Bowling For Columbine Essay

Bowling For Columbine Essay Throughout Bowling For Columbine an anti-political, critical and persuasive perspective is dominant. Bowling For Columbine is a documentary directed, written, produced and narrated by the controversial Michael Moore. The 2002 film aims to open the eyes of Americans and people worldwide to gun control. The movie is based on the shooting massacre that occurred at Columbine High School, where two students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered their Alma Mater and killed 15 people, also injuring an additional 21 students. The film investigates gun control in the USA and the lack of law and regulation on gun ownership. People have various controversial views on the movie Bowling For Columbine , especially relating to how much of Moore s film is supported by facts. This article will provide an unambiguous view on gun violence in the USA, whilst also seeking to reveal the truth behind the movie and about the persuasive power of documentary. The film positions the audience through the use of convincing techniques to accept the truth set forth in the film, although these issues are very real in the United States. Bowling For Columbine explores various exaggerated representations of the American populous, whilst also bestowing on the audience that there are problems with guns and their second amendment. The filmmaker is superficial with his questions that are pointed, the use of witty, dry and mocking remarks are used in his favour to lighten the fact that it s a movie about people shooting others. From the word go, Moore sets off on his routine prejudice pathway. This included Moore opening a new account at North Country Bank that offers him a gun, whilst asking sarcastic questions like Do you think it s a little dangerous handing out guns at a bank? and not letting the workers give a response. Moore uses such techniques to mock the staff, which helps him achieve his purpose, inadequately proving the truth over the evidence. In addition to Moore s scornful interrogations, he uses music to portray a certain light in the film. A truly touching and upsetting section of the documentary is the montage with What a Wonderful World played over the top flashes are shown of America s decisions in the past relating to war and foreign involvement. The use of Louis Armstrong s song is ridiculing the American government, which makes a suggestion how it isn t a wonderful world , in fact the opposite. The flashing by of the clips of people dying, being shot and interracial foreigners carrying American built guns aesthetically gives the feeling of a mismanaged government. Moore does this to turn his audience from the political leaders to his personal views through making the audience distraught. Furthermore throughout the film it continues on making the audience feel further troubled. This is experienced in the scene when the 911 calls overlay the slow motion video footage walking through the corridors of Columbine High School. Which is intended to position the audience as a first hand student and gives a distressed feeling due to the audience feeling remorse for these dying students. Then it cuts to video footage from the cafeteria on April 20, 1999, watching shots fired, students hiding scared under the lunch tables, bombs exploding, fires starting and students running to get out. This major scene, influences the audience to feel upset and the tone gives a scared feeling, which reinforces the issue of gun control. Following the scene vividly re-living the Columbine High shootings, Moore switches to the then NRA president, Charlton Heston, as he screams his famous five word line From my cold dead hands (Heston, 2002) and waves a gun above his head to a roaring crowd. A voiceover is played which explains how just ten days after the massacre, the NRA held a pro-gun rally in Denver despite the pleas of the community in mourning. Moore pushes this negative representation of the NRA when in fact Heston didn t scream his five words on this occasion; it actually was one year later in Charlotte (refer to picture underneath the column). Also the NRA meeting after the flint shootings occurred 8 months later. Moore uses his power to portray Heston as a villain, through using illusion of reality to converting the audience s perspective. Throughout the first hour, Moore uses an aggressive stance and reasons why America has a high rate of gun related violence, but to meet his intention he contests with a counterexample and provides a description. To start off he states the overwhelming number of guns must be the reason, and then subsequently he states that Canada has about the same ratio of guns, but only a third of the homicides. Moore also discusses Europe in comparison to America s violent history. During the closing scene of Columbine Moore is filmed going to Hollywood to interview and ridicule the NRA president Charlton Heston. At first when asking for the interview Moore appears as a keen and eager fan, then criticizes Heston. During the interview Heston repeatedly pauses and doesn t respond to the question asked, Moore uses these as an advantage to silence his opinion and asks relentless and rude remarks. Moore is a coward for taking advantage of Heston who was in the early stages of Alzheimer s Disease (A brain disease leading to a decrease in mental power). In the end, Heston quickly leaves after getting up and announcing that the interview is over. Moore uses this illusion of reality, portraying the negative NRA stance into the final scene making the audience reflect. After the final scene, Moore uses additional voiceovers providing additional bias. The documentary targets Americans and teenagers throughout the world, especially those who don t have a clear knowledge of why there is so much gun violence. Throughout the film there are bursts of music and loud grasping sounds that are used to grab the audiences attention. Moore uses a series of cleverly edited together loud and shocking clips, which are a combination of visual and auditory footage. This is designed to keep the attention and confuse the audience. Shocking and explosive newsflashes, strange circumstances, frustrated interviewees, sardonic twists, and animations all joined together into an hour and fifty-seven minutes, the movie is best described as a documentary for the new generation. Furthermore Moore uses analytical features and prejudicial techniques, which position the audience to accept his point of view over the NRA or Charlton Heston. Moore has been ridiculed for editing to su it his aim, which isn t following the documentary genre. Moore correspondingly marginalises to suit his aim. In the film, it is focused on an anti-gun stance, but there isn t time for pro gun enthusiasts to voice their opinion. Moore repetitively edits out responses to his questions so that it doesn t affect the state of mind he wants his viewers to feel, also mocking people through his voiceovers. Although his techniques are arguable, the issues of which he discusses are of significance. Gun loving is as American as having a pie on thanksgiving, although he shows more opinions antigun related, he doesn t make opinions up for his viewers, he used rhetorical questions which let the audience think about what they are watching. Columbine is a well-organised documentary, which helps raise issues in a political controlled society, and in the end it lets viewers think, which a lot of modern day movies lack. Do you believe that Moore depicts the American culture correctly? A group of people living and breathing in fear? Do you suppose that he is telling the truth? On first viewing the movie I believed Moore, did you?

Factors that affected the health and the well being of people during the 19th and 20th Century’s

Poor people lived in Small houses in cramped streets. These homes would share toilet facilities, have open sewers and would be susceptible to damp. Overcrowding was also a major issue. The population of Britain virtually doubled between 1801 and 1851 to about 18,000,000 largely as a result of an increased birth-rate and a lowered mortality rate. This rapid growth meant that there were far fewer dwellings than the numbered needed. A report from the London statistical society states that in 1847 a street in St Giles where, in 1841, 27 houses with an average of 5 rooms had 655 occupants, by 1847 the same houses contained 1,095 people. Such dwellings lacked light and space and had no fresh water or any other means of refuse disposal. The houses were likely to be adjacent to open sewers and piles or rotting animals and vegetable waste. (Referenced from The health of adult Britain, 1841-1994) All these factors contributed to the poor health and death rate of the people living in the 1800's. As a result many people died due to the diseases which came about during this time, the over crowding issue became a breeding ground for any disease and it spread like wildfire within a house or even a street and would quickly over come the people. These conditions were very unsuitable and resulted in a high death rate, combined with the poor sanitation and poor waste disposal living in these times was extremely horrific. I cannot see many, if any positive factors about these living conditions; it was horrid and very hard to live like this. Many people died due to the lack of hygiene and sanitation. Perhaps one positive was that no one was ever lonely but saying that, you never got time to yourself either. Read also Six Dimensions of Health Worksheet HEALTH The main issues affecting this area were disease. Such diseases were * Smallpox * Cholera * Influenza * Typhus * Typhoid * Tuberculosis Disease affected everyone, regardless of class or background. As there were no immunisations available in this time, many millions of people died, worldwide. Smallpox was one of the the worst, killing between 300-500 million people during the 20th Century. Cholera was also extremely common and was caused by drinking unclean water and eating undercooked fish. Due to such poor sanitation this disease spread rapidly, drinking contaminated water, which people had no choice about and also it was carried in faeces, which in the 18th Century was literally just thrown onto the streets and joined the drinking water that people used. Typhoid was another illness spread in the same way. As the NHS didn't come in until 1950 so many people suffered from these diseases and it killed so many. The living conditions that people lived in during this time period, contributed almost entirely to the wild spread of disease. The poor sanitation as well as the over crowdedness of the homes was just what was needed for the disease to spread. It was a horrible time to live in. Luckily though it did start to improve between 1990-1950, this was due to the new laws that were introduced. HEALTH PROVISION Pre 1800's there really wasn't any health provisions in place at all, yes there was hospital and such like but nurses weren't trained and the conditions of these hospitals very unhealthy. When health provisions did come, it was a very positive thing, it introduced the need for nurse and doctor training and also it is when anaesthetics and vaccines were introduced. Nitrous oxide was often used as an anaesthetic but the effects often wore of before the surgery was complete. In 1847 Chloroform was eventually used instead which keep patients asleep longer. Doctors also used unclean, un-sterile equipment and many people died from blood poisoning. Vaccines were introduced and the first one was the Small pox vaccine, discovered by Edward Jenner in 1789, it was to be nearly another 100 years before another vaccine was found. – 1798 smallpox vaccination introduced – 1880 Cholera vaccination introduced – 1881 Anthrax vaccination introduced – 1885 Rabies vaccination introduced – 1896 Typhoid vaccination introduced – 1906 Tuberculosis vaccination introduced – 1913 Diphtheria vaccination introduced – 1927 Tetanus vaccination introduced – 1952 Whooping cough vaccination introduced – 1954 Polio vaccination introduced – 1964 Measles vaccination introduced During this period Stethoscopes were also invented. Rene Theophile Hyacithe Laennec, a pupil from Paris invented the stethoscope ion 1816. To start with the stethoscope was a simple wooden cylinder, about 9 inches long with a single earpiece. In 1895 a man called Willhelm Rontgen discovered the X-ray. This gave doctors expertise in locating broken bones and treating them and also giving clinical and pathological descriptions of a range of pulmonary ailments like Bronchitis, pneumonia and TB. The advances in medicine during this time was life saving. It gave people vaccines to try to rid them and the country of horrible disease. Both animals and people could now live longer and healthier lives as a result of these vaccines and medical advances. WORK Children were sent out to work from a young age. They were made to work to help support their families. Many earned just pennies by becoming chimney sweeps or working on the streets running errands. The industrial revolution resulted in many children being employed in large factories and were often responsible for operating dangerous machinery. Children's health suffered due to this as soot from the chimneys gave them chest complaints and many children became seriously injured as a result of operating such dangerous machines. Many other children worked as servants in the homes of the rich, in the 1850's one in nine of all female children over the age of 10, worked in domestic service. (Referenced from ourwardfamily.com) Women's roles In the early 1800's, a married woman had one task; to stay home all day and keep the home for her husband. If she was a mother, she would be solely responsible for the children's raising and wellness. They were also responsible for cooking and cleaning. Other women worked as servants or slaves helping out another wife with her household duties, or sometimes acting as a substitute if there was no wife. Many women also took on mens jobs, such as blacksmiths, barbers and printers and once women were employed in factories, this was a main role. The factory employer hired women and children as they were cheaper to employ. Women were working more so spending a lot more time away from the family home. SOCIAL POLICY Social policy consisted of many laws that came into effect during this time. These included:- 1802 – Factory act was passed, 1842 – Coal mine act. No girls, women or boys under the age of 10 were to go underground. 1848 – First public health act. 1975 act updated. 1870 – Education act. 2000 districts to have schools and the school board is born. 1871 – Local government established. 1875 – Artisan dwelling improvements bill. This gave local authorities power to pull down slums and erect good houses. The poor law was the system for the provision of social security from the 16th century up until the establishment of the Welfare State in the 20th Century. The original Poor law act of 1601 stated that * to board out (making a payment to families wiling to except them) those young children who were orphaned or whose parents could not maintain them * to provide materials to ‘set the poor on work' * to offer relief to people who were unable to work – mainly those who were lame, old, blind and impotent * ‘the putting out of children to be apprentices' (referenced from wikpedia.org) The education act was another great act, it meant that children now had to go to school and could not be forced into work. This was a good law but it also made the poorer families poorer as the children were not bringing in a wage each week. All the above laws were positive. They brought major changes for families and also ensured that people had money and children had education. The factory act was the most beneficial to children. It was reviewed and changes were made 4 times. The original act said that children could not work more than 12 hours a day and then this was reviewed and in 1844 the hours of work for children was not to exceed 6 1/2 hours a day. Children under the age of nine were also not allowed to work and by 1844 certificates of age had to be given for children. Children benefited greatly from these acts, education at last for them was greatly beneficial, although this kept them from working and bringing in an income. The public health act was essential to combat illness and when this was passed it meant the end to dirty water in the middle of streets, drains and sewers were now inplace. Generally the whole of the era was a sad time. Not many positive outcomes could be had but some got through. The introduction of vaccines and general laws benefited these people greatly and indeed stopped the mass spread of disease and infections. The new laws that came into place saved many children lives by restricting working hours and sending them to school. All the above named factors had a massive part in the state of the health in the 1800's. It was a horrible time to live in but was made easier by the many rules and changes that came into place.

The Types Of Threats, The Impact And Four Steps The Process

BackgroundDisasters, may it be natural or man-made, are occurrences that are inevitable to businesses and companies. They may take the form of an earthquake or informational theft that is equally tragic to the affected company. Romano emphasizes that â€Å"companies are starting to realize that they need to protect their assets both informational and physical.† (1995,P.43). And so, companies and corporations have developed ‘Disaster Management’; as the name implies, it is a process of dealing, if not preventing, disasters done to companies. According to Rike, â€Å"disaster management is divided into three kinds: natural threats, technical difficulty and human activities.† (2003,P.26). Rike stresses that disaster management isn’t only concerned about natural disasters but also technical and man-made disasters that are relatively abundant in most companies which returns a loss of income.DefinitionDisaster management, according to Clark, is â€Å"the process of preparing for mitigating, responding to, and recovering from a disaster.† (1995, P. 41). Clark’s statement shows that disaster management is not only about what companies should do before or during or after a disaster, but what companies should do from before a disaster arises up to the time that the company needs to recover from the damage that the particular disaster brings to the company.OutlineThis report aims to discuss the types of threat, the impact and four-step process of disaster management and why companies should prepare themselves even before a disaster occurs.The Types of ThreatRike identifies that disaster management has three sub categories namely: â€Å"Natural or Environmental threats, technical hazard and human activities† (2003, P.26).The Natural or Environmental threats that Rike was referring to are the natural calamities that we are accustomed to such as earthquakes, floods, fire, storms, etc. that can cause physical or psycholog ical damage to the companies. Rike states that â€Å"human life is always the first consideration in any emergency or disaster.† (2003, P.26) and there are no other greater threats to human safety than natural calamities because of its destructive power.Technical Hazards can be grouped in seven namely: â€Å"power outage, gas leak, software failure, biological contamination, train derailment, toxic spill and electrical shortage† (Rike, 2003, P.26). And human activities are the threat that is concerned about human errors, miscalculation and faults due to lack of skill or ignorance. There is a saying that â€Å"No man (or woman) is perfect.† And so, it is necessary for companies to prepare themselves for these kinds of disasters to avoid any loss of valuable income.Impact of DisasterOne type of the impact of disaster is the development of companies (Rike, 2003, P.27). Companies should be aware of its competition because its survival depends on how well a certain c ompany performs against these competitors and should surpass the development of other companies to be able to maintain a competitive edge over the others.The second type is the Economy which dictates whether a certain company should act. If a certain disaster hits a particular state, city or country, its economy may well be affected and soon it affects the production/income of the company. The third is the people’s lives; a company cannot profit on its own, it depends on its workers to do the little things that bring the huge amount of money into the companies. So, companies should protect and maintain the well-being of its employees and make sure that they are in the same page to be able to assure them a great outcome.Four Steps of the ProcessIn the first step is that management have ability to support (Rike, 2003, P.27).   The company should be able to have a disaster management that can support its business. The second step is about the analysis risk (Rike, 2003, P.27). The Disaster Management should do an analysis risk that, as the name implies, analyses the risks involved in a particular disaster and its recovery. The third step is that the company needs to spend much time on data collection and preparing the written plan (Rike, 2003, P.30).The company should do an actual planning of the disaster management to make things organized to minimize undone tasks especially when it comes to recovery because time is of the essence for most companies. The last step is that test the plan (Rike, 2003, P.31).   A plan will not be complete without testing it. The company should test it under the most hazardous situations to maximize its productivity and to be able to identify its flaws.ConclusionThe report has discussed in detail what disasters are and how and why companies should prepare themselves/recover from the said disasters and how they can affect the company’s profits. The report will be very useful for companies to identify the activities th at should be done in order to protect what is most important to them, which is the income, because a disaster creates a thin line between bankruptcies and an incredible comeback from a disaster.

William Carlos Williams Doctor Stories Essay - 1144 Words

William Carlos Williams’ passion and dedication of medicine can be seen through his literary contributions of short stories and poems. The Doctor Stories use interior monologue in a stream-of-consciousness as a tool to reflect each narrator’s experience and gives insight into the character and his appraisal of each of the situations encountered. It is through this stream-of-consciousness that we come to realize the observational nature of this doctor’s actions and thoughts. In the story A Night in June, Williams details a feeling of restlessness when a child needs to be delivered without the aid of a nurse or an anesthetist while having limited tools to operate with. His thoughts portray a hope that some patients would be better off to†¦show more content†¦(pg. 44) The author shows similarities between the narrator and his more skeptical colleague in an attempt to highlight the narrator’s thoughts. His thoughts show that his caustic colleague is very critical in describing the immigrant mother as a â€Å"bugger† and the daughter as a â€Å"pimply-faced bitch†. (pg. 55) The story then ends with a sense of hope for the young girl as she returns to school. From the beginning of The Use of Force, the doctor goes in to great detail about the patience it takes as he tries to coax the young girl to open her mouth. When he realizes the futility of his approach, he gives the child an ultimatum of â€Å"Will you open it now by yours elf or shall we have to open it for you?† which is shown as he steels himself for the upcoming battle. (pg. 58) It is obvious that this doctor is committed to helping the uncooperative child, and his thoughts portray his determination that is untainted by a fear of hurting the girl in order to help her. This is in contrast to the obvious observance of the child’s parents that fear hurting her which impedes the ability to heal her. It is probably a typical portrayal of parents that are so emotional and soft hearted that the doctor sees regularly, but contrasts the assertive actions of the doctor which leads the reader to realize that doing what is best for someone is not synonymous to whatShow MoreRelatedHow Is the Doctor/Patient Relationship Reflected in These Poems and Stories? What View of William Carlos Williams’s Struggle as a Doctor and Poet Does the Doctor Stories Present?997 Words   |  4 PagesThe doctor-patient relationship is central to the practice o f medicine and is essential for the delivery of high-quality health care in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. A patient must have confidence in the competence of their doctor and must feel that they can confide in him or her. Doctor- patient relationship is reflects in these stories by patients always seeking him out and him always taking care of them regardless if he gets compensated or not. Doctor Williams always seems to putRead MoreEssay on The Use of Force, by William Carlos Williams1081 Words   |  5 PagesUse of Force is a short story by William Carlos Williams that is very powerful and leaves the readers with an ethical dilemma. The following social issues can be debated on it: Can physical for good purpose be justified?, What compels the use of force isn’t simply altruism, difference of two separating two different tasks, a dark side persists in every individual, parents concern for their children, use of force as sympathy care for a patient. The greatest question the story presents is if using forceRead MoreEssay on A Hidden Hero in William Carlos Williams’ The Use of Force597 Words   |  3 PagesA Hidden Hero The doctor in William Carlos Williams’ The Use of Force ultimately saves Mathilda’s life but under what motive? His motive to win the battle against her or the motive to actually try to cure her? 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To make a short story even shorter, this story is about a doctor who was called by a sick child’s parents to come diagnose the young girl. Throughout the story the little girlRead MoreWilliam Carlos Williams attended Horace Mann High School, where he began to practice poetry. He700 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Carlos Williams attended Horace Mann High School, where he began to practice poetry. He started attending after he and his mother and brother returned to the United States. At this time he also decided to pursue his dreams of becoming a doctor and writer. When he finished high school he enrolled into the Philadelphia University. He was a 19 year old student he went to study the medical field and received an MD. Before he began to work full time at the hospital, he was an intern. Later heRead MoreThe Works of William Carlos Williams785 Words   |  3 Pagesvisible to the eye. William Carlos Williams wrote poetry that, when put under a microscope, the reader could see t he true complexity of the poem hidden beneath simplicity. William had an artistic eye, which he must have had inherited from his parents, who were painters (Llanas 47). â€Å"William Carlos Williams is as magically observant and mimetic as a good novelist†¦.how well he calls into existence our precarious, confused, partial looking out at the world† (qtd. Jarrell). William Carlos Williams’s poemsRead MoreWilliam Carlos Williams : An Influential Poet1181 Words   |  5 Pagespoets impacted by these movements was William Carlos Williams. His rapidly changing work changed for the better and caused him to become an influential literary figure. A literary experimenter and innovator, William Carlos Williams, was a busy and hardworking poet. William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford, NJ on September 17, 1883. He was introduced to literature and the arts, especially Shakespeare, at a fairly young age. Williams became a doctor and fulfilled his passion every day, whichRead MoreEssay on The Use of Force 1594 Words   |  7 Pages The Use of Force, written by William Carlos Williams is a story about a conflicted unnamed doctor using physical force to determine a diagnosis. The question that is brought up is whether or not the doctor’s use of force was one of ethical duty or infuriating violence. The doctor makes it his duty to save the patient, Mathilda as she does not cooperate he makes a choice to go on and use force to open her mouth to determine her diagnosis. The choice of using force isn’t necessarily the questionable