Category: Books and Movies Reviews

The film that we watched was "A Planet For The Taking". The marquee star of this film was David Suzuki who is a greatly known scientist all over the world. In this film he tries to express how technology has given our world many benefits, but there are also downfalls to it as well. In this film present day Canadians are compared to natives to show how we were once able to live peacefully with the land without destroying it. The science and technology in our world is rapidly growing, and people put their faith in the scientists to fix all that is not well. David Suzuki tries to explain that that's not the answer and we need to do our best to help out too.
The scientific message that this film is trying to portray is that even though science has excelled immensely and reaps many benefits, it also has many downfalls and it may in the end destroy us. Science and technology are rapidly growing fields in our world and a few benefits would be that we now have better living conditions, and have found cures for many diseases. The downfalls to these growing fields are that we are destroying our ecosystems and also endangering many species. In both our past and present generation we have been destroying the environment around us, whether we realize or know it or not. Massive amounts of people drive their cars, dump garbage in landfills instead of recycling and smoke tobacco which all destroy and pollute the land.
Man has had a huge impact on our planet; some may say good, others will say bad. Man has forever changed our planet to meet the needs of humans. Many have not even taken in consideration for the other species that we currently share our world with. People say that they are proud of the Canada they call home, just to turn around and destroy it for wealth and greed. It is not fair to try to change our world so rapidly that species who cannot adapt become endangered and may eventually die off. Our wor
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In the short story “Soldier’s Home,” by Ernest Hemingway, Kreb’s rejection of his community’s values can be related to Sammy’s relationship to his supermarket job in John Updike’s “A & P.” Even though the two stories are different in style, one story being more serious and gloomy and the other being more humorous and sarcastic, they both reveal two similar settings, which the main characters reject. Both authors use precise and detailed examples of how each style and setting are portrayed. Hemingway presents a style in “Soldier’s Home”, that is emotionless and serious, while Updike gives readers a youthful almost comic style of story in “A& P.” To begin with, Hemingway uses the name Krebs all through the story; he never lets readers become personal or emotional to Kreb’s. Where in “A&P” Updike lets readers see through the eyes of a nineteen year old boy, Sammy, who is sarcastic and also humorous. One occasion where we see this adolescent humor is when Sammy says, “She was a ch!
unky kid, with a good tan, and a sweet broad soft-looking can, with these two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs” (480). Comments about the girls like this one gives Updike’s “A&P” a youthful humor for readers to enjoy. Another example of this is when Sammy thinks to himself, “She did not look around, not this queen, she just walked straight on slowly, on these long white prema-donna legs” (481). Statements like this gives readers comic relief and throughout the rest of the story he refers to this leader of the girls as Queenie. An example of when Sammy refers to her is when he says, “Queenie blushes, though maybe it’s Hayes 2 maybe just a brush of sunburn I was noticing for thefirst time, now that she was so close” (483). There is no light-hearted or uplifting thoughts given from Krebs in “Soldier’s Home” just serious, cold, not so happy statements for example, “Krebs acquired the nausea i…

A comparison of Death in Venice by Thomas Mann and Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
Solitary individuals often exploit different views on our world, sometimes accompanied by a'disharmonious' way of living, as we can see in these two books. The concept of a distant view on life, is applied in both works, be it Gustav von Aschenbach's artistic dilemma in Death in Venice or Cosimo's escape from rules and regulations by leaving the natural life on the ground, to live beneath the sky yet above the earth, in Baron in the Trees. What is it then, that drives them? Is it the pursuit of perfection, of utmost beauty? The wish to live independently, free from the humdrum routine of an earthbound existence? Or perhaps they are merely engaging in a quest for romance? Both of the lead characters are different from the rest; both are hermits in their own separate ways, and their views on our world are accordingly diverse.
Death in Venice, written by Thomas Mann in 1912, is a symbol-laden story of aestheticism and decadence. Gustav von Aschenbach is an ascetic German author with a sense for discipline and formal perfection in literature, and writes thereafter. Upon travelling to Venice for vacation purposes, he encounters a young boy, named Tadzio. Obviously, this boy is a splendid example of Grecian, almost godlike beauty and innocence. Fascinated by this pulchritudinous being, Aschenbach is willingly engulfed in a whirlpool of decadence, sacrificing his once proud and dignified self in favour of an ever-increasing state of obsession for this boy and degradation of his former person. This infatuation eventually takes his life, when a lethal cholera invades Venice. He has the opportunity to leave, but cannot bring himself to leave what has now become an object of desire. Henceforth, his life ends in the embracement of madness.
This novel undoubtedly deals with the role of the artist in society, and houses numerous images…

The Image of Arabs in American Popular Culture
Hollywood is arguably the most important ISA (ideological state apparatus) in modern America. More than from parents, school or church do children get their ideas and values from the celluloid. This imposes on the movie industry;s executives the great responsibility of not only entertaining people, but also to be the guardians of the set of values the Western world holds dear: equality, freedom and maybe most importantly, respect for one another. According to Professor Jack G. Shaheen, Hollywood is not taking this responsibility when it comes to one ethnic group: Arabs.
For Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People, Shaheen screened over 900 films that have come from the Mecca of American film since 1898 and he came to a dazzling conclusion: Hollywood depicts Arabs as evil villains. They are either crazed terrorists who want to destroy America or wealthy oil-sheiks with large limousines, who aim at taking over America by simply buying it. Shaheen;s argument is in concordance with the writings of Edward Said, who in Orientalism showed how Westerners view Arab culture as a whole, neglecting the fact that it is as diverse as;European culture, and collectively feel threatened by the Orient and its people: the;other;.When one looks through the eyes of Shaheen at films like True Lies (1996), The Siege (1998) and Rules of Engagement (2000), his conclusion seems valid. These films indeed seem to have been made for the sole purpose of representing the Arab people negatively. As Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said (about The Siege): ;Given how vulnerable Arab-Americans are to defamation, was this film really necessary?; (Shaheen 430). To make a counterfactual link between Hollywood;s vilification of Arabs (often wrongly used as a synonym for;Muslims;) and the hate crimes committed against Arab-Americans after 9/11 may be far…

In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo falls in love with Juliet, they devise a plan to get married and live happily ever after, and end up killing themselves. All through the tale, Romeo's best friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, try to help Romeo with their own particular methods. Surprisingly, there are no characters that differ from each other more than Benvolio and Mercutio. While Benvolio is calm, level-headed, and honest, Mercutio tends to be a sarcastic person who follows his emotions more than his common sense. Through both are Romeo's friends, one has to wonder how they can stand one another's company.
Thefirst thing anyone may notice between Benvolio and Mercutio is their methods of confronting problems. Benvolio tends tofirst prevent violence and then analyze the situation, as he tries to separate the Capulet and Montague servants before a brawl breaks out at the play's beginning. Mercutio, on the other hand, tends to rush into conflict, even when conflict is easily avoided, which is shown in the scene where he confronts Tybalt on Romeo 's behalf.
Another painfully obvious contrast between Mercutio and Benvolio is the way they generally carry themselves and converse with friends. Mercutio tends to dominate any scenes he's in with his humorous speeches. An example of this would be on the way to the Capulet ball, where Mercutio tries to lighten the mood by giving his famous "Queen Mab" speech. Benvolio, on the other hand, seems quite content to simply watch and throw in an intelligent remark on occasion, which is also expressed in the scene where they are on their way to the Capulet ball.
Despite these differences, they are both loyal friends. Benvolio expresses this when he devises the brilliant plan of crashing the Capulet's ball, in an attempt to cure his friend Romeo 's depression. Mercutio expresses the same devotion, but in an entirely different fashion. Mercuti
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In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl are two essential characters.Because they are father and daughter, they have some similar qualities, but also some different ones.The apple does not fall far from the tree:the apple is the child of the tree (the parent); therefore, it inherits similarities in personality, but it also retains its own individual qualities.
Dimmesdale and Pearl share few similar traits, but Hawthorne makes these similarities significant.Passion greatly affects the lives of both Dimmesdale and Pearl.Dimmesdale commits adultery — a sin of passion.Pearl inherits "all this enmity and passion [ . . . ] by inalienable right" (Hawthorne 87).From the moment Hester Prynne gives birth to her daughter, the sin of adultery marks Pearl permanently just as the scarlet "A" marks her mother.Throughout the entire novel, Pearl serves as a symbol of Dimmesdale and Hester's passion.Although the same force of passion affects Dimmesdale and his daughter, he makes the choice to commit adultery while Pearl does not have the power to decide to be borne out of a sin.This sin inflicts grief upon both the father and daughter.Dimmesdale, "overcome with a great horror of mind," feels a "gnawing and poisonous tooth of bodily pain" because his guilt haunts him (Hawthorne 136).It continues to haunt him for as long as he refuses to confess to the sin.Grief also bears a heavy weight on Pearl, not just her father.Hawthorne writes, "Nothing [is] more remarkable than the instinct, as it [seems], with which the child [comprehends] her loneliness" (86).Not only does Pearl's father refuse to acknowledge her as his daughter, but also the children of the town refuse to allow her to play with them.How can she not be grief stricken?The mutual love between her mother and herself helps Pearl to cope with the grief; neithe…

A Midsummer Nights Dream, another dazzling masterpiece by William Shakespeare, delivers an enchanting, humorous comedy with unparalleled wit.In his play, he reveals a myriad of his opinions on life and its themes.One such theme is the universal matter of love.He articulately elucidates that love is often illogical.He obviously states his point throughout the play through his characters and with his excelled proficiency as a playwright.The 1999, reconstructed film adaptation is no exception, and the artists have supplemented graphically for a contemporary appeal and lucratively restated Shakespeare's views.
The film mainly focuses on the protagonists Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius.Lysander loves Hermia, and vice versa, but Hermia's father commands that Hermia marry Demetrius or face death.Demetrius declares that he loves Hermia, but he had once averred that he love Helena prior to Hermia (Hermia's friend) also.Helena nevertheless is ardent towards Demetrius despite his cruelty towards her.When Lysander figures that he cannot be with his love, he decides to abscond with Hermia into the woods to sanctuary.They enlighten Helena of their plans with no discernment that Helena might betray them. Helena, disillusioned with the probability that Demetrius will adore her for her affidavit, informs him of their departure.Demetrius and Helena pursue them into the forests.The forest is the domain of the fairies and its king and queen Oberon and Titania.After that, the fairies cast an enchantment of love on the wrong couples, which causes havoc and mass confusion.The plot is effectively shown through a neutral focalization and various shots with a light touch of special effects to electrify the viewing pleasure.
First and foremost, the couples themselves have ardent feelings toward each other that are totally void of logic.Helena's love and dedication towar
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Comparison Paragraph of Thomas Jefferson to Finny in Separate Peace
"I don't care what people think, I am still going to wear a pink shirt."That was what finny thought in the book a Separate Peace.In this paragraph, Finny and Thomas Jefferson will be compared to each other in many different ways.There will be Self-respect, Honesty, and Skill.Thomas Jefferson also did not have a problem with what people thought about his clothes.One person saw this and said he wore ill-fitting, much worn clothes.
Self-respect was a big thing to both Thomas Jefferson and to Finny.Thomas Jefferson was well educated.He became an architect and was heavily involved in politics.Like above, he did not care what he wore or what was said about him.Finny was always in good condition because he was involved in a lot of sports such as; hockey, football, baseball, and wrestling.When he broke his leg in the book, he kept good care of it by waiting for it to heal by having Gene train in his spot to get to the Olympics.Finny believed he could get better and be the same again even when he knew that he was not going to be able to play again.
Honesty was important thing to Thomas Jefferson because he was very involved with the Declaration of Independence.He was so honest that some parts were so insulting to King Charles that it was written out in the rough drafts.He was honest about not wanting to get involved in politics but did so for the good of his country.Finny was a good friend because he said that you need to be honest and he was honest to everyone.He always spoke his mind even if it was not a good time to do so.At a meeting with the headmaster of Devon (the school where they were) Finny wore a tie as a belt and said, "I'm glad I put something on for a belt!"He was telling what he thought.An honest characteristic.
Skill to Thomas Jefferson was an important thing because he was a well-educ…

The Homeric Code of Honor is that every Greek lived for.The aim was for immortality through fame.This fame could only be earned three was, one excellence by fighting or words. Second, time through honor or respect and Avoidance of shame. We are going to compare how Oedipus, Lysistrata and Agamemnon reached this goal of stardom.
Oedipus is the ruler of a city called Thebes in Sophocleas' Oedipus the King. In this story Cadmus was the founder of the city by fighting and defeating the dragon. After the dragons death cadmus decided to take the dragons teeth and sow them into the ground. By doing this Cadmus had built a heroic name for himself andfor the people that were thefirst residents with him.Oedipus looked at this as a challenge for him and his people that he rules over to also make the heroic code just as Cadmus. Oedipus decided that his journey would be the Sphinx.The difference between this Cadmus and Oedipus is that of the Gods.Oedipus experiences throughout his journey no cooperation from the Gods or Goddesses.Lines 1282 – 1288 show an example of how Oedipus feltgodstreated him: " What is there now to love? What greeting can cheer me? Lead me away. Quickly, quickly! O led me out of the country to a distant land!I am beyond redemption accursed, beyond hope lost, the one man living whom all the gods most hate.Here we see Oedipus's arrogance throughout the play causes him the trouble with the all the gods. Though sheer determination and hard work Oedipus was able to crack the Spinx's riddle.
Aristophanes "Lysistrata deals with the Peloponesian War, and how the women are fed up with it and take action to stop the war.Each woman from both sides to come together and locked themselves up in the Acropolis for five days. The women told the men that this is a sex strike and until they both stop fighting they will stay locked up.The leader of the
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