George W. Bushs Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church an

George W. Bush's Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church and State Clause Nowhere in the U.S constitution or any other official documents  does it say that there must be strict â€Å"separation of church and state†.   This clause was used by Jefferson in his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut on January 1, 1802 (Truthwalk 1).   After being revised six times by one of our founding fathers, James Madision, the first amendment now states that,   â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." (Parsons 40).  Ã‚   Did the fore fathers intend the first amendment to keep religion out of government, or did they want to create a law that stated religion was a free choice moreover preventing the government from forcing one religion upon the people of America. When hearing the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† one thinks of controversy.   Every other day you hear of something on the news regarding, â€Å"the separation of church and state,† where is the right place to draw the line? Many issues have arisen in the world today that makes the topic of "separation of church and state" very controversial; however, one of most significant issues is Bush's Faith Based Initiative.   Bush’s Faith Based Initiative has strong separationists crying out â€Å"separation of church and state† all over the news. "Separationists argue that our fore fathers wanted such a complete division between church and state that any government accommodation would be unconstitutional"(Frank Guliuzza, p.116). On January 29th, 2001, right after his inauguration, Bush set up his Faith Based Initiative that would soon provide â€Å"faith-based† organizations with governmental federal fund... ... Religion. pgs: 163-164.   Boston Mass:   The Beacon Press, 1953. * "The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life."   Faith Based Initiative and the Bush Administration.   2004.   <http://pewforum.org/faith-based-initiatives> * Sheldon, Louis P.   "CON: IS BUSH VIOLATING SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?."   The Wichita Eagle.   7 Janurary 2003.   <http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/editorial/4886897.htm>. * Scott, Robert C. "Statement of Rep. Scott on Bush's Executive Orders on Faith Based Initiatives."   Press Release. 12 December 2002.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚               <http://www.house.gov/scott/press12_12_02.htm>   * "TruthWalk"   November 7, 2004.   The Separation of Church and State.   <http://www.truthwalk.com/Feedback/separation.html> * "White House Faith Based and Community Initiative".   November 2003. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance_document.pdf>

Dow Chemical Case

Dow Chemical Case Question 1 Polyethylene is the world’s most widely used plastic. Polyethylene plastic’s principal application was in packaging, from trash bags to milk jugs. It was widely used in the manufacture of everything from trash bags, picnic cutlery and garbage pails, to plastic toys. Polyethylene also replaced glass, wood, and metal in certain applications. There were three types of polyethylene, Low-density polyethylene, High density polyethylene and Low linear density polyethylene. Polyethylene produced from ethylene. Ethylene is produced from oil or natural gas. Ethylene plants separated either naphtha molecules (derived from crude oil) or ethane molecules (derived from natural gas). The ethylene derived from this process was used to produce polyethylene. The critical success factors in this business were capital intensive and economies of scale. Polyethylene was a global commodity product and pricing worldwide typically fell into a narrow band. The demand for polyethylene was large because it was the world’s most widely used plastic and polyethylene customers were typically small and medium-sized plastic processing companies. The big Risks in the industry: * The raw material risk – Cracking naphtha (the raw material derived from crude oil) required much more energy, manufacturing intensity, and equipment than cracking ethane (derived from natural gas). Supply of primary materials and electricity are crucial to success of polyethylene production. * Cost risk – large plant sizes and the need for economies of scale rendered the ethylene industry highly capital intensive. A plant for cracking ethane was estimated to hundreds of millions and the cost for a plant for cracking naphtha is double. Capacity additions or reductions could significantly affect balance of supply and demand, influencing capacity utilization rates, prices, and profit margins. * Ethylene profitability was tightly links to its global operating rate. The ethylene business links to oil companies, governments, pure chemical companies, conglomerates, private investors, and joint ventures. * Competition of polyethylene industry in Argentina and in the global market. The government operator was directly or indirectly financing capital – intensive ethylene plants in order to stimulate downstream business. Some of countries, the government contribute the investment. * The margins for producers of ethylene and first-order derivatives (mostly plastics) were highly correlated because the producers for them were highly integrated. Question 2 The stages of the project: * Stage 1: involved taking control of PBB, which comprised the ethylene cracker and polyethylene plant, and then upgrading the facilities in order to make them internationally competitive * Stage 2: involved acquiring Polisur’s two polyethylene plants * Stage 3: involved building a new ethylene cracker and a polyethylene plant These three stages are closely related to each other. The next stage would be reached only if the previous stages achieved, and the followed stages ensure the success of the previous stages. Acquiring PBB offers Dow the opportunity to enter Argentina market, and this is the first step for Dow to take over control of Bahia Blanca’s polyethylene activities. Dow is bidding not only for PBB in the privatization, but also an overall plan for the development of Dow’s polyethylene business in Argentina. Dow will decide on the price to bid for PBB in the upcoming privatization, the price is based on the valuation of the entire project (stage 1, 2 and 3). The three stages are one big project. Dow’s bid for PBB should not be based solely on the value of Stage 1 of the project. Gaining control of PBB would be the first step in the project. But taking all the factors discussed above into consideration, Dow should value all the 3 stages in order to bid on the PBB project. Dow believed that it had the opportunity to become the number-one player in the Latin American polyethylene industry. To achieve this goal, Dow would also have to acquire Polisur’s two polyethylene plants (stage 2) and expand existing capacity. The expansion of its polyethylene capacity in Bahia Blanca would require the company to build a world-class competitive cracker (stage 3). Doing so would nearly triple PBB’s ethylene capacity. Therefore, Dow had to not only consider what to bid for PBB in the privatization, but also develop an overall plan for the development of Dow’s polyethylene business. Dow had to incorporate the terminal value of each stage of the project. Question 3: The followings are the arguments that support the acquisition of PBB: 1. The whole project will increase Dow shareholder’s wealth. As a public company, the first aim of the management team is to increase the shareholder wealth. The project proposed by the management team is definitely consistent with this goal. And bidding on the PBB is the first stage of the whole project. The exact increase in shareholders’ equity may be various at this point as it depends on lots of other factors ( we will discuss the risk of valuation thought the whole case. , but in general, the management team is confident in the future outlook. 2. The other important strategic purpose of acquiring PBB is that it is the first stage towards consolidating all Bahia Blanca’s polyethylene activity under Dow’s control. The 3-stage project will make Dow to be the leading company of polyethylene in Argentina, even in Latin America because of its MNC background. This will have a long term positive influence in Dow’s stock price as well as shareholders’ equity. 3. Also, as indicated in the case, the demand of polyethylene will increase in the next couple years. Argentina is an emerging market, which is facing a rapid transformation. Dow’s vice president anticipated continued improvement in standards of living, which will lead to increase demand for polyethylene in Argentina, as well as in Latin America. The expected growth in polyethylene demand made PBB a potentially attractive acquisition. 4. PBB right now is a government controlled complex which is going to privatize. For Dow, it is a perfect opportunity to build long term relationship with Argentina government. It will give Dow more opportunities in the market of Argentina and Latin America. Question 4: The followings are the mains risks of the project for Dow beyond the general industry risks discussed in Question 1: 1. Country risk. Argentina is an emerging market. It is widely agreed that when we estimate the risk of emerging market by using the traditional model like CAMP, the result also unfavorable. Some reasons are the market is highly concentrated and integrated. And also the country risk cannot be diversified. So it brings the uncertainty to Dow’s valuation. 2. Political risk. Political risk is part of country risk. It is identified as the potentially adverse impact a country’s environment has on a firm’s future cash flows. And it will affect Dow’s future expected returns and valuation measures. If there is some major political unrest in Argentina, the government expropriates PBB, Dow will face a significant loss. Also, if the Argentina government default on its debt, Dow would face the bad debt which is an huge cost and will drag down the expected cash flows. 3. Economics risk The privatization in Argentina was the progress to control the fiscal problems, like hyperinflation, stagflation and huge fiscal deficits. As an emerging country, Argentina had not developed a healthy financial market within the country. The unstable economy would lead to a huge possibility of default. Another possible aspect was the economics risk of the world. If there was an economics downturn, the huge investment of the project would worth less and Dow will facing difficulties to rise equity to finance the project. 4. Unexpected risk: (1) Unexpected shortage of energy. The industry is really energy intensive. If there is a energy shortage such as the decreased supply of oil, the whole project will face negative return. (2) Unexpected rise in variable cost, such as transportation cost. The unexpected rise in variable cost will have negative impact on Dow’s cash flow. The decrease of expected cash flow will lead the decrease value of the project. (3) There are 3 stages of the whole project. If one of them did not work well, the overall goal will be affected and the whole project would have the risk of failure. Question 5: Given in the case that Dow’s cost of capital for similar U. S. based projects is 10%, thus we chose to use NPV to evaluate the different stages of the project, by discounting each year’s expected cash flow (Exhibit 9, 10 & 11) to the base year-1995. Stage 1 Valuation Given in the case, Dow is bidding on the sale of 51% of PBB, therefore, if we calculate the Present Value of the cash flow, Dow should get 51%. Dow’s total investments for PBB Ethylene cracker and PBB Polyethylene cracker between 1996 and 2000 are $128. 9 million and $28 million in Exhibit 7 from the case. If we compare these figures with Exhibit 9A & 9B investment numbers between 1996 and 2000, they are the same (shown in Table 1); this means that the cash flow of PBB in exhibit 9A is the cash flow after only deducting the investment from Dow. So, we add back Dow’s investment to get the actual cash flow of PBB. Since Dow’s share in PBB is 51%, it gets 51% of PBB’s cash flow and we discount the cash flow. Next we calculate the sum of Present Value of Dow’s investment in each year, and subtract it from Dow’s 51% share in PBB. This number reflects the actual net cash flow been distributed to Dow. The followings summarize the steps of the thinking process: Step 1: Add back Dow’s investment to PBB’s cash flow, this gives the total future cash flow to be distributed among Dow (Dow owns 51% of PBB) and other owners. Step 2: Find the PV of total future cash flows Step 3: Distribute the 51% of the PV of total future cash flow to Dow Step 4: Deduct PV of Dow’s investment from Step 3 The value of Stage 1 is $345. 71 million as shown in Table 2. Stage 2 Valuation In Stage 2, we took polyethylene CFs directly from Exhibit 10, and discount them by appropriate discount rate, and summing up these PV of the cash flows we get the value of Stage 2, $399. 76 million. Another point worth mentioning is the calculation of the terminal value in 2010. Given in the case, the growth is 3. % constant for the project, we took the cash flow in 2010, which is $82 million; multiplied it by (1+g)/(k-g), and discounted it by 16 years to get the present value. Stage 3 Valuation Stage 3 involves building a new ethylene cracker and a polyethylene plant. We summed up the total cash flows of them and find PV of the cash flows in each year. The total of all the PV of the cash flows is the value of Stage 3, $ 993. 69 mill ion shown in Table 4. Now we have the value for each stage, and we get the total of the project, it is worth $1739. 16 million with the value of Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 are $345. 1 million, $399. 763 million and $993. 690 million respectively, under the assumption that each stage is successful just like Dow has planned. Question 6: There are two ways to do Discounted Cash Flow analysis in an international context. We can adjust the discount rate by adding a country’s political risk premium or, adjust the cash flow of the project. In this question, we will discuss the appropriate method of the project’s discount rate. In a country, the higher risk that investors perceived, the higher discount rate that should be applied to the project’s cash flows. The risks we are talking about are not diversifiable. Since November 1995, the Convertibility Law tied the peso to the U. S. dollar, even thought the market thinks the fixed exchange rate would last for several years, but as the executives of Dow, Virgnar and Marcer need to consider the possibility of future crises. Uncertainty about future currency thus will increase the discount rate of project in Argentina, which means that Dow’s cost of capital is increased. Possible impact of government policies relevant to foreign investments is another issue, example increased tax rate. This will leave Dow with a lower investment return than before. In practice it is often difficult to quantify the likelihood and impact of political risk on international investments; given US and Argentine Yields in the case, we can adjust the discount rate by adding the sovereign yield spread between U. S. and Argentina. The idea is that the bond spreads between two countries with same maturity reflects country risk. The country with the higher yield in this case is Argentina; it offers approximately 10% more than the U. S’ yield shown in Exhibit 12. The reason behind that is Argentina has a higher country risk than U. S. , so it has to offer a higher yield in order to compensate the investors for taking additional risks. Therefore Dow should take these additional risks into consideration when evaluating the project. The adjusted discount rate for the project should be 20%, 10% ( cost of capital for similar U. S projects from Q5) + 10% (Argentina’s country risk) and this change in the discount rate will have a big impact on the value of each stage in the project which we will examine later. There are two major advantages of adjusting the discount rate by adding the sovereign yield spread. One of the advantages is the countries’ bond yields are easy to find, observe and access, investors can easily calculate the country risk by subtracting the two bond yields. Another advantage is that the yield of bond is forward-looking, it does not only incorporate today’s condition, also the yield reflects the market’s future expectation of a country’s risk and return so it is a good representation of cost of equity in a particular country. Salomon Smith Barney model is similar to the model that we just described, but with additional inputs and refinements. If we have more information from S&P country sovereign ratings, country ratings, and macro variables, we could adjust discount rate for the project more accurately. Furthermore, the political risk premium that we can add to the discount rate can be scaled up or down based on subjective scores for Dow’s access to capital, susceptibility of the project investment to Argentina’s political risk and the importance of the investment for Dow. Therefore, the more relevant information we have, the more accurate discount rate we can construct to help evaluate the project. Question 7 The calculation process for is basically the same as in question 5, except here we use the cost of capital 20% instead of 10% to discount expected cash flow. Calculation shows in Table 5 (in Million U$). The project worth is $464. 734 which about only 20% of the project value if it located in US. The largely decrease in project value is due to the higher country risk in Argentina than in the US. The higher country risk was reflected in the higher discount rates which lower the present value of the cash flow. In stage 1, the present value of expected cash flow (CFs) is 160. 32 which is 54% lower than the stage 1 value in question 5. The percentage of decrease is lower than the total project value’s decrease, since most of the value in stage 1 was generate from early years cash flow. The country risk in the short run is lower than in the long run. Because in the long run there are more chances for uncertainty events to happened. In stage 2, the present value of CFs is 194. 81 and it is 51% lower than the project value in US which also less than the percentage decrease of the total project value. And this is due to the same reason as in stage 1. In stage 3, the value is $109. 837 which is 89% lower than the question 5’s value. The significant decreasing value is due to the value of stage 3 is mainly from terminal value. Since there are higher country risk and more uncertainty in the long run, stage 3’s long run cash flows ( include terminal value) are heavily discounted which lead to low present value. Question8 Dow should bid for PBB no matter the project is in US or Argentine, since the total project values and stage 1 values are both positive in these two countries. Because Dow is an American company, the shareholders care about the US returns. The Project cash flows and stage 1cash flows are discounted by the cost of capital in US and get positive present values, which mean the PPB will increase Dow’s shareholder wealth. To determining how much Dow should bid, the company should aware that there are some requirements made by the Argentina government. First, the government set the minimum accepted price is 150million U$, which is the lowest range for Dow’s bid. Second, the government requires the bidder to have a statement of net worth of at least 5 billion U$. While, Dow has two other competitors Copesul and Perez also want to bid PPB. However, Copesul only has net worth $929,538,000 and Perez has net worth $1,461,000,000. Even if Copesul and Perez combine to bid PPB, their total net worth around $2,391,000,000 will be smaller than the $5 billion requirement. Therefore, Dow should not been threatened by Copesul and Perez’s bid, and they should not affect Dow’s biding strategy. Therefore, for the bidding price: Value of the bid= Value of (stage 1+2+3)-cost of PBB- cost of Polisur The cost of stage 3 is already included in the value of stage 3. In question 3, we obtain the Value of (stage 1+2+3) equal to$464. 734 million. Since the Value of the bid>0, then cost of (PBB+ Polisur) < $464. 734million According to the government requirement, Dow could bid PBB for $150 million, then their higher range for Dow’s bid should be $ 314. 734 million ($464. 734million- $150 million). Table 1: Table 2: Table 3: Table 4: Table 5:

The History Behind Who Invented HTML

Some of the people who drive the transformation of the internet are well-known: think Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. But those who developed its inner workings are often totally unknown, anonymous, and unsung in an age of hyper-information that they themselves helped to create. Definition of HTML HTML is the authoring language used to create documents on the web. It  is used to define the structure and layout of a  web page, how a page looks, and any special functions. HTML does this by using what are called tags that have attributes. For example, p means a paragraph break. As the viewer of a web page, you dont see HTML; it is hidden from your view. You see only the results. Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush was an engineer born at the end of the 19th century. By the 1930s he was working on analog computers and in 1945 wrote the article As We May Think, published in the Atlantic Monthly. In it, he describes a machine he called memex, which would store and retrieve information via microfilm. It would consist of screens (monitors), a keyboard, buttons, and levers. The system he discussed in this article is very similar to HTML, and he called the links between various pieces of information associative trails. This article and theory laid the foundation for Tim Berners-Lee and others to invent the World Wide Web, HTML (hypertext markup language), HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), and URLs (Universal Resource Locators) in 1990. Bush died in 1974 before the web existed or the internet became widely known, but his discoveries were seminal. Tim Berners-Lee and HTML Tim Berners-Lee, a scientist and academic, was the primary author of HTML, with the assistance of his colleagues at CERN, an international scientific organization based in Geneva. Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 at CERN. He was named one of Time magazines 100 most important people of the 20th century for this accomplishment. Berners-Lees browser editor was developed in 1991-92. This was a true browser editor for the first version of HTML and ran on a NeXt workstation. Implemented in Objective-C, it, made it easy to create, view, and edit web documents. The first version of HTML was formally published in June 1993.

Understanding the Common Core State Standards

Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s A Tell Tale Heart - 1289 Words

Inside the Heart There are many well-known poets, but not many are as unique as Edgar Allan Poe. By the age of 13, Poe had become a creative poet (Biographies). Many of Poe s works were horrific fictional stories. His first book was published in Boston in 1827, called Tamerlane and other Poems. More of Poe s major works include Tales of the Grotesque a d Arabesque, which included his most spine tingling tales such as Ligeia and The Fall of the House of Usher. Most of Poe s works have a dark Gothic genre, and include themes of death, insanity, and evil. Poe became prominent for his literary works in 1845, after publishing The Raven (Biographies). In A Tell-Tale Heart, one of Poe s other famous horrific works, Poe conveys†¦show more content†¦The narrator s guilt consumes him once more, the reader may assume, once he says, I hear all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell (Poe, 716). The narrator s guilty conscience causes him to hear and contemplate evil thoughts. This battle with his conscience, merges into one of Poe s different thematic subjects, good vs. evil. Last but not least, Poe exhibits guilt after committing the crime. The narrator cannot handle what he has done. The officers in the story present an even larger obstacle because their presence sends the narrator into insanity. He says, Villains! I shrieked, Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! Tear upon the planks! Here, here! It is the beating of his hideous heart! (Poe, 718). The narrator cannot sustain his act of being a fearless person, for his guilt drove him into such madness that he felt that he had begun to hear the beating of what he had thought to be the old man s heart, long after his gruesome murder (Kirkland, 13). Poe uses these examples to convey the message that guilt is sometimes too much of a burden on the human heart. In addition to Poe s theme of guilt to deliver his message, he also uses symbols. In The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator becomes fascinated in this old man s eye. He names it the vulture eye and credits it for his behavior in murdering the old man. A vulture is something that preys onShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1015 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Insane in the Membrane† Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most acclaimed short story writers of all time and is considered the father of the psychological thriller. He has achieved ever-lasting fame for his work in various fields of literature, from prose to verse. However, it is his Gothic narrative, in the short story realm he is greatest known for and is regarded as one of the foremost masters of horror that the United States has ever fashioned. The crucial component to these horror stories isRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s Tell Tale Heart Essay1401 Words   |  6 Pagesstereotypical â€Å"mean girl’ in life. But are you a mean girl only because you are insecure about yourself, or do you genuinely have nothing better to offer society than cruel comments on people’s appearance. Very much like a â€Å"mean girl† in Edgar Allan Poe’s Tell Tale Heart, it is a thrilling mystery with murder. The story is basically about a man who is a server to an old man who has an odd looki ng eye. It is not the old man’s fault for his appearance, nor should the old man deserve the cruel thought, thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1291 Words   |  6 Pagessecrets hidden in the story line that does it? Individually when each of you close your eyes and visualise a book that has been flicked by hundreds and has been adored what comes to mind? The famous Edgar Allan Poe stands out in the history of gothic texts, especially his novel the â€Å" Tell-Tale Heart†. However there is a numerous amount of contemporary texts based off this genre including Tim Burton’s â€Å" Vincent†. In this presentation I hope to engage you in the history of the gothic genre. GothicRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1104 Words   |  5 PagesPoe Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis began with Sigmund Freud, also known as the founding father of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a method for treating mental illness and also a theory which explains human behavior. (McLeod) Freud broke his theory into 3 different levels, Id, Ego, and Superego. Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† focused deep into these levels of psychoanalysis specifically the superego and the id. Freud explained that our superego is our conscienceRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1560 Words   |  7 Pagesbelong to Mr. Poe. You see, Edgar Allan Poe is still one of the greatest masters of enticing emotion into readers. Whether it is psychological fear in short stories like Bernice and The Pit and the Pendulum or poetry about death, sadness, and love. But, Poe really does raise the bar when it comes to mystery in his poetry. From houses suddenly combusting in The Fall of the House of Usher and uncanny deliriums in The Tell-Tale Heart, mysteries of all kinds encompass Poe s works. Poe has mastered theRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart957 Words   |  4 Pageswhether madness is or is not the loftiness of intelligence,† (Edgar Allan Poe). Edgar Allan Poe is a well known and beloved writer of the horrid and meticulous. Through emphasis on his personal life and personal insanity, we get a glimpse inside the world that might be our own minds as well as stories that teach us life lessons as well as make our blood curdle and ponder over the deep emotions of Poe’s life. Stories such as the Tell-Tale Heart teach us of these life lessons. In this story the narratorRead MoreAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poe ´s The Tell-Tale Heart605 Words   |  2 Pagesâ€Å"The Tell- Tale Heart†, written in 1843, is a simultaneous horror and mental story presented in a first- person perspective, in which Edgar Allan Poe, the author, portrays that the significant influence of inner guilty and fear on narrator’s insane. The author achieves this in the means of figurative languages, symbolism and the plot of the story. Through the whole story, there is no doubt that guilty plays a tremendously crucial role. It is obvious that symbolism is used for many times. To beginRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart857 Words   |  4 Pagesfear what they can t control. Author, Edgar Allan Poe wrote short stories that evoked emotions of fear of the unknown in a way that speaks to the reader. Some of Poe s stories were not well accepted in his day because people were just not ready for them- they were scary. Poe s works The Tell-Tale Heart, The Premature Burial and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar evoke emotions of fear of the unknown for the reader Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell-Tale Heart, is a short story that illustrates theRead MoreWhy Should We Care?1748 Words   |  7 PagesWhy Should We Care?: Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"Few creatures of the night have captured [reader’s] imagination[s] like [Edgar Allan Poe]† (â€Å"Vampires†). Poe has fascinated the literary world since he first became known for writing in 1829, when he was just twenty years old (Chronology†). While he is widely known for exploring the macabre, his work is controversial because of its psychologically disturbing nature. Edgar Allan Poe is worth examining as an author because his many contributions to the literaryRead MoreThe Final Days of Edgar Allan Poe by Roger Francis 1732 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the nineteenth-century. Poe’s short stories posses the recurring themes of death, murder and his narrators often show signs of mental instability, like the old man in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and Montressor in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†. Since tragedy was prominent throughout Poe’s life, his wor k reflects the darkness ingrained by continuously being faced with adversity. Poe’s mental stability also comes into question when

Franco Zefirelli film Essay Example For Students

Franco Zefirelli film Essay The task set is to watch and analyze the opening sequences to the Franco Zefirelli film and also the Baz Luhrmann version. Both directors have used different techniques in the films to represent different opinions and emotions for the characters. The versions use a narrator to show and explain a storyline but in different ways to each other. One is a modern version and the other uses older fashioned styles and techniques of filming. The Franco Zefirelli film has quite a difference in ideas for the film compared to the novel and stage play. But back in the days of the Franco Zefirelli film it was said to of been the best of that time, and also was know to be good for the translation from a stage play and then into a film. The opening scene of the Shakespeare play has a narrator of that time of who reads out the prologue. The films prologue has images in the background of the town of Verona of which is where the play is set. In the original stage version the narrator would have stood at the front of the stage and recited the words in front of the audience. Franco Zefirellis version of the film has various ideas which were very innovative for the time of making of this film. The music which he has used fits in so well with the separate scenes which they have been used in. Once used in the opening scene, the music instantly is recognized due to the film becoming so famous; the music was soft, romantic and slow. The voice over (prologue) is used before the opening scene begins. There are many different representations used in the opening scene such as the early morning mist over the city which shows that it will be a hot new start to the day. The director has shown these images to set the scene and to make the film more realistic which is classed as continuity editing. Franco Zefirelli has used many different types of camera shots to make the film more realistic and also to make it more exciting and make the audience feel as if we are actually there. He uses mid shots and close-ups at ground level in the market scene to show the action and make us feel as if we are there. It also gives the audience a good view of what is going on in the different scenes. The city in which the film is set does not look as if it is a stage play with cardboard cutouts as house which you would expect but it appears to be an actual real city in which it has been filmed. The selection of costumes in which Franco Zefirelli uses in his version can easily show who belongs to the Montague, Capulet family and also for the two different families. We can tell this by the bright and dark colours used. Once the civil brawl breaks out, due to Franco Zefirellis wish to show the amount of chaos it brings to the whole of Verona, he decides to drop the idea of continuity editing and then he begins to use different shots such as long and panoramic views to capture more of the action in one full shot. Also, when Tybalt enters onto the scene there is an instant close up onto his and his companions feet then the camera makes a tilt and then zooms in to a close up of his face. The brawl and all the noise stops and this show that he plays an important part in the play and is the opening to the second part of the brawl. We then see the prince entering into the fight scene and the camera is on the rooftops looking down on him. The trumpets play to represent that someone of importance has arrived which alerts everyone in the street. .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c , .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .postImageUrl , .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c , .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:hover , .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:visited , .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:active { border:0!important; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:active , .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6f94d6a105353883d4265c87d852a62c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Film Summary - Interview with a Vampire EssayThe camera follows the prince and then tilts up to show his importance like Tybalt. This shows his authority over the whole town. Baz Luhrmann version of Romeo and Juliet is very different compared to Franco Zefirelli film but in some ways very similar. Baz Luhrmann decides not to use continuity editing because he makes this into a much more modern version and parts of this film can become very hard to follow and believe they could happen in real life. He has also used appealing features to attract younger people to the newer version of the film. For example the prologue of this version of the film begins off with a zoomed out view of a TV news reader inside a TV and then the camera slowly zooms in on the TV. At the same time as zooming in the news reader is reading out the classic prologue word for word but like a news story, accompanied by images from the film. This immediately shows that this is a modern version of the famous script. Dramatic and loud music accompanies the images and also the voice over of the prologue. The images and titles are flashed on the screen to capture the attention of the audience. All of this and his camera work show that there is a dramatic film ahead and also excitement which in young audiences may not generally associate with Shakespeare. Also the camera work uses many different kinds of shots whilst transitioning among images. Both families meet at a petrol station: Unlike the Zefirelli film, which has traditional opening in Verona market place, there are many signs and ideas which show that the director has tried to relate as much as possible to the real script of the original stage play. Some of these are small extras such as on the bottom of the pistol it says sword, which links in with the dialogue when the fight begins. During this fight Baz Luhrmann has used slow motion and has also speeded up some of the parts of this brawl; this adds to the exciting effect and emphasizes the importance of the battle. The camera work for this scene has been very carefully thought out; Baz Luhrmann seems to have used ideas from Franco Zefirelli camera work. For example when Tybalt makes his entry in the older version there is a close up of his feet, and Baz Luhrmans also has used this idea in this version. Also another excellent example of this copying of techniques is when the prince enters (in this case police chief); this is a good example because he arrives in a helicopter high up, this is like the first version as him being high up emphasizes his importance. Here it is a helicopter as it is a more modern version of transport compared to the Zefirellis idea of a horse which was a modern method of transport then. My favourite camera shot is the way that both directors have use close ups. They have been used nearly exactly the same way in each film. Both directors used these shots at the beginning of the brawl between the two families. The main close up is on the character that basically begins the brawl. The close up which is used aims directly at the feet of him and his companions. The directors have used this to show that the amount of people in this close up gives the idea that trouble is stirring. I particularly liked Baz Luhrmans speeding up of a clip in the petrol station with Tybalt. When the enemy begins to drive away the director shows him drop to the ground and whilst doing that he has speeded up the part with him taking off his coat. .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 , .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .postImageUrl , .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 , .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:hover , .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:visited , .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:active { border:0!important; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:active , .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6 .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2e00ef5be6ea54a73353cb3d8d41bcc6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Movie Summary - Pretty Woman EssayThis shows a quick action which catches the audiences attention. He then kisses his weapon (the pistol, i. e. sword-weapon) which shows his violence and aggression, and then shoots at the Montagues. Overall my favourite opening sequence of the two films is the Baz Luhrmann version. This is because despite the lack of continuity editing I find it much easier to follow and more appealing to the younger generation because it uses much more action and includes more excitement. For example the way that the director has used modern weapons and transport.

Scarlet Letter Essays (601 words) - Film, , Term Papers

Scarlet Letter "Confess thy truth and thou shall have eternal rest." I believe that is the moral to be taught in this novel of inspirational love, yet a novel of much sorrow. The impossible became possible in The Scarlet Letter, a story set back in the Puritan Times. In this response, I will give my reactions in writing to different aspects of the novel; the characters, my likes and dislikes, my questions, and my opinion of the harsh Puritan lifestyle. Hester Prynne, the Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth each suffered guilt in their own way in the novel The Scarlet Letter. In the beginning of the novel, Hester Prynne should have not suffered the way she did on the scaffold alone. She was forced to be intergated by the high-officials of the town, while holding her little Pearl in arms. Making matters worse, the father of the child was in that very group of officals. She was then sentenced to wear the scarlet letter "A", showing her guilt "externally". Unable to take it off, she was forced to show her guilt to the entire settlement. However, the Reverend Dimmesdale suffered "internally", with a scarlet letter of his own engraved in his mind, and on his chest as well. He felt like he betrayed God, and beat himself in a frenzy to prove his wrongdoing. He often questioned whether his authority was true or not. Roger Chillingworth suffered the least, because he only failed to reveal the secret that he knew, the father of the child who Hester Prynne was forced to live with. This small restriction to his life forced him to suffer "internally". I had different likes and dislikes in the novel The Scarlet Letter. There were many things that needed to be judged to fit into the given catagories, including; character attitudes, and character decisions. For example, the attitude displayed from the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale was rather unnapealing to me. There are different ways of settling ones guilt rather than whipping oneself in a closet. The one character whose attitude was appealing to me was that of Pearl's. She showed that mistakes in a relationship often lead to bad situations. Her mischeif and connection to the devil are examples of just those situations. Character decisions played an euqally important role. For example, I thought the descision for Hester not to tell who was the father of Pearl on the scaffold to be very brave, but was wrong. She could have ended it a lot quicker if she told the truth. A descision that I supportted was the plan for Hester, the Reverend Dimmesdale and Pearl to leave town, because it was a way to start a new life. Certain questions came about when reading The Scarlet Letter. Many of them involved small details. . For example, why did Hester not tell her daughter at a younger age what the "A" embroidered on her clothes meant? Why did the minister wear elaborate garments when conducting his self-punishment in the closet? However, other questions were involving larger situations. Why did the minster keep quiet when he knew he wouldn't live for much longer? What made Hester finnally remove her scarlet letter (for a short period of time)? The Puritanic age was a harsh and brutal period of time. At many times, citizens had no rights whatsoever. The persecuted depended on the fate of the few elite, or the top officials of town. Their laws were srict regaurding having a child out of wedlock, and if not followed, a scarlet letter "A" would place itself upon that person(s). My thoughts on the whole Puritanic epoch are not sympothetic. The strict rules set guildlines and formed a society in which much of it had no problems. I would even think that if applied to currnet times, it would turn society around dramatically.