Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the book, "The Prince," written by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specifically, it discusses the disadvantages of being defenseless or helpless in the face of attack according to Machiavelli's writing. The paper analyzes his argument that defense is entirely necessary for a successful nation and a successful ruler and that defenselessness only leads to weakness and commonality.
From the Paper "In conclusion, defenselessness is simply another word for the suicide of a nation. A nation that does not engage in active defense is a nation without leadership and strength. A leader who is afraid to defend his nation is a leader who will not succeed. The dream of peace is a noble dream, but leaders who succumb to dreams of peace without the reality of a defense strategy will only lead their nations to failure and submission. Dreams are wonderful for philosophers, but they do not create the defense necessary to keep a nation and her citizens safe from harm. As long as there is evil in the world, there will be aggression and the need for a strong defense. A leader who does not recognize that is not really a leader, but a murderer, leaving his citizens open to the aggression and destruction of others. War is a reality, and so is the defense of any successful nation."
This paper analyzes a specific fight sequence from Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" (1980), which is based on champion middleweight boxer Jake La Motta's tragic autobiography.
1,985 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 0 sources, 2007, $ 63.95
Abstract This paper explains that, in Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull", Jake La Motta (Robert DeNiro) is constantly at odds with himself and with the people around him. The author points out Scorsese's use of the formal elements of film making to convey the visceral nature of what it is like to be in the ring and even to be one of the fighters during a fight. The paper describes, scene by scene, a pivotal sequence, the second fight between Jake La Motta and Sugar Ray Robinson, which demonstrates this visceral effect through lighting and composition for mise en scene, camera work for cinematography, editing and sound. The paper concludes that, in this sequence, Scorsese effectively plays with time, framing, light and sound to create feelings of defenselessness and power, victory and shame, during and after a pivotal and crucial fight.
From the Paper "The first shot of the sequence begins as a handheld, high angled close-up on Sugar Ray Robinson's feet, dancing and shifting about in the ring. We hear a commentator on the stadium speakers, and the cheering crowd as La Motta's feet enter the frame. A title appears in the bottom center of the frame: "La Motta vs Sugar Ray Robinson Detroit 1943" in true 1940s television style. The camera rises (or tilts) up to reveal the back torso of La Motta and Robinson in front of him, ready to fight. Then we see a medium close-up of Robinson, over La Motta's left shoulder."
Tags:defenselessness power close-up lighting, mise en scene
An analysis of two books which deal with ecofeminism - "The Death of Nature" by Caroline Merchant and "The Power and the Promise of Ecological Feminism" by Karen Warren.
Abstract This essay provides a critical summary and response of the books "The Death of Nature" and "The Power and the Promise of Ecological Feminism" . The paper summarizes the main argument of each ecofeminism author. The response argues the position that nature is defenseless matter and thus subject to human domination and that women and men should be viewed as complementary of one another rather than oppositional.
From the Paper "The book "The Death of Nature" by Caroline Merchant seeks to explain the historic correlation between the supremacy of nature and women. Merchant asserts that the scientific revolution fashioned a society that perpetuates a mechanistic view of nature rather than an organic view of a feminine natural world that was in existence before the revolution. The former views nature as inert matter that is subject to human domination, while the latter view emphasizes mutual existence between the environment and human beings. (Armitage on Merchant?s; Death of Nature)"
Explores the issue of inequality for women and how this issue is reflected in three well-known pieces of literature: "Othello"; "A Doll's House"; and "Trifles".
Abstract This paper takes a look at Shakespeare's "Othello", Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", and Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" and shows how each focuses on the issue of inequality for women. The paper explains how each piece of literature can be seen as a dramatized argument for the equality of women in male-dominated societies.
From the Paper "Shakespeare's play "Othello" is mainly a play about deception, where Iago deceives Othello as a means of seeking revenge. This then also becomes a play about women because Iago chooses to deceive Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona is having an affair. As Iago begins his plan of deception, Othello becomes consumed by jealousy. This continues to the point where Othello suffocates his wife. One of the interesting aspects of the play is that Othello never looks to his wife to determine what is happening. Instead, he believes what Iago is saying and looks for proof of the affair. This shows a general lack of trust toward women. This also shows that the relationship between man and woman is not an open one based on equality and honest communication. If the relationship was like this, Othello would approach his wife and ask her about the suspected affair."
Abstract This paper discusses the complicated issue of abortion. The paper reviews the two perspectives of feminism and nursing, each offering guidelines for decisions related to abortion. In addition, the College of Nurses suggests particularism in its guidelines for ethical behavior, abortion involves killing. The paper reports that according to Savulescu "abortion is the killing of a fetus...the fetus is deprived of a future of value". Kavanaugh holds that abortion is a massive violation of human rights and is the murder of a defenseless human being. The paper further discusses how issue of abortion can be defined as one between the rights of the fetus and those of the mother.
Abstract This paper discusses shaken baby syndrome (SBS) including what type of person would cause it and what mental issues they might have. It also looks at the possible consequences to the baby and what people can do to prevent this syndrome. The paper explains that shaken baby syndrome is a serious form of child abuse and a growing problem in America today. The paper highlights how understanding some of the characteristics of the abuser can help social workers and healthcare professionals to identify potential abusers. The paper concludes that professionals and families working together can recognize and prevent shaken baby syndrome and thereby save the lives of innocent and defenseless children.
From the Paper "The syndrome is extremely dangerous because the size of the attacker greatly outweighs the size of the victim, which means they can inflict serious damage very quickly, and that medical personnel can overlook it if they are not careful. One author gives a graphic illustration of the danger of this abuse. He writes, "To give you some sense of proportion about how violent this shaking is, research now shows that a child falling from a third-story window has about a 1 percent chance of dying while in SBS there is a 25 percent risk of death (Parker, 2004). However, many experts see the syndrome as mostly an accident by parents or caregivers, who do not have a sense of how hard they are really shaking the child, and/or do not understand how much harm they can do."
Abstract In this paper, the author examines the painting "Armenian Genocide" that depicts the massacre of a group of Armenian women and children by a group of what is assumed to be Turkish soldiers. The writer discusses the assumption that apparent wealth and moral values go together. By analyzing the picture and the various scenes depicted in it, he contends that this assumption is false and that having great wealth does not, in itself, guarantee high moral values.
From the Paper "All of the swords have blood on them. These people were being murdered in brutal ways. We might even suspect from this picture that there was very little resistance from the women, and they were still murdered. Toward the left center of the picture it looks like there is a head of hair, probably a dead Armenian woman. Toward the very right there is another body lying on the ground with a man jabbing a sword downward at it with enormous force. The person on the ground looks like they might be tied up. There is some kind of rope around their ankles and wrists. If this is the case, they are completely defenseless. It's hard to imagine these Turkish men attacking a group much weaker than them and not even armed.
"It seems like the women in this picture have very little. They don't seem very materialistic compared to the men attacking them. The men are wearing very elaborate clothing and hats. Some of the men here even have more than one weapon. The women all look surprised and terrified. They seem distressed, almost as though they don't understand why this is all happening. We know that the reason for the dispute was a religion difference, but there is an evident distinction between the social classes as well. The Turkish were Muslim and the Armenians were Christian. It seems, however, in today's society that the Armenians would be called the "working class" from the interpretation of this picture. The Armenians look poor in this picture, but are far more moral than the Turkish."
