Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay Someone once told me that â€Å"Education is the building blocks of one’s character†. As much as it sounds too much of a cliche’ I couldn’t help but agree with this well known quotation. Although it may be true, that one’s education cannot define a man, it also holds true that different forms of education is readily available and it makes or breaks a man into who he is in his current disposition and into who he may want to be in the future. Some people claim that education is a matter of circumstance and privilege, that in this modern day and age, only those with the proper resources can have the proper education that one may need in order to be successful. If you ask me, this is only true in the terms of getting a degree to get all the right opportunities. But in reality, real education that will lead you towards the ends of your goals in life is the education you gain in life experiences. Let’s take Bill Gates and Albert Einstein who both didn’t finish college for example, they only succeeded in their personal aspirations by learning in the arena of their life and living itself. It may be important to note that in life, one must need a model to see how life is lived and how we learn from everything we see and experience in our day to day living. It may not always be formal education that we may attribute our learnings all the time, but it is imperative that any form of education should take place in order for us to grow in all different aspects of our lives. May it be in our professional lives, personal lives or for social reasons, a learning curb can be gained by us through the years because we were educated not only on how to live life, but most importantly how to be continuously educated till there is nothing more to learn in this life which may bring us to the breaking point of death or suicide. But in both scenarios, we still know that it is an imperative that a learning experience should be observed for us to prosper in a game called life.

Good And Bad Qualities Of Animation

Good And Bad Qualities Of Animation Aesthetic refers to beauty or to the study of the principles of beauty, especially in art. By studying and comparing the aesthetic qualities of the early and current animated films, we can learn the good and bad qualities of animation in the two different eras. We will also compare the similarities and differences using examples of techniques, treatments and technology used in different animated films from cel animation to computer generated imagery animation. Form and shape design of the character for animation The animated films in the past and the present both follow one rule, which is to keep the design of the characters simple and easy for animation. Thomas, B. (1991) states that, during the twenties, there most studios were persistently using the Circle Formula and the Rubber-hose Method as it was the quickest way to draw a character for their productions. Animators need not worry about the angles when animating as the drawing were mostly circles and lines. The arms and legs moved like rubber hoses as there were no elbows, knees and wrists on the character. Therefore using the Circle Formula and the Rubber-hose methods allowed animators to draw each frame faster and they saved a lot of time and money for the studios. By mid-thirties, aesthetic of the character evolved. Freddy Moore added the squash and stretch technique and changed Mickey s body to a pear like shape to enhance the emotion of the character. (Thomas, B. 1991) It has changes how the aesthetic of the film look from that pe riod onward. Bennett, D. (2009) discusses that appealing design enable the audience to identify with and grow to like the character. When designing a character, it is best to think of a personality for it. Having a distinct shape and silhouette allows the audience to recognize the characters immediately. This rule can be further illustrated by comparing Figure 1 and Figure 2, where the shapes for both examples are kept simple, despite the former being an older production than the latter. But if were to compare the different, the Circle formula and Rubber-hose tends to lose interest for the audience as the character were built with the same template. It is also hard for them to differentiate the characters compared to Figure 2, which uses different simple shapes and form to show the different. Through the years from early twenties till now, we have better knowledge of animating as more animators are trained in anatomy drawing for animation in their colleges or university. Furthermore, new drawing methods, for example the Disney style , the Manga style where Japanese exaggerated the eyes (Fig 3) to show emotions distinctly, are devised to overcome the limited animation methods back in the twenties. Despite all these, animators still keep their characters simple to minimize the complexity of animating them. Training for better animators Quoting Walt Disney (1956 cited Thomas, B. 1991), To do the things I wanted to do, I need better artists. A cartoonist is not the same as an artist. A cartoonist knows the shortcuts and tricks how to do things in a hurry. His work might have been comic, but it was convincing. Back in the 1920s to 1930s, animations were done by mostly by cartoonist who did drawing for local newspaper comics strips. Thomas, F. and Johnston, O. (1981) state in 1923, animated figures move as little as possible. It is as simple as lifting up and down the legs means walking and twice the speed means running. In order to improve the cartoonists skill to prepare them for his studio, Walt Disney sent his staff to school back in 1931 to learn life drawing and the study of animals movement. Colour psychology and action analysis were also taught to the class (Thomas, B. 1991). In the documentary The Pixar Story (2007), Disney founded CalArts in 1961. During that period, students were trained by Disney s nine ol d men the Disney s style character animation. The style has become an influence of present day animation. A lot of studios follow the Disney way of animating. Presently, most artists have already attended colleges and universities in order to learn the art of animation. Colour theories and acting classes are conducted to enable them to understand and study how things move and behave in real environment. This leads to more realistic and better looking animation as compared to the past. The beauty of sound in animation Figure 4: In Felix the Cat: Felix dopes it out, dialogues between characters were delivered in bubbles or text box. Figure 5: Felix the Cat uses question mark to express his emotion and dotted lines to indicate the direction he is looking at. In the infancy of the animation industry, animated films suffered with the absence of sound. Quoting Thomas, B. (1991), during the silent film era, dialogue was expressed either in balloon above the character or a full screen titles. Felix the Cat: Felix Dopes It Out (1925) the animated film clearly shows the example stated by Thomas, B. This distracts the flow of the animation. Characters use a bright light bulb over their head if they thought of something great or a question mark if they are puzzled. Felix the cat in figure 5 shows a good example of weak personality. By having these qualities in animation makes the character weak with no reasoning power. Compared to the current animation, characters are more convincing and feel real when they could feel emotion and learn to reason. Dialogue also helps to establish the characters as well. For example, Warner bros Bugs Bunny demonstrates good characteristic in delivering the voice across to the audience and the proper uses of sound e ffects for comedy. In Chariots of Fur (1994), a lot of funny sound effects were used to enhance the comedy, like example the part where Coyote falls from high ground. Sound has definitely changes the aesthetic feel of the animated films now. Creating realistic character animation Basic figures were always anthropomorphic animals or caricatured human characters during the 1920 to 1930. Human characters for animation were presented in very basic and simple shapes. As stated by Thomas, B., (1991) human character animation was not convincing in the past. The human characters were moving in a jerky and unrealistic motion. During the early stages of animation, animators would create stylized animals for their cartoon as the audience prefer it more than unrealistic human characters. Animated human form characters were never seen before until Walt Disney attempted to in his first feature animation, Snow White, in 1937. Walt Disney (cited Thomas, B. 1991) observed that animating animals was easy as the audience wasn t familiar with how the animals move, so as long as they could give an appearance of the animal motion, the audience would be convinced. But animating humans was a different concept. Everyone knows how human moves and it was difficult to produce a convincing animation if we were unable to get the motion correct. To solve this, Disney hired a live actor to re-enact the parts of the animated characters. Then the animators could study and analyze the film and use it as a reference for their drawings. (Thomas, B. 1991) This method has proven useful and it is why modern animators now are taking video references and using them as a guide for their animation production. Similarly, live action references were used in Beauty and the Beast (1991), where the performance actress was dressed in Belle s costume for the act. Grids were drawn in the room to guide animators regarding the distance of the movement or action. The footage was then printed out frame by frame to give an idea of movement for the animators to study, not copy. (Thomas, B. 1991) Walt Disney (Cited Thomas 1991) stated that it is impossible for animators to visualize everything without studying and analyzing references. He further illustrated using an act of rising from a chair as an example. In the past, the character will simply rise in an upright position and walk away. He emphasised that studying live action films allows animators to see how a human body gets up from a chair by leaning forward and using his arms to push into standing position. Using live action as a guide helps the animation but he did warn animators not to fully copy the reference as it may produce unnatural animation. In recent times, as animated features are moving towards realism, live video references and researches have become absolutely necessary for artists to refer to. Frank Thomas (Cited Thomas 1991) quotes that No matter how good they are, actors can seldom give you what you want. Animation since Snow White (1937) till now, like example Toy Story (1995), Spirited Away (2001) and Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children (2005), uses video reference to create realistic look and feel to their films. Bad influence of animation in the past and now Animations were simple and were often based on violence and bad influence. For example in Steamboat Willie (1928), Mickey mouse abuses animals by using them as a musical instrument. Mickey mouse smokes and drinks beer in The Gallopin Gaucho (1928). Now animated films follow a strict movie rating which filters out violence and bad influence to prevent young children from exposing them. Beowulf (2007) is rated PG-13 due to the intense sequences of violence and some sexual material and nudity. Steamboat Willie (1928), The Gallopin Gaucho (1928) Colour and staging Before colour was introduced back in 1932 for Disney s Flower and Trees (1932), the characters were often outlined in black against light background to make it stand out. Thomas, B. (1991) stated that Disney faced problems with the characters blended into the background when they first used colour in their film. They solved the issue by giving the characters lively colours while graying out the backgrounds. Riley, A. (cited Thomas, B. 1991), a Disney Colour-stylist, pointed out that gray is in everything we see. Using overtones of gray on backgrounds will make the scene look natural and allows the character to be readable. In Beauty and the Beast (1991), different colours on the characters clothing represent different mood in the film. In the present animated films, they still follow the way of staging and use of colours to bring the characters out against the background. Figure 12. shows one of the background used in The Princess and the Frog (2009). Shadows were used to guide your eyes to the lit area where the performance of the animation is played at. The Princess and the Frog (2009) But for some 3D animation productions, blur are added to the background to give the illusion of depth when the characters are placed in front of the camera. This method is another way to separate the character from the scene. Director Unkrich (2010) loves to use the field of depth to guide the audiences eyes to the direction he wants them to focus on in his movie, Toy Story 3 (2010) as discussed in the 133 issues 3D world magazine (2010, Pg38). Fusion of technology with arts Technology has helped a lot in animation since the early stages of Walt Disney s production. Thomas, B. points out that (1991) Walt Disney always pushed his studio to be the best company that create realistic animated films in the industry. In order to compete with live action producers, he needed to make sure that his camera used to capture the animation cels was able to dolly in and out of a scene. Therefore the multiplane camera was created to be used in his first feature animated film, Snow White, 1937. As part of the preparation for Snow White feature film, Disney set up an animation effect department to research and experiment with colour gels, camera diffusion and different types of filming technique. The Old Mill (1937), a Silly Symphony, was a testing ground for their effect animators to try on new animated techniques. Effects like lightning, rain, ripples in water, clouds, sun ray, firefly glow were tested and eventually applied to their first animated feature film. (Thomas , B. 1991) In the modern anime movie, Akira (1988), director Katsuhiro Otomo used a camera technique to show depth of the scene by moving and overlapping different background cels on top of each other at different speeds. This gave the audience an illusion of depth on a moving vehicle. In his film, he also requested some parts of the scene to have holographic effect but it is impossible to do that using a movie camera. So what director of photography Katsuji Misawa (1988) did was what he called a counterfeit holograph. He photographed the character with transmitted light which passed through the photograph, creating a doubled image of the character. The use of multiplane during the 1940s and the techniques and methods used in Akira (1988), share common similarity on creating and produce animated films using technology with arts. The main purpose of this is to give realistic aesthetic to the audience. Akira (1988) Walt Disney s Beauty and the Beast (1991), has great influence in the industry by its blending of traditional animation and computer generated image. Disney s CPS software is used to combine the traditional animated characters onto computer-generated background. The CAPS software is able to simulate the old Disney s multiplane camera effect by moving the layers of images towards and away from the camera like the ballroom dancing scene in the film. (Thomas, B. 1991) It was another breakthrough in the use of new technology since The old Mill (1937) and Snow White (1937). As animation starts to mature, new technology were developed and started to fuse together with art to form a new medium, computer generated imagery, which gave birth to Toy Story (1995). Beauty and the Beast (1991) But some studios in Japan still prefer the traditional way of animating. In Studio Ghibli, a lot of Director Miyazaki s works still done using water colours and Cel. It is true that parts of the animation use digital paintings to speed up the work since Princess Mononoke (1997) and it have been a standard for his studio s pipeline. But before the production of Ponyo (2008), Miyazaki (2009 cite by Jones, D., 2009) shut down computer graphic section and focuses fully on traditional animation. Ponyo (2008) is a good example of using traditional hand-drawn animation for the whole film without technology. Though technology helps to improve the aesthetic qualities to the animated film now, some studio still prefer the olden look and feel of traditional medium. Research and development contribution to the aesthetic qualities of animation Research and development are important since the past till now. A lot of money is poured in to make animated films as realistic as possible. Disney invested seventy thousands in 1937 for multiplane camera to make the camera works like live action camera.(Thomas, B. 1991) Same as today, more research and development departments are invested to create photorealistic look and feel to the films, for example, Final Fantasy: Spirit Within (2001) and Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children (2005). The influence of technologies used in animated films has further aspirated the creation of great animated films like Toy Story (1995), first 3d computer generated image feature film, Tekkon kinkreet (2006), for using 2D matte painting baked on 3D background environment. Tekkon kinkreet (2006) In Butler and Joschko s (2009) paper points out that 3D technology has slowly replace the traditional 2D method of animating, but animators still carry the animation fundamental, such as squash and stretch, timing, anticipation, follow-through and weight, used in traditional 2D animation to computer generated imagery 3D animation. More and more animators begin to create a more realistic human motion and photorealistic aesthetics appeal thanks to the potential that 3D technology can provide. Like John Lasseter (1998) insists that computer, same as pencil or clay, is just another medium used to create animated films. Aesthetic in Story point of view Story telling in the early cartoons did not have any plots. Most of the animated films were made up of a series of unfunny gags. Huemer, D. (1957 cited Thomas, B. 1991) recalled that only three animators worked on a Mutt and Jeff animated cartoon. One of the animators will suggest a theme and the rest of the animators will animate to it for few weeks. Once they finished the shots, they will look at each other animation and tried to hook up them with whatever shot they ended with. This resulted in story not flowing well in the whole film and some of them make no sense at all. Same gags were often reused to save cost and time thinking of new ideas which made the audiences bored of seeing the same things on the screen. Story telling now compared to the past has a great different. Now in the present, stories are properly planned and storyboards are created to make sure the whole story flow. Changes made to the story are rectified during the storyboard stage and animation will only start after everything is ironed out during the pre-production stage. Studios in the western, like example Pixar, Dreamworks animation and Blue Sky studio, all follows this industry pipeline. But in Japan, Studio Ghibli has their way of producing story. In the interview report by Mes, T. (2002) stated that director Miyazaki started his Spirited Away (2001) production while the storyboards are still developing. Storyboards were drawn by him only and he will discuss with his team regarding the script of the film. Unlike the western approach, Miyazaki s way tends to be risky as he himself also not sure where the story will lead to. But Miyazaki said in the making of Spirited Away documentary (2001) that this is his workflow and he will stick to it. Conclusion Animation has been around for more than a hundred years, from simple flat 2D cartoons to 3D computer generated animated films. The aesthetics in animation has matured and revolutionized the way of creating animated films. Audiences expectation gets higher each year and when people s perception of cartoons grows, so does the quality of the animated film. Budget also plays a big part in determine the aesthetics qualities of the animated films. With higher budget allows the production house to produce a higher quality film and allows new methods and technologies to be researched and developed. This will contribute greatly to the growth of the animation industry. Till now most elements and techniques that were used in the past are still hold on to dearly by many studios and animators.

Dark Images and Imagery in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- GCSE Coursew

Dark Imagery in Macbeth Shakespeare uses a lot of imagery of night and darkness in Macbeth. This imagery is used to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, full of tumult and disorder. Darkness and night imagery is also used to create an atmosphere of malevolence and misleading obscurity. Images of night and darkness are often used at times in the play when a death has occurred, or some other tragic event. Shakespeare also uses imagery of night and darkness in scenes with the witches, to make them seem evil and unruly. When someone is doing or thinking of something evil, there is often imagery of night and darkness, which helps to causes it to appear more evil and deranged. The images of night and darkness make the play more entertaining and captivating, which maintains the audience’s attention. Darkness is often used at times in the play when a tragic event has occurred. The morning after Macbeth killed Duncan remained in darkness, because the sun did not rise. "Is ‘t the night’s predominance or the day’s shame that darkness does the face of the earth entomb when living light should kiss it?" (2:4, 10-12) Ross said these words referring to the unusual darkness of the day. He wondered if the night had become stronger than the day, and overcome it, so that the sun could no longer shine. He mused that it seemed as though the earth was shrouded with the darkness, when the light of the sun that brings life should have ensconced it. In this quote, darkness symbolizes death and light symbolizes life. It suggests that the whole country is as good as dead since their king has been killed, because the natural order has been disturbed. The disturbance to the natural order caused all of nature is disturbed, d... ...ne to know that it was her husband, with the plan that she had devised, who had killed Duncan, including God. She thought that she could hide in the darkness from the judgment that she and Macbeth deserved, and that it would conceal her wrongdoings from the eyes of God. The images of darkness in Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy help to create a frightful image of her malevolent plan. Imagery of night and darkness is used quite frequently in the play to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, brimming with tumult, disorder and transgression. Night and darkness are often used to symbolize death, tragedy and corrupt deeds, and to paint a deranged, haphazard picture of characters, their wrongdoings or their malevolent thoughts. Shakespeare has used this imagery to enhance the play by creating the exact atmosphere of pandemonium and devastation that he wanted. Dark Images and Imagery in Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay -- GCSE Coursew Dark Imagery in Macbeth Shakespeare uses a lot of imagery of night and darkness in Macbeth. This imagery is used to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, full of tumult and disorder. Darkness and night imagery is also used to create an atmosphere of malevolence and misleading obscurity. Images of night and darkness are often used at times in the play when a death has occurred, or some other tragic event. Shakespeare also uses imagery of night and darkness in scenes with the witches, to make them seem evil and unruly. When someone is doing or thinking of something evil, there is often imagery of night and darkness, which helps to causes it to appear more evil and deranged. The images of night and darkness make the play more entertaining and captivating, which maintains the audience’s attention. Darkness is often used at times in the play when a tragic event has occurred. The morning after Macbeth killed Duncan remained in darkness, because the sun did not rise. "Is ‘t the night’s predominance or the day’s shame that darkness does the face of the earth entomb when living light should kiss it?" (2:4, 10-12) Ross said these words referring to the unusual darkness of the day. He wondered if the night had become stronger than the day, and overcome it, so that the sun could no longer shine. He mused that it seemed as though the earth was shrouded with the darkness, when the light of the sun that brings life should have ensconced it. In this quote, darkness symbolizes death and light symbolizes life. It suggests that the whole country is as good as dead since their king has been killed, because the natural order has been disturbed. The disturbance to the natural order caused all of nature is disturbed, d... ...ne to know that it was her husband, with the plan that she had devised, who had killed Duncan, including God. She thought that she could hide in the darkness from the judgment that she and Macbeth deserved, and that it would conceal her wrongdoings from the eyes of God. The images of darkness in Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy help to create a frightful image of her malevolent plan. Imagery of night and darkness is used quite frequently in the play to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, brimming with tumult, disorder and transgression. Night and darkness are often used to symbolize death, tragedy and corrupt deeds, and to paint a deranged, haphazard picture of characters, their wrongdoings or their malevolent thoughts. Shakespeare has used this imagery to enhance the play by creating the exact atmosphere of pandemonium and devastation that he wanted.

Modern Russia and The Soviet Union: Stalin :: Russian Russia History

Modern Russia and The Soviet Union: Stalin Modern Russia and The Soviet Union: Stalin's character was the main reason for his rise to power Stalin was born as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili on December 21, 1879 in Gori, Georgia. He grew up in a mountain town of about 5,000 people. He was the third and only surviving child of Vissarion Dzhugashvili and Catherine Geladze. His father used to drink and beat him and his mother; this made Stalin very cold hearted. A friend commented on his behaviour, "Those undeserved and fearful beatings made the boy as hard and heartless as his father". His father died in a brawl when Stalin was only 11. Stalin was enrolled in the village at school at the age of eight. He was an intelligent student and was top of his class. He read many books, which glorified Georgian's past. Georgia was an independent country until the Russian Tsars conquered it. One book that had a deep affect on Stalin was a book similar to that of Robin Hood. His name was Koba and he hated the Russians and avenged their crimes against the Georgians. His acts were very ruthless and bloody. Stalin began to call himself Koba and this caught on with his friends. He was later to take on this pseudonym when he was in hiding from the tsar's police. By 1894, Stalin had finished all of his schooling and had received a scholarship to the theological seminary in Tiflis, the capital of Georgia. The theological seminary building was dark and depressing. The students could have no privacy and were spied on by the Russian Orthodox monks. The monks also checked their rooms to see what they were reading and carefully scheduled each day, with prayer and study. Students had only one short break in the afternoon where they would go into the city under strict supervision. At first Stalin seemed to fit in with the strict schedule. He did well in his schoolwork and received the highest marks for conduct. He found time to write poetry of which were romantic and nationalistic, these poems were published in a Georgian magazine devoted to the preservation of Georgian culture. Gradually Stalin became frustrated under the harsh regime. Years later, Stalin told an interviewer "In protest against the outrageous....methods prevalent in the seminary, I was ready to become, and actually did become, a revolutionary." In 1898 Stalin took his first step towards a revolutionary lifestyle when he joined a Marxist group in Tiflis.

being there Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being There is the story of Chance, a simple gardener turned American media hero. He seems to know nothing but television and gardening. His thoughts and judgments are products of television and his gardening experience. Yet through his simple mild mannered ways he unintentionally becomes the center of America’s business news. The author of Being There, Jerzy Kosinski said â€Å"To read a novel is to practice for real life. Fiction doesn’t change anybody’s life, it merely hints at the different ways of looking at oneself, at others, and at society† Since Chance was not able to read, television shows were his novels. Television was his practice for real life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Television was like a mirror for Chance. Chance felt, â€Å"by changing the channel he could change himself† He was able to imagine himself to be people on television. I believe this is why Chance was able to put on the appearance he had even if it was unintentional. His appeal and gestures were all products of TV’s influence. With the help of the old man’s suit, Chance passed for a wealthy business man without even trying or knowing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Having no contact with the outside world growing up, television was Chance’s only hint of what society was like. By flipping through the channels, Chance noticed the different ways people would interact with each other. Television provided him with the hints of different ways of looking at people and society. ...

Lytton Strachey’s excerpt on Florence Nightingale Essay

Lytton Strachey’s excerpt depicts the popular misconceptions and the actual reality of who Florence Nightingale was. Strachey’s euphemism of calling Nightingale â€Å"the Lady with the Lamp† as opposed to the â€Å"agitations of her soul† portrays the idea that her reality was much more different than her false perceptions. Though he admires Nightingale with awe, he conveys his opinion by using dark and tainted diction – â€Å"morbid†, â€Å"Demon possessed her†. Though this might suggest into the thinking that Nightingale was evil and beyond human capabilities, it manifests that she was an extraordinary human with suffrages that make her a stronger individual. Strachey’s syntactical style enables the reader to dilute a clear view of Nightingale’s life. His creative tone in using rhetorical questions eradicates Nightingale’s courageous endeavor and capabilities. From lines 20 to 22, Strachey exhibits the truth that even when her sister had shown a â€Å"healthy pleasure† in tearing up her dolls, she should a â€Å"morbid one† sewing them back up. This idea seems particularly demonic and malevolent (the feeling she expresses while sewing her dolls) because she feels a sense of guilty enjoyment in fixing something that is not perfect. Her gratification is that of healing and â€Å"herself as matron moving about among the beds†. Continuously, these rhetorical questions delineate a fact and expound it further enhancing the reader to fully understand the structure of Nightingale’s motivations and drive. Another strategy that Strachey uses is the use of long and ornate sentences that are broken off by telegraphic ones. This technique enables the audience to feel an utmost sincere admiration for Nightingale (line 2 through 12). With the reader’s emotions at a peak, Strachey quickly halts your train of thought and hits you with a complete opposite idea. This makes the reader more vulnerable to what the author has to say because it catches them at their weakest moment (overflowing with sentiment). Strachey further commends in making Nightingale look like a legendary women who has undergone apotheosis causing the story to become an epic one. By living in the era of the Victorian age, Florence Nightingale’s story is an even more honorable one. This period came with the discrimination of women and their societal roles which intervened with Nightingale’s bourgeoisie  life. Opposing all the luxuries and dealing with the struggle pushed upon her makes her an immense figure in time. She fought for what she wanted: she opposed her family, the elite society, and the status quo that women didn’t work. With this, she possessed the energy to collect knowledge and achieve what she had â€Å"determined she would do in the end†: – gain her independence. Unlike the myths that casted Nightingale to a simple life, she â€Å"was not as facile fancy painted her†. She was a courageous woman who fought for what she believed in, even if it was morbid. In the last paragraph, Strachey defies a quote that her mother gives about Miss Nightingale. In this, she mockingly states that â€Å"We are ducks†¦ who have hatched a wild swan†. This quote, though given by Mrs. Nightingale, represents Florence Nightingale’s perception of her family (taken from the mother viewpoint). In reality she is blind that the idea that Florence has a different path to follow which involves helping the ill-fated humans. It is as if Mrs. Nightingale is embarrassed that she has done something with her life. In reality, Miss Nightingale is â€Å"an eagle†. She casts a brave, bold and independent shadow that wants to soar above the limitations of her family and social class. Florence Nightingale’s strive is marked with accomplishments and greatness because she surpassed all her obstacles, â€Å"held firm, and fought her way to victory†. This suffrage has made her stronger which is one of the reasons Strachey admires her. She did not get her life job on a silver platter; she worked for it, and passed through much hardship, making the prize the more rewarding. His via from the popular perceptions to reality permits the reader to comprehend the illusion and see that the reality was even superior and audacious; â€Å"in the real Miss Nightingale there was more than was interesting than in the legendary one†. Even his melancholic tone and diction towards Nightingale renders the stance that she was an amazing woman and worked her way out of the â€Å"tortures of regret and remorse† that were compelled deep inside her mind.

Famine, Affluence, and Morality Essay

Whilst reading Singers ideas of a global village in which a person is obligated to aid someone in need regardless of proximity, has moral bearing, but also portrays a rather one sided view of what we consider as â€Å"helping† other starving nations in need. For example, approximately 1 in 8 Americans live below the poverty line, in saying this; the question comes to mind, why we should be concerned with poverty in other nations without first worrying about our own problems. When presented with Singers views concerning helping other third world nations and the guilty spirit he implies through his article, it is imperative that the reader not get so wrapped up into what’s best for the global community and start thinking what’s best for each sovereign nation. I do not fully disagree with the points presented by Peter Signer, but, I feel that industrialized nations such as America are facing their own problems that must be resolved first before we can start worrying about other nations. For example, American families are being forced to pay interest on a debt that was created out of thin air, by this I am referring to the current economic institution known as the Federal Reserve which has been a â€Å"thorn† in the side of every taxpaying American, it was the federal reserve act of 1913, which would force the American people into Inflation, Deflation, never ending debt, slavery, and bondage through money created out of thin air and sold to the treasury, at interest, for its bonds, which are guaranteed by the American taxpayer. According to the Human poverty index, the United States ranked 16th, which is one rank below the United Kingdom (Thoren & Warner, pg. 23). I feel these problems should be solved first, before we concern ourselves with what is happening with other countries around the world. Whilst arguing what I feel will be of the most benefit to the country in which I live, I feel that once these problems are solved, it would be wise to help other nations, not just because of the business relationships that could develop through such processes, but also because of the global image such feats would produce. For example, during World War two, America developed a weapon that’s strength was unknown until its time, the Atomic Bomb. The Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, and in an effort to reduce tension between the United States and those notions within the region of Hiroshima, the United States helped rebuild Hiroshima. The point in all this being that by helping other nations the United States can acquire new allies and develop lasting business relationships. Furthermore, Peter Singer claims that although there is a common distinction between duty and supererogation, this does not justify such a distinction. I feel that it is morally right to contribute to those nations which are less fortunate than we are, but this view of morality must be in accordance with a moral code the ordinary man can relate to. For instance, the ordinary man, being asked to do things he/she considers unnecessary, could result in a general breakdown of compliance amongst the citizens of that particular country. As stated earlier, there must be a balance between the amount of aid we permit other countries to have, and the amount of aid we give ourselves. How can one nation help another, if that nation is suffering from the same conditions? It is imperative to the survival of America that its economic system is sound, and its industry provides enough decent paying jobs for its citizens. Considering Americas current situation, I strongly feel that certain major problems, such as unemployment and the country’s economic system should be the first priority, then helping other countries in need would be the second most important priority. Singer’s article contains many parallels with the pervious viewpoints discussed, on page six he state â€Å"We ought to be preventing as much suffering as we can without sacrificing something else of comparable value (Singer, pg 5).† This statement contains much wisdom. Singers view point considering those citizens who have accumulated extraordinary amounts of wealth, and the need for them to give there surplus wealth to the less fortunate closely resembles the theology of many religious institutions. While although I believe that those citizens that are more fortunate than others should be more swayed to donate an amount greater than those individuals who are less fortunate, I do not believe they should be obligated to do so. If those individuals, who worked hard, and accumulated an extraordinary, amount of wealth, were forced to donate more than those who are less fortunate, the system itself would be incredibly flawed. Many people forget that many of those individuals who have accumulated vast amounts of wealth did so through running a successful business, which, in some instances, employs a great number of people. When forcing such individuals to donate more, employee wages could be affected. In conclusion, while I do not agree with every point made by Mr. Peter Singer, I feel that helping developing nations is an essential aspect in developing peaceful relationships amongst nations. Furthermore, it is essential that citizens involved in helping developing countries should not be forced to pay more than they can afford without reducing their standard of living. It is imperative that underdeveloped nations receive the help needed, but also the citizens contributing to those nations donate an amount that can be agreed upon. References Thoren & Warner. The Truth in Money Book. Chagrin Falls: Ohio, 1986 Signer, Peter. Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs 1972