Coens’ No Country for Old Men Essay Example for Free

Coens’ No Country for Old Men Essay McCarthy’s renowned novel, â€Å"No Country for Old Men† was superbly handled by the duo directors, Joel and Ethan Coen in their adapted version for the screen, one of the most praised films of 2007 of the same name. The movie had the format of a crime thriller. Just like the novel, the film deals with the exciting adventurous plot of a drug deal which goes wrong and the cat- and- mouse drama among the three major characters of the novel, Llewelyn Moss- the protagonist, Anton Chigurh- the antagonist and the old man Sheriff Ed Tom Bell who supervises the investigation. Before getting into the main discussion whether the film version has done proper justice to the novel or not, it is important to know some of the basic details of the novel itself. â€Å"No Country for Old Men† gets counted among the finest works by the American author, Cormac McCarthy. The story revolves round the incident of an illicit drug deal in a remote location, United States and Mexico Border in around 1980. There are four major characters in the novel apart from Carla Jean Moss, the young wife of Llewelyn. Llewelyn Moss, the protagonist is a welder who is the victim of the deal and Anton Chigurh is the antagonist, the psychopathic character with eyes â€Å"Blue as lapis. At once glistening and totally opaque. Like wet stones†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. 2005) dark brown hair and dark complexion. In short, Chigurh is not a pleasant character. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, the old man is a World War II veteran who is asked to carry out the investigation of this drug deal. It is he who has to experience the horrors of numerous crimes and murders. He tries his best to solve it and his reminiscences form the Page 2 core part of the narration. Carson Wells is the fourth man who gets into the action. He is the former lieutenant Colonel from Vietnam War and another hitman who has been specially hired to retrieve money from Chigurh. Most of the story is being narrated in third person which is interrupted by the first person reminiscences from Ed Tom Bell. The novel comes up with the minimum dialogue but McCarthy could create the mystical air which the readers enjoy most. According to the critics, Anton Chigurh is â€Å"one of McCarthy’s most memorable creations. † Chigurh’s relentless loyalty to recover the cash made him the most unusual character of the plot. He is ready to eliminate anyone who comes in between Moss and him. He knows his job and he is loyal to it. His use of homemade weapons like coffee- can silencer or air driven cattle gun make him even more interesting to the readers. Sheriff Bell, the old man is thus not suitable for the mission he has been assigned. The modern era is in need of another brutal man to combat the psychopath like Chigurh. The novel ends with the revelation of the harsh truth that the old men will not find an ideal country to live in this modern era. The novel is an excellent crime thriller with the revelation of the biggest truth of the â€Å"mercenary civilization†. †(The Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society, No Country for Old Men 2005). The Coen brothers did a brilliant job as far as their handling of the theme of â€Å"No Country for Old Men† is concerned. The movie is based on a well knit script which focuses on the episodes of the novel. The setting of the film is exactly the same which the readers have Page 3 visualized while reading the novel by McCarthy. The first scene of the film introduces us to the desolate country side of West Texas. Josh Brolin is Llewelyn Moss in the film who plays the perfect role of a tragic protagonist who is chased by the psychopath Anton Chigurh, acted by Javier Bardem. The Coen Brothers did not forget the use of the unique weapons by Chigurh. A captive bolt pistol is shown to the viewers in the scene where Chigurh strangles a deputy of Sheriff. The movie involves lots of shooting, hiding sequences, driving and running scenes to keep the pace of the crime thriller in tact. The objective was that the viewers must feel the pulse of the thrill. The real man of the plot is surely Sheriff Bell acted by Tommy Lee Jones. Lee Jones did a wonderful job in the film playing the aging man who could not find an ideal country to live in. He realizes that he is not suitable for today’s era. The main characters serve as the loose ends of the mystery that revolves round the drug deal. It was the task of Coen Brothers to tie up these loose ends in such a fashion that the viewers get the theme of the novel. The objective of McCarthy was not to show the shooting skills of these characters but the consequences of exercising free will, game of chance and the predestination. The film version succeeded in inducing the link between fate and circumstance into the minds of the viewers. The motifs of the novel like predestination, chance and free will or the ironic relation between fate and circumstance have been finely weaved in the scenes of the movie. Chigurh decides his faith by flipping coin and this episode has been used by both the novelist and the directors to show the immense importance of the theme of chance in life. Scott Foundas wonderfully summaries the end of the film in â€Å"The Village Voice†, â€Å"In the end, everyone in No Country for Old Men is both hunter and hunted, members of some Page 4 endangered species trying to forestall their extinction†. (Scott Foundas, â€Å"Badlands†, Village Voice, Nov 6, 2007) A. O. Scott of New York Times comments Bell, Chigurh and Moss â€Å"occupy the screen one at a time, almost never appearing in the frame together, even as their fates become ever more intimately entwined†. ( Scott, A. O. 2007-11-09, â€Å"He Found a Bundle of Money, And Now There’s Hell to Pay†, New York Times: Performing Arts/Weekend Desk1) This was the objective of McCarthy and Cone Brothers and they succeeded in giving a proper shape to this mission in their film version of the same novel. Even Roger Ebert states that â€Å"the movie demonstrates how pitiful ordinary human feelings are in the face of implacable injustice† in the Nov 8, 2007 edition of Chicago Sun- Times. In short, it can be said that the film is the perfect adaptation of the novel with very little alterations. It captures everything from the mystery of the plot to the unique portrayal of the characters to the claustrophobic urban night to the mid day open sky of the desolate land of Texas. Cinematographer Roger Deakins shot numerous landscapes to signify that the film is not about any heavenly redemption but earthly sin which is devoid of any divine intervention. The novel has been brilliantly adapted in the film and masterfully altered to serve the purpose. The critics have pointed out that each and every dialogue and scene has been taken from the pages of the novel. Thus, Coen Brothers did not allow the critics to raise the issue which one is better, the novel or the film version. Both can be considered to be a single creation. The movie highlights the theme of fate which actually picks up the man who is going to die next. It is a game of destiny and the characters are Page 5 mere puppets in the hands of the same although they think they are deciding the following actions. Coen Brothers could deliver the message of the death of society and evil cannot be defeated which McCarthy wanted to show in his novel. It is not about the death of any particular individual but the death of the human society. The great actors should also be credited for the success of the film along with the directors. They delivered their best natural performances. Just like the book the film is quite violent and bloody and thus it accurately reflects the essence of the original source. The Coen Brothers knew that casting is the most difficult task for the making of â€Å"No Country for Old Men†. Sheriff Bell is the soul of the movie and the directors were pretty serious about the selection of the actor for the role. They picked up Tommy Lee Jones and succeeded in their mission. The directors knew that they were in need of a truly great actor and Lee Jones being a Texan was the most suitable for the job. But the task for selecting an actor for the role of Moss was even more difficult. Ultimately Coen Brothers found the actor Josh Brolin, the breakthrough screen actor who could understand the reason why Moss was introduced in the plot. Josh Brolin played his natural role in the film. Now, the Coens were in search of Chigurh, the dark character lacking the sense of humor as portrayed by McCarthy. Bardem was chosen after his immense success in Before Night Falls and The Sea Inside. Thus, casting was done brilliantly by the Coen Brothers to deliver the message of McCarthy. All the major actors and actresses were nominated either for the Oscar or Emmy Award including the Scottish actress, Kelly Page 6 Macdonald who was chosen for the role of Carla Jean. (Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen in Emanuel Levy after the film was premiered in the Cannes Film Fest 2007) The Cannes review states Cinematographer Roger Deakins captures everything from mid- day open- sky vistas to claustrophobic night time urban action; in timing and tension, No Country for Old Men is one of the most suspenseful films the Coens have ever made, which says a lot. Cormac McCarthy’s novel has also been impressively well- adapted- improved and altered, but nonetheless full of McCarthy’s clear, concise yet poetic voice. With all of the seemingly standard- issue thriller plot devices in the piece-money, guns and trouble- there’s dim chance that some might not catch the smaller, subtler themes of No Country for Old Men, which would be a shame; this is a story about death, not just murder; this is a story about want, not just money; this is a story of principle, not just pursuit. †¦. How we live, how we die, what we regret, what we fear. (Rocchi James, May 20th 2007, Cannes Review: No Country for Old Men, Cinematical. com) No Country for Old Men was not the first venture of Coen Brothers as far as handling a crime thriller is concerned. In fact they are quite specialists in this genre. They handled the same genre in Blood Simple 1984. Joel wrote the story and it had the same kind of Texas setting as in McCarthy’s novel. It was all about A shady Texas detective (M. Emmet Walsh), on the trail of an adulterous couple, is smarter than everybody else in the movie but not luckier, as he realizes when his hand Page 7 gets stuck on a window ledge. (Ranked among the 10 Best Coen Brothers Moments by TIME in an article by Richard Corliss) Blood Simple was not that popular as No Country for Old Men. But it is quite evident that Coen Brothers were not freshers when they took up the story by McCarthy for a successful film version of the same. In Fargo 1996, Coen Brothers filmed the story of a car salesman who hired men to kidnap his own wife for a sum of eighty thousand dollars. The crime ultimately led to a chain of murders and an investigation process. Coens managed to get seven Academy Nominations for this film and won the Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress Award. The film also earned positive response at the Cannes Film Fest 1996. Thus, Coen Brothers had already mastered the art of filming a crime thriller plot by the time they ventured into No Country for Old Men. No Country for Old Men is definitely a film of better quality than Blood Simple and Fargo. This film bagged three British Academy Film Awards, four Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay along with two Golden Globes. But the film No Country for Old Men is not appreciated by all. Some critics are not happy with the film version of the novel although the film is the accurate adaptation of the same. The reminiscences of Ed Tom Bell at the beginning of each chapter of the novel are missing in the film. The viewers admit that the movie is interesting and they were impressed by Bradem’s performance but they complained that â€Å"the entire film is very Page 8 slow paced, and the ending is incredibly abrupt and thoroughly unsatisfying†. (Film review posted by Melissa Niksic on 3rd Apr 2008 in amazon. com) The film language has to be different than the language of the novel simply because these are two entirely different media of expressions. There was almost no music in the entire film. The objective was to deliver the message through the silence. It is true that this is not a movie for everyone. Those who love to watch crime thrillers or are well acquainted with Coen Brothers’ style, they will surely love it. Otherwise, the movie is too much about chasing, murder, blood and pursuit. But we cannot blame the directors for that because that is what is there even in the novel. Although Coen Brothers have altered few scenes and ignored few chapters from the novel, that really did not affect the message that need to be delivered. Every director chooses the scenes that will contribute to the development of the plot and ignore the ones that are not relevant. The objective is to give a proper shape to the novel and Coen Brothers have definitely done that with wonderful casting, superb cinematography, and their techniques to weave the intrigue plot of a crime thriller, minimum dialogue and minimum use of music. The film raises important theological questions regarding Truth and Justice and Judgment. It would be wrong to criticize the film as a misinterpretation of the novel rather it has given a new dimension to the concept of the death of society highlighted by McCarthy. The movie is indeed a fine adaptation of the novel with slight pardonable alterations to suit the language of film. We can draw the veil of this discussion as it was summarized by Ryan Parker, The Graduate Theological Union in the film review for No Country for Old Men in JRF, Page 9 The Coen brothers’ ability to weave comedy and drama of the utmost seriousness, along with spot- on casting and flawless performances have all resulted in one of their best films to date and certainly one full of fodder for theological discussion. (Vol 11, No. 2 October 2007) Page 10 Work Cited Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen. Emanuel Levy. Cannes Film Fest 2007 Melissa Niksic, film review, amazon. com, posted on 3rd Apr 2008 McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. 2005 Richard Corliss, Ranked among the 10 Best Coen Brothers Moments. TIME Rocchi James,Cannes Review: No Country for Old Men, Cinematical. com, May 20th 2007 Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun- Times. Nov 8, 2007 edition Ryan Parker, The Graduate Theological Union in the film review for No Country for Old Men in JRF, Vol 11, No. 2 October 2007 Scott, A. O. â€Å"He Found a Bundle of Money, And Now There’s Hell to Pay†, New York Times: Performing Arts/Weekend Desk1. 2007-11-09 Scott Foundas, â€Å"Badlands†, Village Voice, Nov 6, 2007 The Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society, No Country for Old Men 2005

Financial Reporting Systems of Germany and the Netherlands

Financial Reporting Systems of Germany and the Netherlands Nobes (1998) classifies the German financial reporting system as a Type B (weak equity) and The Netherlands as Type A (strong equity). Compare the financial reporting systems of Germany and The Netherlands. National differences have all become stereotypical. Indeed the differences between countries may be vast. Influences such as family origin, or attitudes towards business culture are inherently reflected in the way businesses are run, managed and owned. There are also many reasons as to why there are differences in financial reporting. These depend on the character of the national legal system, the type of industry financing, the interrelationship between tax and finance reporting systems, the extent of accounting theory progression and even language.(Elliott, 2006)[1] In terms of the legal system between Germany and the Netherlands, it is clear tat they both follow a civil law system which is different to the common la procedure of the United Kingdom contained within the Companies Act 1981.[2] However, for the purposes of this essay, I will focus on the comparisons between the financial supporting systems of German and the Netherlands with regards to the Nobes’ (1998) classification of Germany being a weak equity (Type B) while the Netherlands in a strong Equity (Type A). I will consider Nobes’ theory by considering equity figures for both Germany and the Netherlands in respect of their types of equity and will briefly compare the financial reporting systems of the two countries. Although equity is represented in many different forms, it is generally defined as â€Å"the value of a company which is the property of its ordinary shareholders (the company’s assets less its liabilities, not including the ordinary share capital)[3] In terms of financial accounting reporting, considerations of which is the relevant way of financing a business, i.e. the information required by equity investors are different to those of load creditors. Strong equity can be defined as a high ratio between equity market capitalisation and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) whilst weak equity is a low ratio between market capitalisation and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).[4] I, Germany had the lowest equity of 5 countries which were studied. (49%). This shows that unlike America, France or presumably the Netherlands, Germany does not rely heavily on individual investors. Specifically, Nobes (1998) develops a frameork that seek to explain the differences in international accounting. Nobes catagorises accounting systems into two types: Class A (accounting for outside shareholders) and Class B (accounting for tax and creditors). Two variables determine whether a country will have a Class A or a Class B accounting system: (1) the type of culture and (2) the strength of the equity-outsider financing system. According to the model, countries with Type A cultures have developed strong outsider-equity financing systems that have led to the development of a Class A financial reporting system. Therefore, like America and the UK, the Netherlands has relied on a Type A accounting system that is relaint on a high ratio of equity investment as oposed to loan creditors. Conversely, countries with Type B cultures have weak outsider-equity financing (i.e. weak equity) systems that have led to the development of a Type B financial reporting system . This model is comonly known to be widespread practice within continenatl Europe including Germany. Nobes (1998) stsudies the link between the financing system and accounting, but also believes that a Type A system in terms of equity financing is not entirely dependant on Type A accounting, but instead external or outsider equity financing is imperative. By drawing on examples, Nobes (1998) examines Japan. Japan is a country with many listed companies as well as large equity market, but instead of the market being supported externally, most of the shares are owend by Janpanese banks or other companies, investors etc). According to the model, financial reporting in Japan should exhibit the characteristics of a Type B accounting system. Nonethelss, Nobes (1998) in explaining why Germany is substantialy different to the Netherlands claims that differences in culture, i.e. countries that have altered their culture through war will usually adopt the culture and accounting system imported from the dominating country. This explains, for example, why some post colonial African countries possess a type A system despite having very weak accounting systems. As noted earlier, Nobes focuses his discussion on the link between financing systems and accounting. He assumes that some cultures lead to strong equity-outsider financing systems and others do not, but he leaves the examination of this assumed relationship for others. Nobes appears to assign a very broad view of culture to this variable in his model. In a simplified model presented earlier in his paper he refers to this variable as culture, including institutional structures[5] A brief examination of the differences betweent the culture of institutional structures is examined below. While a Type A classification separates accounting and tax rules, Type B does not.[6] Type A in comparison to Type B also has an extensive auditing system. This is true for the Netherlands in comparison to Germany. In US, UK and Netherlands, link between taxable income and accounting income is much weaker, with separate tax accounts and financial accounts. The information is prepared with external investor information in mind thereby focusing on a large equity market (Type A). In comparison a Type B taxation system such as that of Germany tax accounts which are published financial accounts are not usually prepared for investors, but instead internal forces such as company investors, shareholders etc. In sum, the Type A system such as that in practice in the Netherlands and as proposed by Nobes is one of dynamic accounting formulated with the external investor in mind thereby creating increased demand for external investment. On the other hand, Germany experiences the converse of this, with taxation and accounting system which is interlinked and an intention of financial reporting for internal investors rather than external investors in mind. Bibliography Classification based on Corporate Finance, http://www.people.ex.ac.uk/wl203/BEAM011/Materials/Lecture 10/IA1 Lecture 10.pdf Elliott et al, Financial Accounting and Reporting, (2006 10th ed) Dictionary of Accounting, Collin Publishing (2001) Nobes (1998) Footnotes [1] Elliott et al, Financial Accounting and Reporting, (2006 10th ed) p 136 [2] Ibid, p137. [3] Dictionary of Accounting, Collin Publishing (2001) p.99 [4] Elliott et al, Financial Accounting and Reporting, (2006 10th ed) p 137 [5] Nobes (1998) p. 177 [6] Classification based on Corporate Finance, http://www.people.ex.ac.uk/wl203/BEAM011/Materials/Lecture 10/IA1 Lecture 10.pdf

Religion Essay -- Catechism, Catholic Church

In 1999, police officers killed a man who they were chasing for three-consecutive hours. While he was being chased, five California TV helicopters broadcasted the event live, and the entire public, including his family, saw his death. The Church’s teaching reveals whether the live broadcasting of violent acts is ethical or unethical. Throughout the years the media has increased the reporting of real violent acts, but they are not beneficial to the common good due to the negative effects it has on human dignity. Firstly, the Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that all media is limited to what the common good requires. To illustrate, Pope Paul VI says that, â€Å"The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good† (CCC 2494). This shows that all information disclosed by the media must be beneficial to the common good. Secondly, the Catechism states that all media that is broadcasted to the public must never oppose the common good. For example Pope Paul VI says the, â€Å"[the media] must adjust their economic, political or artistic and technical aspects so as never to oppose the common good† (Inter Mirifica 11). Revealing that the media must not disclose any information that may â€Å"oppose the common good†. Thirdly, the media releases wanton violent acts, which u ndermine the value of human dignity. For instance, the Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that, â€Å"Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man† (CCC 1929). This means that â€Å"real† news reports can only be beneficial to the common good if they respect the dignity of man. Lastly, The Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that no matter what physical or mental state the person(s) are in the media must still respect ... ...s and dignity of† the person(s) must be always respected. Thus, the media must take into consideration the harm they may cause to the public and the loss of respect for human dignity. To conclude, the media's coverage of real violent acts in the news does not benefit the common good. The media uses the human right to information as a tool to broadcast as much news as possible for profit. They do not censor any of the gratuitous violence. The journalists are left to blame due to the responsibility they hold when disclosing the information they have learned to the public. Also, the uncensored violence can harm the public and it disrespects the dignity of the person(s). Over the years the media’s perspective of what â€Å"news† is has changed drastically, from information to entertainment. No matter where you go or what you watch, for some reason there is always violence.

Knowledge as a Double Edged Sword in the novels Oryx and Crake as well

Is knowledge, which is the base of human ingenuity and intelligence, also the factor which will bring upon humanity’s impending destruction? Knowledge today plays a key role in almost every facet of human existence, from food, to water, to providing the foundation for every piece technological equipment ever constructed. Knowledge though has also provided us with ever more imaginative and efficient means of killing and destroying each other and the planet, these means include nuclear weapons, and of course biological warfare. Therefore knowledge plays the role of the doubled-edged sword, bringing humanity luxuries and power beyond conception, as well as arming us with the tools to completely eradicate all life. In the novel of Oryx and Crake, a slightly more advanced civilization than ours, where biotechnology has brought numerous wonders to the world is brought into perspective. This civilization, wrought by corruption, has eliminated disease, and now is making synthetic viru ses in order to cash in on the destruction, the perfect scheme. One of the protagonists, Crake, discovers this scheme, and with this knowledge, seeks to destroy the corrupted civilization, by performing the same atrocity. With Crake’s synthetic virus, he eliminates the entirety of human race, with the tools knowledge supplied him with. In the novel A Canticle for Leibowitz the human race is just an insignificant remnant of its former glory, after it obliterated itself with the use of nuclear weapons. This novel shows humanity’s rise out of the ashes, with focus being placed on the Order of St. Leibowitz, the sole caretakers’ of the hated knowledge from the age past. With the knowledge contained with the Order, humanity experiences a renaissance, in which ulte... ...prized knowledge above all else. In both Oryx and Crake and A Canticle for Leibowitz, knowledged acts as a doubled-edged sword bringing wonders and inventions that truly make life easy, and at the same time bringing death and destruction in the form of weapons and military advancements. It is quite evident in both novels that knowledge acts a god, to be worshiped and studied, and as a god, chooses when to deal out good and bad deeds. Knowledge provided mankind with miracles and massacres. Knowledge itself is not lethal, mankind is the hand that directs the pathways of knowledge. Humans cause massacres, with the aide of knowledge. But if mankind is truly born evil, than it is only a matter of time for it to destroys itself. As mankind delves more deeply in the the endless mine of knowledge, it must take caution, as it has within its grasp to become gods†¦or demons.

Comparing The Murder of Duncan in Macbeth and The Assassination of Kennedy :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing The Murder of Duncan in Macbeth and The Assassination of Kennedy There is a man who is a head of state. He is a very powerful man and is well liked by his subjects. The people love him. Then he is suddenly, inexplicably murdered. Someone is blamed for the murder, but the entire country knows the accused are innocent and are tools used in a cover-up. Does this situation sound bizarre? Does it sound like some work of fiction? Well, it is. It is the beginning of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. However, it is much more than that. It is real life. It is the circumstances that surrounded one of the most surreal periods of time in United States history. It is the situation surrounding the assassination of one of the US's most revered Presidents, John F. Kennedy. These circumstances suggest that the events which occur in the play Macbeth are still possible. It is possible for the circumstances surrounding Macbeth to be repeated in modern day America because no protection provides absolute safety, some men are still willing to do what Macbeth did, and the ac t could still be covered up. No amount of protection provides absolute safety. In today's world, it is easier than ever to kill someone. Any person can buy a cheap pistol and kill someone. It is also easier to kill without being caught. There are long range rifles and remote control explosives that can be used as the murder weapon while the actual perpetrator is far away. Also, it is easier than ever to find a professional assassin who will kill anyone for the right amount of money. These latter methods could allow a person to commit murder and easily get away with it. Even though the actual murderer may be caught, the person financing the operation could get away untouched. In Macbeth, Duncan was well protected by his guards. However, he was still murdered. The guards were overcome through a simple trick. "The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores. I have drugged their possets..." says Lady Macbeth. She had drugged their drinks, and instead of guarding Duncan, they were asleep. Macbeth was easily able to sneak past them and kill Duncan. Every precaution available had been taken to insure Duncan's protection. It is not an easy task to get past two armed bodyguards in a cramped area. However, through some deceit, Macbeth was able to accomplish this. This reaffirms the statement that no protection is absolute. Perhaps the best example that no protection is infallible occurs in the

China – the aims and effects of the one child policy

A variety of social policies aimed at controlling population change have been established around the world. But in this answer I will be evaluating a very controversial example of a policy that aimed to tackle rapid population growth by reducing fertility rate (also known as anti-natalist) – China's One-Child Policy. During the second half of the twentieth century, the Chinese government became concerned about the population growth; this is mainly due to the philosophy of the government under Chairman Mao, in the mid-twentieth century, which was that ‘a large population gives a strong nation' and so the government encouraged people to have more and more children. This consequently led to an increase in population of 55 million every year and a famine in 1962 which caused nearly 30 million deaths. This massive growth in population forced a policy change in 1974, in order to avoid a Malthusian-type disaster in the future (The theory that population increases more rapidly than the food supply leading to famine and, inevitably, death). It encouraged the country to reduce the birth rate by the slogan ‘wan-xi-shao' which called for later marriages, longer gaps between children and fewer children. However, this policy was not effective enough, and the population continued increasing and did not follow the pattern of the DTM (demographic transition model). This then led the government to introduce the one-child policy in 1979, which set strict limits on the number of children that a couple were allowed to have. In order to further enforce this policy; strong pressure was put on women to use contraceptives (e.g. contraceptive pills) which were more widely available. Special family planners and ‘granny police' were introduced in order to make sure that women were practising contraception and were instructed to report any pregnancies. The government also introduce incentives like; free healthcare and education for one child and then fines for more than one child. Also, more controversially, enforced late abortions and sterilisation became common, which mainly human rights activist heavily criticised and opposed. However, the policy had very negative effects on the country. Firstly, it led to female infanticide; where couples preferred sons, and baby girls were killed so they could have another chance of getting a boy. This occurred more often in rural areas, where there was less control from the government, and also where traditions were most important. This was mainly because male descendents were preferred as they can carry on the family name from generation to generation. This male dominance led to an imbalance in male to female sex ratio, where the number of men far exceeded that of men. This then further lowered fertility rates as there weren't enough women ‘to go round'. As well as an imbalance in the sex ratio, where was also an imbalance in the age ratio, as the policy vastly increased the dependency ratio and the country suffered from an ageing population. This was mainly due to the ‘4-2-1' situation, which meant that ‘1' child had to look after their ‘2' parents and ‘4' grandparents all at the same time and because of the increasing life expectancy. The policy also led to social implications on the child itself, such as the spoilt ‘little emperor' syndrome where the attention of the family fell on one child. It is also suggested that it had a negative effect on the child's social skills, as they grew up with no other siblings, therefore found it harder to integrate into society and led to poor communication skills. However, from 1990 onwards, the policy was slightly relaxed in order to combat some of the problems. For example, only-child couples were allowed to have two children, in order to relieve some of dependency on the children and also because they were concerned about the economic implications of an ageing population. In addition, the policy became harder to enforce for reasons such as the revolution in global communication and socialisation, which opened up the country to much greater social influence from the west. However, in more remote parts of the country, the policy is still encouraged. For example, the authorities in Guangdong (state capital) order 20,000 abortions and sterilisations by the end of 2001. Despite all of the negative implications, the decrease in overall population growth has had some positive effects, such as the positive economic growth. This was mainly due to the major decrease in demand for resources to support the needs of the population, which in turn led to a reduction in the stress placed upon the environment. There was also a drop in unemployment due to labour surplus and more disposable being available due to less money being spent on children. In conclusion, I believe that the one-child policy was a very brutal policy that disregarded the basic human rights of people and that a more gentle approach should have been taken. However, there is no argument that population management was inevitable in order to maintain a high standard of living, and that the one-child policy has avoided a Malthusian-type disaster (e.g. famine and war) and has better stabilised the population of China. This is because 400 million births were prevented and the annual growth rate had fallen to 0.6% as well. It is also clear that the policy is evolving for the better, as by 2006 the Chinese government moved towards a more health-orientated policy and committed itself to implement international agreements, promoting mother and child welfare.

How Do I Love They

A readers’s first guess at Elizabeth Barret Browning’s poem. â€Å"How I love thee† would be that it is a love poem. This assumption is correct as a love poem is a lyric, i. e. an expression of feelings, and thoughts by a speaker in a personal and subjective fashion. In this poem literary devices and language strongly used to assist the reader is the correct comprehension of the theme of the work. In this poem the theme is love. This theme is approached with a question, â€Å"How do I love thee? † This abrupt question is rhetorical. Let me count the ways,† The author is not going to literally count the number of ways that she loved this person, but she is attempting to define love, and her love for the other for the other person. The next few lines are descriptive. The author attempts and seemingly effectively explains the love that she feels. From the authors words readers can see that this love is real, and not an infactuation. Through out the poem Elizabeth uses examples to explain her love, she tries to symbolize her love with life happenings. I love they with the passion put to use In my old griefs. † At the conclusion of the poem Browning says â€Å"I shall love thee even better after death. † From the tone of this line it sounds as though she thinks that some how she has failed in her demonstration of love and promises to exhibition of her emotion greater after their death. Two of the literary devices used in this poem are point of view, and description. In this poem the point of view used is first person. This allows the reader to hear and feel the passion poem as directly and originally intended by the author. Through out the entire poem Browning is directly is directly telling her inner most feeling for another. It is not an observer telling how they think that she individual feels. The effective use of this literary device better helps reader’s relation to and interpretation of the poem. Another literary device used is description. This device is strongly used in the poem from line two onwards. Though the lady is seemingly unsuccessful in describing the love, description is still a major factor. † I love thee freely. As men strive for right. This description reveals that she loves him as strong as a person would struggle or push for his or her beliefs. In essense she is a martyr of her love for him. Language is another important element in the poem. Elizabeth’s skill with punctuation is this is evident though out her work. She has effectively used punctuation through out her poem to greatly aid the reader in their comprehending, â€Å"I love thee to the depth and breath and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being an ideal grace. The pause after reach is pertinent to the true meaning of the quote, a use of a period at that same spot would change the meaning of the poem to be the limits that her soul can reach at anytime due to any emotion. Whereas with the pause it reads the limits of her soul when she feels useless. Another example of punctuation is in the first line of the poem â€Å"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. † The use of the question marks slightly throws the reader off. At this point the reader cannot know whether this is a rhetorical question. The opening line might seem to be and impossible or stupid attempt to define the concept of love, but the next sentences settles the mind, as readers see it’s an out loud thought which she answers. Conclusively Elizabeth Barrett Browning,s poem is an effective use of the literary devices point of view and theme, and also her language. These elements in the poem helps the reader to understand what could have easily became a complex piece of work.