmed that if their love was not possible here, they should continue their love somewhere place as they should see each other again in their next life and in the other world. The White Jets and the Puerto Ricans Sharks ran towards the death scene together with the cops (including Officer Krupke in the scene). Maria was infuriated with the mere presence of officer Krupke and she yelled at him not to eve n dare to come closer the dead body of his beloved Tony. Maria took the gun from the suspect Chino and there she pointed the gun ate everyone: the Sharks and the Jets. She blamed that the death of Riff, Bernardo, and Tony was the fault of the both gangs and the result to all their selfish hatred. So for the reason that Officer Krupke was hindered by Maria to get even closer to Tony, some of the members of the Jets and Sharks took the initiative in carrying Tony’s corpse. After the tragic killings of the leaders of the Jets and Sharks in the streets of Manhattan, New York, the gang war between the two gangs was considered over (Zoglin 2009).Realism was shown and achieved in the West side story since the songs used in the entire movie were a mixture of English and Spanish songs. In order to reflect the underlying multicultural theme of the story, the songs were carefully selected and very well performed by the actors/singers. Together jam-packed with a set of dance steps, pirou ette, leaps in its choreography, the overall mood of the movie was an exciting one (citation).The West side story was indeed a must-seen movie since it is very substantial and culturally significant. In order for people to understand the nature of conflict in different groups, and the reason for discrimination and prejudice, the West side story successfully presented the conflicts occurring among the adolescents resulting to their behavior problems and maladjustment in the society. In the form of musicale of songs and dances, the message of the film was carried out through the innovative and creative performances of the carefully-selected artists of the film (Zoglin 2009).Modified by Ernest Lehman, the rewrite version of the West side story had remained a striking and filled with energetic and enthusiastic songs reflected from its lyrics. Furthermore, the book version of the West side story play was containing songs which are mostly composed by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein . The talented directors of the West side story are Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Considering Robert Wise’s expertise I the field of directing, the collaboration with the professional dance choreographer, Jerome Robbins was a very intelligent decision and resulted to make the movie a real big hit in the silver screen (Zoglin 2009).Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins respectively gained recognition for the West side story. However, Jerome Robbins was pulled out of the West side story project since he was frequently the reason for procrastination of the shoots, budget-exceeding production rates, and also, Robbin’s frequent disagreement with Wise was a reason for the rest of the staff to remove him from the direction of the West side story. Robbins’ ideals for the completion of the West side story were becoming overwhelmingly expensive just for his wish to make the movie close to perfection. Four of the dynamic dance steps which Robbins choreographed in the West side story were the following: â€Å"Something’s coming,† â€Å"Prologue,† â€Å"Cool,† and â€Å"America.†The West side story is also focused on the love story of two different people having different races. However love was the foundation, Tony and Maria were separated due to hatred and violence. Tony was Maria’s first love. She loved the man inspite of the fact that they were belonging in different race and that her brother and their group of minority Puerto Rican gang (Sharks) not in good terms with the White American gang (Jets). When Maria first set her eyes with Tony, she fall (right then and there) madly in love with Tony and vice versa; these first encounter of Maria and Tony happened during the dance showdown between the Jest and the Sharks. Tony’s on the other hand, who was previously preoccupied with the activities with his gang in the West side has diverted his attention to Maria when he fell in love with her.However, consider ing the obvious fact that Maria’s brother, Bernardo was a leader of the Sharks and his prospect lover Tony was member of the opponent Jets, Maria still persists to pursue her forbidden and controversial love affair with Tony.   Maria knows that Bernardo would never approve of her love affair with Tony for Bernardo knows how cruel, prejudicial, and discriminating the White American race was. Meanwhile, Jets Sharks just would not stop claiming right over the west side streets of New York for their gang’s territory. At first, the Sharks could be observed that they do not have any intention of keeping the streets to their own, but the Jets just would not stop bullying and discriminating, and driving them away wherever they see them. The Sharks think, especially Bernardo (as their leader) that this was too much and they believe they deserve a right to whatever the White Americans enjoy doing and hanging around. So what the Sharks did is to engage in a fight with the Jets most of the time to defend themselves from the unjust dominance of the Jets. Consequentially, the rival lead to a fight between the Jets and the Sharks and this caused the death of Riff, Bernardo, and Tony as well (Zoglin 2009).Maria requested Tony if he could no something to stop the mad fight between the two gangs. At first, Tony hesitated to give in to Mari’s request but because he loves her so much and he would love to marry her, he agreed with Maria and he said he would do everything he can to stop the war between the two gangs. The sad thing is, Tony did not expect that his brother Riff was going to be killed in the gang war. So, to avenge the sudden death of his brother in Bernardo’s hands, Tony resorts to abduct Bernardo as well due to the sudden rage of his emotions (Zoglin 2009).The 1960s showed a great importance to the subculture created by adolescent Americans. Although the Americans are a culture in itself, it has different influence of subcultures branch ing out and one example of this subculture is the Puerto Ricans. The multicultural society of the gangs among the adolescent White Americans and Puerto Ricans in the New York, West side community was emerged during the 1960’s where gang wars chain gangs had become eminent and widely spread in the local news (Zoglin 2009).The West side story was indeed an enticing film by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. Similar to the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet, the west side story successfully addressed the social problem of juvenile delinquency and discrimination in the multicultural society of the United States during the 1950s to 1960s. Relatively, the love story of Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer) is similar to the love story of Romeo and Juliet that the lovers crossed boundaries despite their difference in ethnicity, race, and culture. This shows that the heart does not choose the one to love. For Tony, It does not matter if Maria is a Puerto Rican, discriminated and a member of their enemy, Sharks. Same for Maria: she does not care if Tony is a white American, a mocker, discriminating, and a member of the Jets gang which is the opponent of Maria’s brother, Bernardo. The west side story was able to accomplish a creative, upbeat, and ardent choreography of dance steps and overwhelming lyrics of the songs sang by the characters in the West side story (Zoglin 2009).This invigorating and elating film is dazzling with the combination of songs and dance steps interpreting the lifestyle and culture of adolescent Americans in the United States during the 1960s. It was plausible to the extent that the prevalent gang wars among the diverging culture of the Puerto Ricans against the White Americans was portrayed in such a way that it seems less violent and therefore, there was no violent bloodshed in the movie. However, there was no need for blood-shedding, serious fight in the entire film in order to present how serious the outcome would be for eng aging in gang wars of the New York streets (Zoglin 2009).Officer Shrank warned both the Jets and the Sharks to avoid fighting on his streets or else, Officer Shrank threatened the boys that he would beat the boys up. After the encounter with Officer Schrank and Officer Krupke, Riff led his group to sing a song which is praise for the Jets. The Jets despise the Sharks for they were a threat to the streets in which the Jets wants to own. He persuaded the rest of his Jets members to perceive that their gang is the most strenuous, invincible, and superior team and that they deserve the right to everything especially in the streets of the Upper West side New York. Riff was very anxious to control the spreading volume of the Sharks since it was a tendency that the Sharks might dominate the streets of New York, should the latter multiply its members. In so doing, Riff persuaded his gang mates that they should fight against the Sharks/Puerto Ricans and kill them if they have to so as to con trol their proliferation in the streets. The one who should win the fight would be declared as the winner and therefore, would have the right to dominate in the Manhattan streets of New York. Moreover, Riff resorts to fighting their rival gang, Sharks with deadly weapon like a dagger for instance (Zoglin 2009).Overall, the story shows that there is both a similarity and difference in the culture of the Puerto Ricans and the White Americans. Though they are different in race, color, and ethnicity, both races was shown to have the same interests like in dancing, singing, basketball, and favorite hang-outs. Because of such similarity and interests, the White American Jets, led by Riff was pissed off upon always seeing the Puerto American Sharks wherever they go and spend their time. Further, it was explicitly shown that the Jets are more confident than the Puerto Ricans since they are the majority of inhabitants or citizens in New York during the 1960s (Zoglin 2009).From a challenge to a dance night out with the Sharks, the Jets just would not stop pissing the Sharks and driving their rivals away so that the Sharks would not be a threat to their desire of keeping their authority and ownership of the streets of New York west side. But what happened in the dance was overlapped with the instance when Maria and Tony saw each other and locked each other’s eyes for long time as if they are not seeing anybody but the two of them. Bernardo caught the both of them in the act that is why he did not decide to finish the dance; hence, he took his sister’s hands and pulled her off the dance floor (citation).Because of pride, the Jets boosted their egos by singing themselves song of somewhat victorious melodic songs as if they were the superior race and the others are just second class. Riff (the current leader of the Jets) decided that Tony should be the one to coordinate the challenge of the Jets to the Sharks. At first, Tony was hesitant to give in to the requ est. However later on, Tony agreed to tell the message to the Sharks. For the reason that Tony was once the leader of the gang since Tony was also a mastermind in co-founding the group of White Americans. On the other hand, Maria was conversing with Anita at a bridal shop where Maria is working. Maria told Anita (Bernardo’s boyfriend), how much Maria loves Tony and that she explained to Anita that his brother Bernardo, should not be that too much, extreme protective of her (Zoglin 2009).Inspite of the distinct difference of the Puerto Ricans from the White Americans, the two divert gangs were shown to be enjoying themselves using their talents in dancing and singing which makes them similar in their interests. The gang members Sharks and Jets may have experienced conflict between their groups because of their overt difference. The majorities of the White Americans dislike the minorities of Puerto Ricans because the Whites believe and perceive that they are the strongest race, invincible, and therefore, they should walk tall and act like kings! For the Jets: they should own, rule, and dominate the streets and they should have the right to the territory no matter what it takes (Dirks 1961).ConclusionThe West Side Story highlights the following scenarios which had occurred in the 1960’s: During the 1960’s, juvenile delinquencies are rampant among adolescents. Similarly, there is also prevalence of discrimination and prejudice among the White and Latin Americans. Puerto Ricans are disliked and bullied by the White Americans upon thinking that the White Americans are the superior race that should own the streets and that the Latin Americans, specifically the Puerto Ricans, have no right to be in places where the White American adolescents hang out and play. In so doing there were chain gang fights are everywhere. Emerging in late 1950s and early 1960s, the streets of Manhattan had become a place where there is no peace and order due to the freq uent gang wars that occur between the two distinct races of the Whites and the Puerto Rican adolescents. However, the love story of Maria and Tony having the opposite race shows that love does not choose the color, race, and ethnicity of a person as a basis of whom it should love.

The Difference Between Catholicism and Lutheranism Essays

The Difference Between Catholicism and Lutheranism Essays The Difference Between Catholicism and Lutheranism Essay The Difference Between Catholicism and Lutheranism Essay Christianity. Most people on earth have heard of it. As a matter of fact, more people believe in or practice Christianity than any other religion on the planet. What many people do not understand is that there are different denominations of Christianity. Catholicism and Lutheranism are excellent examples of the similarities and differences within Christianity. In fact, Lutheranism stemmed from Catholicism. In the sixteenth century, a friar name Martin Luther wanted to reform the Catholic Church (Hillerbrand and Marty). When his ideas were stonewalled and he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, he began to launch a Protestant Reformation movement for those not happy with the Catholic way of life. These factions are similar in many ways because they stem from the same place; however, there are several small differences which set them apart from each other. Though Catholics and Lutherans generally believe in the same major parts in their religions, the first major difference is in numbers alone. There are 2.4 billion people in the world practicing Christianity. Of those people, 1.14 billion believe in Catholicism and only 72.3 million who keep their beliefs in Lutheranism (Muanda). These figures show that the Catholic religion is much more widespread across the world. Lutheranism is practiced all over the globe except in Northwest Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and most of Asia. Catholicism has reached out and been successful in a great majority of countries. It has a worldwide arm span bringing new members into the fold everywhere except Saudi Arabia (Roman Catholics). Both of these religious sects are monotheistic. They believe in one God. In fact, they believe in the very same God as each other. Catholics and Lutherans also believe in Jesus Christ as the son of that God. â€Å"They both believe that God sent his son Jesus Christ to be the savior of mankind† (Markey). Both Catholics and Lutherans believe that Jesus Christ

Benefits And Opportunities For Business Using Internet Marketing

Benefits And Opportunities For Business Using Internet Marketing The website helps businesses to communicate- for example customers can fill in questionnaires or surveys about the website or store this helps the business to improve. Customers can easily go on website to make queries or enquiries, for example on the B&Q website when you click on ‘Contact Us’ and then click on the ‘Enquiries’ this shows you the another link that has a test of ‘General Enquiry.’ When you click on ‘General Enquiry’ the site gives you a webpage and customers can easily fill in a quick Enquiry form- that has the Title, Name, Address, etc also a box that you can fill in Enquiry details. When the customer is done filling in the Enquiry Form the customer can click on ‘Submit.’ This is good for the B&Q because you get quick feedback due to it being quicker than customer writing a letter (Serve- Add Value and Save- Save Costs). Easier to promote their products- especially when B&Q products are on Special Offer s, Sales, for Example B&Q on their homepage has ‘The Half Price Sale,’ ‘15% Off Everything from 26th to 30th January 2010 in Stores only’ ‘15% Off Selected Switches and Sockets,’ ‘50% of Selected Power Tools,’ ‘20% Off Selected Heating More Lines Added.’ This is an advantage for the business because it helps them to promote their customers and non-customers. Those who do not have the time to travel to B &Q or those who are not aware about their products in store and the Sales (Save- Save Costs and Sizzle- Extend the brand online). More frequent individualised communications to build relationship- When customers have an account with B&Q, the business send emails of deals, promotions and products consumers may be interested in. This is benefit to B&Q for the reason that it promotes their products to gain one-to-one relationship (Relationship deepening), increase their sales and avoids their customers going to their compe titors. Opportunities for Product Development Use of Internet Information to Identify Product Development- this is a benefit to B&Q because they can also use the Internet to gather information about the customers’ views and perceptions about their websites, their products and improvements the company could make. This is an advantage for B&Q given that it would help them to satisfy their customer and get new customers too plus it would be much cheaper and save time for B&Q to carry this online then to pay loads money to their staff who would have to go to the high street and ask these same questions to people or the staff goes in the B&Q store to ask their customers but most people may not want to be stopped in store, since they prefer just to shop around. Ability to link traditional methods with online marketing (‘bricks and clicks’) – this is again great B&Q because it enables them to promote their products online and offline. Plus it helps to generate sa les due to the fact that customers could order a product online that may not be in stock (Sell- Grow Sales). This is an advantage since the business can promote to those who do not shop in stores (online customers).

Sexual Dysfunctions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sexual Dysfunctions - Research Paper Example Some of the very common sexual dysfunctions or disorders are: sexual desire disorders, sexual arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders, sexual pain disorders, paraphilias (in which the person experiences intense sexual urges toward non-human things, children, etc.), gender identity disorder (in which the person wishes to be of the opposite sex due to dissatisfaction of the gender roles assigned to his/her sex), and many more. Also, sexual dysfunctions may be classified as primary or secondary in nature. A primary sexual dysfunction is one which a person has always been experiencing. A secondary sexual dysfunction is one which a person has started experiencing after being normal all his life. A woman who has always experienced pain during intercourse has a primary sexual dysfunction; while, a woman who has started feeling pain with a current partner and did not experience it with any of the previous partners has a secondary sexual dysfunction. This paper intends to elaborate upon one spe cific kind of sexual arousal dysfunction in men: erectile dysfunction. Erectile Dysfunction Videbeck (2010) defines erectile dysfunction (ED) as â€Å"a persistent or recurrent inability to attain or maintain, until completion of the sexual activity, an adequate erection, which causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty† (p.156). ... The blood flow sustains in the penis for such a brief time period that is not enough for the man to achieve and maintain a firm erection. This also results in an inability to ejaculate. For a perfect erection, the nervous system must be healthy enough to conduct sexual impulses from the brain through the spinal cord to the penis. Also, the arteries located in the neighborhood of corpora cavernosa must also be functioning properly. A malfunctioning nervous system or imperfect arteries near corpora cavernosa may cause ED. Moreover, ED can also occur if the muscles and tissues that are located inside the corpora cavernosa are not smooth, or if there is an insufficient supply of nitric oxide inside the penis. Some of the most important risk factors that are likely to cause ED are: advanced age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, recreational drug use, depression, psychiatric disorders, and stress (MedicineNet Inc., 2011). Symptoms The symptom of ED is not being able to achieve and maintain an erection. Since, it has been described above, let’s jump onto the diagnosis section. Diagnosis Diagnosis requires that the patient and the physician share a good communicative relationship so that the cause of ED is identified and its severity is taken into account. During diagnosis, the physician brings into consideration questions like: is it really ED or the patient is confusing it with loss of libido or premature ejaculation? Are there any psychological factors involved? Is the patient being able to maintain involuntary erections in the morning or during sleep (which are usually maintained by men having psychogenic ED)? Are there any physical factors causing atherosclerosis resulting in ED? Is ED a result of any