Raymond Briggs Essay Example for Free

Raymond Briggs Essay During the 1980s there was fear of a nuclear attack. Mass protests were held in order to prevent nuclear armament. Many politicians gave formal sermons to the public, warning them of the threat of nuclear war and the effects of the bombs. However, Raymond Briggs uses cartoon books and film to illustrate the serious message, making it more interesting, so more people take notice of it. When the Wind Blows follows the lives of a conventional, elderly couple in the countryside. Their names are Jim and Hilda Bloggs. The name Bloggs shows that they are very ordinary and could represent anybody. The first section of the cartoon strip shows the idyllic countryside in which the couple live. There are fluffy clouds in the sky, but at the same time these clouds are very ominous, as we later find out. These clouds soon become mushroom clouds after the bomb hits. There are bright colours filling the pages making their lives seem cheerful. The windmills in the background generate wind using the latest technology, however, this technology is what creates the bomb. Jim reads the newspaper when he arrives home and we realise that the lives shown in the newspaper are so very different compared to his and his wifes simple lives. My life isnt very fast-moving or dynamic. Jim always tries to sound intelligent but gets things wrong constantly. This makes us feel terrible pity for Jim because he is so hopeless. On the video, Jim squints quite often and Hilda always hobbles. This shows their vulnerability. The simplicity of the illustrations of Jim and Hilda is a reflection of their characters. The couple seem very warm and kind because of their round bodies. They both have rosy cheeks giving them a plump and healthy appearance as well. The endearing name, Ducks, that Jim has for Hilda adds to their innocence. Jim and Hilda trust the government completely and think that without the official leaflets theyd have been totally non-prepared. However, we know that the leaflets are just there to comfort the people, because no one can escape the radiation sickness after a nuclear bomb explosion. Their naivety shows when they seem to think that there is going to be a war and not a nuclear bomb. I can soon touch it in after The Bombs gone off. There is some irony in their comments because, after the supposed war, they will be wiped out. During the build-up to the bomb, the lullaby Rock a Bye Baby plays in the background. This gives the story its title. The irony here is that, when the bomb hits, hot winds will sweep over the countryside causing mass destruction. Lullabies are usually sung to children so it makes the couple again seem innocent and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. We feel even more sympathy for Jim and Hilda when they look back at the community spirit of World War Two with nostalgia. They never seem to see the grim reality of what is happening to them. As the bomb hits, all the audience and reader can see is a bright white light. This represents the total obliteration that the bomb causes. The colours outside change from cheerful colours to ones of luridness. While Jim is reading out names of political organisations, there are strong drumbeats playing in the background, giving a threatening sense. The drums beats get louder, drowning out Jims voice, showing the nuclear war as being more important. Flashes of real-life footage also add to the threatening atmosphere and show the reality of what is happening. The names of organisations flash onto the screen then they fall apart and become distorted. This reflects Jims thoughts of the names. They mean nothing to him and, as far as he is concerned, they are just letters. The fact that they all fall apart shows that there is no safety, even from organisations set up to protect people. After the explosion, we see the inevitable 0death of Jim and Hilda. Bags start to appear round their eyes, Hildas ankles start to sag and her hair falls out. This is a very moving build-up to their death, as it shows the awful reality of the bomb. The couple have hardly any food to eat, but manage to find one fruit pastille. Their true love for each other is shown here as they cut the pastille in half, making it fair. During the aftermath of the bomb, both Hilda and Jim have fantasies. We feel sympathy for them here because their childish fantasies make them seem innocent. As the glass shatters, Hilda sees her past in the pieces of glass, which is shattered before her very eyes. This gives her character a past so we feel great pity on her, because we know she is going to die. It also seems like her life flashing before her eyes, something which people associate with the arrival of death. In both the film and book, the death of Jim and Hilda is not shown. In the book the last pages are brown, showing no hope for the couple, whereas in the film version, there is a close-up of the bunker and it rises into the sky, appearing as the sun. This gives a sense of hope, because it shows that Jim and Hilda have gone to heaven. I think that the way Raymond Briggs has used the cartoon book genre to convey a serious message works really well. It is very moving and rouses the sympathy of both reader and audience.

Charles Dickens Contempt for Lawyers Revealed Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Charles Dickens Contempt for Lawyers Revealed Great Expectations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charles Dickens viewed lawyers as being mean, cruel, and relatively heartless (Collins 175). Throughout much of Dickens' literature, lawyers are stereotyped through characters and these characters are used as a means of commentary about the lawyers of the time. Jaggers, from the novel Great Expectations, seems not to be an exception. Through the character of Jaggers, an understanding of Dickens' view of early nineteenth-century lawyers can be obtained.    Dickens felt that lawyers were overly concerned with power and not concerned enough about truth. Through Jaggers, the first evidence of this claim can be seen by his name alone. By sound, the name "Jaggers" creates an image of something that cuts. In a similar vein, "Jaggers" closely resembles "jagged" which portrays a rough and sharp image. The images produced by this name aptly describe the business attitude of Jaggers, an attitude that Dickens seems to revere as efficient, but condone as heartless.    The first meeting with Pip reinforces the idea of Jaggers as the power-centered lawyer. In explaining his presence there to Pip, Jaggers states, "If my advice had been asked, I should not have been here" (140; ch. 18). After reading about the business that Jaggers is there to conduct, this statement begins to take on some meaning. Jaggers is saying that if he were asked, he would not advise anyone to throw away such money on a trivial charity case. Jaggers, wrapped up in the power of his profession, could not possibly advise such a careless handling of money. For Jaggers, power is not about helping the little man for charitable purposes. Dickens seems to suggest here ideas about how power has corrupted the intentions of lawyers, people who are in a position to help those in need.    Even Jaggers' mannerisms seem to suggest the image of power. For example, Pip observes Jaggers eating a sandwich and comments that "he seemed to bully his sandwich as he ate" (167; ch. 20). It is as if Dickens wants to make a point about how lawyers are power hungry all of the time, even in the handling of their inanimate meals. The way that Jaggers bullies his sandwich is not unlike how he bullies the clients that he is supposed to be serving.

Criminological Theory Into Action

Criminological Theory into Action Ashley Willis American InterContinental University Abstract Criminological Theory is the backbone of criminal policy. What is understood through the study of criminals can accurately be used to enhance the criminal system. This paper looks at three criminal policies (Expungement of Records, DARE, and Rehabilition Prorams) through the lens of criminological theory. The focus of the paper is primarily on Juvenile offenders, as I hope to work in the juvenile system upon graduation. Turning Criminological Theory into ActionCriminological theories provide important information regarding the motives for crime and understanding the individual criminal. However, one of the most important applications of criminological theory is the development of policy from it. This paper looks at three policies: Expungement of Records, D. A. R. E, and Rehabilitation programs with the attempt at making theoretical connections to them. Expungement of Records The expungement process includes the destroying or sealing of criminal records (Funk & Polsby, 1998).After a criminal is convicted of a crime, they may apply for expungement but is usually only granted if the criminal proves that they are rehabilitated or if they enter expungement as a bargain with the state for turning over evidence in a related or unrelated case. The most applicable form of expungement, however, occurs when a Juvenile’s records are sealed as they enter adulthood (Funk & Polsby, 1998). This is a controversial policy, as some professionals feel that expungement is a method of excusing crime that has an overall negative effect on recidivism (Funk & Polsby, 1998).The theoretical framework for expungement of records is Labeling Theory (Funk & Polsby, 1998). Born out of the humanistic movements of the 60’s and 70’s, labeling theory boldly states that society is to blame for delinquency (Funk & Polsby, 1998). However, the theory goes further to explain the repercuss ions of holding onto criminal records, particularly for youth (Funk & Polsby, 1998). Howard Becker (1963) described this effect beautifully when he stated â€Å"deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’.The deviant is one to whom the label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label† (Funk & Polsby, 1998). While it is clear that expungement is not a good choice for every juvenile or criminal with a record, one can definitely see, through the lens of labeling theory that it is necessary in some cases. Walking through life with the label ‘criminal’ will help the individual stay in that mindset and lead to future criminal activity. A lot of how an individual functions in society relies on the labels they carry.In certain cases, removing the criminal label may be the boost that juveniles, or other criminals may need to shed their criminal skin and move forward to more productive labels. D. A. R. E D. A. R. E is one of the most recognizable programs for drug prevention among American youth. â€Å"Used in nearly 80% of the school districts in the United States, in 54 other countries around the world† (Hason, 2007), D. A. R. E intends to make children aware of the implications of drug and alcohol use.During these programs, drug culture is explained (so that the child knows what to look for in a drug user), the dangers of drug use is explained and drugs, alcohol and tobacco are all shown to the children in the classroom as associated imagery so that the child may report any drug use in the homes or know what they are facing when presented with peer pressure. Although generally viewed by society as a positive program, evidence stacks up to support the ineffectiveness of DARE programs (Hason, 2007).Proponents of the program argue this belief: â€Å"In Houston, Texas, where a study showe d a shocking 29% increase in drug usage and a 34% increase in tobacco usage among students participating in DARE, the police chief defended it by saying he would use the results to ‘fine-tune the program to better serve the children’. † (Hason, 2007) One has to wonder what goes wrong here. The program is designed to inhibit drug use among the youth of our society; why is it that it is actually failing them? Criminological Theory can both back up and disprove DARE programs.The program itself operates to combat the effect of Neutralization Theory (Goode, 2012). Neutralization theory requires that the individual rationalizes the act of drug use before doing it; they may state that what they were doing wasn’t harmful or that it didn’t hurt anybody; they may deny responsibility or turn it around on the adults who condemn them (Goode, 2012). What the DARE program does is tries to take away the denial so that society can easily say back to the user: â€Å" You knew the dangers, you are responsible.You took a DARE program and were warned of the dangers and you were also given tools to help resist the temptation and walk away from it†. In theory, DARE takes the denial out of the act. However, the program ignores the danger of exposing children, who would otherwise not be exposed to the subculture of drug use (Goode, 2012). Differential Association theory states that all behavior is learned and thus drug abuse is no different (Goode, 2012). For every child that is setting in DARE class and thinking about the negative consequences of drug use, there is likely a child which is picking up on the techniques of drug usage (Goode, 2012).Since the programs go into such detail regarding drug and alcohol use, it can actually work as an educational program or motivating factor for some. For those kids who don’t want to conform; who want to play the ‘bad guy’ role, DARE is likely to open doors rather than close them, as is their intended purpose. Rehabilitation Programs Rehabilitation programs must be implemented into a corrections system, if that system is to become effective (Southerland, 2012). It is much safer to say that a criminal will be less likely to commit crime once reintroduced to society, if they have gone through a rehabilitation program.Many models exist for rehabilitation programs exist but most of them try to explain the reasons why offenders are committing criminal acts in the first place (Southerland, 2012). From this analysis, the offender is given a program that fits their personal needs (Southerland, 2012). One of the cornerstones of rehabilitation programs is teaching offenders ‘coping skills’ (Southerland, 2012). If the offender is charged with a drug related crime, they may be taught methods for resisting drugs; if the crime is theft, they may be coached on finding a job so that the motivation for theft can be removed.The idea is that the offender comes out of th e system with the ability to function in society; whereas they were having issues before. Agnew’s Strain theory basically states that societal strain leads to criminal activity (Florida State University, n. d. ). These strains can be classified as â€Å"failure to achieve positively valued stimuli†¦the loss of positively valued stimuli†¦the presentation of negative stimuli† (Florida State University, n. d. ). While it is not possible to ‘fix’ a criminals life and give them everything they need; it is possible to give the criminal techniques for dealing with these types of strain.It is the aim of the rehabilitation program to provide criminals with tools to combat this strain. If you give a criminal a resume and interview class, they are more likely to get a job. If you give a criminal with a drug problem drug rehabilitation, they are more likely to keep that job and theoretically speaking, if the criminal has a job they will be less likely to fee l societal strain (Florida State University, n. d. ). It is important to learn criminological theories in order to enhance insight into the criminal motive.However, it is most important to understand how much these theories relate to the criminal system and policies which are implemented to protect the individual from the draw of criminality. As an aspirin professional in this field, the study of criminological theory is both necessary and ongoing. References Florida State University. (n. d. ). Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory. Retrieved from Florida State University: http://www. criminology. fsu. edu/crimtheory/agnew. htm Funk, T. M. , & Polsby, D. D. (1998).The Problem of Lemons and Why We Must Retain Juvenile Crime Records. Cato Journal Vol 18. No. 1, 75-83. Goode, E. (2012). Drugs in American Society 8th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Hason, D. J. (2007). Drug Abuse Resistance Education: The Effectiveness of DARE. Retrieved from Alcohol Abuse Prevention: http://www. alcohol facts. org/DARE. html Southerland, D. W. (2012). Rehabilitative Methods and the Affect on Juvenile Delinquents. Retrieved from University of Maryland: http://drum. lib. umd. edu/bitstream/1903/10097/1/Darbouze,%20Kelie. pdf

Abortion Should Be Banned After 20 Weeks Of Pregnancy

Abortion has always been an issue in the society. It occurs when a person is forced to kill the baby fetus in the womb of the mother. It is very painful to the mother as she is losing her own child but there are always circumstances and conditions in life that lead a mother to take these harsh step. But sometimes, women do abortion when the fetus has already started to take a form of a baby. A recent bill was passed in Texas by Gov. Rick Perry which was one of the country toughest restriction on abortion. According to the Texas House Bill, abortion will be banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy. A woman is a minor unless proof can be provided to verify her age. This is to be followed properly by all the health clinics and abortion clinics†¦show more content†¦The first 3 provisions of HB2 were enforced by November 1, 2013; the ASC requirement is currently enjoined pending a US Supreme Court decision, as is the admitting privileges requirement as it applies to 2 Texas facilities. †- American Public Health Association. This shows that the abortion law in Texas is gradually being stricter by time and more improvements have been done in the law that strengthens the law and protected numerous unborn life. However, everything has two aspects with advantages and disadvantages. Even though this law has protected so many lives, it has also proven to be a downfall for a lot of health Clinics who were continuously providing abortion services until the law was passed. Eight of the 41 abortion Clinics in Texas in April 2013 closed or stopped providing abortion services after the introduction of the HB2 bill. When the bill was imposed, Eleven more facilities closed or stopped providing abortions primarily because physicians experienced obstacles to obtaining privilege to admit a