In Defense of Chatrooms Essay -- Technology Internet Computers Papers

In Defense of Chatrooms With the advent of the Internet, fewer people are using the telephone or postal system as media of interactive communication exchanges due to their specific uses and limitations. While the former does not allow one to chat with several others from all over the world simultaneously and at a reasonable cost, the latter is handicapped by its time-consuming nature. Replacing the two mediums is a fast and rising newcomer, chatrooms, which offer an unprecedented opportunity to interact effectively, cheaply and widely, with multiple individuals at a time and in faraway places too. Chatrooms are definitely not meant as a utopia and in fact, they can be a serious menace when people exploit them through verbal, psychological abuse or worse, physical abuse. Despite the dangers which can be minimized through self-discipline and parental guidance, chatrooms are suitable places for developing the self socially, mentally and culturally, as well as shaping the character traits of the self. Being social creatures, "we are born into social environments (to) discover and explore the world through social discourse, (to) come to know ourselves through interpersonal experience" (Leitenberg, 325). Such basic requirements are met when one chats online by typing rather than by talking, for example, through Internet Relay Chat (IRC), which attracts people from "Finland, Australia, South Africa, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Iceland... and that is only a sampling of some of the geographical areas represented on the Net" (Reiner & Blanton, xvi). The diversity in the nationalities, ages, occupations and personalities of IRC users tends to give the self a global orientation since one is able to navigate to other countries an... ...Harold. Handbook of social and evaluation anxiety (New York: Plenum Press), 1990 Pyra, Marianne. Using Internet Relay Chat (USA: Que Corporation), 1995 Reiner, Diane & Keith Blanton. Person to person on the Internet (London: Academic Press Limited), 1997. Reuters, AP. "Victims of Net stalkers cry for help", The Straits Times (world), March 30th 2000, p 6. Sia, Cheong Yew. "What is your child up to in cyberspace?" http://web3.asia1.com.sg/archive/st/1/opin/opin2_0428.html Tapscott, D. Growing up digital: The rise of the net generation (New York: Mc Graw-Hill), 1997. Weiss, Ann E. Virtual Reality: A door to cyberspace (Canada: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd), 1996. Whittle, David B. Cyberspace: The Human Dimension (New York: WH Freeman & Co), 1996. Wong, Karen. "Jail for chatline pimp", The Straits Times (prime news), March 23rd 2000, p 2. In Defense of Chatrooms Essay -- Technology Internet Computers Papers In Defense of Chatrooms With the advent of the Internet, fewer people are using the telephone or postal system as media of interactive communication exchanges due to their specific uses and limitations. While the former does not allow one to chat with several others from all over the world simultaneously and at a reasonable cost, the latter is handicapped by its time-consuming nature. Replacing the two mediums is a fast and rising newcomer, chatrooms, which offer an unprecedented opportunity to interact effectively, cheaply and widely, with multiple individuals at a time and in faraway places too. Chatrooms are definitely not meant as a utopia and in fact, they can be a serious menace when people exploit them through verbal, psychological abuse or worse, physical abuse. Despite the dangers which can be minimized through self-discipline and parental guidance, chatrooms are suitable places for developing the self socially, mentally and culturally, as well as shaping the character traits of the self. Being social creatures, "we are born into social environments (to) discover and explore the world through social discourse, (to) come to know ourselves through interpersonal experience" (Leitenberg, 325). Such basic requirements are met when one chats online by typing rather than by talking, for example, through Internet Relay Chat (IRC), which attracts people from "Finland, Australia, South Africa, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Iceland... and that is only a sampling of some of the geographical areas represented on the Net" (Reiner & Blanton, xvi). The diversity in the nationalities, ages, occupations and personalities of IRC users tends to give the self a global orientation since one is able to navigate to other countries an... ...Harold. Handbook of social and evaluation anxiety (New York: Plenum Press), 1990 Pyra, Marianne. Using Internet Relay Chat (USA: Que Corporation), 1995 Reiner, Diane & Keith Blanton. Person to person on the Internet (London: Academic Press Limited), 1997. Reuters, AP. "Victims of Net stalkers cry for help", The Straits Times (world), March 30th 2000, p 6. Sia, Cheong Yew. "What is your child up to in cyberspace?" http://web3.asia1.com.sg/archive/st/1/opin/opin2_0428.html Tapscott, D. Growing up digital: The rise of the net generation (New York: Mc Graw-Hill), 1997. Weiss, Ann E. Virtual Reality: A door to cyberspace (Canada: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd), 1996. Whittle, David B. Cyberspace: The Human Dimension (New York: WH Freeman & Co), 1996. Wong, Karen. "Jail for chatline pimp", The Straits Times (prime news), March 23rd 2000, p 2.

Love: How Is It?

Amrita Sarkar English 1B 19th September 2012 Love: How Is It? Life has lots of emotions: happiness, sorrow, guilt, frustration, love, and so on. Love is the one emotion which brings in huge changes in our lives and a different kind of emotion begins with it. How can we describe it? Describing love is very hard because in every phase of life, characterization of love can be varied. In childhood, through romantic films and stories, we started to get feeling that love is passionate and when people will be going through it, life would be full of happiness.In adulthood, people’s perception about love might change. Those who are fantasizing about love realized that it is not only about physical attraction but also about relationship, responsibilities and companionship. When ages grow, some people become optimistic about love, some become pessimistic and some of them are on a way to rediscover love. Definition of love can be changed not only with one’s maturity level but also with his/her cultural values.In Raymond Carver story – ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’ – the main protagonists Mel and Terri, and Jhumpa Lahiri’s creation – ‘Going Ashore’ – soon to be married couple, Hema and Navin, had enough knowledge about love but they could not still fully realize it. So, they are on their ways to discover the essence of love. Mel-Terrie and Hema-Navin, all four are mature persons. Individually they all previously experienced love. In ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’, Carver described that Mel and Terri had unsuccessful marriages in the past. Terri’s marriage with Ed was abusive.But Terri claimed that Ed was possessive but loving husband. As a proof, she said about Ed, â€Å"He beat me up one night. He dragged me around the living room by my ankle†. Even with this aggressive behavior toward her, Ed â€Å"†¦ kept saying ‘I love you, I lov e you, you bitch’† (Carver 722). On the other hand, Mel and Marjorie also had a bad marriage. After they ended their relationship, there was no feeling left other than hatred toward each other. Mel expressed his feeling by saying, â€Å"There was a time when I thought I loved my first wife more than life itself. But now I hate her guts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Carver 725).In ‘Going Ashore’, Navin also went through short-term relationship in the past. But his fiance, Hema, was in a strong, long-lasting relationship with Jullian. Hema was dedicated to the relationship for a decade, but Jullian failed to give her a secure life. Hema’s insecurity about her position in Jullian’s life and her urge for stability were the reasons to end their relationship. She declared to Jullian, â€Å"I’m engaged to be married† (Lahiri 626). After rocky relationship in the past, now everybody is in a new phase of life, but it seems two couples could not connect with each other.Hema and Navin, like many other Indian couples, were going to get married on their parents’ will. Hema was brought-up in western culture. She could not make her mind to marry Navin by such an old approach. She was self-conflicted and her conflict was evident in this quotation, â€Å"she refused to think of it as an arranged marriage, but knew in her heart that that was what it was† (Lahiri 625). She did not bother to wear engagement ring. When people asked her about it she promptly answered, â€Å"I don’t have one. † (Lahiri 634).Hema and Navin’s marriage looked as if they were with each other just for search of stability and companionship in life. Heme was unsure about their marriage even when Navin was planning for their honeymoon and future. Taking decisions about future are required involvement of both partners. They two were so unknown to each other that they could not read each other’s mind. Carver, on the other hand, described Mel as a cardiologist by occupation but he was clueless and emotionless about love. Mel and Terri were married for five years, but they had not been discovered essence of love and companionship.Mel thought that â€Å"real love was nothing less than spiritual love† (Carver 722). He also considered that if â€Å"something happened† to his partner, then â€Å"the other person, would grieve for a while, you know, but then the surviving party would go out and love again,  have someone else soon enough† (Carver 725). In contrast, Terri was fantasizing about her past and wanted to convince other that her ex-marriage was also blissful and passionate. She portrayed Ed’s aggression as love and said to others that, â€Å"†¦ he loved me† but â€Å"In his own way maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Carver 722).It seems very strange when two people were in bonding like marriage but they talked about their ex, how much they loved them, scope of future new rela tionship, and their failure to understand one another. These incidents indicated that how much they were detached to each other. Bonding between them was very fragile. In most relationships across the globe, one element is very common – male dominance. The stories about these two couples were also not different. Both characters, Mel and Navin, were highly educated. They were financially stronger than their spouses and were controlling their relationships.In a party at their place with friends, when Mel said to Terri to â€Å"Just shut up for once in your life†, it expressed his supremacy in their marriage. Mel verbally abused Terri in front of guests, but she did not protest. In the ‘Going Ashore’, Navin was also controlling in taking mutual decisions. He was contemplating for a baby all by himself and cancelled their honeymoon plan at Goa. During those plans, he did not care to know about Hema’s wishes. From portrayal of characters and incidents, w e got an idea that in Mel-Terri’s relationship, Terri was more dependent on her spouse.She was still abused verbally by Mel. But Hema, a PhD scholar and a lecturer at Wellesley College, was more independent. She had total control over her life. Her decade-long relationship with Jullian makes her stronger. At the age thirty seven, when biological clock was ticking away, her parents wanted to see her get settled and she also wished for it. Hema belonged to Indian society where arrange marriage is very common. So, she agreed to go for her marriage by her parents’ choice. From Carver’s description, we did not get any indication about Terri’s education background and job status.Mel’s attitude toward her showed that her character was weaker than Hema. Jhumpa Lahiri’s â€Å"Going Ashore† portrayed its characters whose origin was in India but they were immigrants to America and adopted western culture. In India, people have different values t han we find in America. Indian culture believes that person should sacrifice for relation. People in India are motivated to reform themselves to strengthen relationship and to respect it lifelong. Hema and Navin were getting married by knowing each other only for few months. In between her wedding with Navin, Hema was attracted to Kausik at Rome.Their bonding was great but they did not commit to each other because of family values. Family was very important to Hema – that was why she asked her parents to find a suitable groom for her. Thus, Hema’s parents found Navin for her and she also believed that Navin was probably a suitable guy for her too. In Indian culture, marriage is an institute which also creates bonding between two families. Hema and Navin were taking risk to know each other and to spend their lives together by getting married for the sake of their families.In contrast, Mel-Terri was started dating when Terri’s was still married to Ed. And Mel ende d his marriage with Marjorie, despite the fact that they had two children. Their family bonding was very feeble. Mel had not even understood value of selfless love and stable relationship. When two people were deeply in love with each other, he thought this emotion was hilarious and phony. Through the representation of ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’, we feel pessimistic about love but ‘Going Ashore’ is hopeful about new beginning.Jhumpa Lahiri and Raymond Carver also give us different views of love that changes with cultural background. In American culture, people give emphasis to their sentiments rather than family values. Lahiri shows us different angle of relationship. But both stories show us that dominance toward women is present in every part of globe and in every form of relationship. After reading these stories, we get different views of love, from which I realized that we should respect our partner and care for their thoughts.We, also , should give them equal space for healthy and better future relationship. Both the stories, ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’ and ‘Going Ashore’, show us new direction and help us to review our bonding with near and dear ones. Works Cited Carver, Raymond. â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. † Making Literature Matter. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 721-30. Print. Lahiri, Jumpa. â€Å"Going Ashore. † Making Literature Matter. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 622-46. Print.

About the Tallest Building in the World

Tall buildings are everywhere. Since it opened in 2010, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been considered the tallest building in the world, BUT... Skyscrapers are being built all around the world. The measured height of new skyscrapers seems to rise every year. Other Supertall and Megatall buildings are on the drawing board. Today the tallest building is in Dubai, but soon the Burj may be second tallest or third or further down the list. What is the tallest building in the world? It depends on who does the measuring and when its built. Skyscraper buffs disagree on whether features like flagpoles, antennae, and spires should be included when measuring building height. Also under dispute is the question of what, exactly, is the definition of a building. Technically, observation towers and communications towers are considered structures, not buildings, because they are not habitable. They do not have residential or office space. Here are the contenders for the worlds tallest: 1. Burj Khalifa It opened on January 4, 2010, and at a soaring 828 meters (2,717 feet), the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is now considered the worlds tallest building. Keep in mind, however, that these statistics include the skyscrapers enormous spire. 2. Shanghai Tower When it opened in 2015, the Shanghai Tower wasnt even close to the height of Burj Dubai, but it readily slipped into place as the second tallest building in the world at 632 meters (2,073 feet). 3. Makkah Clock Royal Tower Hotel The city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia jumped on the skyscraper bandwagon with the 2012 completion of the Fairmont Hotel in the Abraj Al Bait Complex. At 601 meters (1,972 feet), this towering multi-use building is considered the third tallest in the world. The 40 meters (130 feet) four-faced clock atop the tower announces daily prayers and can be seen 10 miles away from this holy city. 4. Ping An Finance Center Completed in 2017, PAFC is yet another skyscraper to be built in Shenzhen, China—China’s first Special Economic Zone. Since 1980, the population of this once-rural community has increased by millions of people, millions of dollars, and millions of square feet of vertical space. At 599 meters high (1,965 feet), its roughly the same height as the Makkah Clock Royal. 5. Lotte World Tower Like PAFC, the Lotte was also completed in 2017 and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. It will be in the top 10 highest buildings for a while, at 554.5 meters (1,819 feet). Located in Seoul, Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea and third tallest in all of Asia. 6. One World Trade Center For a while it was thought that the 2002 plan for Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan easily would become the worlds tallest building. However, security concerns led designers to scale down their plans. The design of One World Trade Center changed many times between 2002 and when it opened in 2014. Today it rises 541 meters (1,776 feet), but much of that height is in its needle-like spire. The occupied height is a mere 386.6 meters (1,268 feet)—Willis Tower in Chicago and the IFC in Hong Kong are taller when measured in occupied height. Yet, in 2013 the design architect, David Childs, argued that the 1WTC spire was a permanent architectural feature, whose height should be included. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) agreed and ruled that 1WTC would be the third tallest building in the world when it opened in November 2014. Although 1WTC may be New Yorks tallest building for a long time, it already has slipped in global ranking—but so will most of todays completed skyscrapers. Its story will always be included in books about skyscrapers. 7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre Another Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed Chinese skyscraper, the Chow Thai Fook Finance Centre in the port city of Guangzhou rises 530 meters (1,739 feet) above the Pearl River. Completed in 2016, it is the third tallest skyscraper in China, a country gone wild with building tall in the 21st century. 8. The Taipei 101 Tower Measuring 508 meters (1,667 feet) tall, the Taipei 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan was widely considered the worlds  tallest building when it opened back in 2004. But, like the Burj Dubai, the Taipei 101 Tower gets much of its height from a huge spire. 9. Shanghai World Financial Centre Yes, this is the skyscraper that looks like a giant bottle opener. The Shanghai Financial Centre still turns heads, but not only because its more than 1,600 feet high. Its been in the top 10 list of worlds tallest buildings since it opened in 2008. 10. International Commerce Centre (ICC) By 2017, five of the top 10 tallest buildings were in China. The ICC Building, like most of the new skyscrapers on this list, is a multi-use structure that includes hotel space. Built between 2002 and 2010, the Hong Kong building, at 484 meters (1,588 feet) high, will surely slip from the worlds top 10 list, but the hotel will still provide great views! More From the Top 100 Petronas Twin Towers: At one time the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were described as the tallest buildings in the world at 452 meters (1,483 feet). Today they dont even make the top 10 list. Once again, we should look upward—Cesar Pellis Petronas Towers get much of their height from spires and not from usable space. Willis Tower: If you count only habitable space and measure from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top of the building (excluding flagpoles and spires), then Chicagos Sears Tower (Willis Tower), built in 1974, still ranks among the tallest buildings in the world. Wilshire Grand Center: Up until now, New York City and Chicago have been the two cities to dominate skyscraper height in the U.S. Not anymore. In 2014, the City of Los Angeles changed an old 1974 local rule that mandated rooftop landing pads for emergency helicopters. Now, with a new fire code and construction methods and materials that mitigate earthquake damage, Los Angeles is looking up. The first to rise is the Wilshire Grand Center in 2017. At 335.3 meters (1,100 feet), its on the list of top 100 worlds tallest buildings, but L.A. should be able to get higher than that. Future Contenders Jeddah Tower: In ranking the tallest, do you count buildings that are still being built? Kingdom Tower, also known as Jeddah Tower under construction in Saudi Arabia, is designed to have 167 floors above ground—at a whopping  1,000 meters (3,281 feet) high, Kingdom Tower will be more than 500 feet higher than the Burj Khalifa and more than 1,500 feet higher than 1WTC. The list of 100 future tallest buildings in the world points to 1WTC not even being in the top 20 in a matter of years. Tokyo Sky Tree: Supposing we included spires, flagpoles, and antennae when measuring building heights, it might not make sense to distinguish between buildings and towers when ranking building heights. If we rank all man-made structures, whether or not they contain habitable space, then wed have to give high rankings to the Tokyo Sky Tree  in Japan, measuring 634 meters (2,080 feet). Next in running is Chinas Canton Tower, which measures 604 meters (1,982 feet). Finally, theres the old 1976 CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. Measuring 553 meters (1,815 feet) tall, the iconic CN Tower was the worlds tallest for many years. Source 100 Tallest Completed Buildings in the World by Height to Architectural Top, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/buildings [accessed October 23, 2017]

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My Personal Philosophy On Education - 793 Words

At the first quarter, I said that I really like to become a teacher, and I also said become a teacher do not easy. But I still think if we really want to teach children by heart we can do it. Children is a seed of country, and we need fosterage it, provide a knowledge, and build a beautiful soul for them. In the life, we know parents are best important for children, but I think teacher also is third parent with children. In my opinion, there are three elements I believe it is my philosophy on education is a good teacher is not just teaching by wisdom knowledge, that we should teaching by our heart, encourage student to ask questions, and unbiased, non-conservative, wise, help students with all respect. And I think my personal philosophy concerns to good teaching, the way children learn best, and the purpose of education. First, I want to talk about good teaching, in my thinking a good teacher is not just teaching by wisdom knowledge, that we should teaching by our heart. For example, teacher really prepare good knowledge to teach to students, and the teacher still confident their lesson is perfect and student also just need a good lesson, then they can give tests, exams to student. Finally, the teacher waits these tests from students and give grade to them; and teacher do not care which student get bad score. I can say that this is bad teaching, do not recognize education is simply the lessons, because a teacher cannot think that students just need goodShow MoreRelatedMy Personal Philosophy : My Philosophy Of Education1046 Words   |  5 Pagesmanipulate the information for their own use in the future. Choosing between the four, I would say my philosophical views line up more as an essentialist. My philosophy of education, is that every teacher and student has an environment where they are challenged, yet still encouraged, in their instructional matter and teaching and learning strategies to prepare them to meet the goals set upon them. A philosophy is a search for wisdom in a particular area; it builds a framework of thinking, and guides instructionalRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education997 Words   |  4 Pages Philosophy of Education Discovering the place where personal values and expertise meet organizational values and needs offers a dynamic partnership opportunity. Mutual achievement of organizational academic quality and professional fulfillment provides a positive learning environment. Developing a personal philosophy of education enables an educator to understand and communicate the underlying basis for his or her approach to education. Sharing this philosophy provides valuable information forRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1476 Words   |  6 Pages871 Foundations of Higher Education Summer 2015 Instructor: Joel Abaya, PhD Personal Philosophy of Education Submitted by: Wessam Elamawy . Personal Philosophy of Education Introduction: From the very beginning of my life I recognized the importance of higher education. I am 34 years old. I am Egyptian. I was born in a highly educated family . My father earned a Ph.D. in chemistry. My uncle earned a Ph.D. in Engineering . My aunt is a doctor. My grandparents were highly educatedRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy of Education958 Words   |  4 PagesMy Personal Philosophy of Education It is customary that on New Year’s Eve, we make New Year resolution. The fact is that we are making a set of guideline that we want to live by. These are motives that we seek to achieve. In a similar way, teachers live by philosophy. This essay focuses on my personal philosophy of education. It unfolds the function of philosophy in a teacher’s life, my view on the purpose of education, the student teacher- relationship and the philosophy which influences myRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy : My Philosophy Of Education1844 Words   |  8 PagesMy philosophy of education is romanticism. According to Ryan, Cooper, and Bolick, romanticism can be defined as â€Å"a child-centered philosophy of education that condemns the influences of society and suggests that a child’s natural curiosity and the natural world should be used to teach.† I am a believer in â€Å"gaining knowledge through sensory experiences and interactions with your peers† (Ryan, Cooper, a nd Bolick, 2016). I agree with this philosophy because it says that the needs of the student areRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1443 Words   |  6 PagesThese beliefs of education are known as the philosophy of education. The philosophy of education is defined as the influences of what is taught and how the students will be taught. Throughout my study in my education class and past experiences, my mind was expanded and I acquired sufficient knowledge to develop my own concept of my personal philosophy of education. First, I will clarify the reasons why I choose the profession of being an educator. The first reason has been my parents influenceRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education966 Words   |  4 Pages Personal Philosophy of Education Allyson C. Taylor EDUC 542 Dr. M. Derrick Regent University The definition of curriculum can be as mysterious as the curriculum itself. Oliva (2013) described the hunt for the curriculum as being similar to â€Å"efforts to track down Bigfoot, the Bear Lake Monster, [and] the Florida Everglades Skunk Ape †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 2). All of these elusive beings have left tracks, yet there isn’t a single photograph to prove their existence—just likeRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1335 Words   |  6 Pagesteaching style in the â€Å"Finding Your Philosophy of Education Quiz.† While I enjoyed learning about the different philosophies and psychological influences of teaching, I prefer constructivism, social reconstruction, and progressivism due to their student-centered learning, hands-on or project based learning style, while making efforts to improve the world around them. I will be discussing why I chose progressivism, social reconstruction, and constructivism as my preferences, as well as the role ofRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education873 Words   |  4 Pagesis a meaningful education? Throughout time many philosopher and educators have pondered on this question, leading to the development of theories and concepts that are present in the classroom today. In my personal experience, an educator philosophy is built over a course of time which is based on their knowledge and experience. An educator belief system is like a river, it changes and matures throughout its course, bending and changing as it progresses. Throughout the course of my educational careerRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1152 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction My personal philosophy of education relies on the fundamental belief that every individual has inherent value, therefore designating education as an environment where students may grow in their self-worth through academic and relational support. Thus, the purpose of education is to provide individuals with the opportunity to learn about both content and about self, growing in their identity. Within this personal philosophy of education, I will further detail the aim of education, the role

Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 6 Free Essays

string(23) " voice from the crowd\." Chapter 6 When we got back to Nazareth we expected to find Joshua’s mother hysterical with worry, but on the contrary, she had gathered Joshua’s brothers and sisters outside of their house, lined them up, and was washing their faces and hands as if preparing them for the Sabbath meal. â€Å"Joshua, help me get the little ones ready, we are all going to Sepphoris.† Joshua was shocked. We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 6 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"We are?† â€Å"The whole village is going to ask the Romans to release Joseph.† James was the only one of the children who seemed to understand what had happened to their father. There were tear tracks on his cheeks. I put my arm around his shoulders. â€Å"He’ll be fine,† I said, trying to sound cheerful. â€Å"Your father is strong, they’ll have to torture him for days before he gives up the ghost.† I smiled encouragingly. James broke out of my embrace and ran into the house crying. Mary turned and glared at me. â€Å"Shouldn’t you be with your family, Biff?† Oh my breaking heart, my bruised ego. Even though Mary had taken position as my emergency backup wife, I was crestfallen at her disapproval. And to my credit, not once during that time of trouble did I wish harm to come to Joseph. Not once. After all, I was still too young to take a wife, and some creepy elder would swoop Mary up before I had a chance to rescue her if Joseph died before I was fourteen. â€Å"Why don’t you go get Maggie,† Joshua suggested, taking only a second from his mission of scrubbing the skin off his brother Judah’s face. â€Å"Her family will want to go with us.† â€Å"Sure,† I said, and I scampered off to the blacksmith’s shop in search of approval from my primary wife-to-be. When I arrived, Maggie was sitting outside of her father’s shop with her brothers and sisters. She looked as frightened as she had when we first witnessed the murder. I wanted to throw my arms around her to comfort her. â€Å"We have a plan,† I said. â€Å"I mean, Joshua has a plan. Are you going to Sepphoris with everyone else?† â€Å"The whole family,† she said. â€Å"My father has made nails for Joseph, they’re friends.† She tossed her head, pointing toward the open shed that housed her father’s forge. Two men were working over the forge. â€Å"Go ahead, Biff. You and Joshua go on ahead. We’ll be along later.† She started waving me away and mouthing words silently to me, which I didn’t pick up. â€Å"What are you saying? What? What?† â€Å"And who is your friend, Maggie?† A man’s voice, coming from near the forge. I looked over and suddenly realized what Maggie had been trying to tell me. â€Å"Uncle Jeremiah, this is Levi bar Alphaeus. We call him Biff. He has to go now.† I started backing away from the killer. â€Å"Yes, I have to go.† I looked at Maggie, not knowing what to do. â€Å"I’ll – we – I have to – â€Å" â€Å"We’ll see you in Sepphoris,† Maggie said. â€Å"Right,† I said, then I turned and dashed away, feeling more like a coward than I ever have in my life. When we got back to Sepphoris there was a large gathering of Jews, perhaps two hundred, outside of the city walls, most I recognized as being from Nazareth. No mob mentality here, more a fearful gathering. More than half of those gathered were women and children. In the middle of the crowd, a contingent of a dozen Roman soldiers pushed back the onlookers while two slaves dug a grave. Like my own people, the Romans did not dally with their dead. Unless there was a battle ongoing, Roman soldiers were often put in the ground before the corpse was cool. Joshua and I spotted Maggie standing between her father and her murderous uncle at the edge of the crowd. Joshua took off toward her. I followed, but before I got close, Joshua had taken Maggie’s hand and dragged her into the midst of the crowd. I could see Jeremiah trying to follow them. I dove into the mass and crawled under people’s feet until I came upon a pair of hobnail boots which indicated the lower end of a Roman soldier. The other end, equally Roman, was scowling at me. I stood up. â€Å"Semper fido,† I said in my best Latin, followed by my most charming smile. The soldier scowled further. Suddenly there was a smell of flowers in my nose and sweet, warm lips brushed my ear. â€Å"I think you just said ‘always dog,'† Maggie whispered. â€Å"That would be why he’s looking so unpleasant then?† I said out the side of my charming smile. In my other ear another familiar, if not so sweet whisper, â€Å"Sing, Biff. Remember the plan,† Joshua said. â€Å"Right.† And so I let loose with one of my famous dirges. â€Å"La-la-la. Hey Roman guy, too bad about your getting stabbed. La-la-la. It’s probably not a message from God or nothing. La-la-la. Telling you that maybe you should have gone home, la, la, la. Instead of oppressing the chosen people who God hisownself has said that he likes better than you. Fa, la, la, la.† The soldier didn’t speak Aramaic, so the lyrics didn’t move him as I had hoped. But I think the hypnotic toe-tappiness of the melody was starting to get him. I plunged into my second verse. â€Å"La-la-la, didn’t we tell you that you shouldn’t eat pork, la-la. Although looking at wounds in your chest, a dietary change might not have made that big a difference. Boom shaka-laka-laka-laka, boom shaka-laka-lak. Come on, you know the words!† â€Å"Enough!† The soldier was yanked aside and Gaius Justus Gallicus stood before us, flanked by two of his officers. Behind him, stretched out on the ground, was the body of the dead soldier. â€Å"Well done, Biff,† Joshua whispered. â€Å"We’re offering our services as professional mourners,† I said with a grin, which the centurion was eager not to return. â€Å"That soldier doesn’t need mourners, he has avengers.† A voice from the crowd. You read "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 6" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"See here, Centurion, release Joseph of Nazareth. He is no murderer.† Justus turned and the crowd parted, leaving a path between him and the man who had spoken up. It was Iban the Pharisee, standing with several other Pharisees from Nazareth. â€Å"Would you take his place?† Justus asked. The Pharisee backed away, his resolve melting quickly under the threat. â€Å"Well?† Justus stepped forward and the crowd parted around him. â€Å"You speak for your people, Pharisee. Tell them to give me a killer. Or would you rather I crucify Jews until I get the right one?† Iban was flustered now, and began jabbering a mishmash of verses from the Torah. I looked around and saw Maggie’s uncle Jeremiah standing only a few paces behind me. When I caught his eye he slipped his hand under his shirt – to the haft of a knife, I had no doubt. â€Å"Joseph didn’t kill that soldier!† Joshua shouted. Justus turned to him and the Pharisees took the opportunity to scramble to the back of the crowd. â€Å"I know that,† Justus said. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Of course, boy. No carpenter killed that soldier.† â€Å"How do you know that?† I asked. Justus motioned to one of his legionnaires and the soldier came forward carrying a small basket. The centurion nodded and the soldier upended the basket. The stone effigy of Apollo’s severed penis thudded to the ground in front of us. â€Å"Uh-oh,† I said. â€Å"Because it was a stonecutter,† Justus said. â€Å"My, that is impressive,† Maggie said. I noticed that Joshua was edging toward the body of the soldier. I needed to distract Justus. â€Å"Aha,† I said, â€Å"someone beat the soldier to death with a stone willie. Obviously the work of a Greek or a Samaritan – no Jew would touch such a thing.† â€Å"They wouldn’t?† Maggie asked. â€Å"Jeez, Maggie.† â€Å"I think you have something to tell me, boy,† Justus said. Joshua had laid hands on the dead soldier. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. I wondered where Jeremiah was now. Was he behind me, ready to silence me with a knife, or had he made his escape? Either way, I couldn’t say a word. The Sicarii did not work alone. If I gave up Jeremiah I’d be dead by a Sicarii dagger before the Sabbath. â€Å"He can’t tell you, Centurion, even if he knew,† said Joshua, who had moved back to Maggie’s side. â€Å"For it is written in our holy books that no Jew shall rat out another Jew, regardless of what a weasel one or the other shall be.† â€Å"Is that written?† Maggie whispered. â€Å"Is now,† Joshua whispered back. â€Å"Did you just call me a weasel?† I asked. â€Å"Behold!† A woman at the front of the crowd was pointing to the dead soldier. Another screamed. The corpse was moving. Justus turned toward the commotion and I took the opportunity to look around for Jeremiah. He was still there behind me, only a few people back, but he was staring gape-jawed at the dead soldier, who was currently standing up and dusting off his tunic. Joshua was concentrating intently on the soldier, but there was none of the sweating or trembling that we had seen at the funeral in Japhia. To his credit, Justus, although he seemed frightened at first, stood his ground as the corpse ambled stiff-legged toward him. The other soldiers were backing away, along with all of the Jews except Maggie, Joshua, and me. â€Å"I need to report an attack, sir,† the once-dead soldier said, performing a very jerky Roman salute. â€Å"You’re – you’re dead,† Justus said. â€Å"Am not.† â€Å"You have knife wounds all over your chest.† The soldier looked down, touched the wounds gingerly, then looked back to his commander. â€Å"Seems I have been nicked, sir.† â€Å"Nicked? Nicked? You’ve been stabbed half a dozen times. You’re dead as dirt.† â€Å"I don’t think so, sir. Look, I’m not even bleeding.† â€Å"That’s because you’ve bled out, son. You’re dead.† The soldier began to stagger now, started to fall, and caught himself. â€Å"I am feeling a little woozy. I was attacked last night sir, near where they are building that Greek’s house. There, he was there.† He pointed to me. â€Å"And him too.† He pointed to Joshua. â€Å"And the little girl.† â€Å"These boys attacked you?† I could hear scuffling behind me. â€Å"No, not them, that man over there.† The soldier pointed to Jeremiah, who looked around like a trapped animal. Everyone was so intent on watching the miracle of the talking corpse that they had frozen in place. The killer couldn’t push his way through the crowd to get away. â€Å"Arrest him!† Justus commanded, but his soldiers were equally stunned by the resurrection of their cohort. â€Å"Now that I think of it,† the dead soldier said, â€Å"I do remember being stabbed.† No outlet from the crowd, Jeremiah turned toward his accuser and drew a blade from under his shirt. This seemed to snap the other soldiers out of their trance, and they began advancing on the killer from different angles, swords drawn. At the sight of the blade, everyone had moved away from the killer, leaving him isolated with no path open but toward us. â€Å"No master but God!† he shouted, then three quick steps and he leapt toward us, his knife raised. I dove on top of Maggie and Joshua, hoping to shield them, but even as I waited for the sharp pain between my shoulder blades, I heard the killer scream, then a grunt, then a protracted moan that ran out of air with a pathetic squeal. I rolled over to see Gaius Justus Gallicus with his short sword sunk to the hilt in the solar plexus of Jeremiah. The killer had dropped his knife and was standing there looking at the Roman’s sword hand, looking somewhat offended by it. He sank to his knees. Justus yanked his sword free, then wiped the blade on Jeremiah’s shirt before stepping back and letting the killer fall forward. â€Å"That was him,† the dead soldier said. â€Å"Bastard kilt me.† He fell forward next to his killer and lay still. â€Å"Much better than last time, Josh,† I said. â€Å"Yes, much better,† Maggie said. â€Å"Walking and talking. You had him going.† â€Å"I felt good, confident, but it was a team effort,† Joshua said. â€Å"I couldn’t have done it without everyone giving it their all, including God.† I felt something sharp against my cheek. With the tip of his sword, Justus guided my gaze to Apollo’s stone penis, which lay in the dirt next to the two corpses. â€Å"And do you want to explain how that happened?† â€Å"The pox?† I ventured. â€Å"The pox can do that,† Maggie said. â€Å"Can rot it right off.† â€Å"How do you know that?† Joshua asked her. â€Å"Just guessing. I’m sure glad that’s all over.† Justus let his sword fall to his side with a sigh. â€Å"Go home. All of you. By order of Gaius Justus Gallicus, under-commander of the Sixth Legion, commander of the Third and Fourth Centuries, under authority of Emperor Tiberius and the Roman Empire, you are all commanded to go home and perpetrate no weird shit until I have gotten well drunk and had several days to sleep it off.† â€Å"So you’re going to release Joseph?† Maggie asked. â€Å"He’s at the barracks. Go get him and take him home.† â€Å"Amen,† said Joshua. â€Å"Semper fido,† I added in Latin. Joshua’s little brother Judah, who was seven by then, ran around the Roman barracks screaming â€Å"Let my people go! Let my people go!† until he was hoarse. (Judah had decided early on that he was going to be Moses when he grew up, only this time Moses would get to enter the promised land – on a pony.) As it turned out, Joseph had been waiting for us at the Venus Gate. He looked a little confused, but otherwise unharmed. â€Å"They say that a dead man spoke,† Joseph said. Mary was ecstatic. â€Å"Yes, and walked. He pointed out his murderer, then he died again.† â€Å"Sorry,† Joshua said, â€Å"I tried to make him live on, but he only lasted a minute.† Joseph frowned. â€Å"Did everyone see what you did, Joshua?† â€Å"They didn’t know it was my doing, but they saw it.† â€Å"I distracted everyone with one of my excellent dirges,† I said. â€Å"You can’t risk yourself like that,† Joseph said to Joshua. â€Å"It’s not the time yet.† â€Å"If not to save my father, when?† â€Å"I’m not your father.† Joseph smiled. â€Å"Yes you are.† Joshua hung his head. â€Å"But I’m not the boss of you.† Joseph’s smile widened to a grin. â€Å"No, I guess not,† Joshua said. â€Å"You needn’t have worried, Joseph,† I said. â€Å"If the Romans had killed you I would have taken good care of Mary and the children.† Maggie punched me in the arm. â€Å"Good to know,† Joseph said. On the road to Nazareth, I got to walk with Maggie a few paces behind Joseph and his family. Maggie’s family was so distraught over what had happened to Jeremiah that they didn’t even notice she wasn’t with them. â€Å"He’s much stronger than he was the last time,† Maggie said. â€Å"Don’t worry, he’ll be a mess tomorrow: ‘Oh, what did I do wrong. Oh, my faith wasn’t strong enough. Oh, I am not worthy of my task.’ He’ll be impossible to be around for a week or so. We’ll be lucky if he stops praying long enough to eat.† â€Å"You shouldn’t make fun of him. He’s trying very hard.† â€Å"Easy for you to say, you won’t have to hang out with the village idiot until Josh gets over this.† â€Å"But aren’t you touched by who he is? What he is?† â€Å"What good would that do me? If I was basking in the light of his holiness all of the time, how would I take care of him? Who would do all of his lying and cheating for him? Even Josh can’t think about what he is all of the time, Maggie.† â€Å"I think about him all of the time. I pray for him all of the time.† â€Å"Really? Do you ever pray for me?† â€Å"I mentioned you in my prayers, once.† â€Å"You did? How?† â€Å"I asked God to help you not to be such a doofus, so you could watch over Joshua.† â€Å"You meant doofus in an attractive way, right?† â€Å"Of course.† How to cite Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 6, Essay examples

Cinematography in Easy Rider Essay Example For Students

Cinematography in Easy Rider Essay In the movie â€Å"Easy Rider†, there were two main characters, Wyatt and Billy. They traveled from Los Angeles to New Orleans in hopes of discovering America. During their trip, the different use of camera angles and distances provided details of the scenes, as well as the overall movie. One scene that this is evident in is when Wyatt and Billy were at the brothels with the two prostitutes. The camera zooms to an extreme close up shot in Wyatt’s and his girl’s face. With the camera being so close to their face, one can tell what Wyatt and the prostitute are really thinking according to their facial expressions. Wyatt is obviously not interested in the girl, but clearly focused on what is happening outside in the Mardi Gras. The camera switches from his close up shot to her. She seems tired and not too interested in her job. From there, the camera cuts to Billy and his prostitute. They are obviously having more fun as they are talking, laughing and having a good time. Another scene is when Wyatt and Billy met Lawyer George Hanson while in jail. The scene starts off with the police officer and Mr. Hanson sharing a pack of cigarettes. The camera is at about a medium shot with the height at waist level. This was to show the significance of the hand gestures and facial expressions. When Billy asked the police officer for a cigarette, the officer slightly pulled away from Billy while denying offering Billy a cigarette. He didn’t receive one until Mr. Hanson convinced the officer that Billy was a good person to share with. From there, the camera showed their movement from the cell door to the seat. The camera was â€Å"panning†, or on a pan during that time. The gesture of offering Billy a cigarette sparked a relationship between Wyatt and Billy and M. Hanson, eventually getting them out of jail. The last scene was the very ending when the two guys in the pickup truck wanted to mess with Wyatt and Billy. The scene opens with Wyatt and Billy back on the road. The background music is playing and the camera is following them riding. The camera goes to a close up in the pickup truck. They wanted to mess with them because they looked different and were obviously not from around there. The guy in the passenger seat grabbed the double barrel shotgun from the back. He then began interrogating Billy with no intentions to kill. When Billy didn’t’ respond. He got mad and shot at Billy. As the truck drove by, it cuts to a close up shot of Wyatt as he stares the truck down. Wyatt goes back to check on Billy, then drives out again to find help. The truck decides to turn around and shoots again, this time at Wyatt. His motorcycle catches fire and blows up. The final camera cut scene zooms out to a long shot to show the significance of the fire, proving that Wyatt was killed.