The Shawshank Redemption and its Relation to Greek Mythology Term Paper

The Shawshank Redemption and its Relation to Greek Mythology - Term Paper Example Narrated by an older prisoner named Red, the film gives its viewer information about Andy primarily through the external perspective Red provides, and Red sees in Andy many reasons to pay close attention. Red’s way of telling Andy’s story is one of the first attributes of the film to hint at the possibility that Andy is a larger than life character of potentially mythic—and heroic—proportion. Since the film is set in the 1940s, the viewer instantly recognizes differences in the legal system as well as the treatment of prisoners from how those things are today. This remove from contemporary times serves to emphasize the mythical atmosphere of the film, so the viewer more readily accepts the ideas set forth. We quickly identify Andy as a person of uncommon qualities. Although he comes from a middle class background and has no prior criminal record, he maintains his composure during his transition into prison and his first overnight. As the more experienced inmates make bets about who will cry during their first night in prison, some put their money on Andy. They are disappointed to find that not only is he not the first to cry, but he does not make any sound at all. As soon as Andy arrives at the prison, he is subjected to cruelty, abuse, and even torture. Although he fights against the prisoners who torment him, he is outnumbered by them and can not protect himself. From this early point in the film, one can identify the features of the mythological hero in Andy. According to Campbell, the hero often finds himself in a world that suffers from a â€Å"symbolic deficiency,† and feels compelled to set it right (30). The deficiency can be spiritual, as in a fallen world, or it can be physical, as in a world of ruins (Campbell 30). It is undeniable that the world Andy descends into when he arrives at the prison is deficient. He has to pull a maggot out of his food during one of his first meals, he suffers physical abuse from prisoners and guards alike, and above all else he is serving a prison sentence for a crime he did not commit. Considering this, it seems his prison world’s deficiency is merely an extension of the greater societyâ €™s depravity. Despite the phenomenal abuse, Andy’s mind remains solvent and he maintains his ability to plan and strategize. When he overhears one of the prison guards, Captain Hadley, complaining about the money he is going to lose to taxes, Andy seizes the opportunity. Although it is an immense risk, he presents Hadley with financial advice that eventually results in the exchange of Andy’s financial services for goods provided by Captain Hadley. Andy does not ask Hadley for something for himself, but instead requests cold beers for all his workmates that were with him that day, a seemingly selfless action. This kind of selflessness and largesse is evident also in the actions of the hero figure in mythology. Wright describes mythological heroes as people who â€Å"through extraordinary actions, save the group, change the world,† and commit other meaningful acts (146). For example, Heracles of Greek mythology possessed incredible physical strength that gave him the power to change things in his environment for the better (Grimal 185). He defeated a beast that was causing problems for herders, and killed the Stymphalian birds that were destroying Arcadian crops (Grimal 187). Heracles used his physical abilities to engage in these selfless, world changing actions. Though Andy did not slay beasts in prison, he did devote energy toward significant and world changing activities. Buying beers for his friends was not the limit of Andy’s meaningful acts. Not long after he made the request for

The Swimming Race by Benjamin Tammuz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Swimming Race by Benjamin Tammuz - Essay Example Someone placed this evil seed in his head and now he cannot get rid of it. Revenge is blind, it sees no excuse no distraction, it just goes in for the kill. The Swimming Race (1951) by Benjamin Tammuz is a great story about war and revenge. It tells that the victorious have complete autonomy over the defeated and oppressed. They do whatever they want to do with them. Problems don’t necessarily lie outside the individual. It is the interpretation of mind that turns an incident into a problem. The talk of a man dominated world has been around. When I read the Hand of Wax I immediately agreed with the authors thinking. If someone suffers in this world, it is not because of the circumstances (the male dominant society) but because of the victim’s acceptance to suffering. When the narrator of The Swimming Race (1951) goes to check the dead body of Abdul Karim, he looked as if aware of the narrator’s win on swimming contest (Tammuz 84). It is a bitter truth but most of the times we are our own worst enemies. Sometimes we cannot control our emotions, sometimes you're just blinded by revenge. It is a man's nature, his evil nature that pushes him to commit the crime, to shed blood, to kill to seek revenge. We built prisons around ourselves and cry feeling trapped. But passively we derive comfort from such a place. Our minds get used to the dark pessimistic environment that freedom seems strange. An unknown dimension can be very daunting. It might also require taking care of responsibilities. Most of the times the ‘victims’ in the story let things happen. Many times it is only a look of contempt against a stubborn thick-skinned man. This approach of passive aggression only lets things accumulate. It is also an indication to ‘him’ (the stubborn male) that there won’t be any serious consequences for letting him be. Be it, drinking, gambling or the husband putting a shield between his wife and him in the case of Hand of Wax.

The Jetstar Group and Customer Service Issues Research Proposal

The Jetstar Group and Customer Service Issues - Research Proposal Example Jester Group has successful to generate huge manpower base of 7000 currently across Asia Pacific which was only 400 people in 2004 at the initial phase of its business operation. This airline group offers 3000 flights per week to near about 60 destinations in 16 countries and territories across Asia Pacific by its core assets of 60 aircrafts. This airline group is recognised for value based and low fare airlines in Asia pacific and it is highly successful in a different customers segment who desire for lowest fare. Mission of the company shows its core focus on the low fares which has successfully its core competency (Jetstar, 2012). Airline industry is part of hospitality industry which is a service based industry. So, for a service company, quality is the most important factor and the company needs to have best focus on quality of the services which only results customer satisfaction. Satisfaction is the parameter to measure the quality and broadly worth of an airline service provi ded by a service company like Jetstar. Gerally low fare airlines provide comparably lower quality of services to the customers. It is a very common customer psyche is that low price means low quality. Therefore, despite of tremendous growth of Jetstar airlines, it low fare service recognition might have decreased its brand value with respect to quality of service which results number of service issues from the customers. Business problem Different service issues are common for the service industries especially for airlines industry as it is a part of hospitality industry. Service provided by the airlines companies need to be of high quality as in hospitality industry quality of service with respect to customer satisfaction needs to be the core value of business. Jetstar group has been receiving frequent customer service issues and this might be for its low fare focus where quality is automatically neglected by the staffs and employees to provide service in lowest cost. It is a commo n perception that airlines companies that only focus low fare service do not review the customers’ feedback or even do not bother to get customers’ response with service related issues or complaints (Steven, Dong, & Smith, n.d., p.37). Therefore, this might be a major problem for Jetstar airlines as it also focus on low fare service and many customers might have unsatisfied with the service provide by the Jetstar. Different issues regarding service offered by the airlines leads to decline in existing customer base. Customer satisfaction positively influence potential customers and helps to generate new customers and this will only be possible if there is no service related issues an airline company gets. Frequent service issues or service complaints are indication of decline of quality of service. Research questions This study presents a detailed research and analysis of critical business problems of an airline company. The motivation of this study can summarized throu gh a specific research question. What are the service issues Jetstar Group? No company disclose service issues or customers’

Knowledge-Sharing Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowledge-Sharing Tools - Essay Example A blog may be run from individual diaries to aims of media programmes, political campaigns as well as corporations in addition to from one infrequent author to a big community of authors. Most blogs are interactive and facilitate visitors to write and leave comments resulting in a community of readers focused on the blog whereas others are not interactive (Pellen & Miller, 2013). There are several benefits associated with blogs. Thus, blogs can be used as a principal source of news since they are suitable for sharing particularly breaking news with a large online audience, immediate reporting of conferences and events. Thus event updates which go out to people are current and offer personal perspective. The other advantage of a blog is that it can be used for conversations and can be utilized as a springboard to debate as well as voice opinions (Pellen & Miller, 2013). By its very nature, a blog can act as an avenue for individuals to pause from conventional communication approaches that seem to match the organizational red tape (Hastings & Domegan, 2013).Blogs also allow the hearing of human voice via reviews, commentaries and interviews which have been written by real people on the basis of first-hand experience. Consequently a blog that is well-written usually bonds with readers on a personal level, implying that it is the personal voice of the blogger that is ‘heard’. The other benefit of a blog is for personal and project information management meaning that a blog can act as a daily digest of news and activities. A blog is a one-stop shop for one’s videos, photos, web links and documents (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Lastly a blog is beneficial in the sense that it facilitates knowledge sharing since blogging dictates that writers offer adequate links to extra information and resources. Such information is distilled, selected as well as organized to assist in elucidating and improving the understanding of the

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment Essay

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment - Essay Example Thus, for most people, the term pedophilia is not a legal term but a diagnostic one. Prosecutors and law enforcement in cases involving computers frequently use the word pedophilia (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Hall and Hall (2007) state that pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis generally made by a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is neither a legal nor criminal term like forcible sexual offense, and legal term id generally used in criminal statistics. There are laws that govern acts committed by pedophiles. One such law is the Megan’s law. However, it is difficult to estimate how the Megan’s law affects pedophiles. The definition of the term pedophilia does not allow the determination of whether the pedophilic individual is a sexual offender (a child molester) or not. It is important to note that not all pedophilic individuals are child molesters. An individual with any paraphilia condition can be legally involved in it through masturbation and fantasizing (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Punishments given to those who commit pedophilia usually vary. There are states where the punishment is harsher compared to other states. In regard to punishment, there is an ongoing debate on whether the punishment for those committing sexual assault crimes should be made harsher or not. However, majority of the people are of the opinion that harsher or tougher laws will reduce the occurrence of these crimes (CQ Press, 2006). Thus, punishments for those who have committed pedophilic crimes should be made harsher. Harsher punishment will reduce the rate of pedophilic crimes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the form of punishment given to sexual offenders such as pedophilic individuals and propose the punishments to be harsher or tougher. As stated before, experts are of the opinion that harsher punishment will reduce the incidences of sexual crimes. In some states, there are tests done to ascertain if the individual has really reformed before release from prison . In Texas, sixteen months before the release of an offender, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can have the individual evaluated to know whether he is an SVP (sexually violent predator). If the individual is found to be an SVP, then he is eligible for treatment as an outpatient sex offender upon his release (Garib, 2011). The study is of great significance because the majority of the sex offenders are treated with blanket punishment, thus, they cause collateral consequences which develop more risk to the entire public (Hiller, 2011). Failure to treat pedophilic individuals and their release back to the society defeat the whole purpose of child protection. Despite the fact that experts are advocating for harsher punishments, there is a need for an individual to be treated before he is released to the society. This makes sure that the individual is fully reformed after he has served his sentence in prison and the risk of children being harmed is reduced. Literature Review A pe dophile and a child molester have been often confused by child abuse professionals, the media, and the general public. They regard pedophiles as all individuals who sexually victimize children. However, there is no uniform definition of the word pedophile. It is important to note that pedophilia is a psychiatric diagnosis done only by qualified psychiatrists or psychologists. Not all child molesters are pedophiles. As mentioned before, an individual suffering from any form of paraphilia can be legally involved in it through

Health Promotion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Health Promotion - Research Paper Example Moreover, the consideration of the change programs and the various initiatives implemented to reduce these factors in a health promotion program. The health belief model (HBM) was developed in the 1950s by some social psychologists to explain why some individuals do not use health services such as screening and immunization. The theory has advanced to address newer concerns in detection and prevention (for instance influenza vaccines and mammography screening) as well as lifestyle mannerisms such as injury prevention and risk behaviors associated with sexual tendencies (Noar, Chabot & Zimmerman, 2008). The HBM hypothesizes that individuals beliefs on whether or not they are at risk for a health problem or disease, and their acumens on the benefits of taking action to avoid the risk, influences their willingness to take action. For instance, if an individual feels that their lifestyle may lead to diseases such as obesity, or diabetes, they may take the necessary actions such as eating healthier foods or becoming physically active to prevent those risks from occurring. The key concepts of the theory are: perceived severity and susceptibility, perceived benefits obtained from the action, perceived barriers to the action, cues to action and self-efficacy. HBM is often applied to asymptomatic and prevention-related health concerns such as the early detection of cancer and hypertension screening where opinions are as important as or more important than obvious symptoms. It is also relevant to interventions to lessen risk factors for cardiovascular disease. According to the theory therefore, people indulge in health programs only if the perceived risks and problems are severe. They then stop the health programs once the risks have reduced. The Trans-theoretical model (TTM) was developed from studies of the processes of change in psychotherapy and smoking cessation (De Vries & Mudde2008). The

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment Essay

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment - Essay Example Thus, for most people, the term pedophilia is not a legal term but a diagnostic one. Prosecutors and law enforcement in cases involving computers frequently use the word pedophilia (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Hall and Hall (2007) state that pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis generally made by a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is neither a legal nor criminal term like forcible sexual offense, and legal term id generally used in criminal statistics. There are laws that govern acts committed by pedophiles. One such law is the Megan’s law. However, it is difficult to estimate how the Megan’s law affects pedophiles. The definition of the term pedophilia does not allow the determination of whether the pedophilic individual is a sexual offender (a child molester) or not. It is important to note that not all pedophilic individuals are child molesters. An individual with any paraphilia condition can be legally involved in it through masturbation and fantasizing (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Punishments given to those who commit pedophilia usually vary. There are states where the punishment is harsher compared to other states. In regard to punishment, there is an ongoing debate on whether the punishment for those committing sexual assault crimes should be made harsher or not. However, majority of the people are of the opinion that harsher or tougher laws will reduce the occurrence of these crimes (CQ Press, 2006). Thus, punishments for those who have committed pedophilic crimes should be made harsher. Harsher punishment will reduce the rate of pedophilic crimes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the form of punishment given to sexual offenders such as pedophilic individuals and propose the punishments to be harsher or tougher. As stated before, experts are of the opinion that harsher punishment will reduce the incidences of sexual crimes. In some states, there are tests done to ascertain if the individual has really reformed before release from prison . In Texas, sixteen months before the release of an offender, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can have the individual evaluated to know whether he is an SVP (sexually violent predator). If the individual is found to be an SVP, then he is eligible for treatment as an outpatient sex offender upon his release (Garib, 2011). The study is of great significance because the majority of the sex offenders are treated with blanket punishment, thus, they cause collateral consequences which develop more risk to the entire public (Hiller, 2011). Failure to treat pedophilic individuals and their release back to the society defeat the whole purpose of child protection. Despite the fact that experts are advocating for harsher punishments, there is a need for an individual to be treated before he is released to the society. This makes sure that the individual is fully reformed after he has served his sentence in prison and the risk of children being harmed is reduced. Literature Review A pe dophile and a child molester have been often confused by child abuse professionals, the media, and the general public. They regard pedophiles as all individuals who sexually victimize children. However, there is no uniform definition of the word pedophile. It is important to note that pedophilia is a psychiatric diagnosis done only by qualified psychiatrists or psychologists. Not all child molesters are pedophiles. As mentioned before, an individual suffering from any form of paraphilia can be legally involved in it through