Changing Face of Indian Press Essay

A study of Indian history from 16th to 20th centuries will indicate that the transition from feudalism to modern society has been slow and incomplete despite the occasional turbulence, turmoil, wars, social reforms, and intellectual ferment. It was during the mid-19th century (First War of Independence) and the 20th century freedom movement that the Indian newspapers played a powerful and prominent role in questioning the forces of authority, social prejudices and the suppression of personal liberty. During the late 19th and early 20th century, attempts to propagate the ideas of liberty, equality, fraternity, and freedom were made by political and social leaders. The journals started by them played a historical role in questioning old ideas and practices like casteism, communalism, superstitions, educational backwardness and women’s oppression. Modern rational and scientific ideas, secularism, tolerance, and economic empowerment of the people were propagated in the writings of national leaders. The newspapers, particularly, served in conscientizing literate and educated people about the need for social reforms and political independence. Until 1950, the newspapers no doubt, served in inspiring people of the country towards a change in their thinking about social transformation, economic empowerment and the establishment of a strong foundation for democracy. But in recent decades, a decline in the functioning of the press/media has set in. This paper attempts to present a glimpse of events through which the all types of media have passed. Reference is also made to the recent technological changes in our media world and the serious ethical questions they have raised about media’s performance. Introduction Authentic and available sources describe the birth of Indian journalism in 1780 with Hicky’s Gazette (James August Hicky) which was largely aimed at criticizing the officials of the British government’s East India Company. (Malhotra: 2008). The history of Indian journalism is about 231 years of struggle for existence, propagation of free speech and ideas of people, and evolving democratic values of the nation. Media practitioners and historians view the growth of Indian journalism in a number of ways. Some feel the history of pre-independence journalism was based on the people’s struggle for freedom and socio-political development in the country. Others feel that the journalism of those days was not value-based with any ideology and that more than political freedom or nation building or informing and educating people, the press was aimed to perpetuate the British system of political rule and governance. From the period of British India to the present free, liberalized and globalised India on the path of privatization, print and electronic journalism has passed through many phases of ups and downs, which have not yet ended. The most prominent change is that journalism once regarded as a mission has now changed into a business or trade, a vocation like any other where commercialization has crept in. Journalists are no longer fighters for the rights of people; they are just mercenary writers, most of them canvassers for their employers. The stature of the ‘fourth estate’ (press/media) is now transformed into a trade with its own hierarchies and remuneration-based value systems; social commitment of the past is no longer an asset for a journalist or media professional. In the current situation, the press or the media in general are operated by businessmen for business goals, occasionally pleading for justice for the poor, but most of them ignoring the immense problems faced by the majority of the population. Are the media already on the path to become huge conglomerates all repeating the same types of news and creating a false reality? Does the motive of making huge profits through advertising, ‘paid news’ and ‘private treaties’ dominating the media world today? Have we, as a nation, lost our social concern and ethical values? Why is there so much talk about corruption among the people in private conversation but not in the columns of the newspapers or in the broadcast and telecast media? Have the media become business establishments with commercial dealings with both the government and private houses, not necessarily confined to this country, but ready to do business with similar institutions in any part of the globe? Is it the result of globalization? Do the media have special responsibilities to their own nation? How do the media behave in chain ownership, cross-media ownership, or any other type of ownership? What will be the result of that behaviour on the contents of the media products? Are the newspapers, radio, television, etc. to be treated as products generating huge profits for the investors who have an axe to grind? Are they justified in following practices particularly suitable to amass wealth in the hands of entrepreneurs who consider the media as a tool for enhancing their private and personal fiefdom and profit motives, rather than utilizing the columns and the visuals for helping government and non-government agencies in solving the burning problems facing the nation—economic backwardness of the majority, poverty, illiteracy and ill-health of almost 80 per cent of our 120 crores of people, illiteracy of almost half of our population, atrocities against the poor, socially weak and marginalized people, especially in the rural areas and discriminations and violations of human rights, including gender injustices? Rapid developments in technology in the last two decades have gradually transformed the media scenario and the image of journalism and journalists. The old days are gone for good—when journalists used pencils, notebooks and shorthand! But the scribes of old had plenty of concern for the poor. Quite often, today’s media people are using the electronic equipment in news gathering, recording, transmission and compilation of information—and that is a commendable and worthy practice. But there are ethical questions about the use of hidden cameras and pocket tape-recorders and surreptitious recording of events and personalities in such a manner that they are presented in a manner predesigned by the media worker in order to trap the interviewee or present the event to enhance the monetary gains of the unconscionable reporters, editors, publishers or proprietors. The Changing Scenario  Development in technology combined with growth in the number of newspaper readers resulting from the rising trend in literacy have led to the unprecedented growth in the number of newspapers and magazines and in their circulations. During 2011, seven out of the top ten English newspapers registered a growth in readership; five out of the top ten Hindi newspapers have shown a steady increase during the same period. Both Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar continue to lead the Hindi dailies with an all India readership of 164. 58 lakhs and 148. 79 lakhs, respectively (RNI 2011). Even daily circulation of some other Indian language newspapers is enviable when compared to newspaper growth globally. While circulation and readership increased, print advertisement has not lagged behind. Earlier, the English newspapers had almost 85 per cent of the advertisement revenue. Today, the figures have changed; the Indian language newspapers have started approaching towards an equal share of advertisement revenue with their English counterparts. Readers are now having options of wide variety to choose publications of their choice because of information available in the Internet. All the technological developments are not fully understood and there are still misconceptions among advertisers. (Singhvi: 2006) Advertisers in India are still looking at quantity rather than quality readership. Newspaper producers have taken the line that they can virtually give their ‘product’ free of charge or at nominal price, a small fraction of the actual cost. But once you have the big numbers, lots of advertising will come to you because the advertisers naturally gravitate towards big numbers. But is serving the advertisers the main goal of journalism? In a world of increasing globalization, the media have great potential. They can reach important information to their users, even in remote corners of the globe where it was really difficult to reach in the past. One of the most creditable achievements of the Indian press during the 1980s and 1990s was the spectacular growth in the regional press. Many factors contributed to this growth, the most important of which was the political alliance among regional parties in the formation of governments at the central and state levels. The trends set-up by Eenadu in Andhra Pradesh, Malayala Monorama in Kerala were highly remarkable. Among other factors the rise of literacy, better transportation, aggressive marketing strategies and increasing awareness among the masses about participation in political process contributed a lot in the changing scenario of print media in the country. The creation of the Panchyati Raj system at grassroots level has propagated the views of common people in creation of more stabilized democratic governance through free flow of information in regional and local press. Now over two-thirds of the regional press readers belong to small towns and rural areas. The innovation and changes in technology are re-defining the survival, growth and development of the Indian print media. Present day newspaper readers are not satisfied with the traditional way of news presentation, editorial inputs but something extra insight into what others have not reported. Pandey says that when she took over the editorship of the Delhi edition of Hindustan (a Hindi daily) it had a circulation of some 64,000 copies but just after two years the circulation grew to 4,25,000 copies. The reason for this increase was that ‘even earlier the paper had readers, but we could not reach them,’ says Pandey. ‘It is the same paper, the same printing press and the same staff even today. All that we have done is to pay more attention to the way in which news is coming in and the way in which it is collected. We take the opinion of the people and have discussions with them. ’ (Pandey: 2006) While technology increased the economic prosperity of the Indian press, there has been a perceptible and pernicious decline in standards. Sensationalism, trivialization and titillation are becoming the order of the day. Investigative journalism as sting operation has opened a new chapter which made the press to acquire a more powerful position and helped it to enhance the image of the press as a watchdog of the society. Unfortunately, investigative journalism has often been misused to settle personal scores or to tarnish the image or blackmail individuals. This aspect of the modern highly technologized press deserves a careful scrutiny for taking appropriate remedial measures. Conclusion The time has come to examine and evaluate the ethical aspects of our current media performance and personnel. How to challenge and shape the print media in the growing technologically competitive and globalized environment giving the utmost importance to the values of Indian society, tradition, culture and human rights and economic development issues. The press in India has always been at the forefront of national progress. The media institutions and professionals/journalists must be very sensitive to the country’s multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and socio-religious and plural status. They should always do such act in such a way that shapes and maintains equilibrium and tranquillity in society. Editors and owners of the media industry must pay attention to proper self-regulation that would ensure accountability, and lessen its dependence on advertising and marketing strategies, and the increasing commoditization of news. Newspaper owners and broadcast media managers must recognize that news is not a product. They must ensure that increase in readership or viewership is not attained at the cost of credibility. The undesirable and unethical practice of ‘paid news’ and ‘private treaties’ must end unconditionally. Journalists must have the right to express what they believe to be true, just and fair; this is not a right that should be compromised by profit-motives or commercial interests of an individual or organization. For this to happen, media workers have to assert their own economic independence, affinity for truth and above all their self-esteem

Design and Construction of the Museum of Acropolis

Since the 1970s, the Museum of Acropolis could non get by satisfactorily with the big crowds of visitants. The insufficiency of infinite caused jobs and downgraded the sense that it was achieved by the exposure of chef-d'oeuvres from the Acropolis Rock. Apart from the fact that the bing museum was deemed deficient to house and expose the celebrated findings of the Acropolis, it could non expose all the sculptures that were needfully moved from their place for the care work. For all these grounds, two architectural competitions took topographic point in 1976 and 1979, but without success. On March 12Thursday, 1989, Melina Mercouri initiated an international design competition that as Minister of Culture inextricably identified her policy with the demand for the return of the Elgin Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum. This competition was canceled after the disclosure of a big residential country at Makriyianni site, dating from Prehistoric to Byzantine times. The digging should be included in the New Museum. Bernard Tschumi faced a immense challenge, when he won the competition for the Acropolis Museum in Athens and he was called to plan a new landmark for the metropolis. Greece had been fighting to go portion of Europe in all possible ways ( politically, culturally, etc. ) since the ‘70s, and that museum would be the chief ally to back up this end. Grecian political system had since the really get downing focused its attempts on puting up a state that expresses the ideals of a European cultural heritage. The efforts to suit in the western society had started since the terminal of nineteenth century, after the declaration of independency from the Ottoman Empire, and during the period that followed there was a changeless attempt discard all the residues of East civilization. The purpose was to repossess the ancient yesteryear alternatively, and define national individuality and civilisation on that portion of history. Therefore, the remains of the Grecian antiquity became really of import in the defining of the province and society. The Museum of Acropolis is a political statement of Greece and an instrument for Grecian authorities to send on to western society a new national individuality. This is an individuality that promotes Grecian ancient heritage and preserves it in a high tech twenty-first century shell. Those elements combined, organize a clear position of how Grecian society wants to be perceived today. The purpose is to organize an substructure of equal value with Western Europe, of rich cultural civilisation and high engineering resources which are demonstrated on Tschumi ‘s museum. At this phase the writer would wish to clear up that this is an attempt to interpret and analyse the new Museum of Acropolis, non aesthetically and even more non from a personal point of position, but as a political and cultural statement of what Greek society is seeking to reflect and advance of Greece in the twenty-first century, to western Europe and globally. Significant location The site of New Acropolis Museum is the edifice block surrounded by Dionysius Areopagite, Makriyannis, Chatzichristou and Mitseon roads. As a consequence, visitants while researching the archeological sites of the environing countries are of course guided towards the museum, and unconsciously experience a connexion between the antediluvian and modern-day Greece. The land of the site has a smooth incline, about 8 % downward to the South, and portion of its surface is covered by public edifices, which due to its historical, architectural and morphological involvement have identified as monumental by the Ministry of Culture. Three architectural parametric quantities reverse the restrictions of the site, in a challenge to make a simple and precise museum uncovering the mathematical and limpid lucidity of ancient Greece the Light, the Movement and the Structure of the edifice. More than any other type of museums, the information of the new Archaeological Museum of Acropolis are based around the visible radiation. It is chiefly a museum of natural visible radiation with the cardinal intent of â€Å"the presence of sculpture† . The three chief stuffs of the museum isglass,which is used largely for frontages and some floors,concretefor the nucleus and columns andmarblefor some floors. The columns of the E and West facade and the Parthenon Gallery have been constructed from steel. There is a harmoniousness of proportion between the graduated table of the infinite that leads to the edifice and the graduated table of the edifice itself. Equivalent graduated tables of â€Å" emptiness † and of â€Å" non-emptiness † are developed in two axes, one horizontal and one vertical. If the edifice was losing the journey to the entryway, the whole feeling of the museum and particularly the first reaction to it, would be diametrically opposite. Now the visitant is prepared easy and phased into a whole experience which starts before come ining the museum. Monumental graduated table There is a relationship of volume between the New Museum of Acropolis and the Parthenon which is really noticeable when reading the site program, every bit good as when populating the part. In an country where the graduated table of environing edifices is much smaller, as the site is located in a domestic zone, those are the lone two elements that stand out, which both are of monumental graduated table. The ocular relationship to the Parthenon and the landscape On the degree between the Roman period exhibition and the Parthenon ‘s Gallery there is a communal infinite which includes a bookstore and a dining country. Right in forepart of the eating house a canopy unfolds, which is supported by â€Å" powerful columns † that define the chief entryway placed right below. The canopy extends from the edifice towards the antediluvian Rock of Acropolis. The position from the eating house ‘s balcony to the Parthenon is partially blocked because of two neoclassical edifices that stand in forepart of the museum. Tchumi ‘s planning includes the destruction of those which has caused a great field of argument for designers and critics in Greece. Some argue that the canopy is â€Å" absolutely positioned as if to pound into the demolition-endangered abodes and so onto the stone of the Acropolis itself † as Dr Alexandra Stara says in the Architectural Review, no. 1348, June 2009. Any solution to this quandary will be harmful merely to architectural creative activity. If the two preserved neoclassical edifices in Aeropagitou Street are demolished, Athens will lose two great pieces of its architectural heritage. If they are non, Tschumi ‘s coveted contradictions will non take topographic point and his architecture will non be completed. The portion of the museum that contains the most obvious political and cultural statement is the Parthenon gallery. It was a vision by Melina Merkouri, Greek actress and politician ( chief female Minister for Culture of Greece ) , who was the first individual to claim back the Parthenon marbles from the British authorities. Her dream was that the most impressive room of the new museum of Acropolis should remain empty until the marbles go back to Greece. The creative activity of this gallery opens once more the conversation between United Kingdom and Greece for the return of the marbles. The Parthenon Gallery is a representation of the temple including a big rectangular infinite where the carved marble panels that decorated the original are exposed. The marbles face the issue of heterotopia ( malposition or supplanting of a bodily organ ) , and the Parthenon gallery is designed by the designer with an evident purpose to make similar fortunes between the topographic point of displaced marbles and the existent location where they used to be displayed one time. Cost The building of the undertaking started at a cost of ˆ130 million in November 2004, and it was completed within the period of three old ages. The Ministry of Culture continued its most of import work ; the exposure of valuable and invaluable exhibits. The transportation of major exhibits to the museum began in the fall of 2008 and it was completed in May 2009. On June 20th, 2009 the Museum opened its Gatess to the citizens of the universe. Within one twelvemonth from the bright gap twenty-four hours, the new Acropolis Museum has made great feeling, with the figure of visitants making two million. However, it has outstanding issues such as non secured a fiscal independency, legislative acts and assortment of merchandises in the museum store. Harmonizing to Mr. D. Pantermalis, Director of the Construction of the New Acropolis Museum and subsequently Director of the Museum itself, The Acropolis Museum as a self-funded organisation is confronting fiscal jobs which struggles to be solves. With about 5.5 million income, the museum needs to cover the wages of 90 – 95 % of the staff and functional costs such as electricity, gas etc. which is about 1 Euros. As the Director of the Museum provinces, the economic crisis requires flexibleness and thoughtful version to enable the Museum to travel in front. Due to the economic crisis and the debt â€Å"haircut† the assets of the Museum have been reduced by 3 million Euros and among other things, this caused a long hold to the digging at the base of the Museum, something that it’s pending for the hereafter. Decisions The whole museum is a statement, a changeless statement of the coexistence of antediluvian with modern-day Greece. Tshcumi ‘s design makes the visitant experience a portion of a monumental piece of architecture, of import and alone, about as the Parthenon. This edifice offers Greece a new national individuality. It demonstrates and promotes what Greece is most proud of, the ancient Grecian civilisation. And all this is placed in one of the most of import technological accomplishments of our times. But the inquiry that remains is if the museum still expresses the same significances under the current economic crisis that Greece is traveling through. Mentionshypertext transfer protocol: //www.theacropolismuseum.gr/hypertext transfer protocol: //www.greekarchitects.gr/en/architectural-review/the-new-acropolis-museum-a-triumph-of-sophistry-id2431hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acropolis_Museumhypertext transfer protocol: //tschumi.com/projects/2/hypertext transfer protocol: //www.archdaily.com/61898/new-acropolis-museum-bernard-tschumi-architects/hypertext transfer protocol: //www.arcspace.com/features/bernard-tschumi-architects/new-acropolis-museum/hypertext transfer protocol: //www.melinamercourifoundation.org.gr/index.php? option=com_content & A ; view=article & A ; id=62 & A ; Itemid=114 & A ; lang=enhypertext transfer protocol: //www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/eu-funding-for-new-acropolis-museum-branded-inappropriate/ # .UxzcK_l_uRYhypertext transfer protocol: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=B6Ca21dCmhIImages

Simon Bolivar and the Battle of Boyaca

On August 7, 1819, Simà ³n Bolà ­var engaged Spanish General Josà © Marà ­a Barreiro in battle near the Boyaca River in present-day Colombia. The Spanish force was spread out and divided, and Bolà ­var was able to kill or capture almost all of the enemy combatants. It was the decisive battle for the liberation of New Granada (now Colombia). Bolivar and the Independence Stalemate in Venezuela In early 1819, Venezuela was at war: Spanish and Patriot generals and warlords were fighting each other all over the region. New Granada was a different story: there was an uneasy peace, as the populace was ruled with an iron fist by Spanish Viceroy Juan Josà © de Sà ¡mano from Bogota. Simon Bolivar, greatest of the rebel generals, was in Venezuela, dueling with Spanish General Pablo Morillo, but he knew that if he could just get to New Granada, Bogota was practically undefended. Bolivar Crosses the Andes Venezuela and Colombia are divided by a high arm of the Andes Mountains: parts of it are practically impassible. From May to July of 1819, however, Bolivar led his army over the pass of Pà ¡ramo de Pisba. At 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), the pass was extremely treacherous: deadly winds chilled the bones, snow and ice made footing difficult, and ravines claimed pack animals and men to falls. Bolivar lost a third of his army in the crossing, but made it to the western side of the Andes in early July, 1819: the Spanish at first had no idea he was there. Battle of Vargas Swamp Bolivar quickly regrouped and recruited more soldiers from the eager population of New Granada. His men engaged the forces of young Spanish general Josà © Marà ­a Barreiro at the battle of Vargas Swamp on July 25: it ended in a draw, but showed the Spanish that Bolà ­var had arrived in force and was headed for Bogota. Bolivar moved quickly to the town of Tunja, finding supplies and weapons meant for Barreiro. Royalist Forces at the Battle of Boyaca Barreiro was a skilled general who had a trained, veteran army. Many of the soldiers, however, had been conscripted from New Granada and doubtless there were some whose sympathies were with the rebels. Barreiro moved to intercept Bolivar before he could reach Bogota. In the vanguard, he had some 850 men in the elite Numancia battalion and 160 skilled cavalry known as dragoons. In the main body of the army, he had about 1,800 soldiers and three cannons. The Battle of Boyaca Begins On August 7, Barreiro was moving his army, trying to get into position to keep Bolivar out of Bogota long enough for reinforcements to arrive. By the afternoon, the vanguard had gone ahead and crossed the river at a bridge. There they rested, waiting for the main army to catch up. Bolà ­var, who was much closer than Barreiro suspected, struck. He ordered General Francisco de Paula Santander to keep the elite vanguard forces occupied while he hammered away at the main force. A Stunning Victory It worked out even better than Bolivar had planned. Santander kept the Numancia Battalion and Dragoons pinned down, while Bolivar and General Anzoà ¡tegui attacked the shocked, spread-out main Spanish army. Bolà ­var quickly surrounded the Spanish host. Surrounded and cut off from the best soldiers in his army, Barreiro quickly surrendered. All told, the royalists lost more than 200 killed and 1,600 captured. The patriot forces lost 13 killed and about 50 wounded. It was a total victory for Bolà ­var. On to Bogotà ¡ With Barreiro’s army crushed, Bolà ­var quickly made for the city of Santa fà © de Bogotà ¡, where Viceroy Juan Josà © de Sà ¡mano was the ranking Spanish official in Northern South America. The Spanish and royalists in the capital panicked and fled in the night, carrying all they could and leaving their homes and in some cases family members behind. Viceroy Sà ¡mano himself was a cruel man who feared the retribution of the patriots, so he, too quickly departed, dressed as a peasant. Newly-converted â€Å"patriots† looted the homes of their former neighbors until Bolà ­var took the city unopposed on August 10, 1819, and restored order. Legacy of the Battle of Boyaca The Battle of Boyacà ¡ and capture of Bogotà ¡ resulted in a stunning checkmate for Bolà ­var against his enemies. In fact, the Viceroy had left in such haste that he even left money in the treasury. Back in Venezuela, the ranking royalist officer was General Pablo Morillo. When he learned of the battle and the fall of Bogotà ¡, he knew the royalist cause was lost. Bolà ­var, with the funds from the royal treasury, thousands of possible recruits in New Granada and undeniable momentum, would soon sweep back into Venezuela and crush any royalists still there. Morillo wrote to the King, desperately begging for more troops. 20,000 soldiers were recruited and were to be sent, but events in Spain prevented the force from ever departing. Instead, King Ferdinand sent Morillo a letter authorizing him to negotiate with the rebels, offering them some minor concessions in a new, more liberal constitution. Morillo knew the rebels had the upper hand and would never agree, but tried anyway. Bolà ­var, sensing the royalist desperation, agreed to a temporary armistice but pressed the attack. Less than two years later, the royalists would once again be defeated by Bolà ­var, this time at the Battle of Carabobo. This battle marked the last gasp of organized Spanish resistance in northern South America. The Battle of Boyacà ¡ has gone down in history as one of the greatest of Bolà ­vars many triumphs. The stunning, complete victory broke the stalemate and gave Bolà ­var an advantage he never lost.

The Culture Of The And The Tempest By William Shakespeare

The culture of a space has a powerful influence on the people inhabiting that space, an influence that alters inhabitants to varying degrees. Through the writings of Kant, Montaigne, and Shakespeare–in particular their works What is Enlightenment?, Of Cannibals, and The Tempest, respectively–this idea of cultural influence is able to take shape. Culture is something that all people carry with them, pieces of places and people they have known and groups to which they have been a member. The natural state of people is twisted by culture until there default worldview is changed as if looking through a bias lens. All people carry with them a view of normalcy that is a product of their environments. Montaigne presents this argument about culture’s creation of a bias lens in Of Cannibals. The reader is forced to acknowledge that a view of barbarism stems from what is unfamiliar. Cannibalism is not a norm of the reader’s culture, and as such the reader is forced to question why cannibalism appears so barbaric when compared with the atrocities of their own culture. The familiarity of the evil that is known is what makes that evil appear less barbaric. In reality, and as Montaigne helps his reader to see, the forms of torture that are familiar to the reader are no less indecent than the cannibalistic society, but the culture that practices cannibalism seems uncivilized because to the reader because cannibalism is something taboo in their culture. Societal structures and norm create aShow MoreRelatedComparing The Cultures of The Tempest and Ours in The Tempest by William Shakespeare894 Words   |  4 PagesComparing The Cultures of The Tempest and Ours in The Tempest b y William Shakespeare All men are created equal is one of the declarations that American culture is built on. 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The Lion King, Beauty And The Beast, And Sleeping Beauty

Historical children s tales have been the basis of every person’s childhood for years. These stories, however, do have original versions that should be analyzed when researching the true meanings of these children s stories. Walt Disney portrays children s tales as a simple, fun form of entertainment, but the original stories reveal the bigger truths, changes, and adversities of these children books. The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty are three of the many children s stories that have controversial backgrounds. No matter the time frame, these stories have their differences, but strangely enough have more than plenty similarities. Mid-1994, Walt Disney Pictures released what could arguably be one of the best animated features of all time, The Lion King. The original story however, was written by one of the most famous literary artists still to this day, William Shakespear. The work of Disney s The Lion King parallels none other than one of Shakesphear†™s most prized literary works, The Tragedy of Hamlet. The film shadows this work so closely, that the resemblances between the main characters themselves are wildly apparent. Even with a four hundred year gap these two stories resemble each other to a high degree and definitely make their mark on past and future generations. In The Lion King and in The Tragedy of Hamlet, both of the main families are royal and considered the highest in the land. Simba is the main character in The Lion King, he isShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of A Fable And Tortoise And The Hare 2287 Words   |  10 Pagesthat taught me a horrible life lessons verses the classic moral Aesop’s was intending us to learn. We commence with the movie The Lion King. The moral lesson that was portrayed by Walt Disney in this animal tale of a movie was: In order to be successful, sometimes people have got to die. We all know Simba was going to succeed his father, Mufasa, as the next Lion King. But fate rained down on poor little Simba when his dear old dad got trampled to death by a wildebeest stampede caused by the evilRead MoreAdverse Influence of Disney Movies on the Younger Generation2049 Words   |  9 Pagesportray these values. Many of the Disney Classics that our generation has grown to know and love have exposed children to many bad values. Classics such as: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Pocahontas display lessons not suitable for those of the younger years. In short, Disney movies have a bad influence on the younger generation by exposing them to subliminal messages, rac ist valuesRead MoreAll s Not Well And Land Of The Lion King 1450 Words   |  6 Pages In the article â€Å"All’s Not Well In Land Of â€Å"‘The Lion King’†, Lazarus discusses how the movie: â€Å"The Lion King† negatively portrays society to children by using racism, homophobia, and social inequality. In American culture, racism and homophobia are both very common and controversial. Discrimination in today’s society is not primarily associated This essay is not completely effective because children do not yet understand social concepts and she did not have enough reasons to back up some of herRead MoreAll s Not Well And The Land Of The Lion King 1452 Words   |  6 Pages In the article â€Å"All’s Not Well In The Land Of â€Å"‘The Lion King’†, Lazarus discusses how the movie: â€Å"The Lion King† negatively portrays a society to children by using racism, homophobia, and social inequality. In American culture, racism and homophobia are both very common and controversial. Discrimination in today’s society is not primarily associated This essay is not completely effective because children do not yet understand social concepts and she did not have enough reasons to back up some ofRead MoreWaking Sleeping Beauty : The Lion King Vs. Disney928 Words   |  4 Pageshurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it,† explains Rafiki, the wise baboon from The Lion King, to Simba, a young cub, in order to teach him a valuable lesson: to use other peoples’ mistakes to avoid making the same ones; when people reflect on their past and are willing to confront the mistakes head on, they can be very successful. Waking Sleeping Beauty, directed by Don Hahn, gives viewers an inside look from 1984 to 1994 when Disney reached the peak of â€Å"The DisneyRead MoreWaking Sleeping Beauty Analysis939 Words   |  4 Pageshurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it,† explains Rafiki, the wise baboon from The Lion King, to Simba, a young cub, in order to teach him a valuable lesson: to use other peoples’ mistakes to avoid making the same ones; when people reflect on their past and are willing to confront the mistakes head on, they can be very successful. Waking Sleeping Beauty, directed by Don Hahn, gives viewers an inside look from 1984 to 1994 when Disney reached the peak of â€Å"The DisneyRead MoreThe Correlation Between A Fable And The Ant And Tortoise1781 Words   |  8 Pagesat Disney movies that taught us horrible life lessons verses the classic moral Aesop’s was intending us to learn. Let’s start with by looking at the Lion King. I don’t really think Disney was trying to portray the message to be successful, sometimes people got to die. We all know Simba was going to succeed his father, Mufasa, as the next Lion King. But fate spit in poor little Simba s face, when his dear old dad got trampled to death by wildebeests. And we all know that Mufasa s death was reallyRead More Animal Influences in Paleolithic, Egyptian and Greek Art Essay1428 Words   |  6 PagesPaleolithic, Egyptian and Greek Art There are numerous ways in which animals have resonated within the human mind. Throughout history there have been representations ranging from the realistic, to myths, legends, symbols, and even horrific murderous beasts; at the same time providing fascinating perspectives of our own humanity. Various forms of art have conveyed ideas and concepts of animal’s intelligence, as well as behavior, from generation to generation. Animal art is used as a tool to makeRead MoreCharacteristics Of Disney Movies906 Words   |  4 Pagesentertaining for the younger audience even older audiences. Another example of talking non-humans is in the movie The Lion King - talking animals. They communicate just like humans do which makes the movie relatables and understandable for the younger audience which would be another factor how a movie is great. Last example for a non-human speaking movie is Beauty and The Beast. In this movie the beast and non-organic items talk. This makes the movie orginal, because after that other movies started copying andRead MoreHow Does Disney Movies Alter A Child s Perception1984 Words   |  8 Pagesfiction and not real life scenarios for young children. ` How does Disney Movies Alter a Child’s Perception What’s your favorite Disney movie? Walt Disney is well known for their animated children movies. From Beauty and The Beast to their most recent movie Princess and the Frog, many children grow up watching Disney movies. While watching these movies many people probably never thought of Disney movies as being stereotypical or racial, but as one continues their education

Adventures Of Huck Finn And History Essay Example For Students

Adventures Of Huck Finn And History Essay The world in which we live in now is much less oppressive than say the world lived in the middle of the 1800s. Up until the Civil War, the South depended on their peculiar institution of slavery, in order to be productive a successful. Most people believed slavery was not wrong, but those who thought otherwise seldom tried to alter it. In general if surrounded by oppressive environment, one does not usually try to make a difference in that world. This is because people are afraid to defend what is right against a whole mass of people who believe otherwise. Huck Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Billy Budd in Billy Budd, and Frederick Douglass in his autobiography all portray individuals who because of their good, innocent qualities go up against the oppression in their society. Living in an oppressive society does not always draw you to do the wrong thing you are still capable of generating change, whether it be for a certain individual or against a whole mass of people. Billy Budd starts off on the ship the Rights of Man, Melville obviously showing his intent in the naming of the first ship. This shows that on this ship where Billy wanted to be and chose to be he had rights. That he and the other crew had choices of what to do and how to be. Then along comes the British navy and decides that they are going to take Billy aboard their ship Power of War. This is when Billy is brought into an oppressive society. This is the navy and wartime during which rules must be followed as well as a lifestyle that must be followed. Billy is a poor innocent boy with a childish stutter. This stutter shows Billys humane side, a flaw, as well as leading you to the thinking that he has the innocence of a child. This stutter is connected to innocence because of its childish qualities. When most children begin speaking they have some sort of stutter, which usually goes away. The stutter parallels innocence because it is showing that you are just learning how to talk and dont really comprehend the correct way to make sounds, as you grow older you learn and the stutter disappears. Like innocence you are born with it, but as you grow older you usually are not portrayed as innocent any longer. Billy is like the premature kid who still has both his stutter and his innocence. Billy is introduced to many people aboard his new ship and is confronted by John Claggart. In this movie Claggart is the one who Billy must actually go up against. Being in an oppressive society and Claggart being the master Billy is forced to listen to Claggart. Although he tries to avoid him he is nevertheless confronted by him. Claggart and Billy are totally opposite in character. Claggart is an evil man who is out to get Billy whereas Billy is a sweet innocent young man who tries to help others. It is these two opposite traits that eventually lead to the death of both of these men. Billy tries to avoid Claggart because he has heard of his evil and does not want to deal with it. It is until he hears of Claggarts accusations that he is involved in a mutiny that he confronts him leading to the deathblow, which Billy delivers to Claggart. Captain Vere now holds a court to determine Billys consequences. Captain Vere is torn here between doing the right thing morally and doing the right thing legally, and in the end he realizes he has sworn to uphold the law and does just that. Billy did indeed kill a higher officer and according to the laws must be sentenced death. On the other hand, Billy was sticking up for himself. Captain Veres legal side wins the battle; Billy is condemned and hanged. Billys hanging meant a lot. It tore the officers among themselves, most saying Billy was justified in his actions therefore should not be punished to the extent of death. This makes a difference in the whole issue of oppression aboard this ship. We now know that the officers, while usually acting inhumane, actually do have a humane side and are capable of being in touch with that side when needed. Billy changes the society by killing Claggart because now no one aboard the ship will have to deal with his evilness again, although Billy and his goodness did not prevail in this oppressive society the lasting effects of his actions will. By killing Claggart he has forcefully removed all of the evil, except Squeek, aboard this ship. During the trial we are shown Captain Veres human side with his struggle to decide which is more important moral or legal. While most would agree that he should have gone with his moral side one realizes that Captain Vere is not evil. He is the medium between Billy who is the best end of good and Claggart who is as evil as it gets. When being hanged Billy yells out God bless Captain Vere, which shows until the end he was still good and makes Captain Vere feel awful, it was now too late to save poor Billy Budd. Billys doing this may have forever changed Captain Vere into making the right decision next time, one can only speculate. Billy was just a boy oppressed onto a ship that he didnt want to be on, but Frederick Douglass was born a black man in the south, a society raging with slavery. And like Fredierick Douglass he was living in an oppressive society and managed to initiate change among the oppressive society. Frederick Douglass was born a black man into pre-Civil war southern society. On January 1, 1834 his master, Master Thomas ordered Douglass, to go to a man named Covey. The Roses of Eyam by Don Taylor EssayHis sympathetic and hurtful side is shown when Buck dies later in the novel Huck cries because of how good Buck was to him before he died. Huck and Jim are both alike in that they are both superstitious. This is shown even before they run away when Huck goes to Jim in order for Jim to read his future through the hairball. The first real sign of human relationship on the raft trip is when Huck and Jim stay up all night talking, about moral issues in particular. During this time Huck tries to out reason Jim several times. Then there comes a fight in their friendship. When they are on the raft and they get stuck in fog and Jim falls asleep. When he is awakened Huck pretends they never got separated and that it was a dream on Jims part. When Jim finally realizes it is not a dream but in fact what really happened he gets very mad at Huck and calls him trash leading Huck to apologize. By Huck apologizing for this incident you see that Huck is beginning to look at Jim as a person because he would not apologize to just a piece of property, for property has no feelings and you would need not apologize to something that has no feelings. Huck also notes that Jim must be human to a level when he talks about his family. While Huck doesnt think it is right Jim wants to free his family because they are someone elses property, he still notices that Jim has a family and wants to be with them. The king and the duke are the people who push Jim to act more human than Huck thinks he is. This is because they push Jim to a point when he really starts to suffer. When Huck sees Jim suffering because of the duke and the king he realizes that Jim really is human. Jim says Dese is all I kin stan' showing that he cant take the king anymore. He doesnt think the duke is as bad as the king is. And the king and the duke are the two people who bring the raft trip to an end. After they sold Jim Huck thinks it would have been better for him to have returned him to Miss Watson in the beginning where he knew Jim would be treated better than at some other plantations. Huck knows that society would look down upon him for helping Jim to escape and while Huck realizes Jim is a human it does not change his view of blacks in general. When he tells Aunt Sally that nobody is hurt saying. Nom. Killed a nigger. This shows that while Huck has realized that Jim is not property, but human that it does no apply to all blacks, just to Jim. You understand that Huck sees Jim as a person especially since hell go to hell before he will betray Jim and turn him in. Huck is very surprised that Tom Sawyer is going to help free Jim, when in reality Tom already knew Jim was freed and was doing this stuff to a freed slave, while Jim gives up his freedom in order to help Tom when he gets shot in the leg. By this time Huck already knows of Jims humanness and that is why he tries to help him out of the Phelps plantation. Huck overcomes societys evilness towards blacks in one situation. Although he lives in a society who hates blacks he doesnt necessarily do the wrong thing because of what society says. While Jim got his freedom in the end because of Miss Watson freeing him Huck still tried to help him overcome the societys oppression against Jim. In all three of these instances Billy Budd, Frederick Douglass, and Huck Finn all try to overcome oppression of a society. In Budds case it was not a huge force such as slavery was in the south, but he still had to overcome his own local oppression. Budd killed the real evil on his ship allowing for a better lifestyle for the remaining crewmembers. He also brought reality and morality to a higher level for the officers and Captain Vere, which may have changed them forever and this would not happen again. In Douglass life he overcame oppression for himself and by doing that he tried to help all of those who were affected negatively by the institution of slavery. He ran away; thus, releasing himself from the oppressive nature of the south and after doing so he became an abolitionist trying to help others become like him and be freed. In Huck Finn Huck goes against all of what he knows in society to help Jim runaway. After finally realizing that Jim was human and that he should not give him back Huck does everything in his power to help Jim runaway. Hucks innocence and good heartedness show through even when society would judge him wrong. Huck overcame societys oppression towards blacks for himself because he realized that Jim was a person and not a piece of property. Oppressive societies still remain in todays world although not nearly as prevalent or as torturous as they were in the days of Billy, Frederick, Huck, and Jim. These characters can motivate one to show that you against a large oppressive society can, alone, make a difference. It may be only a small difference to one or two individuals, but any progress one can make is helpful.

Political corruption free essay sample

Many political leaders, especially in Africa, are known to engage in financial malpractice involving public funds meant for the communities they represent. The few people who run the resources of a country end up abusing the resources. These resources that are supposed to be channeled to develop infrastructure or educate the citizens end up being misused, misapplied or misappropriated by those entrusted to bring development. For example in Zambia, Constituent Development Funds (CDF) have been diverted by Members of Parliament to their personal use. There is no doubt that financial malpractice by leaders is a stumbling block to meaningful development in any country. One would not expect leaders in a democratic society like Zambia to embezzle funds meant for the welfare and development of their communities. According to Acemoglu and Robinson, this kind of behaviour by leaders is only possible in autocratic regimes. They argue that democracy makes this kind of theft difficult to accomplish and to conceal for two reasons. We will write a custom essay sample on Political corruption or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Firstly, the formal institutions of government such as the legislature constrain the behaviour of leaders. Secondly, popular participation in the process of government ensures that elected leaders are accountable to the citizenry. In a truly democratic society, there will be honesty, fairness, responsibility and accountability to and for each other (Djokoto and Chama: 2006). However, in most democratic societies, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, leaders can misuse, misapply or misappropriate community funds without the affected citizens raising any serious queries against the culprits. The citizens seem to be indifferent to such occurrences. Their silence or indifference could be a result of either not caring about what goes on around them politically or just being unaware of such things happening. This essay will attempt to explain why citizens do not raise any serious queries against their leaders when they misuse, misapply or misappropriate funds meant for their communities. This essay will begin by defining democracy and give the meanings of the words misuse, misapply and misappropriate. It will then try to explain why the affected citizens do not query their leaders when they abuse community funds. Finally, it will conclude. Democracy is a word with many meanings. Sir Stafford Cripps defines democracy as a system of government in which every adult citizen is equally free to express his or her views and desires upon all subjects in whatever way he or she wishes and to influence the majority of his fellow citizens to decide according to those views and to influence those desires. H. B. Mayo defines a democratic political system as one in which public policies are made on a majority basis by representatives subject to effective popular control at periodic elections which are conducted on the principle of political equality and under conditions of political freedom (Mahajan 1988:794). Democracy is usually understood as majority rule and the holding of regular elections. But if it has to work effectively, it must include active participation by all citizens and a conscious awareness of both rights and responsibilities (Mbewe 2012:16-17). According to the Macmillan English Dictionary, the word misuse means to use something in a wrong way or for the wrong purpose. To misapply is to use something in a wrong or illegal way. Misappropriation means to take for oneself money that one is responsible for but does not belong to them. One of the primary challenges of some democratic societies such as Zambia is the lack of leaders who vie for political office with the goal of serving the people, instead of themselves. During election campaigns, aspiring leaders give false information to people. They promise them of things they fail to give them after elections. This has been the tradition in the Zambian politics. Once voted for, the leaders become part of the rich while the poor Zambians remain cut off. They will invite rich people to dine with him at their newly acquired mansions while the poor who are the majority voters remain poor if not poorer. To host rich people, these politicians will need to have huge sums of money. They also need money to afford their newly acquired status. These people will shun the services in the country; they will send their children to private schools, or to schools abroad. They will seek medical advice outside the country and they will buy their clothes from outside the country. With the above behaviour little or no attention will be paid to improving the services they will never access or to improve the conditions of those who voted for them. Since most of the politicians in poor democratic societies have financially humble backgrounds, where do they get such monies? Records show that it is easy to steal public money in most African countries. The Auditor-General’s report on the Zambian government accounts shows how public funds have been stolen in Zambia. Weaknesses in accounting and revenue collection make it easier for public servants to steal huge sums of public money. At times, the money is not stolen but just misapplied. For example, a forensic audit of Solwezi District Council books by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) for the financial year ending 31 December 2004 revealed glaring financial irregularities. The auditor’s report showed that the K168 million grant given to the municipal authority with instructions that 70 percent of the money be spent on social services went towards salaries, allowances for councilors and cell phones for chief officers. Only 25 percent of the money went towards social services (op cit Djokoto and Chama). An example of a case of misappropriation of public funds by a leader is one in which a former Defence Minister in the Chiluba administration was found guilty by the Lusaka High Court for using CDF for his campaign during the 2001 elections (ibid). The minister was never jailed but lost his ministerial appointment. Despite such rampant financial malpractices by leaders, the citizens who are deprived of the funds and other amenities fail to raise any serious queries against such leaders. In most cases, revelations about misuse or misappropriation of community funds have been largely driven by the private media. Sometimes, the greatest pressure on government leaders to be accountable for their actions has come from the international media and Western donors. Anti-corruption campaigners such as Transparency International (TI) and other interest groups have also been involved in the fight against abuse of public funds. Through their activism they try to amplify the weak voice of the poor citizens in keeping political leaders in check. However, this is not easy. The constant struggle by these interest groups to hold leaders accountable for their expenditure of public funds cannot be won without the greater involvement of the affected citizens (ibid). Unfortunately, citizens in these societies are just not angry enough. They seem not to care about what happens to the community funds meant to improve their livelihoods. Their indifference to financial malpractices by their leaders does not help the situations at all. As a matter of fact, it increases their already high levels of poverty and widens the gap between the rich and poor. To understand why affected citizens do not take any serious steps against their leaders when they embezzle public funds, there is need to understand the political awareness of the majority of citizens and their involvement in public issues, whether the political system gives a voice to the poor or not, and the way government agencies charged with the responsibility of handling such cases respond to citizens’ grievances. There are quite a number of reasons why citizens choose to keep quiet about the wrongs committed by their leaders. As we try to look at some of these reasons, there is need to understand that people have different levels of awareness with regard to what happens in their communities. There are those that are aware of the situation prevailing in their communities and those that are not. Those that are aware may try to voice their concerns through whatever means are available to them, but their voice will not be heard because it is not strong enough. The reason is that they are just a small minority of the affected citizenry. At times this is made worse by the fact that among this group there may be others who also benefit from the plunder of their community resources by way of receiving gifts or bribes from their community leaders. These will be unwilling to divulge any malpractice by their leaders because they fear losing their extra source of income, which is the bribes they receive to remain silent about the misuse, misappropriation or misapplication of community resources by the leaders. These may even try to protect such erring leaders by hiding whatever information they may know about such happenings to investigative agencies. The other group comprises those that are unaware or have just decided not to participate in such matters, and these are the majority. The majority of citizens are usually not well informed about public issues because of the general lack of information about such issues, especially about government spending policies. For example, in Zambia, there is no community involvement in the budgetary process at whatever level. At community level, there are no access points for ordinary citizens to participate in the budgetary process. The budgeting is done by officials and leaders. Participation of citizens in the budget process is inhibited by lack of access to information on both the national and community budget processes (http://info. worldbank. org/governance/wgi/index. asp). Although citizens may not play a direct role in the preparation process of the budget, they can contribute by fostering leaders’ accountability through positive engagement in monitoring of the implementation of the community projects. If the information about community projects being funded is readily available and understood by citizens, they can easily ask questions when planned projects are not implemented. Unfortunately, this does not happen even in some democratic societies. As a result, leaders continue to misuse, misapply or misappropriate community funds and get away with it because citizens are not aware of the malpractices being committed by their leaders. This can be prevented or lessened by availing citizens with all the necessary information pertaining to projects planned in their communities and how the allotted funds are to be used. Another reason why affected citizens fail to complain against the financial malpractices committed by leaders in their communities is the negative or unfavourable response by government agencies and investigative agencies charged with responsibility to deal with such cases. It appears that the government or political statements are, in most cases, not matched by action. For example, in 2005, a former Health Ministry permanent secretary was accused by the Task Force on Economic Plunder of misusing public funds. As he had openly voiced his support for the President, the latter ordered the chief prosecutor to drop the case. However, the prosecutor refused and ultimately managed to secure a conviction (http://www. freedomhouse. org/template. cfm? ). What this implies is that the citizens lose confidence in the ability of the responsible government agencies to ably handle their complaints without undue influence from higher offices. There have also been cases, for instance in Zambia, where the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had given consent to prosecute some government officials but the government has interfered to protect the accused from being prosecuted. People accused of abusing public resources are allowed to remain members of the ruling party. Such inconsistencies erode the credibility of the government’s stance in fighting such vices and make citizens lose confidence in the government. As a result, citizens begin to feel that even if they complained very little or nothing at all would be done by the government to correct the situation. This is a good reason for citizens to keep quiet and not complain against their leaders when they misuse, misapply or misappropriate community funds (ibid). In conclusion, it can be said that the citizens’ tendency to remain silent despite widespread acts of financial misconduct by the leaders is mainly due to fear by the affected citizens to lose the financial and material support they receive from the culprits because when leaders steal community funds, they bribe a few members of the community to buy their silence and loyalty. The other reasons are the lack of information pertaining to expenditure of public funds, and the unfavourable response by the responsible government agencies in handling issues of financial malpractice by leaders after receiving complaints from concerned citizens. In order for citizens to become willing, informed and effective participants in issues of democracy and good governance, they must be minimally taught to understand good governance and democratic principles and virtues and in the process begin to practice democracy and good governance themselves.