Organic vs. Inorganic Foods Essay Example for Free

Organic vs. Inorganic Foods Essay Introduction Our world today is infested and becoming way more dangerous with all these chemicals. In an effort to increase productivity and confine bigger market shares, the use of fertilizers, pesticides, food additives such as dyes and additives has become so common that artificial ingredients are now outnumbering natural ingredients on many food content labels, and it is the opinion of many experts that this forever increasing use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and chemical additives has a direct connection to the alarming rise in cancer rates and other health problems. (Aldrich, P.1) Organic foods are quickly becoming recognized as a reasonable alternative in this chemical loaded world. The focus on environmentally sound agricultural methods and prolonging agriculture is getting the attention of many who are now concerned about what theyre eating as well as the environment. Organic foods are what is happening. They are becoming a part of many traditional diets, and are viewed as an important and essential part of a healthy diet plan. They are also viewed as a reliable and safe alternative to the issues regarding conventionally grown, processed, and packaged foods. Many organic followers believe that once youve tasted organic foods you cant go back to typically grown foods the taste is unbelievable. People are now looking for good food with real nutrition and quality and theyre finding it in organic foods. The realization of a need for quality food supplies is awakening interest in other areas such as environmental stewardship. These concerns range from recycling your pop cans to selecting environmentally friendly household cleaning products. Learning organics provides many easy and interesting ideas that can help you do your part in preserving a healthy, prosperous environment for the people in your family. Body Eating organic foods is the key feature of the natural passion that is taking over the country. Once an interest, organically grown foods seemed to be a major part of the diet of most people. Now with the growing attention on healthy habits and programs that help prevent illness, organic foods are quickly becoming the vital ingredients of the diet in typical America. Organic foods are the fastest growing style in the food industry. In fact, the demand for organically grown foods has increased 20% over last year. Sales of organic produce, for example, are now a multi-billion dollar industry. (Fisher, P. 22) Shopping the Co op has for a long time been the best place to find organic foods. Now with increased consumer interest organic specialty supermarkets are popping up all over the nation. Major supermarkets are also stepping up to the demand, offering organic food departments and organic options in the produce sections of the store. The look of the co-op is expanding to reflect the needs of added customers, and many gourmet oriented offerings are quickly becoming a part of the every day offerings at the co op, which only helps to make food shopping an increasing interesting and fun experience. As far as costs are concerned, those consumers jumping on the organic bandwagon will pay more for organic foods, but they believe that the benefits far outweigh the 5% to 20% increase in cost. The trend in organic food is growing and as competition increases in order to address skyrocketing customer demand, prices will stabilize. Here are a few of the nutrients that were found in higher levels in the organic foods: OChromium is a micronutrient that is low in Western diets. Its deficiency is associated with the onset of adult diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Chromium was found to be higher in organic foods by an average of 78%. OSelenium is one of the antioxidant nutrients that protect us from damage by environmental chemicals. It is protective against cancers and heart disease. It was found to be an average of 390% higher in organic foods. OCalcium, needed for strong bones, averaged 63% higher in organics. OBoron, which has been shown to help prevent osteoporosis (along with calcium), averaged 70% more. OLithium, which is used to treat certain types of depression, was 188% higher. OMagnesium, which reduces mortality from heart attacks, keeps muscles from spasming, and eases the symptoms of PMS, averaged 138% more. OIn short, many of the minerals that I most often prescribe to my patients are found in much higher levels in organic foods. ORGANIC VS NON-ORGANIC Variations in Mineral Content in Vegetables. % of dry weightMilliequivalents per 100 gm dry weightTrace Elements parts per million dry matter Ash PhosCalMagnPotassSodBoronMangIronCoppCobalt SNAP BEANS Organic10. 450. 3640. 560. 099. 78. 67360227690. 26 Inorganic4. 040. 2215. 514. 829. 10. 01021030. 00 CABBAGE Organic10. 380. 3860. 043. 6148. 320. 4421394480. 15 Inorganic6. 120. 1817. 515. 653. 70. 872200. 40. 00 LETTUCE Organic24. 180. 4871. 019. 3176. 512. 237169516600. 19 Inorganic7. 010. 2216. 013. 153. 70. 061930. 00 TOMATOES Organic14. 200. 3523. 059. 2148. 36. 536681938530. 63 Inorganic6. 070. 164. 54. 558. 80. 051100. 00 SPINACH Organic28. 560. 5296. 0203. 9257. 069. 5881171584320. 25 Inorganic12. 380. 2747. 546. 984. 60. 8121190. 050. 20 Other studies have looked at vitamin levels of food plants treated with certain pesticides. They showed that application of some pesticides would significantly lower the vitamin levels in the plants they were applied to. This is different than the notion that plants raised with chemicals are low in nutrients because the soil is used up. This shows that chemicals actually reduce the amount of nutrients in plants after application. The nutrients most often affected are vitamin C, beta carotene, and the B vitamins. These nutrients are vitally necessary for the body to withstand the onslaught of chemical toxins. When they studied organic food for mineral levels, the researchers also looked for the amount of the heavy metals aluminum, cadmium, lead and mercury. Aluminum has been implicated for years in the development of Alzheimers disease. Its content in organic food averaged 40% less that in commercial foods. Lead toxicity, which has been in the new a lot lately, can adversely affect our childrens IQ. It averaged 29% lower in organic foods. Mercury, which can cause neurological damage, averaged 25% lower in organic foods. (Aldrich, P. 1) Besides the lower levels of heavy metals, there are the chemical residues themselves. The big question is whether or not the accumulation of pesticide residues in non-organic foods is a real health concern or not. Studies have never been able to conclusively show a direct correlation between residues in food and a decline of human health, but there are numerous problems in doing any such study. The first is that you would need a population of people who are free of chemical residues to compare to, and no one has been able to find a group. According to an constant EPA study of fat samples taken from surgeries and autopsies across the country, we are all loaded with chemical residues. Similar studies done on other countries all show the same results. (Baer, P. 1) The clearest studies that we have about pesticide residues and disease are those looking at breast cancer. In the last few years there have been a chain of studies, each building upon the other, looking at the level of ddt, dde, and pcb in women, They have shown that chemical residues in the serum and fat cells of women greatly increase the risk of breast cancer. Since breast cancer is a major killer of women in this country it is reasonable to say that avoidance of pesticide residues in food could save numerous lives and reduce our health care cost dramatically. After 50 years of Better Living through Chemistry scientists have finally shown that breast cancer is associated with pesticide residue, they have yet to prove that it causes numerous other maladies. I am not waiting for them to prove it before I change my eating habits. (Fisher, P. 12) As a clinician who sees numerous environmentally poisoned people with health problems, I am convinced of an association between chemicals and disease. The biggest source of exposure for many people is their workplace, then their homes, followed by air, food and water. Of these the easiest to control are our home environment and our diet. Eating organic food, drinking pure water, and watching our airborne chemical exposure can have profound effects on our health. My friend Steve, who has now gone through an extensive protocol to remove the pesticide residue from his body and had regained his health, will back me up on that. When he added up the costs of his illness in time off work and medical expenses, he found that eating organic food was much less expensive than eating non-organic foods. He is eating better foods now, and my organic garden continues to grow, along with my children. Conclusion The only real problem with organic grown foods is that they are more expensive, and this is because the growers of this produce experience more loss since they dont use pesticides on their crops. As for the health benefits just think, you wouldnt want to put any of these chemical pesticides straight into your body, but that is essentially what is happening when you consume these foods that have been sprayed with pesticides. Over a period of time these can cause harm, and this is why organic foods are so highly recommended for people trying becoming healthier. The organic industry has seen an explosion of growth in the past few years. In 1992, sales had already reached $1. 5 billion(Fisher, P. 16). Today the market is worth almost ten times that, and by 2009 its predicted the market will double again to be worth close to $32 billion. Consumer demand for natural, organic foods is booming and shows no signs of slowing down. Look for labels that say certified or authentic organic. Labels that say all natural or naturally grown are OK, but they are not the same as certified organic which demands the achievement of certain regulations. Producers and handlers must be certified by a USDA official certifying agent to sell, label, or represent their products as 100 percent organic or made with organic. References 1)Aldrich, Samuel R. Which System Can Meet the Food Needs in Todays World? Conventional V. Organic Farming. 09 Dec. 2006 . 2)Baer, Firman E. Firman E. Baer Report. Orgnanic Vs. Inorganic. Rutgers University. 12 Dec. 2006 . 3)Fisher, Helen S. Food Safety. Detroit: Gale Group, 2004. 1-29. 4)Lexile. Good Food? Good Food? Ethical Food. The Economist 9 Dec. 2006: 12. 5)Wal-Mart Charged with Selling Nonorganic Food as Organic. U. S. Newsire 14 Nov. 2006: 17-18. 6)Corbett, John R. The Biochemical Mode of Actions of Pesticides. New York: Academic P, 1974. 2-16. 7)Dunn-Georgiou, Elisha. Everything You Need to Know About Organic Foods. New York: Rosen Publications, 2002. 65-82. 8)Lipson, Elaine. The Organic Foods Sourcebook. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 2001. 15-42. 9)Rousseau, George S. Organic Form: TH Elife of an Idea.

Social Issues In Indian Cinema

Social Issues In Indian Cinema Despite its vacillation between the two extremes of sometimes being awfully responsible and at others outright sensational, Indian cinemas efforts in mirroring social reality deserves to be applauded. If popular perception is an indicator, a major part of the social transformation in India can be attributed to cinema social reformist role. The drive to link success of a film to box office returns have undoubtedly led to cinemas commercialisation at the cost of its social and developmental goals. But, despite the commercially driven attempts to cater escapist and fantasy-oriented entertainment, a good part of Indian films continues to be social theme carriers. These films enjoy a unique advantage of remaining out of the censor tangles. Of course, a prominent question remains to be answered is whether cinema can influence and change society. This paper attempts to answer this question through a historical review of the Hindi films. 1.0 Introduction: Lumiere brothers pet invention cinematograph on December 28, 1895, destined to emerge as second opium of the people, completed hundred years of awe-inspiring journey in India. It was in 1912 the first Indian feature film Pundalik was released followed by the Dhundiraj Govind Phalkes fully indigenous feature film Raja Harischandra in 1913. There was no looking back, Indian cinema kept on adding innovative features, both technical and artistic, from time to time to emerge as one of the greatest and most influential film industries in the world. The original camera, the projector, and the screen used by the France brothers have undergone metamorphosis to a stage of cinemas complete digitalization, thanks to innovations in technology. The transformation in characterization and sequencing of narratives is no less important, and so also the cinematic themes. From a stage of being viewed as an art, culture, and entertainment cinema has gradually emerged as an industry driven by profit. The change, indeed, is amazing. But, of the few features which continues to be nurtured is cinemas role as a tool of social transformation. Cinema arrived to India on 7th July, 1896 and first screened at Watsons Hotel in Bombay, latter to be shifted to the Novelty Theatre, by two employees of the Lumiere brothers where in living photographic pictures pictures of man and women, who breathed, moved and danced, were screened. So intrigued and overwhelmed at the screenings at Bombay that many of those who viewed the screenings themselves took to the business of film screening by the very next year. Film making activity started in India by the turn of the 20th century, the earliest short films being photographed in India included such titles as Cocoanut fair the Wrestlers Splendid new views of Bombay and Taboot procession. Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatvadekar shot a wrestling matchand training monkeys by wandering madaris as Indias first factual films then called topicals. Feature film production in India began with Dada Saheb R.G. Torneys Pundalik (Silent, 1909-1911), a devotional subject adopted from a popular stage play. The film was shot with the assistance of a cameraman of Bourne and Shephard, a local firm of photographers and photo equipment, developed and printed in London and released on May 18, 1912 at the coronation Theatre. Dhundraj Govind (Dadasaheb) Phalkes Raja Harishchandrawas released at the Coronation Theatre, Bombay, on May 13, 1913, as Indias first fully indigenous full length feature film. Indias first film comedy, first satire and one of the earliest to have a contemporary theme, making a radical departure from the prevalent trend of devotionals England Returned (Bilet Pherat) was made by Dhirendranath Ganguly in 1921. The Modern era of Indian cinema began with the production of talkies beginning with Ardeshir Iranis Alam Ara in 1931. The invention of talkies boosted the growth of Indian film Industry, and the number of feature films produced in India registered a steady increase year after year. During 1930s and 1940s filmmakers tried to reflect tough social issues on screen or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their plots. With India attaining freedom, the issue emerged as a popular topic of Indian cinema makers. Films like Majboor-1948, Shaheed-1948, Samadhi, 26 January rode in popularity. In the late 1950s, Bollywood released its lavish romantic musicals and melodramas casting successful actors like Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor and actresses like Nargis, Meena Kumari, Nutan and Madhubala. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, romance movies and action films starring actors like Rajesh Khanna , Dharmendra, and Manoj Kumar had the sway. By mid-1970s, romantic confections made way for gritty, violent films about gangsters and bandits which created stars out of Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty and Anil Kapoor supported by actresses like Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha. In the mid-1990s, family-centric romantic musicals returned with resounding success of films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) based on the artistic acumen of actors such as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan and actresses such as Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor and Kajol. Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala, Tabu and Urmila Matondkar were among the critically acclaimed actors of this generation. In the 2000s, spreading of Bollywoods popularity at the global level drove Indian film making to new heights in terms of quality, cinematography and innovative story lines as well as technical quality advances. Big production houses, like Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions came to the fore front of film making. In the new millennium the Hindi film industry started its transformation into an industry that tried to get to grips with the business realities of moviemaking. The gradual corporatization of Bollywood resulted in increasing investment, efficient use of resources, generating accountability and reducing monetary losses by curbing piracy and enforcing transparency. Corporate entities Adlabs, Applause films, IDBI, EXIM etc. participate at various stages of the film industry like exhibition, funding, film making and processing, or all. Profit emerges as the driving force of film making in the country. To be precise, patriotic themes of Indian cinema made way for social reform, which undergoes change to embraces fashion of the day while still carrying messages of social reform, then turns out to a fighter to protect the institutions of democracy and freedom. A gamut of issues got representation in Indian cinema-from freedom to unemployment, from poverty to exploitation, from dowry to womens emancipation, from social conflict to national integration, from education to fantasy oriented entertainment. With the transformation of the society, the issues confronting it kept on changing and so also the themes adopted for film making. 1.1 Films on Social Issues Cinema is a mirror of social reality holds good beyond doubt if one looks back at the thematic treatment of Indias mainstream cinema. From the very early years, Indian feature film developed the admirable ability of focusing on different facets of Indian life. The cinemas concerns with social problems continue to be overtly expressed from the thirties, right through to the sixties, in a handful of most significant films. Hindi cinemas golden period in the thirties and the forties did bring forth films not merely presenting but tackling burning issues. How intellectual labour fights al-mighty capital, how young girls revolt against marriage with an old man, how life supersedes love, how inter-communal bliss is thrown asunder by the outside forces, how widows could be remarried and fallen women resurrected , how dowry could lead to tragedy and how convicts could be reformed, how the veneer of westernizing could ruin marriage and friendship, how the rural economy could be freed from the clutches of landlords and money lenders, how the untouchables and other underdogs could be given a more humane life and several such thorny problems were flashed across the countrys screens. In case of fatalism and tragic end, it was a mute protest mean to arouse the collective conscience against the various barriers. Films which talk so directly and movingly about the wrongs of society went onto influence it and shape i t along better lines. Dhirendra Nath Gangulys film the England returned made in 1922, was used as a means to get the audience to think of a social situation in which Indians had been imitating their foreign rulers and creating for themselves new problems within their own society. In 1925, Baburao Painter made the film Savkari Pash which painted an extremely realistic picture of the Indian poor, in the rural vast land, focusing on rural-indebtedness, feudal oppression, the poverty of the peasantry and myriad of problems. In the most outstanding film of the silent era of Indian cinema Savkari Pash, V, Santaram and Kamaladevi enacted the role of an oppressed farmer couple having to suffer both famine and the oppression of the Zamidari system. There were brave efforts to create similar thematic films commenting on the other social ills of Indian society. It is the arrival of the talkie film which brought to fore the contribution of Indian cinema in bringing about social awareness among the Indians to improve their status and remove age-old taboos which young India could ill afford. The period between 1931 and 1946 should be considered as the golden era of cinema of social comment. One is left amazed at the variety of films which Indian cinema of its time picked up for public debate. It is necessary to recall some of these films and their themes to impress upon the reader that Indian cinema even at its worst, was far better in its commitment to its audience and its society. Indian cinema tackled the problems of western culture clashing with Indian (Indira Ma, 1934); protested against arranged mirages and social barriers (Dev Das, 1935); protested against the caste barriers and religious bigotry (Achhut Kanya, 1936), Achhut (1940), promoted Hindu widow remarriage (Bal Yogini, 1936); fought against marriage of young girls with old persons, Duniya Na Mane (1937) and highlighted economic and social disparity (Adhikar, 1938). Indian cinema fought against rural indebtedness in K.A. Abass Dharitri ke Lal (1949); highlighted the problems of alcohol in Brandi Chi Batli (1939), Angoori (1943). The welfare of scheduled castes was highlighted in Malla Pilla, while widow remarriage was the theme of Sumangali. The ills of Zamidari system were highlighted in Raitu Bidda (1940), while the problem of the educated unemployed were best described in Vande Mataram(1948).The problems of unwed mothers was described in film Devta; while the events of dowry was best complimented upon in Dahej(1950). Achhut kanya suggested inter-caste mirages between high and low caste people. Mehbbos Aurat and Mother India, Vimal Roys Do Bigha Zamin and Sujata, Dilip Kumars Ganga Jamuna and Sunil Duttas Mujhe Jeeno Do focused on the socio-economic causes of the very Indian problem. 1.2 Sex and Violence in Indian Cinema Bollywoods sense of commitment to mirror social reality has hardly remained untouched by market force influences. Despite cinema being born in a form to creatively portray social reality, the drive to link success of a film to box office returns eventually led to its commercialisation. Profit prioritisation overpowering its social and developmental goals, obscenity and lewdness emerged as an integral feature of Indian cinema. The official censor history reveal that the film MERI AWAZ SUNO (1981) was first granted an A certificate, but was subsequently suspended citing that the film depicts excessive violence. In 1994, the film BANDIT QUEEN was suggested for 17 cuts especially scenes of frontal nudity. The film KAMA SUTRA- A TALE of LOVE (1996), was denied a certificate citing it pornographic only to be certified after two scenes of nudity were erased. The film FIRE (1998), which explicitly screened the homosexual relationships between two women (often termed as lesbianism), resulted in violent protest against it which forced the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to refer it back to the Censor Board for review. The anti-war and anti-nuclear documentary film Jung-aur-aman (War and Peace) as the censors claimed, suggested a bias against the minority Muslims when aid was distributed after the Gujrat earth quake 2001. The list of such films touched by censor wrangles for depicting sex and violence gets longer even if the country emerges as the most prolific film producing country in the world. At times it is sex, at times it is excessive violence (Aakrosh, 2003), at others it is kissing on screen (Khwaish), even at others it is smoking on screen (God Mother, 1999, Pyar -To-Hona Hi Tha). Though the issues of censor contention generally revolved round sleaze, sensuality, sexuality, nudity and permissiveness, overdose of obscenity and lewdness has been doing more harm to the image of the Bollywood. Sometimes sex and violence is deliberately incorporated to attract viewers, though family melo-dramas are no less popular. 1.3 Social Impacts of Films Any discussion on films and society confronts a vital question dose cinema have any impact on the society. There are two schools of thought on this issue among film makers. One line of thinking believe that films can never affect or reform the social body or the events taking place within it, but the other believes that the medium does have a direct or indirect impact on social streams, even though it may not be immediately perceptible. The former cites the example that just after a couple of excellent anti-war films were exhibited, the second world war engulfed humanity hence cinema cannot and should not offer any solutions for social problems raised by its writer and directors, by its content and style. The mere exposition of the problem is enough and there ends cinemas artistic obligation as well as compulsion. The later, however, stretches cinemas role further to promote a thought process and line of action where by the viewers are provoked into trying a change for the better. Fi lms, which talked directly and movingly about the wrongs of society, go on to influence it and shape it along better lines. The most important contribution of cinema to society is that by sheer usage it has grown to be a standard reference for most kinds of questions and situations, where elementary knowledge and practice are needed (Rangoonwalla, 1995:7). The mass mind picks up such points largely and stores them in some mental corner, to be reactivated while seeking or giving answers and guidance. Some of the life patterns and conclusions propagated by them could be having social repercussions below the outer of everyday life. Violence, crime and sex are made to look easy and frivolous, without much of retribution to follow. The magic of cinema is virtually unfathomable. The very mention of cinema conjures up a rainbow of captivating images. A vital aspect of Indian cinema is its unifying character. The Indian films have been subtly albeit consistently promoting the ideas of national integration and communal harmony. A part of the socio-economic cultural transformation can be attributed to the cinema as films usually generate social mobility, fluidity and an overall sense of oneness among people of different backgrounds (Rangoonwalla, 1995:7).The society is ripe with cases of crimes and criminals being emulated from the screen and so also the attitude to suicide as a way of dejection, mostly in love. Fashion including smoking and drinking, in many cases, are inspired from cinema characters. The vast fan followings of stars like Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachhan, Mithun Chatkrabothy are eloquent testimony to the social impacts of films. A study by Dr. Sativa Bhakry shows that Cinema can play both positive as well as negative roles in society. It can have positive impacts in terms of providing entertainment, enhancing information and knowledge, sensitizing people about urgent issues of society, in creating sociability and offering catharsis. It offers release from tensions of daily life. Cinema can also play an equally negative role in teaching wrong values, generating social and sexual violence and crime, providing escape from reality into a dream world of fantasy instead of facing up to the problems of life, encouraging adoption of destructive role models and in encouraging cynicism about social institutions (Bhakhry, 1995:71-76). 1.4 Freedom of Artistic Expression and its Limits Article 19(1) (a) of the Indian Constitution guarantees to every citizen of India the right to freedom of speech and expression; also assures the freedom of media, though it is not separately stated. This right to freedom of speech and expression includes within it, the right to collect and receive information from anywhere and through any legitimate means, the right to disseminate information and express opinion (Sawant, 1997). The freedom granted under 19(1) (a) is not absolute, and is subject to restrictions contained in Article 19(2) of the Indian constitution. The restrictions have, of course to be reasonable meaning there by that; they must have a direct nexus with ground on which they are imposed. But, to extend the scope of censorship to considerations of public taste and ban a mater which does not fall within the limits of the reasonable restrictions clause would not be legal(Vasudev,1979). Again, the media, when run as a business, is also subject to the restrictions, which may be imposed by the state on any business, under Article 19(6) of the constitution. Cinema as a medium of mass communication is also subjected to restrictions contained in article 19(2) of the constitution and set out in section 5-B of the Indian Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 1959. In a celebrated Supreme Court judgment in 1970, in the case brought before it by K.A. Abbas, regarding his film A Tale of Four Cities declared that, Censorship falls under constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression and that while pre censorship of films does not contravene those guarantees per se, is still a justifiable issue and cannot be decided by a government official (Dayal, 1987). The Supreme Court said, Censorship in India (and pre-censorship is not different in quality) has full justification in the field of exhibition of cinema films and the censorship imposed on the making and exhibition of films is in the interest of the society. If the regulations venture into something, which goes beyond the legitimate opening to restrictions, they can be questioned on the ground that a legitimate power is being abused. We hold, therefore, that censorship of films, including prior restraint, is justified under our constitution (Vasudev, 1978). Platos polemics of art and artists urged strict censorship of the arts because of their influence on moulding peoples characters. Using his theory of forms, Plato claimed that artists and poets couldnt usually explain their works; as they are seized by irrational inspiration, a sort of divine madness. Therefore, the vital opinions of the community could be shaped by law and that men could be penalized for saying things that offended public sensibilities, undermined common morality, or subverted the institutions of the community. Acclaimed film critic and a spiritual champion of the right to freedom of expression, Noel Burch (1973) claimed I doubt if anybody will advocate freedom from interference of the state machinery to be extended to the commercial exploitation of a powerful medium of expression and entertainment like cinema. One can imagine the result if an unbridled commercial cinema is allowed to cater to the lowest common denominator of popular taste. Freedom of expression, therefore, cannot and should not be interpreted as a license for the cinemagnates to make money by pandering to and thereby propagating, shoddy and vulgar taste. While emphasizing the role of cinema as a vehicle of modernism, Indias first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru has also advocated some amount of social control to ward off its bad effects (Vasudev, 1978:107). Tanuja Chandra claims that the artists have every right to give expression to the work of art and viewers have an equal right to reject it, if they do not like it either in part or whole. The entertainment part of cinema, she argues is of much important than the emotional part. Veteran actor turned Member of Parliament Satrughna Sinha claims that in a country like India films reach the widest possible and most diversified audience. As a medium of mass communication it can exercise the most tremendous and potent influence on the public. The rampant use of blatant sex and gruesome violence (as commodities for sale by the producers) can terribly shake a nation; the ruinous elements can easily shatter the society before the common law can give protection (TOI, 2006). John Dayal Claims that more and more people, especially the younger, look forward to watch the blatant display of sex and violence on the screen. If this virus is allowed to the artery of our national blood, the society will be infested with unruly elements with hardly any care for our social values and traditional tenets, which will eventually lead to chaos and anarchy in the society. Curbs are, therefore, necessary to protect the moral health of the nation and to ensure that cinema does not hurt the sensibilities or interests of the extraordinarily heterogeneous people that constitute the Indian nation (Dayal, 1987:61). 1.5 Research Design and Methods Analyzing a complex issue like social impacts of films demands a multidisciplinary approach. A historical review of the Hindi films reveals the presentation of social issues in contrast to other issues in Indian cinema. A review of cinema as a means of artistic expression provides pertinent clues about the social impacts of cinema. Constitutional and legal provisions, judgments of Supreme Court and High Courts, observations of various committees and commissions, legal adjudications on film censorship decisions, decisions of the Censor Board, and the policy guidelines issued from time to time provide an appropriate background for understanding the legal status of right to freedom of expression and its limits. The existing theories on film-society linkages, the research studies on social impacts of films, in addition to the study of the legal back ground mentioned above revels the ideal limits of artistic expression and moral decency in India. Of late, growing recognition of freedom of expression as a fundamental human right and the arguments against any kind of restriction on that right, coupled with the digital communication technology enabled scope for duplication and delivery of contents questions afresh the role of social films, of course, the socio-cultural conditions of a nation is an equally important factor. So it is the public opinion, defined and redefined by the changing socio-cultural environment that can be a real indicator of the social impacts of films and the need for films on social themes in the country. As such, the study primarily builds on the social survey method of research, a pre-structured questionnaire being the principal tool of data collection. The opinion survey constitutes the primary data, where as the secondary data culled from newspapers, journals, books and of course the Web provides significant input to the study. The universe for the study primarily comprises the academic community, including students, teachers and other academic staff of the universities. To represent the academic community Berhampur University (Odisha), Aligarh Muslim University (Uttar Pradesh), and Gauhatii and Nagalandi universities in the North-Eastern Parts of India were selected. The sample respondents were selected applying the stratified random sampling method. The academic community of the selected universities were identifies as three distinct groups- students, teachers, and academic staff of which 100, 40, and 20 respectively were selected randomly to constitute the sample for the study. While selecting the respondents gender and age have been kept in mind to make the sample a true representative of the universe, despite majority of respondents being post graduate students. All the 160 sample respondents so selected were administered a pre-structured questionnaire comprising 15 questions on various aspects of film ing practices and impacts of films on the society in India. The researcher could collect a total of 128 completed questionnaires of which 80 representing the students, 32 representing the teachers and 16 of the other academic staff. The responses so collected are codified and presented in tables 1-7. The codified and tabulated opinions are analysed using simple statistical techniques including the weighted average method. The alternative responses (say N) to a question are assigned priorities from 1 to N by the respondents. The responses from 1st to Nth priorities are assigned weightages N to 1 respectively and are multiplied by their respective frequencies n1,n2,n3nN-1,nN (number of respondents giving the same priority to a response).The weightage of each priority of a response are added to calculate the total weightage of a response. As such, the total weightage of a response is calculated to be: TW=NXn1+(N-1)Xn2+(N-2)Xn3+. . . . . . . .+N-(N-2)XnN-1+N-(N-1)XnN = NX(1st priority frequency)+(N-1)X(second priority frequency)+(N-2)X(3rd priority frequency)+ +2(N-1)th priority frequency+1(Nth priority frequency) The extracts of the personal interviews of a number of Bollywoodii personalities including actors, directors, producers on the issue of cinema censorship, published in sections of the media, have been incorporated to represent the views of the Indian film industry. 1.6 Public Perception on Cinematic Obligations The respondents were asked to mention the kinds of impact films have on society by selecting the appropriate alternative. The responses so obtained are presented in table-1, which evinces that 14.84 % of the respondents feel that films have positive impact on the society where as 20.31 % of them feel that films have negative impact. But a whopping majority (53.90%) of them agree that films do have impact, positive, negative or both, on the society.07.03 % does not see any impact of films, where as 3.91 % have no idea about social impacts of films. Table-1: What kinds of Impact does films have on the Indian Society? Response No of Respondents % age Positive Impact 19 14.84 Negative Impact 26 20.31 Both positive and negative impact 69 53.90 No impacts 09 07.03 Dont Know 05 3.91 The respondents were asked to mention in order of preference the mentioned positive impacts of films on the society. The responses presented in table -2 revels that the respondents strongly believe that films do have positive impacts in sensitizing the people about urgent social issues. The respondents are also impressed with the role of films as an entertainer. What closely follows these are films release tension and they keep the audience informed and educated on important issues confronting the society. Table-2: Positive Impacts of Films Impact 1st priority 2nd priority 3rd priority 4th priority 5th priority Total weightage Rank order Inform and educate 11(12.5) 13 22 28 14 243 2nd Entertain 25(28.41) 27 22 12 02 325 1st Sensitize about urgent social issues 25(28.41) 26 24 11 02 325 1st Instil positive values 09(10.23) 07 13 27 32 198 4th Release tension 18(20.45) 15 07 10 38 229 3rd TW (Total Weightage) =1st priorityX5+2nd priorityX4+3rd priorityX3+4th priorityX2+5th priorityX1 R (Rank) = rank of total weightage Table-3: Negative Impacts of Films Impact 1st priority 2nd priority 3rd priority 4th priority Total weightage Rank order Teach wrong values 21(22.10) 27 26 21 238 2nd Promotes sex and violence 28(29.47) 25 26 16 254 1st Provide escape route from real problems to a dream world 22(23.16) 18 23 32 220 4th Encourage destructive role models 24(25.26) 25 20 26 235 3rd TW (Total Weightage) =1st priorityX5+2nd priorityX4+3rd priorityX3+4th priorityX2+5th priorityX1 R (Rank) = rank of total weightage Among the negative impacts of films presented in table-3, promoting sex and violence tops the list. The audience closely believes that films provide an escape route from real problems to a dream world. The third major impacts mentioned are teaching wrong values, and encourage destructive role models. A question was asked regarding what should be the primary goal of film making. The respondents were asked to mention the mentioned alternatives in order of priority and the responses so obtained are presented in table-4. Table-4: What should be primary goal of film making? 1st Priority 2nd priority 3rd priority 4th priority 5th priority Total weightage Rank Profit generation 19(14.84) 17 21 28 43 325 5th Presentation of social issues to public notice 23(17.96) 27 18 22 38 359 4th Generate Social Change and development 39(30.47) 36 28 17 08 466 1st Eradication of social evils 21(16.40) 23 29 34 21 373 3rd Promote pro-social values 26(20.31) 25 32 27 18 398 2nd TW (Total Weightage) =1st priorityX5+2nd priorityX4+3rd priorityX3+4th priorityX2+5th priorityX1 R (Rank) = rank of total weightage Data in table-4 transpire that film makers first and foremost artistic obligation should be to try for positive social change through films, closely followed by the goal of promoting pro-social values. Notably, the artistic obligation of creatively presenting a social issue before the public without expecting or suggesting any social change from it, which is the line of thinking of the Avant Garde film makers finds third priority among the respondents. Equal

The Effect Of Temperature On Permeable Membranes Biology Essay

The Effect Of Temperature On Permeable Membranes Biology Essay The aim of this experiment was to determine what effect an increase in the surrounding temperature has on the selectively permeable membranes of plant cells, e.g., red cabbage (Lane, 2010a). The cell membrane is the fluid-mosaic model. The proteins are embedded in the cell membrane. The lipid exists as a phospholipid bilayer form. The hydrophobic which mean water hating portions of the lipid molecule face the inside while the hydrophilic which mean water loving parts face either the cytoplasm or extracellular aqueous environment. The protein molecules are of two types in the membrane. Internal proteins are embedded in the phospholipid bilayer which enhance the membranes shape, providing passageways for the movement of substances through the membrane while the peripheral proteins are attach to the surface of membrane and are easier to extract (Losos, Manson and Singer, 2008) The purpose of a cell membrane is to controls what enters and exits the cell. It acts as a selective barrier between the internal and external fluid that means the cell membrane to be selectively permeable. This process supplies the cell with useful material and removes waste products. Normally, this is done by active or passive transportation. The passive transportation allows substances to move from high concentration to low concentration without energy required. The active transportation carries substances such as ions and glucose from low concentration to the high concentration, requiring energy and a carrier to support (Losos, Manson and Singer, 2008). Figure 2 (Adapted from Garland, 2004) shows the process of transportation through the cell membrane Figure 2: Transportation through the Membrane (Adapted from Garland, 2004) Certain conditions can damage the cell membrane. For instance, high temperature leads to violent collisions that can destroy a membrane. There is a hypothesis that an increase in temperature denatures the membrane and causes the substances within the membrane to leak out (Answers, 2010). The high temperature can make the cell membrane more permeable and allow it to be more prone to leakage. Red cabbages are used as a model to investigate how the temperature affects the selectively permeable membranes. Red cabbages contain a large mount of a water-soluble red pigment called anthocyanin, which is located in the vacuole and unable to pass through the tonoplast membrane. If these cells are affected by changes in temperature, the integrity of the cell membrane becomes damaged. As a result, anthocyanin which as antioxiants and protects cell from oxidative damage can leak out of the cells and into the surrounding water. The extent of damage to the cell membrane is directly associated to the intensity of red color and it would appear in the water surrounding the red cabbage (Manhattan, 2009). Method Apparatus 7 test tubes Test tube rack Cork borer Scalpel Tile Small beaker Mounted needle Large beaker Thermometer Burner (Lane, 2010b) Firstly, a leaf of red cabbage tissues was cut into 42 discs of the same size (approximately 1mm wide) by a cork borer. 42 red cabbage discs were placed in a small beaker and were washed. 7 test tubes were labelled 30à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, 40à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, 50à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, 60à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, 70à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, 80à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and 100à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The first two test tubes which labelled 30à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, 40à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and approximately 6 cm3 cold water was added using a measuring cylinder. The remaining test tubes had 6 cm3 cold water added to each. Meanwhile, a water bath was prepared using a large beaker, tripod and gauze. The 7 test tubes with 6 cm3 water were heated in the water bath. A thermometer was placed into each test tube to measure the temperature. 6 red cabbage discs were impaled on a mounted needle with space between each disc. When the water inside the test tube labelled 30à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ reached 30à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ temperature, the burner was removed a nd 6 discs on the needle was placed in the test tube for exactly 1 min then the test tube was removed from the water bath. The disks were left in this tube. When the water inside the test tube labelled 40à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ reached 40à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ temperature, the above procedure was repeated. The test tube labelled 50à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ reached the temperature. All the procedures were restarted according to the guide. To all the test tubes were added 6 cm3 cold water and a water bath was prepared using a large beaker, tripod. When the water was heated gently to 30à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, the burner was removed and the 6 red cabbage discs on an impaled needle were placed in the water bath for exactly 1 minute. The discs was pushed off and dropped into the test tube labelled 30à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The procedure was repeated for the other tubes. From 40 °to 90 °C, all the procedures in own water bath. For 100à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ the discs, needle were placed in others water bath with the temperature at 100à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 1 minute, then the discs were pushed off and dropped into the test tube labelled 100à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The discs in the test tube s were left for 20 minutes and then the tubes were shaken and compared. Result Temperature /à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ Observation 30 The 6 red cabbage discs were still purple and unchanged the water was still colourless. 40 The colours of the 6 red cabbage discs were remained and unchanged purple and the water was still clear. 50 The colours of 6 red cabbage discs were a little faded and the water became a little purple. 60 The colours of 6 red cabbage discs were faded lighter purple more than 50à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and the colour of water changed from colourless into light purple. 70 The colours of 6 red cabbage discs were faded more than 60à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and the colour of water changed from transparent into a light blue. 80 The colours of 6 red cabbage discs were very faded than 70à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and the colour of water changed from transparent into a light green. 100 The colours of 6 red cabbage discs changed from purple into white and the colour of water was strongly changed from transparent into green. Table 1: Heating the Red Cabbage Discs Discussion Table 1 shows clearly that an increase temperature on the red cabbage fades the purple of these discs and they become more and more faded while the colour of the surrounding water inside the test tube becomes darker and darker. This phenomenon purple-blue-green result from that the red cabbage dices have permeable membranes losing the permeability of their cell membranes. If the temperature goes against what the membranes can withstand, the permeability of membranes increases as the protein becomes denatured, the lipid parts of membranes liquefies and the proteins create holes in the fabric, and the membranes fall apart. The high temperature produces an increase in kinetic energy that makes atoms in the protein to vibrate and move more breaking hydrogen and ionic bonds in protein molecules and changing the 3D shape of the system. These proteins are unable to translate substances in and out of the membrane. All the factors lead to the anthocyanin leaking out of the membranes producing a colour in the water surrounding the red cabbage cells (Erik, 2002). The results of investigating the effect of temperature on permeable membranes are largely as predicted. There were several variables that controlled this experiment to make sure the results were comparable. The first major key variable was the size of red cabbage discs. The red cabbage tissue was cut into discs which were used to ensure accuracy by increasing precision in the volume of water. The cylinders should be same for all experiments because the volume of water affected the concentration of the pigment. The second variable was allowing enough time (20 minutes) for colour to be seen. All the test tubes should be left the same and enough time for observations after putting the red cabbage discs into the test tubes. Time altered the effect of the experiment; some tubes had a longer effect than others, more of the pigments in the red cabbage cells will leak out and the pigments in the surrounding water. All the material should be washed very thoroughly after cutting. This process made the experiment more highly accurate, because using water to wash the material meant that impurities were minimised. Possible errors may have arisen during this experiment. Firstly, the procedure at the beginning of the experiment was not correctly followed according to the instructions (Lane, 2010c). For instance, 6 cm3 cold water was measured not accurate, the red cabbage leaf did not wash under running water and using another water bath which resulted from the instruction had not been read carefully and seriously. Secondly, the phenomenons purple-blue-green in this test was a little different from the theory that as the temperature increases, the colour of the surrounding water will become darker (Lane, 2010d). This may stem from much of the red pigment escaping from the discs while heating the red cabbage in the beaker. The result of the higher temperature may have affected this more as a lot of the pigment has already leaked out into the beaker. Another reason may be the concentration of pigment leading to change the stability of the pigment molecule. Thirdly, the time was not sufficient for r epeating the experiment, which made the results less accurate. A future experiment should be improved in follow ways. The instruction should be read carefully and thoroughly, so the experiment can go on logical. Secondly, the temperature should be checked at the start of when the red cabbage was put in the water and at the end of the last minute using a thermometer to maintain the temperature of the heated water. Thirdly, a colorimeter should be provided to measure the amount of light absorbed by solution of each reaction temperature. The higher concentration of anthocyanin means a higher reading on the colorimeter. Fourthly, the experiment should be repeated more times to make sure the results were not obtained by chance or by external factors. In addition, the effect of cooler temperature even under 0à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ could be tested to observe if the membrane is broken down in a similar way. Conclusion It can be concluded that as the temperature was increased, more of the red pigment leaked out of the permeable membrane. The permeability of the membrane in red cabbages can be damaged by high temperature.

Technology - A Futuristic Prom :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

A Futuristic Prom RING, RING! "Hello, this is Matty337." "Hey Matty337, it's Zinc451, what's up?" "Nothin' much, I am just enjoying my Saturday afternoon home alone." "Oh, I Just called to ask you a question." "What is it Zinc? Is something wrong?" "No, Matty, I was just wondering if... well I know it's kind of short notice, but I was wondering if... you would like to go to the Neptunian Starlight Prom with me." "Sure Zinc I'd love to go!" "Yeah, I'll pick you up at 7:30, O.K.?" "Ya, I'll see you at 7:30, bye!" "Bye, Matty!" Finally, he asked me. I've been waiting all my life for Zinc to ask me out on a date. After all, I've only had a crush on him since the year 2149. Just think, the most astronomical guy in school asked me to the Neptunian Starlight prom of the year 2153. It's going to be the best night of my life! Oh no, I totally spaced it out. The prom is tonight and I don't have a dress. The Mars Mall is too many miles for my spacecraft to fly this afternoon from my galaxy purple house on 95070 Jupiter Street. What will I do? Suddenly, it dawns on me; I can order a dress off of the Universal Wide Web and have it teleported to my own house! My teleporter is a very complex machine used to make one object disintegrate and appear somewhere else in perfect replica. This is a machine that works on 3-dimensional objects as opposed to 2-dimensional sheets of paper. It looks almost like a fax machine and scans the original object, breaks it up into billions of tiny atoms, scans it to a new location and rearranges it in its perfect form. I run down stairs as quick as possible, there is no time to waste. I open the office door and plop down in the chair in front of my new 2153 Model Astrocomputer. After turning on the super fast computer and atomic laser printer I begin to work. When the 3-D super pixel screen comes up I immediately click on the blue U for Universal Explorer. I plug in my Interstellar Satellite Modem. I go to the top of the screen where the word DESTINATION: jumps out at me. I suddenly get a rush of excitement all throughout my body. Finally I am going to get the perfect prom dress! I click on the destination box and begin to type- www. Technology - A Futuristic Prom :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers A Futuristic Prom RING, RING! "Hello, this is Matty337." "Hey Matty337, it's Zinc451, what's up?" "Nothin' much, I am just enjoying my Saturday afternoon home alone." "Oh, I Just called to ask you a question." "What is it Zinc? Is something wrong?" "No, Matty, I was just wondering if... well I know it's kind of short notice, but I was wondering if... you would like to go to the Neptunian Starlight Prom with me." "Sure Zinc I'd love to go!" "Yeah, I'll pick you up at 7:30, O.K.?" "Ya, I'll see you at 7:30, bye!" "Bye, Matty!" Finally, he asked me. I've been waiting all my life for Zinc to ask me out on a date. After all, I've only had a crush on him since the year 2149. Just think, the most astronomical guy in school asked me to the Neptunian Starlight prom of the year 2153. It's going to be the best night of my life! Oh no, I totally spaced it out. The prom is tonight and I don't have a dress. The Mars Mall is too many miles for my spacecraft to fly this afternoon from my galaxy purple house on 95070 Jupiter Street. What will I do? Suddenly, it dawns on me; I can order a dress off of the Universal Wide Web and have it teleported to my own house! My teleporter is a very complex machine used to make one object disintegrate and appear somewhere else in perfect replica. This is a machine that works on 3-dimensional objects as opposed to 2-dimensional sheets of paper. It looks almost like a fax machine and scans the original object, breaks it up into billions of tiny atoms, scans it to a new location and rearranges it in its perfect form. I run down stairs as quick as possible, there is no time to waste. I open the office door and plop down in the chair in front of my new 2153 Model Astrocomputer. After turning on the super fast computer and atomic laser printer I begin to work. When the 3-D super pixel screen comes up I immediately click on the blue U for Universal Explorer. I plug in my Interstellar Satellite Modem. I go to the top of the screen where the word DESTINATION: jumps out at me. I suddenly get a rush of excitement all throughout my body. Finally I am going to get the perfect prom dress! I click on the destination box and begin to type- www.

The Effectiveness of Selection Interviews Essay -- Business Interviews

The Effectiveness of Selection Interviews Evaluate the relative effectiveness of selection interviews as an indicator of likely candidate suitability in the case of a selected business, making recommendations for improvements in procedure. D1 The interview is the final stage of the Recruitment and Selection process. Candidates can be classified as the applicants for a vacancy that they have seen advertised. The chosen business for this question is M&S. It is here at this stage, the M&S employee (who is the candidate) and the employer are generally in the meeting situation. An interview is a form of test or assessment. However, it is also clarified as a formal discussion, especially one in which an employee assess, n applicant for a job. Interviews are always conducted and arranged for all sorts of other jobs, particularly retailing jobs such as M&S.At times the employer has the process of going through letters, CVs, application forms, and examination of references, which will mean that only a few number of applicants are more unlikely to be interviewed for the job. This is because interviews take up time of senior managers who have to carry them out, and this will be also costly for the business. Apart firm this, there are however good and bad statements to be made on selection interviews. Depending on the attitudes and relationships between the interviewee and the interviewer, there can be good and bad turnouts that could effect M&S. The process of selection interviewing Almost every employer includes a face-to-face interview as part of the selection process. The initial selection interview might be delegated to a recruitment agency or a local job center, but most employers would be more reluctant to take on new employees without having met them in person. The interview, however, continues to be the most popular and frequently used method of selection, even though it is thought that research studies have found interviews to be poor predictors of future performance in a job. This is referred to as low validity. The poor validity of interviews means that they don not test what they intend to test. For example inside at M&S, it would mean the ability to do well. The reasons for this mainly lie with interviewer concerns number of interviewer errors contribute to the low validity of interviews, and awareness of th... ...le when assessing intelligence, interest in the job applied for, motivation and personality. The producers of such tests have stated that they are accurate and completely unbiased. They are supposed to be particularly good at assessment of personality. For example, they can show if a candidate would work well in a team or would be more effective working alone. The following of theses tests are of the following:  · performance tests  · knowledge tests  · aptitude tests  · intelligence tests  · personality tests Assessment centers tests Job applications are subjected to a wide range of assessments over a whole day or two. They are required to participate in group exercises, psychometric tests, aptitude tests and traditional interviews. By using a mixture of assessment this process is claimed to produce more accurate result. the applicants are given longer to prove themselves and there fore become more relaxed and more nataul.however recent development now mean that these assessment centre exercises can be videoed and then sent to a team of independent experts to be properly analysed.this insures that the candidates have their performance assessed objectively.

Ðrama work centered on a mystery bag

This section of our drama work centred on a mystery bag, we made various scenes and sketches about it, this acted as preparation for our final piece. Our first lessons work with the bag was brainstorming its possible owners, uses and just using imagination to create some sense of mystery about the bag. When then, in subsequent lessons had to create short plays about possible owners and uses of the bag, and also how it had come to different people. Among these one of the plays I performed was of a lawyer, losing the bag containing all of his important papers etc, for this short scene we had to find and bring in a piece of music to accompany it. Another thing we did that incorporated the bag was a set of five still images depicting an action scene that focused on the bag, for this we also used music to help create a certain atmosphere. All of this work was groundwork for our final piece, our guidelines were as follows: Make a five – ten minute play about the bag that incorporates a piece of music and one or more drama conventions. In planning our play we brainstormed and developed different ideas, and then picked the one we thought that we could act out best and the one that could be developed most. The idea that we chose was one that had already been discussed in class, but not been looked into any real detail. Here is a brief description of our play: Beginning: A museum with a guide showing visitors around the old artefacts and treasures, they come across the old wreckage of the Isabella II ship, the guide tells of how the ship sunk, they then move to watch a short video of how this happened. Middle: We act out the video of how the ship didn't sink accidentally, and how really the ships captain and his conspirators sank it on purpose in order to gain the insurance money. Ending: We come back to the museum and the guide finishes things off by showing the visitors the captain's bag that carried the plans and blueprints. We soon came across a problem in making our play; we only had three people in our group but over 10 characters (some only extras). We managed to overcome this by using different props and costume to distinguish between the people. Another setback that we came to in making our play was trying to act out being on a ship etc without having a great deal of furniture etc with which to make our set. I think that our final performance went quite well, our only problem was improvising with being on a stage, we hadn't practised like that, so we had to adapt, but other then that it went well. The audience seemed to think that it was ok, no one boo-ed and we got clapped at the end. I think its possible that if we did the play again then we could improve it; spacial awareness and positioning could have been better, but other then that I think our play was good. All in all I think that our performance was done to an adequate level and I was quite happy with it.

Robert Frost

Robert Frost has been described as an ordinary man with a deep respect for nature, talking to ordinary people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person.The poems â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and â€Å"The mending wall† strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people. On the surface, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† deals with a seemingly unimportant event, of the poet stopping one winter evening, mesmerised by the snow and the wood. However, at a figurative level, the poem goes deeper dealing with the concept of the choices that people make in life. The poem is set in a rural area, with merely an implication of the city in â€Å"his house is in the village†.This setting choice as well as stanza 1, which tells of the poet stopping to â€Å"watch his woods fill up with snow†, creates a strong image of nature being a predominant feature of this poem. The first stanza also creates a contrast between the poet and the owner of the woods who is presumably a ‘sensible’ person staying warm in his house. This raises the question of why the poet has stopped in such cold weather. Hence, this contrast serves as a metaphor that provides a link back to the concept of the poem, as it may speak of his choice to be involved with life, rather than choosing ‘comfortable withdrawal’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].The poem continues contrasting the poet with his horse, Frost personifying the latter in â€Å"My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near†. This meta phor shows that even the persona acknowledges, through his horse, that others may not make sense of the choice he has made to continue his journey on the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†. However, the responder is able to get a sense of what the persona is so entranced by in the third stanza, where there is a beauty in the woods as the â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake†.The assonance of the letter ‘o’ in this creates a soft, dream-like tone, which emphasises the poet’s captivation by the scenery. The final stanza expands on this, opening with â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The use of the word â€Å"lovely† reinforces the beauty of the woods, but the alliteration of the letter ‘d’ creates a heavy tone which may indicate that they could be perilous. For the poet, these words could mean that for him the woods represent escapism and irrationality.Due the allure that the woods clearly have over the poet, he is faced with a choice at the end of the poem- to stay and enter the â€Å"woods† or to continue on his journey in life. He makes his choice clear in the final lines of the last stanza saying â€Å"But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep†. His choice is clear through the use of the word â€Å"but† and the repetition of the final two lines emphasises that it is ‘life and personal involvement that he chooses, rather than withdrawal and death’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].Hence, Frost effectively juxtaposes the gentle attractiveness of the woods with the clear call to journey on and fulfil promises. Throughout this poem, Frost uses much of the imagery of the natural environment to ‘enhance the aural and visual impact of the poem’ [Common Poetry, Robert Frost], and deals with a concept that is faced ‘ordinary people’ everyday- th at of making a choice to go on in life even when it is so appealing to simply go into the â€Å"dark and deep†.Therefore, this poem illuminates Frosts’ respect for nature as well as his ability to speak to ordinary people. This ability is also conveyed in ‘Mending Wall’, a one stanza poem that explores Frost’s ideas about the barriers’ that exist in relationships. Literally, the poem is about two neighbours who disagree about the need of building a wall to separate their properties. However, when the responders’ delves deeper into the poem, it is clear that at a allegorical level the wall is a metaphor representing the barrier that exists in the neighbours’ friendship.The first eleven lines of the poem if rife with imagery that describes the dilapidation of the wall. The first line of the poem emphasises that â€Å"something† exists that â€Å"doesn’t love a wall†. This personification makes the â€Å"somet hing† seem human-like. The use of words such as â€Å"spills† and â€Å"makes gaps† convey an image of animate actions and create a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, presented in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of creatures, also seeks to destroy the wall.The idea that walls are unnatural and therefore nature abhors walls is portrayed in the phrase â€Å"makes gaps even two can pass abreast†, which metaphorically indicates that nature desires for man to walk side by side with no barrier between them. When the two meet to fix the wall, it is a metaphor that could be interpreted as the two repairing their friendship as â€Å"To each the boulders have fallen to each† which shows that faults in their relationship lie on behalf of them both.While they are mending the wall, a light-hearted tone is established. This is shown through the inclusion of the metaphor â€Å"spring is mischief in me† which shows th e neighbours having fun together in repairing the wall, creating a cheerful atmosphere. This creates an ironic feel to the poem, as although the beginning of the poem presented negativity to erecting the wall, mending the wall is allowing the neighbours to spend more time together and hence strengthening their communication and friendship.Despite this, the narrator continues to question the purpose of the wall. To portray this, there is a repetition of â€Å"something there is that doesn’t love a wall†, which emphasises that-like nature- the narrator wants the wall to be taken down. However, the neighbour who is described using the simile â€Å"like an old-stone savage† and thus could be a representation of society which is also rigid in its views, only replies with â€Å"Good fences make good neighbours†.There is a repetition of this statement throughout the poem, which effectively asserts the opinion that society adopts in regards to ‘barriersâ₠¬â„¢ between people: that although people can be close friends, for a successful relationship there will always be a barrier in between them, acting as a boundary that grants privacy and security. Like many of his other poems, Frost once again shows his respect for nature in this poem through his portrayal of it as a sort of body that only wills harmony and friendship among all.He also succeeds in speaking to ordinary people through his exploration of such a universal matter, that impacts upon each human’s life everyday- that of the perpetual metaphorical wall that is present in relationships. In conclusion, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall† are poems that use nature to epitomise what the poet is trying to portray and deal with concepts that have a personal meaning to every single responder. Hence, it can be said that Frost indeed had a deep respect for nature and spoke to ordinary people. Robert Frost A Snowy Evening with Robert Frost Robert Frost once said, â€Å"It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a loneliness. It is never a thought to begin with. It is at best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. † (â€Å"Poetry Foundation† n. d. ). This poem holds a lot of mystery in its meaning which has a variety of interpretations. John T. Ogilvie who wrote, â€Å"From Woods to Stars: A pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry† interprets this as a poem about the journey through life. James G. Hepburn who wrote, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† took a different approach.He believes this poem to be about the aesthetics and moral action. This poem contains a variety of literary devices that not only describe the scenery but also the scene itself. Despite its critics who believe this poem to be about the scenery and moral action, Robert Frost’s poem is best understood as a journey through life, because its literary design allows many to have interpreted it this way. â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow† â€Å"To stop without a farm house near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† (842-843). The description of the woods is seductive because of the rhyme scheme, AABA/BBCB/CCDC/DDDD. Robert Frost has made comments about the form of this poem, â€Å"a series of almost reckless commitments I feel good in having guarded it so. [It is]†¦my heavy duty poem to be examined for the rime pairs. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). The English language is not as rhyme friendly as other languages such as Italian or French. The English language is a melting pot of many different languages limiting the amount of words that rhyme.As John Ciardi says, â€Å"In ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Frost took a long chance. He decided to rhyme not two lines, but three in each stanza. Not even Frost could have sustained that much rhyme in a long poem. † (Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean? ). This allows the reader to be hypnotized by the rhythm Frost has created. By repeating the ‘o’ sound, ‘though’ also starts the series of rhymes that will soon get the better of the reader. For example this is seen clearly in the opening lines of the poem, â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. † (842). As the reader begins to recognize the pattern of the poem it guides them into the same drowsy feeling as the narrator is experiencing. James G. Hepburn, who wrote â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics,† says, â€Å"Each of the first three stanzas begins flatly; each rises, with the last line or two lines, towards the spell; but not until the end of the third stanza is the rise powerful, and not until the opening of the fourth and final stanza is the rise sustained rather than broken. So from the above lines and evidence we can interpret these lines as follows. The narrator is most likely returning home from some errand that took him far away from his home. He is riding his horse late at night or late day and has stumbled upon some beautiful scenery. This is when he decides to stop and take in everything that he is seeing. When the narrator first stopped in the woods he has a good idea of whose land this is, which is stated in the first two lines. Rueben A.Bower who wrote, â€Å"The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention† says, â€Å"The very tentative tone of the opening line lets us into the mood without quite sensing where it will lead, just as the ordinariness of ‘though’ at the end of the second line assures us that we are in the world. † Robert Frost did not start this poem with the magical whimsy of the woods but instead with the mood they contain (Hepburn 1962) â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. (842). By doing this he allows the reader to have a better understanding of why the narrator would stop to look upon this beautiful scenery. As Hepburn says in his article, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† â€Å"The mood that the poem induces in the reader nullifies his acceptance of the intention expressed by the traveler. The sum of the reader’s experience of the poem is different from the meaning of the traveler’s experience of the woods. Presumably the traveler goes home to supper, to his duties, and to the rest of his journey through life; but these things are not the poem. Frost made some comments on the factors mood plays in a poem, â€Å"†¦ the poet’s intention is of course a particular mood that w on’t be satisfied with anything less than its own fulfillment. † (Hepburn 1962). This poem isn’t a recreated experience but meant to be an experience in itself. This poem has some interesting symbolism in it takes us on a journey through a man’s life. When the narrator first stops, instead of questioning himself, he questions what the horse thinks, â€Å"My little horse must think it queer† (842).By questioning the horse, he is really questioning his own reasons, which people often do while they make life decisions or everyday decisions. The horse is also a symbol of time the horse is questioning his stopping and urges him to move on to prevent the further loss of time (Anonymous). When the narrator’s horse shakes his harness bells, he then becomes a symbol, as John Ciardi thinks, â€Å".. order of life that does not understand why a man stops in the winter middle of nowhere to watch snow come down. † The horse is the will power persis tent in the subconscious of a man.The horse urges him to get back to his business by the shake of his harness bells which is indirectly contrast the narrator who would like to stay in the woods. Even though his horse is urging him to be responsible he continues to be enticed by the soft lull of the woods just like the reader is. For example, â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. † (842). The sound of the horses harness bells is contrasting against the sounds of the woods described as, â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. (843). This is the woods contradicting the symbolism of the horse making their presence relevant. In life there are often two main choices to be made. Similar to this poem the narrator can either stay in the woods or go back to his everyday life. The speaker is going ahead and his ‘sleep’ may be the symbol for the end of his life. The journey in this poem turns out to b e more complicated than the life of an average man. The darkness of the woods is symbolic of the ‘easy’ way out or the path people before him have taken.The wind and downy flakes also have a similar symbolism. While the flakes appear to be soft, they are also cold which is less forgiving. The reader and the narrator share all of the experiences together as the poem goes on. For example, the line â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † (842) is a correlation between life and the obligations he is carrying. This line also adds an unbroken curve of rhythm. As Ruben A. Bower (1963) goes on to explain, it adds to the sense of moving into a spell-world.We note the linking rhymes that tie in with the first stanza. Different symbols in this poem though reveal that stop in the poem could be referring to death or the journey through life. In this phrase â€Å"Between the woods and frozen lake†, the wood becomes a symbol of life while the frozen lake signifies death . When the speaker reaches the woods, he finds a world offering perfect, quiet and solitude, existing side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligation. Both worlds have a claim on the poet.He stops by the wood on this â€Å"darkest evening of the year† to watch them â€Å"fill up with snow†, and remains there so long that his â€Å"little horse† shakes his â€Å"harness bells† to ask if there is â€Å"some mistake† (842). That little horse’s action reminds him of the â€Å"promises† he has to keep and the miles he still has to travel. (843). The theme of this poem is a journey, and not simply a journey through the woods but through life itself. There is an expectant tone throughout the poem. The narrator stops for a brief time to meditate and realizes he needs to continue on his journey through the woods and his journey through life.This poem also has a â€Å"romantic† theme as well as subject. Again the speaker is returning home and stops to take in the beautiful scenery. As the urgency to move on becomes more apparent the narrator begins to regret that he must leave. The narrator is romanticizing what he is passing which is time and pleasure. â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. / The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (842-843). For example, the words â€Å"lovely† â€Å"snow† â€Å"lake† â€Å"evening† and â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† (840-843) are all romantic in nature.Also the way the narrator talks about nature makes the loving relationship he has with it a romantic notion. â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (843). It is also seen in this line, â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow. / †¦ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † (842). As Jeffrey Meyers says, â€Å"The theme of â€Å"Stopping by Woods†Ã¢â‚¬â€œdespite Frost's disclaimer–is the temptation of death, even suicide, symbolized by the woods that are filling up with snow on the darkest evening of the year.The speaker is powerfully drawn to these woods and–like Hans Castorp in the â€Å"Snow' chapter of Mann's  Magic Mountain–wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The third quatrain, with its drowsy, dream-like line: â€Å"Of easy wind and downy flake,† opposes the horse's instinctive urge for home with the man's subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. The speaker says, â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† but he resists their morbid attraction. † (Meyers 1996).The journey threw life and the temptations of death and the peace it may bring some individuals is the theme of this poem. Although some may not agree with this interpretation of Robert Frost â€Å"Sto pping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† like James G. Hepburn who thinks, â€Å"This poem is a tribute to the New England sense of duty.. † (Hepburn 1962). But as you have seen this poem is about a journey through life. The way the poem uses literary tactics lead us to this very specific interpretation. As Robert Frost once said, â€Å"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). Robert Frost A Snowy Evening with Robert Frost Robert Frost once said, â€Å"It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a loneliness. It is never a thought to begin with. It is at best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. † (â€Å"Poetry Foundation† n. d. ). This poem holds a lot of mystery in its meaning which has a variety of interpretations. John T. Ogilvie who wrote, â€Å"From Woods to Stars: A pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry† interprets this as a poem about the journey through life. James G. Hepburn who wrote, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† took a different approach.He believes this poem to be about the aesthetics and moral action. This poem contains a variety of literary devices that not only describe the scenery but also the scene itself. Despite its critics who believe this poem to be about the scenery and moral action, Robert Frost’s poem is best understood as a journey through life, because its literary design allows many to have interpreted it this way. â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow† â€Å"To stop without a farm house near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† (842-843). The description of the woods is seductive because of the rhyme scheme, AABA/BBCB/CCDC/DDDD. Robert Frost has made comments about the form of this poem, â€Å"a series of almost reckless commitments I feel good in having guarded it so. [It is]†¦my heavy duty poem to be examined for the rime pairs. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). The English language is not as rhyme friendly as other languages such as Italian or French. The English language is a melting pot of many different languages limiting the amount of words that rhyme.As John Ciardi says, â€Å"In ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Frost took a long chance. He decided to rhyme not two lines, but three in each stanza. Not even Frost could have sustained that much rhyme in a long poem. † (Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean? ). This allows the reader to be hypnotized by the rhythm Frost has created. By repeating the ‘o’ sound, ‘though’ also starts the series of rhymes that will soon get the better of the reader. For example this is seen clearly in the opening lines of the poem, â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. † (842). As the reader begins to recognize the pattern of the poem it guides them into the same drowsy feeling as the narrator is experiencing. James G. Hepburn, who wrote â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics,† says, â€Å"Each of the first three stanzas begins flatly; each rises, with the last line or two lines, towards the spell; but not until the end of the third stanza is the rise powerful, and not until the opening of the fourth and final stanza is the rise sustained rather than broken. So from the above lines and evidence we can interpret these lines as follows. The narrator is most likely returning home from some errand that took him far away from his home. He is riding his horse late at night or late day and has stumbled upon some beautiful scenery. This is when he decides to stop and take in everything that he is seeing. When the narrator first stopped in the woods he has a good idea of whose land this is, which is stated in the first two lines. Rueben A.Bower who wrote, â€Å"The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention† says, â€Å"The very tentative tone of the opening line lets us into the mood without quite sensing where it will lead, just as the ordinariness of ‘though’ at the end of the second line assures us that we are in the world. † Robert Frost did not start this poem with the magical whimsy of the woods but instead with the mood they contain (Hepburn 1962) â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. (842). By doing this he allows the reader to have a better understanding of why the narrator would stop to look upon this beautiful scenery. As Hepburn says in his article, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† â€Å"The mood that the poem induces in the reader nullifies his acceptance of the intention expressed by the traveler. The sum of the reader’s experience of the poem is different from the meaning of the traveler’s experience of the woods. Presumably the traveler goes home to supper, to his duties, and to the rest of his journey through life; but these things are not the poem. Frost made some comments on the factors mood plays in a poem, â€Å"†¦ the poet’s intention is of course a particular mood that w on’t be satisfied with anything less than its own fulfillment. † (Hepburn 1962). This poem isn’t a recreated experience but meant to be an experience in itself. This poem has some interesting symbolism in it takes us on a journey through a man’s life. When the narrator first stops, instead of questioning himself, he questions what the horse thinks, â€Å"My little horse must think it queer† (842).By questioning the horse, he is really questioning his own reasons, which people often do while they make life decisions or everyday decisions. The horse is also a symbol of time the horse is questioning his stopping and urges him to move on to prevent the further loss of time (Anonymous). When the narrator’s horse shakes his harness bells, he then becomes a symbol, as John Ciardi thinks, â€Å".. order of life that does not understand why a man stops in the winter middle of nowhere to watch snow come down. † The horse is the will power persis tent in the subconscious of a man.The horse urges him to get back to his business by the shake of his harness bells which is indirectly contrast the narrator who would like to stay in the woods. Even though his horse is urging him to be responsible he continues to be enticed by the soft lull of the woods just like the reader is. For example, â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. † (842). The sound of the horses harness bells is contrasting against the sounds of the woods described as, â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. (843). This is the woods contradicting the symbolism of the horse making their presence relevant. In life there are often two main choices to be made. Similar to this poem the narrator can either stay in the woods or go back to his everyday life. The speaker is going ahead and his ‘sleep’ may be the symbol for the end of his life. The journey in this poem turns out to b e more complicated than the life of an average man. The darkness of the woods is symbolic of the ‘easy’ way out or the path people before him have taken.The wind and downy flakes also have a similar symbolism. While the flakes appear to be soft, they are also cold which is less forgiving. The reader and the narrator share all of the experiences together as the poem goes on. For example, the line â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † (842) is a correlation between life and the obligations he is carrying. This line also adds an unbroken curve of rhythm. As Ruben A. Bower (1963) goes on to explain, it adds to the sense of moving into a spell-world.We note the linking rhymes that tie in with the first stanza. Different symbols in this poem though reveal that stop in the poem could be referring to death or the journey through life. In this phrase â€Å"Between the woods and frozen lake†, the wood becomes a symbol of life while the frozen lake signifies death . When the speaker reaches the woods, he finds a world offering perfect, quiet and solitude, existing side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligation. Both worlds have a claim on the poet.He stops by the wood on this â€Å"darkest evening of the year† to watch them â€Å"fill up with snow†, and remains there so long that his â€Å"little horse† shakes his â€Å"harness bells† to ask if there is â€Å"some mistake† (842). That little horse’s action reminds him of the â€Å"promises† he has to keep and the miles he still has to travel. (843). The theme of this poem is a journey, and not simply a journey through the woods but through life itself. There is an expectant tone throughout the poem. The narrator stops for a brief time to meditate and realizes he needs to continue on his journey through the woods and his journey through life.This poem also has a â€Å"romantic† theme as well as subject. Again the speaker is returning home and stops to take in the beautiful scenery. As the urgency to move on becomes more apparent the narrator begins to regret that he must leave. The narrator is romanticizing what he is passing which is time and pleasure. â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. / The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (842-843). For example, the words â€Å"lovely† â€Å"snow† â€Å"lake† â€Å"evening† and â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† (840-843) are all romantic in nature.Also the way the narrator talks about nature makes the loving relationship he has with it a romantic notion. â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (843). It is also seen in this line, â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow. / †¦ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † (842). As Jeffrey Meyers says, â€Å"The theme of â€Å"Stopping by Woods†Ã¢â‚¬â€œdespite Frost's disclaimer–is the temptation of death, even suicide, symbolized by the woods that are filling up with snow on the darkest evening of the year.The speaker is powerfully drawn to these woods and–like Hans Castorp in the â€Å"Snow' chapter of Mann's  Magic Mountain–wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The third quatrain, with its drowsy, dream-like line: â€Å"Of easy wind and downy flake,† opposes the horse's instinctive urge for home with the man's subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. The speaker says, â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† but he resists their morbid attraction. † (Meyers 1996).The journey threw life and the temptations of death and the peace it may bring some individuals is the theme of this poem. Although some may not agree with this interpretation of Robert Frost â€Å"Sto pping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† like James G. Hepburn who thinks, â€Å"This poem is a tribute to the New England sense of duty.. † (Hepburn 1962). But as you have seen this poem is about a journey through life. The way the poem uses literary tactics lead us to this very specific interpretation. As Robert Frost once said, â€Å"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). Robert Frost Robert Frost has been described as an ordinary man with a deep respect for nature, talking to ordinary people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person.The poems â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and â€Å"The mending wall† strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people. On the surface, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† deals with a seemingly unimportant event, of the poet stopping one winter evening, mesmerised by the snow and the wood. However, at a figurative level, the poem goes deeper dealing with the concept of the choices that people make in life. The poem is set in a rural area, with merely an implication of the city in â€Å"his house is in the village†.This setting choice as well as stanza 1, which tells of the poet stopping to â€Å"watch his woods fill up with snow†, creates a strong image of nature being a predominant feature of this poem. The first stanza also creates a contrast between the poet and the owner of the woods who is presumably a ‘sensible’ person staying warm in his house. This raises the question of why the poet has stopped in such cold weather. Hence, this contrast serves as a metaphor that provides a link back to the concept of the poem, as it may speak of his choice to be involved with life, rather than choosing ‘comfortable withdrawal’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].The poem continues contrasting the poet with his horse, Frost personifying the latter in â€Å"My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near†. This meta phor shows that even the persona acknowledges, through his horse, that others may not make sense of the choice he has made to continue his journey on the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†. However, the responder is able to get a sense of what the persona is so entranced by in the third stanza, where there is a beauty in the woods as the â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake†.The assonance of the letter ‘o’ in this creates a soft, dream-like tone, which emphasises the poet’s captivation by the scenery. The final stanza expands on this, opening with â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The use of the word â€Å"lovely† reinforces the beauty of the woods, but the alliteration of the letter ‘d’ creates a heavy tone which may indicate that they could be perilous. For the poet, these words could mean that for him the woods represent escapism and irrationality.Due the allure that the woods clearly have over the poet, he is faced with a choice at the end of the poem- to stay and enter the â€Å"woods† or to continue on his journey in life. He makes his choice clear in the final lines of the last stanza saying â€Å"But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep†. His choice is clear through the use of the word â€Å"but† and the repetition of the final two lines emphasises that it is ‘life and personal involvement that he chooses, rather than withdrawal and death’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].Hence, Frost effectively juxtaposes the gentle attractiveness of the woods with the clear call to journey on and fulfil promises. Throughout this poem, Frost uses much of the imagery of the natural environment to ‘enhance the aural and visual impact of the poem’ [Common Poetry, Robert Frost], and deals with a concept that is faced ‘ordinary people’ everyday- th at of making a choice to go on in life even when it is so appealing to simply go into the â€Å"dark and deep†.Therefore, this poem illuminates Frosts’ respect for nature as well as his ability to speak to ordinary people. This ability is also conveyed in ‘Mending Wall’, a one stanza poem that explores Frost’s ideas about the barriers’ that exist in relationships. Literally, the poem is about two neighbours who disagree about the need of building a wall to separate their properties. However, when the responders’ delves deeper into the poem, it is clear that at a allegorical level the wall is a metaphor representing the barrier that exists in the neighbours’ friendship.The first eleven lines of the poem if rife with imagery that describes the dilapidation of the wall. The first line of the poem emphasises that â€Å"something† exists that â€Å"doesn’t love a wall†. This personification makes the â€Å"somet hing† seem human-like. The use of words such as â€Å"spills† and â€Å"makes gaps† convey an image of animate actions and create a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, presented in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of creatures, also seeks to destroy the wall.The idea that walls are unnatural and therefore nature abhors walls is portrayed in the phrase â€Å"makes gaps even two can pass abreast†, which metaphorically indicates that nature desires for man to walk side by side with no barrier between them. When the two meet to fix the wall, it is a metaphor that could be interpreted as the two repairing their friendship as â€Å"To each the boulders have fallen to each† which shows that faults in their relationship lie on behalf of them both.While they are mending the wall, a light-hearted tone is established. This is shown through the inclusion of the metaphor â€Å"spring is mischief in me† which shows th e neighbours having fun together in repairing the wall, creating a cheerful atmosphere. This creates an ironic feel to the poem, as although the beginning of the poem presented negativity to erecting the wall, mending the wall is allowing the neighbours to spend more time together and hence strengthening their communication and friendship.Despite this, the narrator continues to question the purpose of the wall. To portray this, there is a repetition of â€Å"something there is that doesn’t love a wall†, which emphasises that-like nature- the narrator wants the wall to be taken down. However, the neighbour who is described using the simile â€Å"like an old-stone savage† and thus could be a representation of society which is also rigid in its views, only replies with â€Å"Good fences make good neighbours†.There is a repetition of this statement throughout the poem, which effectively asserts the opinion that society adopts in regards to ‘barriersâ₠¬â„¢ between people: that although people can be close friends, for a successful relationship there will always be a barrier in between them, acting as a boundary that grants privacy and security. Like many of his other poems, Frost once again shows his respect for nature in this poem through his portrayal of it as a sort of body that only wills harmony and friendship among all.He also succeeds in speaking to ordinary people through his exploration of such a universal matter, that impacts upon each human’s life everyday- that of the perpetual metaphorical wall that is present in relationships. In conclusion, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall† are poems that use nature to epitomise what the poet is trying to portray and deal with concepts that have a personal meaning to every single responder. Hence, it can be said that Frost indeed had a deep respect for nature and spoke to ordinary people.