Key Aspects of Surrealism Inaugurated by Max Ernst

Key Aspects of Surrealism Inaugurated by Max Ernst Amrit Johal, 301102319 FPA 111: D109 (Anna-Marie) Research Essay, Fall 2010 Max Ernst, an inventive artist and one of the pioneers of the Surrealist movement, was able to project the ideas of Surrealism to his audience in a very efficient manner. Surrealism is a discipline, which allows one to think like a child and create art that brings you to a dream-like state.Ernst was able to accomplish this by creating images one can only imagine seeing in a dream, such as his ‘Angel of Heart and Home’ series. As well as by piecing things together which would not typically be put together (collages), such as his Oedipus Rex. Ernst’s work, Oedipus Rex(1922) and L’ange du Foyer(1937), are crucial works of art for the Surrealist movement and  inaugurated many of the important characteristics associated with Surrealist art. Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement and artistic style that emerged in 1924 in the hand s of Andre Breton.Surrealism style uses visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical comprehensibility. Breton defines Surrealism as a â€Å"psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express – verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner – the actual reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern† (Breton in Harrison, 2003, pg. 452). It is meant to bring the viewer to a dream like state, where a sense of freedom can be achieved, as it would in childhood.Breton said that â€Å"the mind which plunges into Surrealism relives with glowing excitement the best part of its childhood†¦[it is] childhood where everything nevertheless conspires to bring about the effective, risk-free possession of oneself† (Breton in Harrison, 2003, pg. 452). He says that it is Surrealism that gives you a second chance to be like a child, it is another opportunity. Although Surrealism, in a s ense, emerged from Dada, the two practices are different in many ways. Dada took an anti-art stance, avoiding repetition and therefore the creation of a style.Although it did not seek a common style, Surrealism, however, had none of the nihilism of the earlier movement but was concerned with a redefinition of painting, with transgression rather than proscription (Rewald & Spies, 2005, pg. 11). Crevel describes Surrealism beautifully as being â€Å"for the mind a truly magnificent and almost unhoped for victory, to possess [a] new liberty, [a] leaping of the imagination [†¦] smashing the bars of reason’s cage, and bird that it is, obedient to the voice of the wind† (Crevel in Spalding, 1979, pg. 28).For Ernst, â€Å"the fundamental opposition between meditation and action coincides with the fundamental separation between the outer and inner worlds† (Ernst in Hofmann et al, 1973, pg. 23). It is here, Ernst believes, that the universal significance of Surr ealism lies, and that no part in life is closed to it (Ernst in Hofmann et al, 1973, pg. 23). Ernst’s art showcased his fascination with Surrealism through his many great works of art including Oedipus Rex and L’ange du Foyer. Max Ernst Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet.A prolific artist, Ernst is considered to be one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism. He was born in Bruhl, Germany. In 1909, he enrolled in the University at Bonn to study philosophy but soon abandoned these courses to pursue his interest in art. In 1913 he met Guillaume Apollinaire and Robert Delaunay and traveled to the Montparnasse Quarter in Paris, France where a gathering of artists from around the globe was taking place. In 1919 he visited Paul Klee and created his first paintings, block prints and collages, and experimented with mixed media.During World War I he served in the German army and after the war, filled with new ideas, Max Ernst, Jean Arp and social activist Alfred Grunwald, formed the Cologne, Germany Dada group. Constantly experimenting, in 1925 he invented frottage, a technique using pencil rubbings of objects. Following the outbreak of World War II, Max Ernst was detained as an enemy alien but with the assistance of the American journalist Varian Fry in Marseille, he managed to escape the country with Peggy Guggenheim. They arrived in the United States in 1941.Living in New York City, along with Marcel Duchamp and Marc Chagall, fellow avant-garde painters who had fled the War in Europe, Max Ernst helped inspire the use of Abstract expressionism among American painters (Camfield, 1993). Ernst turned away from the idea of the artist as creator as well as from the myth of ‘artistic talent. ’ For Ernst, the artist is only indirectly responsible for the creation of the work of art: â€Å"The old view of ‘talent’ [†¦] has been thrown out, just as the adoration of the hero [â₠¬ ¦] has been thrown out† (Spies, 2006, pg. 27). A sense of humor permeates his canvases and collages, none more so than in his renditions of natural phenomena. Interested in plants and in their life cycles, he permits his sense of the mythical to prevail. Trees gods, spirits and fantastic animals are everywhere in his canvases†(Stern, 2009).Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex was one of Ernst’s first paintings in which he was able to successfully transfer the techniques of combination, assemblage and collage to large-scale painting. The picture is given the impression of a collage by the use of hard outlines and the dry appearance of the paint (Bischoff, 2003, pg. 3). Gimferrer notes that Ernst was able to expound the conception, mechanics and techniques of collage. His collages were able to sustain the principle of the union of two dissociated situations in the strictly Dadaist or Surrealist manner. This technique seems to stem from Max Ernst and is â€Å"applied to the ve ry nucleus of consciousness [and] to the notion of personal identity† (Gimferrer, 1983, pg. 5-6). The spatial situation of Oedipus Rex is, to some extent, unclear due to the initial context of the picture. Here objects differing in scale are arranged in a setting indicated by architectonic elements.A device for marking chicks is pierced through a hand extended through a window and through the nut it is holding. The nut, which has been cracked open, resembles an eye, bringing to mind Luis Bunuel’s film Un Chien Andalou. Two birds are to be seen looking out of a hole in the stage in the foreground, prevented from withdrawing their head by palings and length of string (or halter) tied to the horns of one of them (Bischoff, 2003, pg. 23). Bischoff claims, â€Å"the desire for forbidden fruit (indicated by the hand which has reached for the nut) and curiosity (for the birds have put their head through the opening in rder to see something) are immediately punished† (Bi schoff, 2003, pg. 23). Schneede, on the other hand, understands Oedipus Rex as being â€Å"held in check by a halter [†¦] and by palings. † He says that â€Å"living creatures exist [†¦] in a rigid state of suspended animation [and that] the saw cleaves no trace of cut marks behind† (Schneede, 1972, pg. 50). Moreover, Schneede agrees with Bischoff, in that the cleaved nut resembles an eye, anticipating the opening sequence of Bunuel’s film, Un Chien Andalou.There are numerous allusions to the Oedipus legend of classical antiquity, says Bischoff, a myth, which has retained its validity throughout the history of mankind, for the motifs of vision, blindness and piercing, are all present (Bischoff, 2003, pg. 23). Although there are many understandings of this work of art, it can still be difficult to understand the meaning of it to the extent the Ernst had intended. For Spies, pictures such as Oedipus Rex compel us to search in vain for some key that might help us to explain them. And that in doing so, we get no closer to the meaning.He goes on to say that â€Å"it is important to recognize that even precise knowledge of the sources Ernst made use of for his collages and paintings does not help us understand them, for he cut away and obscured the meaning of the original image in the course of making his own work† (Rewald & Spies, 2005, pg. 4). L’ange du Foyer Max Ernst’s L’ange du Foyer is another one of his ground breaking pieces in which a â€Å"gigantic bird-like or dragon-like creature [is] launching into a terrible jump over a plain† (Bischoff, 2003, pg. 60). The smaller secondary figure is trying to hold the monster back.The painting projects a vivid sense of danger and total destructiveness. â€Å"The monster’s violent nature is perfectly clear from its menacing claws, its fluttering garments in glowing colours, its expansive gestures, with its raised left hand making some kind of magical sign, and it’s enraged stomping in front of a low-lying horizon† (Rewald & Spies, 2005, pg. 28). The gesture of the outstretched arms is more expansive but does not seem so menacing, inasmuch as it does not threaten to burst the boundaries of the picture. The monster appears not to be acting so much as reacting to something.A number of details that Rewald pointed out are as follows: â€Å"On the creatures right foot in the Munich picture is a house slipper – an allusion to the title L’ange du Foyer (Fire Side Angle), whereas in the large canvas it is a horses hoof, suggesting the devil. His right hand, lacking the long claws of the other beast, still has some resemblance to human anatomy. His left arm, by contrast, appears to dissolve into vegetable forms. The fluttering drapery on this arm can be interpreted as an object: it calls to mind a blood red executioners ax. And the monster’s grimace is hideously repulsive.Thus, terror is not entirely banished from the smaller picture† (Rewald & Spies, 2005, pg. 29). Attached to an arm and a leg of the beast in the painting is a small, no less monstrous creature that seems more amphibian. Rewald describes the creature as having a â€Å"gaping birds beak and long frog legs,† she says that â€Å"it combines irreconcilable elements [of] air and water† (Rewald & Spies, 2005, pg. 29). In addition, the obviously female creature exudes a crude eroticism: her thick thighs are spread far apart, exposing a button-like sex organ.And according to Rewald, it is impossible to overlook her obscene gesture, which has infuriated the trampling beast and caused him to leap so high (Rewald & Spies, 2005, pg. 29). Despite the individual differences, says Bischoff, all the themes and subjects of Max Ernst’s work had a political dimension (Bischoff, 2003, pg. 57), none more so than his L’ange du Foyer. This painting consisted of three versions, ca lled the ‘Angel of Heart and Home’ series. The ‘Angel of Heart and Home’ is an ironic title, Ernst says, for a kind of â€Å"juggernaut, which crushes and destroys all that comes in its path.That was my impression at the time of what would probably happen in the world, and I was right (about WWII)† (Ernst in Schneede, 1972, pg. 154). The monster is seen as being driven solely by an instinct for power, he represents a variety of governmental, military, and ecclesiastical authorities, crushing and killing everything that stands in his way, especially women. In 1938, Ernst gave the picture, for a time, the title ‘The Triumph of Surrealism,’ â€Å"a despairing reference to the fact that the Surrealists with their Communist ideas had been unable to do anything to resist Fascism† (Schneed, 1972, pg. 54). Ernst’s additions to Surrealism Max Ernst, a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism has, through his art, brought us to a dream-like state time and time again. Surrealism is meant to bring us to our inner child, and exercise our imaginations. In practicing this discipline, Ernst was able to eliminate the notion of artist as creator as well as the idea of ‘artistic talent. ’ Through experimentation and his skillfulness, he was able to deliver us many great works of art, including Oedipus Rex and L’ange du Foyer.Oedipus Rex was the first time Ernst was able to transfer the technique of collage to a large-scale painting, and through this work he permeated the idea that the desire for the ‘forbidden fruit’ or curiosity is, many times, immediately punished (Bischoff, 2003). With L’ange du Foyer, Ernst deliberately made a reference to war, projecting a vivid sense of danger and destructiveness. He was able to bring his ideas on war to a surreal, phantasmagorical state. Oedipus Rex(1922) and L’ange du Foyer(1937) are a couple of the most important additio ns to the Surrealist movement. Ernst, through these works, was able to establish many significant elements linked to Surrealism including the use of collage and bringing the audience to a dream like state with his overtly spine-chilling creations.References Bischoff, U. (2003). Max Ernst : 1891-1976 Beyond Painting. (J. Harrison, Trans. ) Koln, Germany: Taschen. Camfield, W. A. (1993). Max Ernst: Dada and the Dawn of Surrealisn. Munich: Prestel. Gimferrer, P. (1983). Max Ernst. New York: Rizzoli International Publications Inc. Harrison, C. (2003). Art in Theory 1900-2000. US: Wiley-Blackwell. Hofmann, W. , Schmied, W. & Spies, W. (1973). Max Ernst, Inside the Sight. Houton, Texas: Institute for the Arts, Rice University. Rewald, S. , & Spies, W. (2005). Max Ernst : A Retrospective. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Schneede, U. M. (1972). The essential Max Ernst. (R. W. Last, Trans. ) London: Thames and Hudson. Spalding, J. J. (1979). Max Ernst: from the Collection o f Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Ernst. Clagary, Alberta: Glenbow Museum. Spies, W. (2006). Max Ernst: Life and Work. London: Thames and Hudson. Stern, F. (2009, January). Surrealism: The Alternate Reality. CPI. Q (Canadian Periodicals) .

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The reading that I decided to summarize is called â€Å"The Emergence of the Star System in America† by Richard Decorate. The topic Is very useful because It emphasizes the Idea of the star system. The system Includes different kinds of Information that was created about actors.The velveteen of the system was influenced and developed through three transformations like â€Å"the discourse on acting, the picture personality and the star† The reading is significant because the write takes the reader thought the Journey about what perception of film actors used to be before 1907 and how the incept of performers kept evolving and changing till the year of 1914.The first transformation Is the discourse on acting. Decorate argues that before 1907, film actors were not popular and all the â€Å"Journalistic discourse of the time focused primarily on the scientific aspects of the apparatus†). It was assumed that films were products that did not have any involvement of hum an labor until the rise of another discourse in 1907, the importance of the labor in film production.The discourse led to a new knowledge which created a â€Å"struggle destined to resituated the site of textual radioactivity for the spectator away from the work of the apparatus Itself' Another very Important aspect Is that at the time all those who appeared In films were called picture performers and their activities were described as posing because the activity of acting in film was known only in terms of photography due to â€Å"struggle between a photographic and a theatrical conception of the body' (Decorate, p 19). In 1908, a huge decrease in demand of documentary films led to development of dramatic films.It led too huge popularity of people who appeared in films and who had a lend of the prolific, film and the real stories. The blend led to strengthening of the concept called the picture performer and acceptance of the fact that the â€Å"art of acidulous be translated to the screen† (Decorate, p 22). The acceptance allowed society to legitimate the concept of cinema and get new tastes of consumption like a combination of good action and acting in order to appeal to large audiences. The second transformation is the picture personality.Actors presented themselves with fictional names and public personalities. Three kinds of knowledge appeared hill creating the personality. The first one Is the circulation of the name that emphasizes the â€Å"difficulty of separating the circulation of the players' names and the circulation of the films they were in† (Decorate, p 25). Actors were identified in specific films because of names. The second knowledge is intellectuality. It â€Å"constituted the picture personality† . The knowledge was created by both the cinema and press. Personalities of performers supposed to be Just like their characters had.The knowledge emphasized stage experiences of actors. The last ell known transformation Is the star. Stars have always been â€Å"characterized by a fairy through going articulation of the paradigm professional Life/private life. With the emergence of the star, the question of the player's existence outside his/her work in films entered discourse† Around 1914, there was already no restriction in terms of knowledge and textually of players in films. Personal lives of stars became a new kind of a popular knowledge. Professional and personal lives became self-controlled film characters.Eventually, the main difference between â€Å"the picture personality and he star is that the later supports a family discourse† The redundancy and closure of the two lives led to the emergence of the star concept with its system and power. The writing is very useful it terms of understanding how the concept of the star was created and why it evolved in certain ways. It was also very helpful to understand the emergence in terms of the three key transformations likeliest discourse on acting, the picture personality and the star. The transformations allowed me to learn about interconnected aspects and facts which led to the concept of the star system.

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In ‘Tourism in Destination Communities’ Shalini Singh looks at an idea by Jafar Jafari the author of â€Å"Encyclopedia of Tourism†. Jafari created the consolidated platforms of tourism. One of Jafari’s four platforms is advocacy- that is to say that tourism is capable of economic good. Another platform, the cautionary platform, emphasizes the importance of noting the complex interactions at the local level. The other two platforms are â€Å"Adaptancy† (which is described as ‘pro community tourism’) and Knowledge based – which is a holistic treatment for community-based tourism (Jafari cited in Singh 2003). Singh and S.W. Boyd (26-30) discuss relationships between tourism and destination communities in terms of ‘win-win,’ ‘win-lose,’ ‘lose-win’ or ‘lose-lose’ paradigms (Carter and Lowman, 1944; Nepal, 2000). Examples of ‘win-win’ situations do exist and this indicates that tourism can indeed be economically beneficial to a destination community. The example given by Boyd and Singh is that of Ayers rock (Uluru) whic h is one of Australia’s most famous tourist attractions. Although Australia is not a country typically considered to be part of the global south I believe this example is relevant as the aboriginal communities in the area could easily be marginalized and exploited by tourism. The community however takes an active role by defining their relationship with tourism as having control and choice. (Mercer cited in S.W. Boyd and S. Singh: 1994:37). The community participates by providing educational services, which allows them to convey that the religious and cultural significance of Uluru is something to be respected. (Wells, cited in S.W. Boyd and S. Singh 1996:37). The local businesses in the area benefit and are owned by the people of the aboriginal community. This example is congruent to Jafari’s platforms of Advocacy and Adaptancy and it shows tourism in this scenario as ‘pro community’ and capable of economic good. As this situation is economically benefici al to this area, without compromising or de-valuing the local culture, it is an excellent means of development. Another example where the local community benefits is the ‘win-lose’ situation, a very salient example being Cuba. The community benefits economically, although mass tourism does not. This is achieved through policies and marketing that emphasizes quality tourism by restricting the number and type of tourists (high spenders, low numbers). The tourism is marketed for exclusivity and affluence and this is done through selective marketing and catering the services towards wealthier people. Cuba’s tourism industry’s markets strategically to target Canadian ‘snowbirds’ who also take long-term vacations in Florida (Peters 2002:4). Their vacationing for long periods of time in a US location and their ability to spend US currency indicates their affluence. Another strategy is the development of golf courses in the area. Miguel Figueras, a to urism ministry economist and advisor in Cuba, says that golf is a feature that can attract higher spending tourists (Peters 2002:5). Strategic tourism planning allows a country to tap into the wealth of the global north’s wealthiest tourists allowing maximum economic benefit without mass sharing of what they have to offer.

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Diet and coronary heart disease - Essay Example High calorie intake and related to it obesity is the major risk factor – obese people have hisgher risk of coronary heart disease. Consequently, the quote of total fat (and especially saturated and trans-fatty acids) should be restricted as well as the consumption of refined sugars and other sources of carbohydrates. The increased amount of food fiber in the diet is good alternative to unhealthy eating ( ). The lowest risk of coronarey heart disease is determined for vegetarians. The have risk of cardiovascular death (e.g. related to heart disease) which is lower in 1.33 folds than amongst non-vegetarians. A good choice for preventive purposes is Mediterranean diet which is characterising with high intake of fruits and evegetables, olive oil, sea food and a moderate amount of red dry wine. Seafood and the source of essential ï  ·-3 fatty acids and trace elements is useful for control of the level of cholesterol. There were proposed special preventive diets decreasing the risk of coronary disease. Thus Pritikin diet is enriched with food -fiber, unprocessed carbohydrates and contains low amount of fat ( ). Ornish diet restricts the consumption of animal fat (e.g. fatty fish or meat). Only non-fat dairy products and egg whites are allowed in the dietic system. Also Ornish diet restricts simple sugars and give the preferences for complex carbohydrates food. Traditional British diet is healthy enough because of high intake of complex carbohydrates nevetheless the restriction of animal food consumption and replacing these products with vegetables and fruits are expedient. The usage of alcohol beverages should be restriected in the persons with high risk of coronary disease (e.g. with high level of blood choleterol). Only small amount of red wine is permitted. Some food products contains essential nutrients and biologically active substances which are necessary for the prevention of coronary heart disease. Thus pine

Communications Character Conflict Essay Essay Example for Free

Communications Character Conflict Essay Essay â€Å"I can’t believe you, all your gifts, all your powers, and you.. you squander them for your own personal gain. (Hal Stewart) ‘Yes! (Megamind) ‘No! I’m the villain! † this is the main conflict between characters’ Megamind and Hal Stewart in the hit motion picture Megamind. Megamind defeats the cities beloved super hero â€Å"Metro Man†, they had been enemies since grade school and Megamind has always been the bad guy causing trouble and Metro Man was always saving the day and the people from the evils of Megeminds treachery. But soon after this deafeat Megamind realizes he misses the way things used to be, there was no more excitement and rush of being the villain in an epic good vs. evil battle. So, Megamind has devised a way that he can give any normal human being all the gifts and powers that Metro Man himself possessed. He settles on a young man named Hal Stewart, a cameraman for a news station, which he filmed the news girl who he claimed to be in love with, but everyone thought she was with Metro Man because he was always saving her. So Megamind gives Hal all the super powers, and gives him a new identity of â€Å"Titan†. However, to Megminds Dismay, Hal starts abusing his powers and begins stealing from banks, and using his powers to get equipment, video games etc.. This is a great example of unproductive conflict. Instead of creating a new evil versus good scenario with Hal or â€Å"Titan†, Hal just commandeers the whole city and puts them all at his mercy. It has many negative impacts the two characters, their relationship, and the situation. The aggression between them and the situation in general becomes increases greatly and turns even hostile because of the flaws in their communication. Megamind has certain qualities about the way he communicates that it often gets him into trouble. In fact pretty much every idea he comes up with in the process, he always seems to get either seriously injured, or suffers in some other way, all because of his communicational handicap. Some of the functions of communication Megamind uses, is he begins a relationship with a character named Hal Stewart to achieve a specific goal premeditated so he could accomplish what he wished to have done. What he wanted done was to turn Hal into a super hero and give him all the powers that the late Metro Man possessed, so that he could resume his role as the villain once again, since he defeated the last super hero he longed for the epic battle of â€Å"Good vs. Evil. † First of all, Hal isn’t the brightest pick to turn someone into a super hero, but Megamind is determined he is the perfect pick after a misunderstood first impression of Hal. Megaminds best friend even shows in many ways, he does not approve of Hal as being the one who has the traits of being a good super hero, most of the ways non verbal. Megamind even changes his own identity as Hal’s â€Å"Space Dad†, for the purpose of guiding Hal into fulfilling his destiny as the city’s new found super hero â€Å"Titan†. So Megamind actually is affecting the situation and their relationship as two different important character’s in Hal’s life and will play play big parts in his decisions. Hal Stewart, aka â€Å"Titan† aka â€Å"Cameraman†, is a very interesting character because of how he expresses his own communicational traits, it is entertaining. His perception of what a â€Å"super hero† means, and what sort of privileges or advantages he believes comes with being â€Å"Titan† are affected by the culture he lives in. Some of his expectations, the most important towards the story and the one that makes the most dramatic influence is; the super hero always gets the girl. This thinking of Hal’s is a mindlessness perception and also selective perception of how he sees a super hero. Obviously he does not get the girl he claims he’s in love with, because the thing he is mindlessness about is that just because you can fly and have huge muscles doesn’t mean you will always get girl, its about what’s underneath, not on the surface, which I believe is the lesson â€Å"Life† is trying to teach him. Another misperception he has is what should be accomplished with the incredible new â€Å"gifts† that he has recently required. Instead of catching bad guys, and making sure justice stands within the city and her people, Hal actually robs banks, and other equipment, video games etc.. nd is determined that the powers mean â€Å"get rich, and get rich quick†. These are all things that Megamind does not anticipate before hand and turns into being the exact opposite of what he wanted, all because Hal’s misunderstanding, and the communicational barriers of Megamind. Although, there isn’t a whole lot of competent communicati on going on with Megamind and Hal, in the end he still gets an incredibly large amount accomplished. The things that were bigger then even his beloved epic good vs. evil battles. He grew in more important ways, he grew as a specimen, and became a happier person, which ultimately should be eternal goal of communication and the functions and steps that are not only necessary and basically impossible to accomplish anything without them, competent or incompetent, things still move forward and things get done. In the end Megamind finds his true purpose and a higher purpose, along the way falling in love and discovering a more meaningful life all thanks to communication, and the culture which helps him perceive and judge.

Packet Sniffing Software Is A Controversial Subject Information Technology Essay

Packet Sniffing Software Is A Controversial Subject Information Technology Essay Packet sniffing software is a controversial subject and a double-edged sword. It can be used to analyze network problems and detect Internet misuse. But at the same time, it allows hackers and people with malicious intention to sniff out your password, get your personal information, and invade your privacy. That is also why securing and encrypting data is so important. In this paper, the definition of packet sniffing will be introduced and several functionality and possible uses of packet sniffers will be explained. Also, information on how to protect against sniffers and man-in-the-middle attacks will be provided. An example of a packet sniffer program, Wireshark, will be given, followed by a case study involving the restaurant chain Dave Busters, which will show the negative consequences that can occur when organizations are not aware of the threat of packet sniffing by hackers. Definitions A packet sniffer is a computer program or a piece of computer hardware that can intercept and log traffic passing over a digital network or part of a network (Connolly, 2003). Packet sniffers are known by alternate names including network analyzer, protocol analyzer or sniffer, or for particular types of networks, an Ethernet sniffer or wireless sniffer (Connolly, 2003). As binary data travels through a network, the packet sniffer captures the data and provides the user an idea of what is happening in the network by allowing a view of the packet-by-packet data (Shimonski, 2002). Additionally, sniffers can also be used to steal information from a network (Whitman and Mattord, 2008). Legitimate and illegitimate usage will be explained in later sections. Packet sniffing programs can be used to perform man-in-the-middle attacks (MITM). This type of attack occurs when an attacker monitors network packets, modifies them, and inserts them back to the network (Whitman, et al., 2008). For example, a MITM attack could occur when two employees are communicating by email. An attacker could intercept and alter the email correspondence between each employee, without either knowing that the emails had been changed. MITM attacks have the potential to be a considerable threat to any individual or organization since such an attack compromises the integrity of data while in transmission. Packet sniffing programs work by capturing binary data that is passing through the network, and then the program decodes the data into a human-readable form.   A following step called protocol analysis makes it even easier for the data to be read.   The degree of these analyses varies by individual packet sniffing program. Simple programs may only break down the information in the packet, while more complicated ones can provide more detailed information and analysis, for example, by highlighting certain types of data such as passwords that pass through the network (Packet Sniffing, Surasoft.com, 2011). As for todays networks, switch technology is commonly used in network design. This technology makes it increasingly easy to set up sniffing programs on servers and routers, through which much traffic flows. In addition, there are already built-in sniffing modules being used in todays networks. For example, most hubs support a standard called Remote Network Monitoring (RMON). This kind of standard allows hackers to sniff remotely with the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), used in most network devices, and only requires weak authentication. Network associates Distributed Sniffer Servers are used by many corporations. These servers are set up with passwords that are quite easy to guess or crack. In addition, computers with Windows NT system usually come with Network monitoring agent, which also allows remote sniffing (Packet Sniffing, ISS.net, 2011). Essentially, these sniffing programs are set up for the use of network administrators. However, the threat exists that hackers ca n gain access to the network and view the program logs. Packet sniffers capture all of the packets that travel through the point where the sniffer is located.   For example, if the program was installed next to the server of an organization, the user could have access to all the data being transferred across the company through that server.   Typical types of packets intercepted by attackers include the following: SMTP (email): The attacker can intercept unencrypted emails (Packet Sniffing, ISS.net, 2011). HTTP (web): Web traffic information and history can be easily captured (Packet Sniffing, ISS.net, 2011). Telnet Authentication: Login information to a Telnet account can be intercepted (Packet Sniffing, ISS.net, 2011). FTP traffic: Access to an FTP account can be sniffed in cleartext (Packet Sniffing, ISS.net, 2011). SQL database: Information from web databases is also vulnerable (Packet Sniffing, ISS.net, 2011). Functionality and Possible Uses of Packet Sniffers Good and Bad Uses Like any tool, a packet sniffer is a double-edged sword because it can be used for good or bad purposes (Orebaugh, Ramirez, and Beale, 2007). It can be used by security professionals to investigate and diagnose network problems and monitor network activity (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Conversely, it can be used to eavesdrop on network traffic by hackers, criminals, and the like, who can use the data gathered for harmful purposes (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Professionals such as system administrators, network engineers, security engineers, system operators, and programmers use packet sniffers for a variety of uses, including troubleshooting network problems, figuring out system configuration issues, analyzing network performance (including usage and bottlenecks), debugging during the development stages of network programming, analyzing operations and diagnosing problems with applications, and ensuring compliance with company computer usage policies (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Good: Troubleshoot Network Problems When an error occurs on a network or within an application, it can be very difficult for administrators to determine what exactly went wrong and how to correct the error. Many consider the packet sniffer to be the best tool for figuring out what is wrong with programs on a network (Neville-Neil, 2010). Examining packets as a starting point for solving problems is useful because a packet is the most basic piece of data and holds information, including the protocol being used and source and destination address (Banerjee, Vashishtha, and Saxena, 2010). Basically, at the packet level of analysis, nothing is hidden when all layers are visible (Neville-Neil, 2010). Understanding the timing of what happened is another important factor in debugging network problems (Neville-Neil, 2010). This information can be easily attained by using a packet sniffing program. Essentially, packet sniffers allow you to find out the who, what, and when of a situation, all of which are vital to understanding how to fix a problem (Neville-Neil, 2010). Once these things are known, the administrator can determine what is causing the problem and how to go about fixing it. As soon as a problem occurs, the first recommended step is for the network administrator to use a packet sniffing program to record all network traffic and wait for the bug to occur again (Neville-Neil, 2010). If the administrator already had a packet sniffing program with logging in place, then he or she could go back and examine the log records. Assuming the administrator did not have a log previously set up, the next step would be to only record as much information as necessary to repair the problem (Neville-Neil, 2010). It would not be a good idea to record every single packet of data because if too much data is collected, finding the error will be like finding a needle in a haystack although the administrator has likely never seen a haystack that big (Neville-Neil, 2010). For example, recording only one hour of Ethernet traffic on a LAN will capture a few hundred million packets, which will be too large to sort through (Neville-Neil, 2010). It goes without saying that the admini strator should not record the data on a network file system because the packet sniffer will capture itself (Neville-Neil, 2010). Once the data is recorded, the administrator can examine the packets to analyze and understand what occurred to solve the problem. Good: Network Optimization In addition to solving network communication problems, packet sniffers can help administrators plan network capacity and perform network optimization (Shimonski, 2002). A packet sniffer allows users to view data that travels over a network packet by packet (Shimonski, 2002). However, rather than having to examine each packet, the appropriate sniffer program will perform the analysis for the administrator. The tools are especially useful because depending on the packet sniffing program used, the packet data will appear in an easy-to-understand format. Packet sniffers can often generate and display statistics and analyze patterns of network activity (Shimonski, 2002). Data can appear in graphs and charts that make analysis and comprehension easy. Additionally, the network administrator can filter by selected criteria to capture only the relevant traffic rather than having to sort through irrelevant data (Shimonski, 2002). Knowing what programs and which users use the most bandwidth can help administrators manage resources efficiently and avoid bandwidth bottlenecks. Good: Detect Network Misuse Packet sniffers can be used to monitor application traffic and user behavior (Dubie, 2008). This can be used to detect misuse by company employees or by intruders. To use a packet sniffer to monitor employees legally, a network administrator must do three things. First, he must be on a network owned by the organization, second, he must be directly authorized by the networks owners, and finally, he must receive permission of those who created the content (Whitman, et al., 2008). Permission by content creators is needed because packet sniffing is a method of employee monitoring (Whitman, et al., 2008). Typically, an employee will sign a release form when first employed that allows the employer to monitor the employees computer usage. By using a packet sniffer, employers can find out exactly how each employee has been spending his or her time. Packet sniffers can be used to see all activity and administrators can monitor for behaviors such as viewing inappropriate websites, spending time on the job on personal matters, or abusing company resources. For example, a packet sniffer program could show that a particular employee was downloading music at work, both violating organizational policies and using a large amount of network bandwidth (Dubie, 2008). Packet sniffers are also used to detect network intrusion, log traffic for forensics and evidence, discover the source of attacks such as viruses or denial of service attacks, detect spyware, and detect compromised computers (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). A packet sniffer and logger that can detect malicious entries in a network is a form of an intrusion detection system (IDS) (Banerjee, et al., 2010). The packet sniffer IDS consists of a database of known attack signatures. It will then compare the signatures in the database to the logged information to see if a close match between the signature and recent behavior has occurred. If it has, then the IDS can send out an alert to the network administrator (Banerjee, et al., 2010). Despite this use of packet sniffers to detect intrusion, hackers have methods of making themselves very hard to detect and can use packet sniffers for their own advantages. Bad: Gain Information for Intrusion Intruders maliciously and illegally use sniffers on networks for an innumerable number of things. Some of the most common are to capture cleartext usernames and passwords, discover usage patterns of users, compromise confidential or proprietary information, capture voice over IP (VoIP) telephone conversations, map out a networks layout, and fingerprint an operating system (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). The previously listed uses are illegal unless the user is a penetration tester hired to detect such types of weaknesses (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). An intruder must first gain entry to the communication cable in order to begin sniffing (Orebaugh, et al., 2006). This means that he must be on the same shared network segment or tap into a cable along the path of communication (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). This can be done in many ways. Firstly, the intruder can be physically on-site at the target system or communications access point (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). If this is not the case, the intruder can access the system in a variety of ways. These include breaking into a certain computer and installing sniffing software that will be controlled remotely, breaking into an access point such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and installing sniffing software there, using sniffing software that is already installed on a system at the ISP, using social engineering to gain physical access to install the software, working with an inside accomplice to gain access, and redirecting or copying communications to take a path that the intruders comp uter is on (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Intruders can use sniffing programs designed to detect certain things such as passwords and then use other programs to have this data automatically sent to themselves (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Protocols that are especially vulnerable to such intrusion include Telnet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Simple Mail Transfer Program (SMTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Remote Login (rlogin), and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Once the intruder has access to the network, he can collect data and use it as he likes. Common examples of stolen data include credit card numbers and proprietary organizational secrets, but include anything the hacker desires. Although organizations may use a primarily switched network, they are not protected from sniffer attacks because many programs exist that allow packet sniffing in a switched network (Whitman, et al., 2008). Because intruders who use packet sniffers do not directly interface or connect to other systems on the network, they are considered to be a passive-type of attack (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). It is this passive nature that makes sniffers so difficult to detect (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). In addition to this, hackers use normally use rootkits to cover their tracks so that their intrusion will not be detected (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). A rootkit is a collection of Trojan programs hackers use to replace the legitimate programs on a system so that their intrusion will not be detected (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Rootkits replace commands and utilities that the hacker inputs and clears log entries so that there will be no record of his entry (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Though it is difficult, there are some ways to detect rootkits. Methods of detection include using an alternate, trusted operating system, analyzing normal behaviors, scanning signatures, and analyzing memory dumps (Rootkit, Wikipedia , 2011). Removing rootkits can be very complicated and difficult and if the rootkit is in the central operating system, reinstalling the operating system may be the only option (Rootkit, Wikipedia, 2011). The threat of eavesdropping by intruders is large and challenging. However, there are some defenses that can be taken to prevent hackers from using packet sniffers against an organization. Protecting Against Packet-Sniffers and Man-in-the-Middle Attacks Packet sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks compromise the integrity and confidentiality of data while in transmission.   Fortunately, there are several techniques that can be used by organizations and individuals to protect against these threats and reduce risk.   Specifically, technology, policy, and education are typically used to cover all aspects of security.    Technology Encryption is the best form of protection against any kind of packet interception (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   The reason behind this is that even if the data is captured by the packet sniffer, the information is completely unreadable by the attacker (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). By using this technique, messages are encrypted once the data leaves the senders computer.   Both sender and receiver hold a key that decrypts the message being transferred.   Most popular websites apply a level encryption by using the HTTP Secure (HTTPS) protocol.   With this technology, the connection between the web server and the users computer is encrypted; making the information intercepted by a third party useless.   Currently, most popular websites such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter use the https technology.   However, some sites (such as Amazon.com) use https only at the login page and fail to provide a secure connection afterwards.   In order to assure complete security, it is im portant to apply the https protocol throughout the users browsing experience.   The main disadvantage of this feature is that it slightly slows down the users connection.    Email can also be protected from packet sniffers by using encryption.   Email extensions such as Pretty Good Protection (PGP) can be easily implemented using standard email platforms like Microsoft Outlook (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Once sender and receiver start using the encryption techniques, intercepted email messages cannot be interpreted by an attacker (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Another way to protect against sniffers is by using One Time Passwords (OTP). With this method, a different password is sent every time the authentication is requested to the user (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Similarly to the case of encryption, if a third party intercepts someones password, this information will be useless since these can only be used once (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   This technology can be extremely useful to ensure security; however, remembering new passwords for each login can be very challenging and frustrating for most users. A new security technique called quantum encryption is also provides good protection against sniffing attacks.   This technique consists of making each bit of data as small as a photon (McDougall, 2006).   The data is then transferred across fiber-optic lines.   Ã‚  If the information is picked up and intercepted by any kind of packet sniffer, the entire photon message is disrupted, ending up the entire transmission (McDougall, 2006).   A technology like this would make it impossible to intercept information since the communication will be cut in the case of interception.   However, it requires fiber-optic Internet connections, which many service providers do not own and its installation can be expensive. Policy Information security professionals can help secure employees connections by requiring the use of any of the technologies explained before.   For example, if certain employees need to access websites that are outside of the organizations network, they should be allowed to use only websites that use the https protocol such as Google and Yahoo.   Policies requiring Access Control Lists (ACL) can also help prevent sniffer attacks.   All secured networks and assets should be supported by an ACL to prevent unauthorized access.   Additionally, physical security policies should be implemented to efficiently protect the computer and server rooms in the organization.   Unauthorized access to these locations could cause the installation of sniffer programs and equipment. Education Every security initiative should have a training program supporting it.   Basic but regular training sessions given to employees about the dangers of packet sniffing can prove to be very valuable when protecting a network.   Security facts such as not allowing strangers to computer rooms should be explained to all employees. Example and Demonstration of a Packer-Sniffer Program: Wireshark Originally named Ethereal, Wireshark is a free and open-source packet analyzer (sniffer) typically used by network and security professionals for troubleshooting and analysis (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   However, many potential attackers also use it to perform man-in-the middle attacks and gain information for password cracking.   Wireshark is available for most operating systems (including OS X, Windows, and Linux) and allows users to see all the traffic that goes through a specific network (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Wireshark differs from other packet-sniffer programs mainly because of its easy-to-understand format and simple Graphical User Interface (GUI) (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Wireshark can be easily set up to capture packets from a specific channel.   Once the program is running, all the network packets are shown in the screen.   The top panel (summary panel) shows a summary of the entire packet, including source, destination, and protocol information (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Since one quick web browse can provide a large amount of packets, Wireshark solves packet browsing issues by categorizing each packet according to its type and showing each category with a specific color in the GUI.   Additionally, the user has the option of applying filters to see only one type of packets.   For example, only packets dealing with http functions may be shown.   The middle panel in the GUI is called the protocol-tree window. It provides decoded information of the packet (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Finally, the bottom panel (data view window) shows the raw data of the packet selected in the Summary panel (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Figure 1 shows a screenshot of Wireshark while running and graphically shows the three main panels of the GUI. Figure 1 Screenshot of Wireshark while running and the three main panels. To troubleshoot network problems, Information Systems professionals use Wireshark by installing the sniffer program in various locations in the network and seeing which protocols are being run in each location (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Additionally, if the sniffer is placed in a location where it can capture all data flowing to the main server, Wireshark can detect network misuse by providing the source and destination of all packets.   For example, if an employee in a company uses his computer to access inappropriate websites, Wireshark will show the employees and the websites IP addresses in the source and destination columns with detailed information about the website in the info column and the protocol tree panel. It is easy to see how useful Wireshark is for network troubleshooting and identifying misuse; however, the program can also be used with malicious intent.   For example, the program can be used to find out passwords on unencrypted websites.   To demonstrate this case, the username john_doe_user and password 123mypasswrd were used to log in to the unencrypted and unsecured www.bit.ly website.   At the same time, Wireshark was set up to capture all packets in the computer.   After the packets were captured by the sniffer, the data can easily be filtered by the http category.   In the info column, a packet labeled POST means that someone has entered text to a website.   After clicking on this specific packet, all the username and password information can be seen in the center section of Wireshark (as shown in figure 2).   Unencrypted and unsecured websites are very vulnerable to these types of attacks.   On the other hand, websites using the https security feature prove to be safer for users.   For example, the same situation as before was applied to the encrypted website www.facebook.com by trying to log in, but Wireshark was unable to capture any packets with login information. Figure 2 Wireshark screenshot showing username and password. Other types of malicious attacks can also be performed with Wireshark.   For example, some toolkit add-ins to Wireshark such as Dsniff and Ettercap can be used to perform man-in-the-middle attacks and password cracking (Orebaugh, et al., 2007).   Even if the incoming data is encrypted, these tools can crack some passwords by using dictionary brute force attacks (Orebaugh, et al., 2007). Case Study: A costly attack at Dave Busters In 2007, the popular restaurant chain Dave Busters experienced the power of malicious packet-sniffing software attacks.   A multinational group of hackers was able to penetrate the companys corporate network and install basic packet-sniffing software at 11 of the chains restaurant locations (Thibodeau, 2008).   During a four-month period, the attackers were able to intercept customer credit card data going from Dave Busters restaurant locations to the corporate headquarters network in Dallas (McMillan. 2008).   Extremely sensitive information such as credit card numbers and security codes were sold to criminals, who used this data to perform fraudulent transactions to online merchants (McMillan, 2008).   The attack proved to be very profitable for the hackers.   For example, from information coming from only one restaurant location, the criminals were able to gain over $600,000 in profits (McMillan, 2008).   It was estimated that approximately 130,000 credit or debit ca rds were compromised by this attack (Westermeier, 2010). To access Dave Busters network, the attackers simply drove around a restaurant location with a laptop computer and took advantage of vulnerable wireless signals to access the computer networks (Westermeier, 2010).   Malicious sniffing software was then installed in the network to intercept credit and debit card information (Westermeier, 2010).   The packet-sniffing software was written by one of the groups hackers and consisted of SQL injection attacks (Thibodeau, 2008).   However, many organizations have stated that the code was not very impressive.   For example, the CERT Coordination Center described the programs source code as a college-level piece of technology (Thibodeau, 2008).   Additionally, the malicious code had one weakness: it would shut down every time the computer that was monitoring rebooted (McMillan, 2008).   Therefore, the criminals had to go back to the restaurant location, gain access, and re-start the packet-sniffer every time this happened. The fac t that this costly program was developed by someone with just basic programming skills and how they consistently gained access to the network highlights the lack of protection of Dave Busters security systems.    According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Dave Busters information security systems and policies did not provide the necessary security features to protect customers information (Westermeier, 2010).   The attackers were able to access the network not just once, but repeatedly over a time frame of four months (Westermeier, 2010).   The fact that the company was oblivious to these multiple intrusions during a long time period proves that they were vulnerable to attacks and that Dave Busters did not apply any Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to their networks, nor did they monitor outbound traffic (Westermeier, 2010).   Additionally, sensitive customer information was not given special protection.   Credit card data was transferred across simple unprotected and unencrypted networks (Westermeier, 2010).    What could Dave Busters have done? First of all, private networks should have been protected in a better way.   It was just too easy for hackers to gain access and install malware.   By allowing only a specific group of IP addresses, or granting only temporary access, the firm could have been safe from unauthorized access by strangers.   But even in the case of hacker access, tools such as IDS can help monitor the network during an attack.   If the company had implemented an IDS in their network, the unauthorized intruders would have been detected in time to prevent losses. Additionally, by treating sensitive data differently than regular communications, the company could have considerably reduced the threat.   Dave Busters could have simply used readily available firewall systems to the networks that held customer data (Westermeier, 2010). Encryption devices could have also proven to be useful.   If link encryptors had been used, the intercepted data would have been completely useless for the hackers.   Data isolation could have also been useful.   The firm could have separated the payment card systems from the rest of the corporate network (Westermeier, 2010). Sensitive information did not necessarily require connection to the Internet; so the company should have separated these transmissions from the network. Finally, a general company-wide policy requiring access restriction, IDS installation, firewall usage, and sensitive data isolation throughout all restaurant locations could have been extremely useful.   A uniform and thorough information security policy along with a comprehensive training program given to specific employees would help enforce the security features.   Considering that Dave Busters had not implemented any of the security features explained in this section, it is obvious that their story would have been different if these techniques had been used. Conclusion Packet sniffing is a sophisticated subject that wears two hats. It can be used for either good or evil depending on the intentions of the person using the program. It can help with analyzing network problems and detect misuses in the network for good purposes. Meanwhile, it can also help hackers and other cyber-criminals steal data from insecure networks and commit crimes, as in the case of Dave Busters. The best way to protect data from being sniffed is to encrypt it. Necessary policies and training also help with the protection. As technology evolves, there will be more and more ways to commit cyber crime. Extremely sensitive data like credit card information and health care data should be well protected, from the perspectives of both the business and personal. In order to protect this information, organizations and individuals must be aware of the threat of packet sniffers.

Macbeth: Shakespeares Comparisons And Contrasts :: essays research papers

Macbeth: Shakespeare's Comparisons and Contrasts Throughout Macbeth Shakespeare uses comparison and contrast to bring out characteristics of his main character, Macbeth. Shakespeare uses comparison with Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo to bring out aspects of Macbeth's character. After hearing of Macbeth's courageousness on the battlefield, Duncan, a good and honest king, bestows the tittle of Cawdor on Macbeth. The king then proclaims his son Malcom to be Prince of Cumberland, in effect designating him as successor to the throne of Scotland. This dramatic announcement of Duncan's chosen successor marks the beginning of an ironic story. It is at this point in the play that we, the audience, become fully aware of Macbeth's intentions to murder the king. Duncan hails Macbeth as his "worthiest cousin" and blindly entrusts his fate to one whom he considers his "peerless kinsman." Shakespeare concentrates on Macbeth's courage so that he can contrast it later on with the terror and panic of Macbeth's psychological anguish. Lady Macbeth will stop at nothing -not even murder- to satisfy her driving ambition. She worries that Macbeth is "too full of the milk of human kindness" to go after the throne. She wants to be tough and begs the spirits to "unsex me here." Macbeth, on the other hand, hesitates to murder Duncan for several reasons. Among these reasons the earthly consequences frighten him the most. How would his new subjects react? Would the kingdom disrupt in chaos? Furthermore Macbeth cannot escape present punishment if he fails. We see Lady Macbeth's persuasiveness producing a new courage in her husband and that courage is manly enough to perform murder. Therefore, Macbeth has no reasons for murdering Duncan except for his "vaulting ambition," his lust for power. Throughout the play we see Lady Macbeth's and Macbeth's conscience, or lack of, change places. Macbeth transformed from having a guilt ridden conscience to having no conscience what so ever. However, Lady Macbeth changes from having no conscience at all to becoming so guilt ridden that she took her own life. Like Macbeth, Banquo is courageous.

You are Beautiful :: Middle East Culture Feminism Essays

Standing up for oneself is always a challenge, no matter who you are. In some Arab societies certain traditions and customs seem built to keep women on a lower level than men. The truth, as demonstrated by many books written by Arab women, is that every society has outdated customs, or rules, and those rules are what tend to keep oppressed people in check. If it’s not a gender issue then it is a race issue. If it’s not a race issue then it becomes political or intellectual. Sadly, there have always been rules that oppress one group or another, but time are changing and with them people change. The women in two Arab novels, written by Arab women, express their personal experiences in Arab society. Though the novels are fiction they are based on the real life experiences of the authors and can be taken as facts of what events transpired during the lives of the authors. The changes demonstrated by the main characters in Fatima Mernissi’s Dreams of Trespass and Ahdaf Soueif’s In the Eye of the Sun exhibit the Arab woman’s ability to become an independent and psychologically powerful member of society. Mernissi’s Fatima grows up in a harem which would seem to imply a lack of independence, however the women surrounding her act as liberal educators, teaching her never to settle for less than she deserves. Soueif’s Asya on the other hand develops into a woman while being raised in an upper class household, with liberal ideas on only certain subjects. The two women evolve, throughout the course of each novel, into stronger and more independent entities, both physically and psychologically. Fatima Mernissi preserves the feeling of an autobiography by keeping the main character named after herself. For the sake of clarity when referring to the author I will use only her last name. Mernissi’s novel begins with Fatima as a child. Throughout the novel she grows to the age of nine, but that is where the story ends. The first few years of Fatima’s life seem to have been the most crucial in determining what kind of person she was destined to become. Fatima’s experiences in her childhood are dramatic and influence her enough that her life changes drastically. Early in the novel Mernissi states, â€Å"when you hurt a woman you are violating Allah’s sacred frontier† (3). This statement helps to set the tone for the novel.

A Modest Proposal For Making Driving More Entertaining, While Creating

A Modest Proposal For Making Driving More Entertaining, While Creating The Same Risks For Everyone On The Road It was suggested to me that we â€Å"†¦kill all [the] dumbasses [who choose to drink and drive],† but I felt this too harsh (Holzbach). Why not let them kill themselves? The nation, as a whole, would be more pleasant, happier and more carefree. It is a melancholy object to those who often frequent the bars in this great country to see those who do not currently share in their fortunate state of being. They are usually alone, observing those around them with great envy, holding the car keys, but worst of all, sober. It is the inopportune being who is unluckily chosen to be the designated driver for the evening. It is always an enjoyable experience to spend hour upon hour pounding back the drinks in a bar. Why limit the fun? Why choose someone to be a designated driver and make his or her night miserable? Why not take the fun onto the road? I think that it is agreed by all parties that the prodigious number of sober drivers in our neighborhoods, city streets, and country roads is at present deplorable to the state of our great nation. Currently, a whopping ninety-eight percent of Americans of driving age feel threatened by those who drive under the influence of alcohol, which means that only two percent of Americans are able to fully relax and enjoy themselves while on the road, and with the growing awareness, this number could be on the rise (MADD Online: General Statistics 1). What a travesty! All drivers, and passengers alike, should be put at the same risk for danger, be it damage, injury, or death. But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for those driving the cars: it is of a much ... ...ed American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. 18 September 2002 . Brown, Meg. Personal interview. 18 September 2002. Holzbach, Wyatt. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002. Licensed Drivers – Our Nation’s Highways – 2000. 26 April 2002. U.S. Department of Transportation. 18 September 2002 MADD Online: General Statistics. MADD Online. 18 September 2002 . MADD Online: Government Survey Shows Troubling News On Drunk Driving, Underage Drinking. 5 September 2002. MADD Online. 15 September 2002 . Reed, Kim. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002. Santo, Beth. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002.

Cyrano de Bergerac vs Romeo & Juliet Balcony Scenes Essay

Shakespeare and Rostand employ unique writing methods in order to show the battle the characters in each of their plays, Romeo and Juliet and Cyrano de Bergerac partake in to express their true feelings for one another. Each play utilizes the motifs and themes of light versus dark and societal views that work against or shows the true meaning behind their love for one another through a balcony setting which resembles each other well. Settings are important components in any piece of literature, they set the mood and atmosphere for the particular scene. In both plays the balcony scenes occur at night under the cover of darkness, which plays an important similarity in the plays as well. While the scenes occur at night both Romeo and Cyrano compare their lovers to light. In act three of Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano agrees to help Christian court Roxane and by doing so he must hide underneath the balcony to conceal his identity. Eventually Cyrano takes over for Christian because he wishes to express his fondness for Roxane himself, but still hidden by the darkness. Night, making all things dimly beautiful, one veil over us both†¦ and I [see] the whiteness of a summer gown, you are all light- I am all shadows. † Cyrano is comparing his repulsive nose to Roxane’s beauty, calling himself the darkness of the night which cannot be described or mentioned, versus Roxane’s exquisiteness which reminds Cyrano of summer. Not only does he compare her to light but he calls her the light of his life, that without her his life would be dismal. Technically Cyrano is supposed to be speaking for Christian in this situation but he is in fact speaking from the heart. He is concerned that Roxane will not love and respect him because of his nose, and because of this he keeps himself in the dark literally and metaphorically. Whereas Cyrano has loved his dear cousin all his life, but hidden his true feelings, Romeo falls in love at first sight and takes no hesitation to express his love for Juliet. While hiding in the gardens surrounding Juliet’s window, Romeo states, â€Å"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! † (II, ii 2-3). This scene initiates one of the plays most beautiful and famous sequences, it is a prime example of the light and dark motif that runs throughout the play. The beauty of the night, with the moon rays shinning, adds to the romantic nature of the scene and seems to â€Å"light up† the act. Shakespeare uses a metaphor here to express Romeo’s love for Juliet. He has such belief in her that he knows she has the power to banish the night and turn it into day with her beauty. They both feel as if the other is the bright light in the darkness, and that they will guide each other through the dark obstacles to a life of pure love and happiness. Through out the plays society also fights against each set of lovers, society has taught them that it is not reality for them to spend their lives together. Rostand expresses through the play that society during the 1600’s did not consider a person for their inner personality but only judged them for their outer appearance. During Cyrano’s speech to Roxane in the third act he says, â€Å"Is it not so to be myself to you, and have no fear of moving you to laughter? In this situation Cyrano does not feel confidence in himself and almost lets his hidden identity to become discovered. He does not feel he is worthy of Roxane’s attention so he hides behind the poetry he reads to her. Because Cyrano doesn’t think that Roxane will have him, he enters into the deceptive relationship with Christian, who is society’s standard of physical beauty in a man. Cyrano verbalizes his innermost thoughts to Roxane through Christian’s name which reveals his true love for her. He successfully woos her with his words, and Christian and Roxane eventually marry. Thus, he loses the love of his life because he can’t approach her due to his lack of confidence based on society’s views of him and his rather large nose. Much of Romeo and Juliet involves the lovers’ struggles against social standards that oppose the existence of their love. Without knowing that Romeo is below her window, Juliet speaks, â€Å"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. And I’ll no longer be a Capulet† (II, ii 33-35). Juliet knows that not only society but the raging families would not approve of their love, but that does not stop her from caring for Romeo. She asks him to deny his family for her love but adds that if he will not, she will deny her family in order to be with him if he merely tells her that he loves her. There is clearly tension between family names and personal identity. Juliet believes that love comes from one’s inner identity, and that the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s is based only on names. She later states, â€Å"What’s in a name that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet† (II, ii 42-43). Her love for Romeo surpasses her family’s hatred for the Montague name. She says that if Romeo were not called Romeo he would still be the person she loves and that societal views will not deteriorate their love. The characters within each play express true feelings and work hard and fight the odds in a balcony scene in order to live with one another, expressing their love eternally. Rostand paralleled Shakespeare’s balcony scene in order to convey the true love Cyrano held for Roxane the way Romeo expressed his love for Juliet.

Public life Essay

Early Years When Brown and his family moved to New York, he learned that the pro-slavery forces in Kansas were confrontational. Brown left for Kansas after learning that the families of his adult sons were completely unprotected from any possible attack. He collected funds and weapons along the way and even held an anti-slavery convention in Albany. Despite the stir because of his support for unrest to liberate, Brown still managed to get financial support. He gathered more anti-slavery forces in Ohio. Brown and his forces were going to stop at nothing to stop the pro-slavery actions in Kansas. He believed that the pro-slavery forces, or the Border Ruffians, will eventually become violent themselves. He used this as justification for his disregard for the law. Brown was angered by the violence displayed by the Border Ruffians, and also the political manipulations happening to quell the northern abolitionist movement. Brown learned that his family was to be attacked next by the Border Ruffians and the pro-slavery neighbours squealed about the support that his family was giving him. In May 1856, five pro-slavery settlers were killed by Brown’s men. They were taken from their homes and slashed to death by swords. According to Brown, he did approve of the murder, but he never participated in it. Two of Brown’s sons were captured by Henry Pate, a pro-slavery captain. But Pate was soon captured with twenty-two men. Pate was forced to sign a treaty that exchanges their freedom with the freedom of his two sons. Pate was released, but his sons’ release was to be postponed till September. Pro-slavery forces from Missouri came to Kansas under the command of Major General John Reid. They headed towards Osawatomie, Kansas, determined to crush the abolitionist forces there. Some of Reid’s men killed one of Brown’s sons in the morning of August 30, 1956. Brown was clearly outnumbered by Reid’s pro-slavery forces, but they still defended their posts. They managed to wound 40 and kill 20 of the Reid’s men. Reid ordered his men to retreat into the forest, and Brown’s men managed to capture four of Reid’s men. This display of bravery in that situation that clearly went against him was viewed as an act of heroism by Northern abolitionist forces. Brown was then known by the nickname, Osawatomie Brown. A month later, Brown met Free State leaders in Lawrence to help plan for a possible assault by the pro-slavery forces. Pro-slavery forces from Missouri were engaging attacks in Kansas. Battles ensued, though large damages were nipped in the bud when Kansas governor John Geary called for disarmament and offered clemency to soldiers of both sides. Brown fled from Kansas with his sons to gather more funds and support from the north. Brown travelled eastward to collect more funds. In his travels, he met with many prominent abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison and Gerrit Smith. Some of the wealthy abolitionists he met agreed to provide Brown with funds. This group of financers become known as the â€Å"Secret Six†. How much of Brown’s plans the Secret Six knew still remains a mystery until today as these men were just there to fund Brown with â€Å"no questions asked. † On January of the following year, Brown received pledges of weapons from different abolitionist organizations and individuals. He travelled more and continued to look for funding. He received help in forms of numerous pledges but little of these pledges were translated to cash. Brown met with Hugh Forbes in New York in March. He hired Forbes to be the tactician and drillmaster of his army. Both met in Tabor and formulated a plan for their anti-slavery crusade in the south with them disagreeing with some of the details of the plan. They left for Kansas six months later without Forbes receiving his salary. He decided to leave for the east instead of going with Brown to Kansas. Brown travelled to Ontario to attend a Constitutional Convention. Chatham, Ontario’s population were mostly dominated by slave fugitives. It was here that Brown’s provisional constitution was adopted. Brown was elected as the commander-in-chief and Elder Monroe, an African man was elected as minister, and shall act as president until a new one was elected. Many of the delegates signed the Constitution, but only a few joined Brown’s forces. Many intended to join but Forbes attempted to reveal the plans to Henry Wilson, a Massachusetts senator. Many of the members of Brown’s inner circle felt fear that their names will go revealed to the public. The members of the Secret Six were divided. Some of them wanted Brown to execute his plans rapidly, while some insisted for postponement. To derail Forbes’ knowledge of his plan, Brown returned to Kansas and remained there for 6 months. He joined forces with James Montogomery, the leader of the raids in Missouri. Brown led his own attacks, managing to set 11 slaves free. He took the liberated man with him to Detroit and to Canada. He went from city to city to collect more support. He reconnected with the Secret Six, visited his family and departed for Harpers Ferry. Upon arrival in Harpers Ferry, he rented a farmhouse nearby for his new recruits. He never received the number of recruits he expected to come to support him. He revealed the plan to some of his supporters and some of them expressed their worry and qualms about the plan. One of them, Douglass, already knew of Brown’s plan since 1859 and has tried numerous attempts to avert the enlistment of blacks in Brown’s army. Some of the weapons fit for a thousand men arrived late September, but Brown only had 21 men. A month later, Brown led 19 of his men to attack the armory of Harpers Ferry. He planned to distribute the weapons here to arm the slaves in the locality. He would then lead these men to the south to liberate more slaves. His plan was to free the slaves of Virginia to maim the institution and kill off the life-line that kept the economy alive in the south. They easily entered the town and they captured the armory with no resistance. They also spread the news to the local slaves they were going to be freed soon. Things went awry when a passenger train arrived in town. One of the train staff warned the passengers about Brown’s men. Brown ordered him to halt then, but seeing that his warning was not heeded, shot him openly. News of the raid reached Washington by late morning. Brown’s men were held inside the armory by the angry residents of the town. Military men sealed off the bridge, the only escape route available. Brown moved inside the armory and had the doors and windows blocked. The soldiers and townspeople outside prevented the exit of anyone inside the armory, and sometimes, Brown’s men would shoot at the people outside. Brown sent out his son, Watson, and one of his men under the bearing of a white flag and yet the men outside shot them. Exchanges of shots were fired, and Oliver, another of Brown’s sons were wounded and killed. On October 18, John Brown’s fort was surrounded by the military. They were encouraged to surrender, but Brown refused, saying that he would rather die there. The military men then broke the doors and walls of the armory down and captured the men inside. Brown was charged with murder of 5 men, instigation of a rebellion among the slaves and treason against the state of Virginia. The court found him to be guilty on all three counts on November 2. He was sentenced to be publicly hanged a month later. On November 2, after a week-long trial and 45 minutes of deliberation, the Charles town jury found Brown guilty on all three counts. Brown was sentenced to be hanged in public on December 2. Before he died, he wrote, â€Å"I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had, as I now think, vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done. † METHODOLOGY The results of this study were obtained via data collection from documents from the internet, several books and journals. Data analysis of the information was performed and some personal opinions of the author were also injected into the analysis of the data gathered.

America and the World

The American power has been well-recognized in all parts of the world. The series of war that are participated by America –namely: World War II and the Cold War – have given the image of a country which has power over other countries. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has been the sole superpower in the world. Since then, America has been part of almost all international gatherings and endeavors to promote the concept of globalization – making the world a single place for all the citizens of the world.During these times, America has been able to prove that their superpower is not only premised on their political capabilities but also on supreme economic status. Being one of the First World Countries, America is really an economically well-off country. And it has proven its economic supremacy in the global economy. In effect, most countries, especially those that are developing and underdeveloped countries, are seeking support from the American government to pursue their own economic progress. In addition, the rise of the American culture has also become one of the most controversial international issues in the current global scenario.People from around the world are trying to be like their Hollywood idols. The McDonalds and the Coca-Cola â€Å"syndrome† are also affecting the people from all over the world. In fact, the two are always present in almost all nation-states in the world (Sloan). These are just few of the things that promote the American culture. The popularity that America has since then and up to the present is undeniably a sign of how great its power is. However, other countries perceive this thing as a tactic or strategy of America to dominate the world.There are countries that do not patronize America. Therefore not all countries or people have faith in American influence or power. They view the acts of America as ways to Americanize the world. They claim that America only wanted to expand and amp lify its power all over the world such that it has been very active in particular international issues (Sloan). Nevertheless, as Alkman Granitsas said in his column in YaleGlobal Online, America has been, in fact, tuning out the world. This implies that America has been trying to move away from the global village.Instead America has just wanted to focus its dwellings on its domestic affairs. The first reason that is raised by Granitsas is that America has become conceited by the fact that almost one-third of the world’s population wants to get in their country. Secondly, America has realized that if almost all people in the world want to be in America, and more countries look upon America for economic assistance and other political purposes, then what is there in the outside of America that the Americans should pursue? If all wants to be in America then why should they leave and go to other places in the world?As presented in the column of Granitsas, American schools, college s, and university have a high rate of decline in terms of students who take up foreign languages courses. The record shows that Americans have started to become disinterested in going outside America. The perceived attitude of the Americans are indeed logical in the sense that why should they aspire to make themselves proficient in foreign languages when in fact most of the people in the world want to be expert in speaking English? In addition, significant changes have been reported which demonstrate how America has started to decrease their interest in global issues.Their newspapers have minimized the inclusion of international or global news. Before, the front page of the American newspapers had 27 percent of international news. But as shown in the report, there is only 21 percent of international news that are being included in the front page of the American newspaper (Granitsas). It was only when the September 11 bombing that the American had faced once again the global village (Granitsas). Since then, the American government has been trying to fight against terrorism that tends to inflict disturbance in America and its people.It is now acting for the sake of its government and people and not for the whole world. It is doing its job for the sake of its government subsistence and for the safety of its people and not really to dominate the world. America, labeled as the New World, does not really want the world to kneel down before it. It does not really want to conquer the whole of the world. Its recent actions and policies are not really to gain more power and to rule the world but only to protect the interest of the state and its people.The dilemma in this topic is directed towards the perceived dominance of the America over the last centuries in the international scene and the more current attitude of America of closing its idea on global participation. Either the latter is true or the former is true is not confirmed yet. But it is true that both could m ake the global order complicated. Works Cited: Granitsas, Alkman. â€Å"Americans are Tuning Out the World. † 24 November 2005. YaleGlobal Online. 10 October 2007 . Sloan, Kim. A New World: England's First View of America. The University of North Carolina Press , 2007.