Mexican Americans in American Popular Culture Essay

It is a known fact that modern entertainment media created certain images and stereotypes of Latin, Asian and other ethnic minorities living in our country. American cinema movies, TV series or even PC games mostly picture the members of Latin and Mexican cultures as aggressive tempered mustached guys, who smoke and fight a lot, and who are always involved in drug distribution or some criminal activities. This tendency had very negative effects on our minds, and many of our citizens are convinced that there are no educated, good-mannered and decent people in Mexican communities. I was always wondering why it happens this way, and studying some historic material, including the articles from the site Digital History, helped me to find some answers on this question. This tendency proved to have a long history and it was formed during the second and the third decades of the twentieth century, when Hollywood producers started expressing their concern and fears caused by the afflux of talented Mexican actors, including Lupe Velez or Dolores Del Rio, their success and public recognition in the US. That is why many performers of Latin origin were given the roles of bandits, thieves and other not attractive characters. After the World War II a number of movies were produced, in which the directors tried to restore the image of Mexican Americans, but after the 1960s, when the problems of illegal immigration from the South became topical, caricaturizing the Mexicans continued. During the last decades, negative characters of Hispanic origin have been appearing in many popular cinema movies or TV series, starting from Chico and the Man and ending with 24. Also, a great contribution to reinforcing the distorted images of the Mexicans was made by a series of popular video games Grand Theft Auto (GTA). In my opinion, this situation is really dejecting, and I am convinced that recent attempts of Mexican artists to demonstrate their true cultural identity and unique distinctive heritage must be supported in our society, and their ethnic voices must be heard.

Misuse of Comic Relief

Misuse of Comic Relief Misuse of Comic Relief Misuse of Comic Relief By Maeve Maddox The following passage from a newspaper feature alerted me to confusion between the literary term comic relief and the idiom to throw [something] into relief: Inside, the obituary request for humane society donations comes into comic relief. Theres a Jack Russell and a King Charles, a cockatoo Miss Peepers and a cage full of finches. Theres a goldendoodle, an Australian shepherd, a standard poodle, and now Rosss two Persians and another cat. A second tropical bird is at a Memphis vet. The journalist is writing about a man whose obituary requested that memorial donations be made to the local humane society. When he visited the family home and saw the multitude of pets, the memorial request took on greater significance. The existence of the orphaned animals caused the request to come into relief, but not into comic relief. The noun relief has two usual meanings. One kind of relief is ease or alleviation given to or received by a person through the removal or lessening of some cause of distress or anxiety. For example, Passengers  are breathing a  sigh of relief  after an Ebola scare at Los Angeles International Airport. Another kind of relief is the projection of a design from a flat surface. For example, The alabaster wall panel shows the mounted figure of King Ashurbanipal in relief. This latter meaning of relief is used figuratively to mean vividness, distinctness, or prominence due to contrast. For example, At a time when for-profits strategically adopt the stylized selflessness of nonprofit design, nonprofit profit-seeking stands out in ever sharper relief. The idiom to throw into relief means, to make something plainly evident or clearly visible by contrast. For example, The effect of the  comment  is to  throw into relief  the wonder of his conversion and to point to the contrast between his  previous  way of life and [his] new calling. The term comic relief has nothing to do with a raised image. Comic relief is the writing technique of relieving serious content with humorous or comic interludes. In this context, relief means, alleviation of distressful emotions. The insertion of comic relief may be in the form of an entire scene, like the much-cited knocking at the gate example in Macbeth. Shakespeare provides his audience with the porters bawdy monologue before facing them with the harrowing discovery of King Duncans mutilated corpse. The effect of lightening somber content can also be achieved by a line of dialogue or a comical character who appears from time to time and can be relied on to provoke a laugh from the audience or reader. For example, Falstaff relieves the bloody history lessons of Shakespeares Henry plays. The sardonic one-liners of Lenny in episodes of Law and Order are intended to lighten the gruesome images of murder. Comic relief is, therefore, the deliberate use of humorous effect in the midst of serious content. The journalist cited above may have been amused by the Doctor Doolittle-esque collection of animals, but his personal amusement does not justify the use of the term comic relief in the context. I found additional examples of the misuse of comic relief on the Web. Heres one: The claim [by Italian authorities that France should return the Mona Lisa to Italy] throws into comic relief other more serious recent attempts by source countries to extend their repatriation claims to objects that left their borders years, decades or even (in the latest case) centuries before the 1970 cutoff date agreed to by signatories of the UNESCO Convention.- Arts Journal. The writer regards Italys claim as wacky and goes on to refer to other claims for art repatriation by other countries that are not as extremely preposterous, but which are in his view, also ridiculous. The expression that would make sense in this context is to throw into relief: Writers need to think twice before prefacing relief with comic Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know26 Feel-Good WordsParticular vs. Specific

David Camerons first 18 months as Prime Minister

David Camerons first 18 months as Prime Minister After bagging around hundred additional seats in the General elections in May 2010, the Conservative Party came into power together with the Liberal Democrats in Britain and David Cameron became the Prime Minister leading the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government (David Cameron, n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on David Cameron’s first 18 months as Prime Minister specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of this coalition government was to form a sturdy and progressive government whose sole objective would be to give preference to the common good and national interest. The values of freedom, fairness and responsibility are the key inspirational factors of this government (David Cameron, n.d.). Modernisation of his party has always been the prime concern of David Cameron. He was first elected Leader of the Conservative Party in Dec.2005 and ever since he has been giving emphasis to issues like, N HS reforms, adopting environment friendly measures, encouragement to social actions and social justice as Leader of the Opposition. The number of women and tribal minority candidates for the Conservative Party raised significantly during this period (Prime Minister David Cameron’s Biography, 2011). David Cameron always believed that the society comes first and the politicians are there to work for the people and not to rule them. As the Prime Minister also he has always given importance to social responsibility. In the first 18 months of his leadership the government has acted in accordance to its mandate by presenting a picture of the Big Society by assuring more power to the common man. Moreover, Britain’s deficit, educational reform policies, health and welfare are some of the other powerful actions taken in the initial few months of David Cameron led coalition government (David Cameron, n.d. ). Despite the fact that Cameron has a great personality and his performan ce in the Commons has always been that of a confident leader, his political accomplishments raise a serious question on his role towards the office. Cameron’s focus is observed mainly in keeping the coalition unabated (Many Miles to go, 2011). He might celebrate some success on the issues like an improved credit rating, success in the half –war in Libya and leading a strong coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats but he seems to act sluggishly in fulfilling the two big promises that he made before last year’s general elections i.e. to combat Britain’s deficit and to provide a makeover to the state.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though, measures have been taken and bold and clear strategies have been outlined to reduce Britain’s huge deficit by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The process has just ini tiated and has saved British sovereign from losing faith in the markets but the progress is unexpectedly slow and unemployment is higher. Mr. Osborne is too stubborn to make alteration in his blueprint as it would indicate government’s incompetence to fight the crises. It would not be wise also with the deficit equal to 9.3%of GDP in 2010-11 (Many Miles to go, 2011). David Cameron admitted that the government has to hasten with its deficit reduction plans as it was proving harder than anyone envisaged while speaking to business leaders at the CBI conference in London (David Cameron: deficit harder to clear than first thought, 2011). The second promise of redesigning the state is also experiencing problems. It is evident that at a time of hardship announcing public services is quite challenging. Reformation demands lubrication for a smooth progress. But here, the progress is hindered more by the political incompetence and weakness of the government rather than the scarcity of funds (Many Miles to go, 2011). The coalition government led by Mr. Cameron had initiated a radical reform agenda last year. The state-funded free schools and abundance of independent academies are some of the successful programs. More private providers are assured extended funds on the basis of payment –by- results in the cases like the treatment of drug addicts. Tackling the biased inducement in the universal welfare system is also a major concern of the government (Many Miles to go, 2011). But there has only been partial success in these arenas. The implementation of these programs is not flawless. The government has not been very strict in taking action against the profit making schools. Rich pensioners are still enjoying the benefits and refurbishment of the broader welfare is going to be complicated and expensive. The new commissioning structure has left the health reform programs in a disastrous state. Lifting the limit on the university tuition fee left the exchequer with a huge liability. Moreover, the ineffective idea of the â€Å"Big Society† wasted much of government’s time and fund. David Cameron’s policy of the rehabilitation program for the criminals also had to face much criticism by the tabloids.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on David Cameron’s first 18 months as Prime Minister specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All these setbacks are Tories’ own doings so they cannot deceive themselves by holding the Liberal Democrats responsible for it. In spite of all this it is commendable that the people holding top positions in both the coalition parties are likeminded in redesigning the state to make it more accountable and pluralistic (Many Miles to go, 2011). David Cameron’s successful venture in Libya is praiseworthy and his tactics in used in the Libya victory has convinced many of the disbelievers. His caliber and competence in tackling the riots has also proved him a proficient leader. Rick Nye of pollsters Populous says, â€Å"You have seen the hacking, the riots, and Libya, but they are not really game-changers when it comes to their fundamental assessment† (Underhill, 2011). Recently, Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced a  £400 million fund for the house building sector. The idea is to support the construction industry and fulfill the desire of many people of having their own home. Besides this, development would be done on more public land funds are reserved for renovating the old and empty houses to bring them back into use. Thus, upto 16,000 homes will have a new start in construction and 3,200 would be reasonable properties. Officials believe that it will also endorse around 32,000s job. Before this a  £500 million Growing Places Fund was also announced by the coalition government. Though Labors consider this move as† small beer† and the govern ment should put in more efforts to uplift the sinking economy which can fight the â€Å"perfect storm† in housing ever since the Second World War. The Prime Minister and Mr Clegg said â€Å"With this strategy, we will unlock the housing market, get Britain building again, and give many more people the satisfaction and security that comes from stepping over their own threshold. These plans are ambitious but we are determined to deliver on them.† This move has been welcomed by Shadow chancellor Ed Balls. He stated that it is necessary for the government to recognize that the deficit cannot be reduced without getting growth and jobs in our economy and â€Å"so I think it probably does show that at last the Government is starting to shift.† David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, also praised the Government for trying to deal with the issues. But he added that it is important to show boldness and strength in setting up the wrecked housing mar ket (Government to underwrite mortgages fro first time buyers, 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another weakness of the coalition government lies in the handling of the health care reforms. Considerable opposition is being experienced by the coalition government over the policies regarding health care reforms. It was necessary to keep on finding ways to benefit the people by providing authentic healthcare and proving that NHS is safe in the hands of the Tories. Consequently some changes were made to the legislation and amidst criticism from some Liberal Democrats along with the Labor the health bill cleared its Commons stages in September. It might face further criticism in the House of Lords (David Cameron’s NHS ‘support’ claim disputed by staff, 2011). This plan makes the GPs and other clinicians more accountable regarding the use of the budget in England and promotes competition with the private sector. This has proved to be the most controversial and revolutionary plan in the history of health service (Lords debating NHS shape up bill, 2011). It is impo rtant for Mr. Cameron to realize that his competency would be judged in handling problems tactfully at the domestic front or else the coalition government is going to be in much trouble.He will have to go further in evaluating the problems of budget deficit, flooding immigration, dealing with the issues like collapsing eurozone and the police force not functioning properly (Harris, 2011). The party leader of the Conservatives is expected to be very responsible and competent owning the party traits like sharp sense, self–discipline, attentive attitude making him more powerful. David Cameron can prove to be a virtuous Prime Minister as he is intellectual, sophisticated and full of energy. But it is important for Mr Cameron to understand that the Conservatives have showered trust on those leaders only who have shown respect for the party as he seems to be more comfortable with the ideas of the metropolitan liberal elite in spite of having a typically Tory background (Harris, 201 1). It is true that he is a good prime minister and dealing with the current scenario with great courage and confidence. He has worked very hard in the first year for repositioning his Party ideologically. The reduction of some sensitive issues like immigration, Europe, and single parenting he has portrayed Conservatives as an understanding and comprehensive Party. Issues like work- life-balance, helping the socially dispossessed, promoting environmental friendly measures to deal with the growing climate changes and global warming have been major concerns of the government. Cameron has also given much importance to the betterment of public sector. Cameron and government his coalition government may be happy with the point they have reached but many of his colleagues seem to be unconvinced and proclaim that he has a long way to go to reach the zenith of his political career (Dorey, 2007). So, Mr. Cameron needs to put forth all his strength and competency in making this government tru stworthy and to prove himself as a leader of an extraordinary and daring administration (Many miles to go, 2011). â€Å"David Cameron†. n.d. Conservatives. Web. â€Å"David Cameron: deficit harder to clear than first thought†. 2011. The Telegraph. Web. â€Å"David Cameron’s NHS support claim disputed by staff†. 2011. BBC. Web. Dorey, P. â€Å"A New Direction or Another False Dawn? David Cameron and the Crisis of British Conservatism. 2007†. British Politics (2007) 2, 137–166. doi:10.1057/palgrave.bp.4200051 â€Å"Government to underwrite mortgages fro first-time buyers†.2011. Yorkshirepost. Web. Harris. R. â€Å"Dave is intelligent and polished- but he doesnt understand the Tory party†. 2011. Mailonline. Web. â€Å"Lords debating NHS shake-up bill†. 2011. BBC. Web. â€Å"Many miles to go†. 2011. The Economist. Web. â€Å"Prime Minister David Camerons biography†. 2011. 10. Web. Underhill, W. â€Å"David Ca meron’s Holiday Boost†. 2011. The daily beast. Web.

Guidelines for Keeping a Lab Notebook

Guidelines for Keeping a Lab Notebook A lab notebook is the primary permanent record of your research and experiments. Note that if you are taking an AP Placement lab course, you need to present a suitable lab notebook in order to get AP credit at most colleges and universities. Here is a list of guidelines that explains how to keep a lab notebook. Notebook Must Be Permanently Bound It should not be loose-leaf or in a 3-ring binder. Never tear a page out of the lab notebook. If you make a mistake, you can cross it out, but you should not remove sheets or parts of sheets from your book. When you cross out an error, it should still be legible. You should be  explaining the reason for the strikethrough and you should initial and date it. To that point, it is not acceptable to take notes in pencil or erasable ink. Keep Everything Legible and Organized Organization is key to a good lab book. Print your name, contact info, the date and other pertinent information on the cover of the lab book.  Some lab books require you to enter some of this information on every page of the book. If your book is not pre-numbered, number every page. Usually, numbers are located in the upper outer corner and both the front and back of each page is numbered. Your labor instructor may have a rule regarding numbering. If so, follow their instructions. Its also a good idea to reserve the first couple of pages for a Table of Contents. To keep everything organized and simplified, start a fresh page for each experiment. Be Precise in Your Record Keeping This is a record of the lab work you have done during the semester or year, so it needs to be thorough. For each experiment, record the date(s) and list lab partners, if applicable. Record all information real-time. Dont wait to fill in the information. It may be tempting to record data elsewhere and then transcribe it into your lab notebook, usually because it would make the notebook neater, but its important to record it immediately. Include charts, photos, graphs and similar information in your lab notebook. Usually, youll tape these in or include a pocket for a data chip. If you must keep some data in a separate book or other location, note the location in your lab book and cross-reference it with the relevant lab book page numbers wherever the data is stored. Dont leave gaps or white space in the lab book. If you have a big open space, cross it out. The purpose of this is so no one can go back in and add false details at a later date.

Rewrite a work and paraphrase the quot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rewrite a work and paraphrase the quot - Essay Example Frankenstein has shown twice as much of self-referentiality as novels conventionally do. The way it has been composed and the cultural status it has consequently attained imitate the core moments of a self-constructed story. The novel is based on the story of a monster. Just like this character that forms part of the story, Frankenstein assembles into a living being from the dead fragments originally collected by the writer. Upon getting published, the novel has totally freed itself from the textual frame that its author originally had tried to enclose it in. Instead, the novel has gained an independent life in the form of a myth. Such a noticeable deviation from the pattern intended by the author does not result from the non-ability of literary texts to refer to things other than themselves. Indeed, the deviation is the result of the romanticism in the writing that tends to use the author’s creativity to signify the engagement of man with the world. In this way, the text beco mes appealing to the audience by creating a wide domain of significance through its so-called circular self-reference.

Sonny's Blues and Big Black Good Man Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sonny's Blues and Big Black Good Man - Assignment Example Sonny, the narrator finds out, had been trying to get away from falling into the trap of drugs, and through this the narrator sees his own shortcomings in trying to deal with his brother; this leads him to change his attitude towards himself as well. He feels no more bitterness towards his brother, as he now realizes that in a way his mistakes were a rite of passage of sorts. Finally, listening to his brother play the piano, he finally realizes that he has been pushing away his brother, and that he needs to be part of Sonny’s life now and listen to him and his music. The story is neither closer to Olaf’s point of view, nor Jim’s, it is basically an attempt by the author to challenge our prejudices and to let us know that even those amongst us who consider themselves to be racially unbiased, like Olaf, are actually racists at some level. This is exactly why Wright has used a stereotypical big black man; it is an image of the black man that is deeply ingrained in the white man’s psyche, an image the typical white man is scared of. Jim wanted to show gratitude to Olaf for introducing him to Lena, and he was merely measuring Olaf’s neck size the only way he knew how, it was Olaf’s prejudice that scared him into thinking his life was in danger. Richard Wright mirrors the reader in Olaf; he takes an exaggerated stereotypical black man and confronts the reader directly with his/her prejudices, showing the reader that no matter how unbiased we might claim ourselves to be, most of us are influenced by racial inclination s. Trevor, I agree that the narrator in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† underwent a lot of changes, with time and experience, throughout his narrative. However, I do not feel that Jim in â€Å"Big Black Good Man† was playing with Olaf intentionally; it was actually Olaf’s own biased and racist thinking that made him believe that Jim was

Frankl Narration of the Concentration Camp Essay - 4

Frankl Narration of the Concentration Camp - Essay Example The introduction of the story whereby he relates the initiation with a lot of shock in the camp, the experience and adapting of the camps duties and routine and lastly he explains of the reactions of the deformity and mental anguish liberated. Frankly explains this by incorporating the ideas of the experience he persevered while he was working in a harsh condition. According to Frankl, a good life can only be attained if an individual finds the meaning of life and maneuvers over the hardships of life. He emphasizes that there are also three methods or ways in which an individual can find the meaning of the life. The first is changing the personal challenges into achievement, then establishing a need or work and finally encountering and experiencing something.Frankl never admitted the divine revelation of the bible and he argued that the salvation of mankind is through practicing the love among other peoples. Frankly accepts the fact that he wrote the book to strengthen his wife’s faith and make her see things in the perspective of reality not necessarily faith and believe as others do.Frankl was prominent in showing how those who suffer should control themselves and see the positive value of nature and not to rely on the mere faith and believe. He tries to show them how after suffering they can control their inner soul which is unlike th e lords' teachings in the bible. This portrays his character as a man who differed with the lords teaching and thus he could be compared with a pagan. In the theory of logotherapy, Frankl tried to explain that life is composed of challenges and struggles which are bad and good but a person should have motivation and courage toward being the victor. He also argues that an individual should fight against the blocks in life and derive the meaning of life through overcoming such suffering.