Is Online Education Good or Bad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Is Online Education Good or Bad - Essay Example As the essay stresses learning is a basic constituent in a person’s general personal as well as working life. In the past, students would attend ‘bricks and mortar’ classes to attain an education before entering the workforce. While this is still the main trend in the acquisition of education, the latter part of the 20th century has seen more students take advantage of courses that are offered online. There are many universities today that offer lectures online for students who may be unable to attend classes for one reason or another. There are also online based colleges that promise degrees for a much less price than traditional bricks-and-mortar institutions.  This discussion highlights that  the online courses offered by bricks-and-mortar institutions are, for the most part, genuine because they identify with the recognized universities that offer them. Moreover, there are the online-based universities that offer all their lectures online. Many of such ins titutions are not usually accredited. The online environment provides numerous opportunities for people situated in different parts of the world to be able to benefit from various educational courses. Indeed, its original objective was to provide a more cost-effective way for people without the financial resources required by traditional colleges to be able to benefit from a college education. Moreover, there are people who have established universities online that claim to offer courses to all people at cheaper prices than those of bricks-and-mortar universities. For most such institutions, the delivery of high quality education is not an important objective. There are different factors that illustrate concerns about such institutions. Some of these include: The Role of Commercialization in Online Education. Lectures from online-based institutions are not appropriate for students because these institutions are mainly concerned with benefiting from commercialization, and are, thus, quite self-serving (Anderson, 45). Even though it is not a fact that is admitted often by the chief academic officers of online-based universities, most officials of such institutions are mainly concerned with the bottom line. This is because they get rewarded for creating policies that result in higher enrollments, greater retention of registered students, and higher levels of success. According to Noble, â€Å"universities are aware that they can get and keep more students by offering online courses which are cheap in comparison to traditional classes†, (Noble, 26). This is why they charge more for the introduction of newer courses which they then add to the curriculum. So far, online education from online-based institutions is the fastest growing industry in the for-profit sector (Donaldson, Agra, Alshammari, Bailey, Bowdoin, Kendle, Nixon, and Wressell, 49). It has also been aggressively promoted by for-profit universities and colleges. It is marketed because it saves cos ts by delivering lessons to thousands of students simultaneously, thus decreasing instructional costs.

Contemporary HRM perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contemporary HRM perspective - Essay Example I am focusing on management’s role in initiating a change through communication. I will also identify issues faced by employees during change, which can be minimized, and in some cases be eradicated by connecting with employees by creating business intimacies and interpersonal relationships (Paton, 2008). Theoretical Overview I found an article, ‘Strategically Communicating Organizational Change’ by Phillip G. Clampitt and Laurey R. Berk, very interesting and informative. In this article, we get to know how a change can be initiated through communication by a series of plan; Contextual Analysis which identifies reasons for change, Audience Analysis on how employees perceive these changes, and Strategies and tactics to be used by managers in order to introduce a change in an organization (Clampitt & Berk, 1996). In this article, I learnt how important it is that we empower our workforce through effective communication, but I believe the role of Human Resource Depar tment is essential in every organizational setting to determine these communication gaps. The main role of Human Resource Department is to manage the manpower in the organization. ... While going through various studies I have come to notice that, if these employees are showing resistance to change then it will affect the working procedures of the organization and also have a negative influence on meeting their targets or goals. There can be many reasons for this ambivalent attitude. They maybe short of understanding the need for change; they might believe that change could violate organizational goal or working procedures. There could be a lack of trust that change would benefit the individual or organization. This may be due to the fact that most of managers are not very focused on the employee’s reaction towards a change (Burke, 2011). Hence, these fears need to be confronted to the management (Bell & Smith, 2010). Analysis of discussion from experience It is a truth that most organizations only work for their own interests without taking consideration of the behaviors of employees or taking their input or ideas into initiating a change. I believe manage rs should listen to employee grievances. The management needs to be communicative with their employees, especially if any change has to be implemented so that the ambivalent attitudes can be minimized and both parties can work together for better results (Paton, 2008). Even though, while initiating a change, a ground work needs to be done like determining the reasons of the change, the impact of it and other theoretical frameworks that determine a reaction to change but, for me, the most important aspect is being directly involved with the individuals, building a strategy through which both, the management and the employee can attain their maximum potential (Clampitt & Berk,

Understanding And Managing Resistance To Organizational Change Management Essay

Understanding And Managing Resistance To Organizational Change Management Essay Most businesses have to undergo change as a result of any of a number of causes: a changing competitive landscape; a new business strategy; changing of customer or workforce demographics and expectations; new laws; new technology or a changing economic environment. Rumelt, as cited by Boyer and Robert (2006, p.325), claims that organizational change is the most vital issue in front of executive management teams, even above product and market strategies. Therefore, as businesses approach change, an important issue for many is effecting the needed change in the face of resistance. This paper will examine resistance to change and approaches to managing organizational change. Resistance to change can occur at both the individual and the organizational level. Robbins (2011, p.627) summarizes major factors in such resistance. On the individual level, these factors develop from habit as well as insecurity about ones well-being, career, or general fear of the unknown. On the organizational level, the factors are even more complex: structural inertia; insufficiently comprehensive focus of change; group inertia; and threats to expertise and the existing hierarchy. Habits are useful, and even vital to our daily lives. They take away the need for us to willfully focus attention on every action and thought, turning into non-events such things as tying our shoes, driving a car, and interacting with others. However, habits can also be non-optimal, non-productive, or even destructive. Woods et al. (2002) conclude that habits are associated with lower stress and sense of being in control, and the greatest benefits of habits are that they allow for reflection on the past and planning for the future. On the disadvantages of habits, they note that judgments that have become automatic because of previous experiences may cause people to be less aware of small but potentially important changes in the current situation, and that behaviors may continue even when the situation changes to make those behaviors no longer appropriate. In an organization, structural inertia is the product of embedded mechanisms that perpetuate existing behaviors. These can be embodied in formal procedures and regulations as well as in unwritten rules and social norms, including hiring selection criteria. Structural inertia is not in itself, however, a bad thing, and it should not be challenged without good reason. At the same time, when good reason exists, change must not be avoided. As cited in Mellahi and Wilkinson (2004, p.11), Hannan and Freeman note that structural inertia causes organizations to react slowly to threats and opportunities, instead of adapting they are more likely to dissolve. However, they report this risk decreases as the organization grows and suggesting that in larger organizations there is greater capacity to absorb the shock of adjusting to organizational change. Another factor against change in an organization is when the effort is applied to an area that is not large enough, or where the focus is too limited. Surrounded by and interacting with a larger environment still doing things the old way, changes tend to be temporary only. Even where individuals want to change, group inertia, or the expectations and attitudes of their group or team, can hold them back. For others, though, change represents a direct threat to their authority or prestige, leading not only to resistance, but possibly direct opposition. Robbins (2011, p.628) lists eight tactics to help moderate resistance to change: education; participation; building support; developing trust; making the change fair; covert manipulation; selecting people who are able to accept change; and coercion. Education, employees are more willing to accept change when they understand its rationale. This is most effective when the rationale is not solely based on maximizing value to the shareholder, but takes into account the interests of all stakeholders, including employees. Participation, allowing those who are impacted by the change to have meaningful input in the process and this may result in a suboptimal result. The benefits tend to reduce resistance among participants. Building support, when workers are fearful of change, counseling and training can help boost confidence, and perks can help make the adjustment easier. Developing trust, change is better tolerated when implemented by trust-worthy managers. Making the change fair, workers will view a change negatively if it is not seen to be applied fairly and consistently. Covert manipulation, lying about the need for change, or starting false rumors, can be an effective form of manipulation, as can give influential resistors inducements to support the change. However, these deceptions, if discovered, put at risk the credibility of management and those effecting the change. Selecting people able to accept change, some people are predisposed to prefer stability, while others are more open to change. An organization can shape its hiring policies to prefer candidates that are tolerant of change, thus reducing one form of resistance when organizational change occurs. However, there are potential risks in this approach. First, this bias might skew hiring in a way that exposes the organization to discrimination lawsuits. Second, it might create a monoculture that puts the organization at a competitive disadvantage. An alternative to changing hiring practices is to identify those within a group that are more accepting of change and use them as examples and advocates for applying change throughout the organization or area where change is needed. Coercion, when all else fails, threats and force can push through a change. It can often be done quickly, although it carries the risk of loss of morale and trust in management. Robbins (2011, pp.630-636) describes four major approaches used in managing organizational change: Lewins Three-Step Model; Kotters Eight-Step Plan for Implementing Change; Action Research; and Organizational Development. Another notable approach is Wilfried Krugers Change Management Iceberg. Krugers Change Management Iceberg Kruger(1996) likens the factors involved in organizational change to an iceberg. He contends that managers of change consider only the tip of the iceberg, which relates to issues of cost, quality, and time. However, perceptions, beliefs, power and politics are below the surface, which must also be managed in order for change to succeed. Managing issues from these areas involves understanding that people at every level of an organization are affected by change. These people can generally be grouped into four categories: promoters, who support the change; potential promoters, who are disposed to accepting the change but have not yet been convinced; opponents, who are against the change; and hidden opponents, who appear to be supportive, but are actually against the change. People in each of these categories must be managed appropriately to avoid failure. Lewins Three-Step Change Model Robbins (2011, p.630) describes the three steps of Kurt Lewins Change Model as unfreezing, movement, and refreezing. Using the hypothetical example of a large oil company that wanted to consolidate its three marketing offices located in different cities into a single office, two forces are considered during the step of unfreezing acceptance of the way things currently are. The first, a driving force, moves behavior away from the status quo. The second, a restraining force, suppresses behaviors that move away from the status quo. Unfreezing can be accomplished by increasing the driving force, weakening the restraining force, or executing both actions. In the hypothetical example, restraining forces could take the form of objection to the inconvenience involved in moving to a different city, especially for those with children, houses or roots in the community. Management might accomplish the first step of unfreezing acceptance of the status quo by increasing the driving force by, for e xample, helping with moving costs or with securing low-rate mortgages in the new location. Similarly, restraining forces could be weakened by listening to and helping clarify worker concerns. Figure . Source: http://www.sqaki.com/9/KrugerChangeIceberg/screenshot.gif When the second of Lewins three steps movement is underway, completing the transition quickly, as opposed to deliberate, plodding change, is associated with greater chance of overall success, and the reasons are not hard to deduce. The two stable states the original one, before change began, and the one after the transition has been completed are fully engaged in the business of the organization. However, during the transition, the organization might be unstable, lines of communication are in flux, and the business of the organization might conduct inefficiently. An organization in the middle of organizational change is like a boxer changing boxing gloves that the transition should be as quick as possible. When the tolerance for error is extremely limited, for example, such as when transitioning from a manual system of order processing to an automated one. It would be foolhardy to flip a switch that stops the first and begins the second. Prudence dictates that there should be a t ransition period when both systems are operating in parallel. Although such a transition is costly, it allows time for errors to be worked out of the new system. Lewins final step refreezing is needed in order to stop reversion to the previous stable state or continued movement to some unintended stable state. Refreezing is accomplished by balancing the driving force against the restraining force. In the hypothetical oil company example, this might be done by making permanent a salary increase. It is assumed that as time progresses workers will get used to the new way of doing things, adopting it as a new normal. Kotters Eight-Step Change Model Kotter (1995) builds on Lewins approach, breaking the steps into greater detail. Expressed as a list of errors that contribute to the failure of organizational transformation, Kotter presents an eight-step model of change: Error #1: Not Establishing a Great Enough Sense of Urgency (Kotter 1995, p.61). Kotter considers this step essential, declaring that half of the companies he has observed fail here. Executives either pay this step only cursory attention or worry that showing the urgency of the situation will precipitate plunging morale and lower share prices, for all of which they will be held to account. For this reason, outsiders may be brought in to give the unwelcome message. The intent of this stage is to make the status quo threatening and change the only relief. According to Kotter, bad business results may be used as a pretext and in some successful cases a businesses crisis has been engineered for the purpose of creating the sense of urgency needed for organization change to succeed. Kotter argues that success requires at least 75% of management to believe that the status quo is no longer tolerable. Error #2: Not Creating a Powerful Enough Guiding Coalition (Kotter 1995, p.62). Advocates for change must include a sufficient number of senior, influential stakeholders in order for anything more than token movement to occur. Kotter allows that only a few such people three to five may be adequate at the beginning, in a large corporation this number needs to increase to as many as 20 or 50 powerful members to create substantial progress. This coalition of stakeholders may well go beyond senior management and include board members, representatives from important customers, as well as senior labor leaders. Failure at this point, according to Kotter, comes from underestimating the effort required to create change and undervaluing the guiding coalition. As a result, the coalition might be put under the leadership of someone from human resources or a lower level manager. Without active top-level backing, more senior managers can insulate themselves and their departments from change, eff ectively blocking progress and stopping change. Error #3: Lacking a Vision (Kotter 1995, p.63). Kotter remarks that every case he has witnessed of successful organizational change has involved the guiding coalition being able to develop and communicate an image of the future. Without such a unifying vision, the effort can lose its focus and devolve into contradictory and ineffective projects that either produce no organizational change at all, or, worse, change for the worse. Kotter describes one instance: [A] company gave out four-inch-thick notebooks describing its change effort. In mind-numbing detail, the books spelled out procedures, goals, methods, and deadlines. But nowhere was there a clear and compelling statement where all this was leading. Not surprisingly, most of the employees with whom I talked were either confused or alienated. The big, thick books did not rally them together or inspire change. In fact, they probably had just the opposite effect.(1995, p.63) Error #4: Undercommunicating the Vision by a Factor of Ten (Kotter 1995, pp.63-64). Transformational vision in communicating should be wide, frequent, inclusive, clear and credible. Kotter sees this step mishandled in three ways: first, the message is delivered only once or only to a small group; second, the vision is poorly expressed perhaps because it has been poorly conceived; and third, the message may be effectively conveyed in speeches and emails, but their content is belied by the behavior of senior executives, who expose the vision as being merely empty posturing. For Kotter, the communicating the vision also means expressing the message through actions that are consistent with the vision. Error #5: Not Removing Obstacles to the New Vision (Kotter 1995, pp.64-65). Barriers that hinder individuals and groups from engaging in the new way of doing things should be moved aside where possible. Although these barriers can be self-imposed there may also be obstacles that arise from the organizational structure or are imposed by ones job description or performance-appraisal metrics. Allowing these blockers to remain can bring the entire transformational effort to a halt. Error #6: Not Systematically Planning For and Creating Short-Term Wins (Kotter 1995, pp.65-66). When organizational change takes place over an extended period of time, people need positive feedback to know that they are on the right track and that the change is worth the effort. Rather than looking for and publicizing such positive news as might occur during the transformation period, Kotter advises that the guiding coalition should plan for projects that will produce short-term wins. This serves the purpose of keeping up morale, while also providing a real indication that overarching progress is being made. These mini projects can also serve as test cases to help tweak the transformation vision. Error #7: Declaring Victory Too Soon (Kotter 1995, pp.66-67). Kotter found that over a seven year period monitoring a successful transformation, the first gains were seen in year two but the maximum gain did not occur until year five. He contends that abandoning transformation efforts after the first gain misses the opportunity to achieve even greater success by confronting the structures that are still inconsistent with the transformation vision, but which had earlier been avoided because they had seemed simply too big to tackle at the time. Rather than declare victory at the first sign of performance improvement, the momentum can be used to achieve even greater performance gains. Error #8: Not Anchoring Changes in the Corporations Culture (Kotter 1995, p.67). New behaviors must take root, becoming a part of shared values, or they may degrade or revert when no longer subject to scrutiny and pressure of transformational change. Kotter argues that two factors have major importance in sealing change into a corporate culture. The first factor is to clearly show people the link between improved performance and the new behaviors and approaches. If people are left to make the link themselves, there is a risk that they may mistakenly link improved performance with something else. The second factor is to make sure that succession decisions are in place so that those who will follow into top management continue to be champions of change. According to Robbins (2011, pp.631-631), the Action Research change process uses a five-step method of systematically collecting and analyzing data in order to arrive at a change action. The five steps are: diagnosis, analysis, feedback, action, and evaluation. During diagnosis, the change agent gathers information by asking questions, looking at records, and finding out what concerns employees and what changes they say are need. Analysis involves looking for patterns and commonalities; these discoveries are turned into three parts: main concerns, secondary concerns, and possible actions. The third step, feedback, is comprised of sharing the findings with employees who, aided by the change agent, create an action plan to achieve changes. Next, the plan is put into action, with the employees and change agent performing the specific tasks in the plan. Finally, evaluation is done, using the data captured during the diagnosis step to assess the effectiveness of the action plan. This chan ge process has two obvious benefits: the first is that problems are sought, and then solutions are determined based on the problem. This is in contrast to many improvement activities where a solution goes in search of a problem. The second benefit is that resistance to change is reduced by the deep engagement of employees into the improvement process. As a point of criticism, this approach seems very useful in operational areas of which employees have direct knowledge. However, it seems of limited benefit when change involves larger parts of an organization. For example, in the hypothetical oil company case mentioned earlier, from the perspective of employees, the need for change would not be obvious, and it would be all too easy for squabbles to arise between the marketing offices over which office would remain for the other to merge into. Organizational Development (OD) is a collection of change methods that combines organizational growth with respect for human growth. Robbins (2011, p.633) summarizes the values that these methods generally support: Respect for people, individuals deserve dignity, are responsible and caring. Trust and support, a healthy organization is open, trusting, genuine and supportive. Power equalization, effective organizations place less importance on hierarchic control. Confrontation, problems should not be avoided, but addressed openly. Participation, people affected by a change will tend to commit to their implementation in proportion to the extent that they are involved in the decisions. Robbins lists six OD change-related interventions, but there are far more. Holman et al. (2007, pp.17-18) describe sixty-one, classifying them into five types: adaptive methods, which use practices that can be adjusted to varying needs; planning methods, which are used for setting strategic direction and determining core identify; structuring methods, which are used to redefine and organize; improving methods, which increase operational efficiencies and effectiveness without challenging the basic assumptions of the organization; and supportive methods, which can be used to make the other change methods more effective. In conclusion, this paper reviewed the concept of organizational change, why it happens, and its risks and benefits. Resistance to change, its motivations, and methods of managing change were also considered. Based on the great variety of approaches to managing resistance and promoting change, it is reasonable to conclude that no single method will work best in every situation. However, the abundance of approaches also suggests that with careful deliberation and application successful organizational transformation can be achieved.

The Second World War (WWII) :: World War 2 II Two

World War 2 Introduction World War 2 was one of the many wars that occurred during the 20th century. During this brutal war many countries, people, and history were changed. The factors that encourged the Germans and Japanese forces allowed them to take over other countries and kill many of people. Now, years later, from a different point of view, the Germans and Japanese accomplished nothing but just killing innocent people. The greediness behind the Germans and Japanese in the 20th century would change everybodys lives forever. How Did This War Start The Germans had a powerful army in the 1930's. They had a very powerful leader named Adolf Hitler. He was a greedy man who wanted everyone blonde hair, and blue eyes. He wanted everyone the same and to be the only leader in the world. Hitler started his conquest for land in 1938 when he annexed Austria. He followed this by threatening Czechoslovakia. When Hitler increased his demands on the Czechs, war seemed almost certain. The British and French had meetings with Hitler and Mussoluni but they could not stop them from putting demands on other country's. Soon after the meetings Hitler captured Czechoslovakia and seized a former German port. He moved on by putting demands on Poland and the Polish Corridor. In September 1939 France and Britain agreed to support Poland and they soon declared war with Germany. How Did The US Get IntoThe War First of all Japan has no natural resources in their country. So being that they replied on their oil products from the US. In July 27 1941, President Roosevelt stopped all trading with the Japanese. That meaning now that Japan has no fuel to run their military forces. Japan forces then went and attacked the East Indies and took over all of their fuel. Shell was the company that owned most of the fuel products in the East Indies. Shell's head office was in England which led European forces to be in the war against Japan and Germany. When the US stopped trading with Japan they took this as a hostile act but, Japan still tried to make peace with them. A Japan ambassador even asked for a peace discussion with the secretary of state. The meeting did not go threw with the 2 nations. Japan then attacked Atu (an island off of Alaska) in hopes to draw the American forces up North. Japan was wrong , but soon after this they planned out a sneak attack on Pearl Harbour (a military base for the Americans in Hawaii). The Americans had a small idea that the Japanese might attack them. On the Morning of December 7, 1941 a flight of planes were detected, but the people in Pearl Harbour were told that they were US fighter planes coming in

Children of Men Film Essay

Children of Men is a thought provoking film directed by Alfonso Cuaron which explored the possibility of hope in the face of overwhelming despair. The film has a fearful, chaotic mood within the setting of a dystopian world in London 2027. Visual and verbal techniques such as camera techniques, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and symbolism were effectively used across the film. Cuaron used these techniques to show the audience that the search for self preservation demonstrates ignorance for the good of humanity. However, Even though morality is lost when the world deteriorates, hope can still be found in mankind’s bleakest moments; as the darkness of humanity cannot exist without the light, which shows that it’s future. In a world where the deterioration of humanity has caused destruction to a society, people tried to hold on to the last bit of hope while having to survive in the abyss of despair. An example is the diegetic sound of a news reporter on TV in a coffee shop, reporting the tragic death of Baby Diego. â€Å"The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo. Diego Ricardo, the youngest person on the planet was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours and 8 minutes old†. By stating Diego’s age to the exact minute, the reporter emphasizes his significance as he was the youngest person alive after 18 years of infertility. Cuaron used this technique to enlarge the great grief and devastation that the rest of the world suffers due to the tragic event. Making the audience see that the fragile fate of humanity has been dealt a shattering blow, it looks as if mankind’s last flicker of hope has been extinguished along with Diego’s death, and the species of human ra ce will perish. Another successful sound effect used by Cuaron was tinnitus. This verbal technique is a ringing sound one hears when ears are damaged after loud noises, and it was used after the bomb explosion in the coffee shop. The tinnitus is sympathizing as the ringing sound is heard by Theo as well as the audience, relating the audience to Theo’s experience and making them more involved in the film. This technique is symbolic as Cuaron expresses that the dull reality prevents us from hearing our surroundings, foreshadowing Theo’s numb emotion and reaction towards the situation. Cuaron used this technique to highlight the fearful and chaotic environment, constantly reminding audience the death and despair Theo experienced. The film is very much relatable to our society as the destructed world in the film does not seem so distant from our own. Cuaron makes the audience realize that if we are not careful and take care of crucial issues, it is possible that similar situations in the f ilm could become our future. The frequent use of visual techniques by Cuaron also developed the despairing environment in the film. One example is a reverse angle shot of Theo and the suicide kit Quietus at Jasper’s house. The suicide kit was handed out by the government, showing that even the government had no intention of dealing with existing issues and preferred the easy way out. The white and pale blue colour of Quietus symbolizes peacefulness, showing that instead of keep living in the abyss of desperation, people would rather die to escape the corrupted world. This is appalling to the audiences as Cuaron makes them realize that life was no longer important in the gloomy society of the film. Without hope and faith for the future, the only control people had when facing despair was the option of suicide. Another example that develops the idea of despair is the use of a mid shot out of the bus to Bexhill. The mid shot shows refuges caught by immigration police; locked up in cages, beaten and shot. This technique reinforces audience to see the visual allusions created by Cuaron, as the situation is somewhat similar to the Nazi roundups. With the use of this visual technique, Cuaron is able to show us a world where government control has become so powerful that humanity no longer exists, and the inhuman treatments that the immigrants received were not noticed or cared by British citizens. The refugees were hidden away from society and irresponsibly dealt with so the issue doesn’t have to be taken care of. Cuaron’s purpose is for the audience to see that society tends to, and is, ignoring larger issues which cause discomfort simply because it is the easy way out. However, we all have the responsibility to help each other out and solve existing issues within the community, in order to bring right and justice to the society. There are also hopeful situations throughout the film. This can be explored by the use of non diegetic music â€Å"Fragments of a Prayer† as Kee symbolically revealed her pregnancy to Theo in a barn. The music was implemented several times in the film during moments of hope. The holy shrill voices of the song manipulates viewer to believe that there is always hope as Kee undid her clothes to show her miraculous pregnancy. Theo’s dialogue of â€Å"Jesus Christ† after he saw Kee’s belly symbolically brings realization of biblical allusion to the audience. Surrounded by sheep and cows, Kee was the connotation of Virgin Mary. The similarities allow viewer a deeper understanding of how important Kee’s pregnancy was to mankind, in both cases it was the carrier of humanity’s savior that was in undergoing the long journey. Cuaron also used lighting techniques to highlight the unborn baby’s representation of hope midst despair. The chiaroscuro lighting creates a light shade effect during the revelation of the baby. Darkness in the barn emphasized a patch light on Kee’s belly. Her glowing belly seemed radiate shine, making it look angelic. Cuaron successfully used these techniques to tell the audience that Kee’s pregnancy was a brief moment of humanity allowed that existed in a world determined to tear itself apart. A further biblical reference is Theo’s similarities to Jesus. His character is non-violent, despite being surrounded by guns and bombs. While defending and protecting Kee, he never used or carried weapons. Theo was also consistently surrounded by animals, which are used throughout the film as indicators of goodness and trustworthiness. By using these Christianity symbols, Cuaron reveals a cautious faith in humanity in the characterization of Theo as he came to demonstrate man’s best attributes, compassion, self-sacrifice and hope. Another example which develops the ide a of hope is the establishing shot of Kee, the baby and Theo on the boat staggering towards the Ship of Tomorrow to get to the Human Project. The non diegetic music of â€Å"Fragments of a Prayer† was again used, setting ablaze to hope as Kee was getting closer to safety. When Kee questioned whether they were too late, Theo answered â€Å"Trust me, they’ll come back†. This dialogue contrasts with his dialogue earlier in the film â€Å"Why do people believe this crap†¦ Too late the world went to shit†. Cuaron used this contrast to show the change in Theo to which he was no longer numb about the corrupted world and finally found hope and faith for the future. This provides the audience with catharsis, and it is a release from action to allow viewer to believe that everything will get better. Cuaron’s purpose is for the audience to understand that dread and fear can have a damaging effect on society but is also a driving force behind the vital change needed to save our planet. We should always hope but think and act now because the final result is up to us. In conclusion, a variety of visual and verbal techniques were used by Cuaron throughout Children of Men. These techniques created a destructed and gloomy society which allows viewers to seek through the failure of future construction along with the bleak and brilliant of hope and humanity. Revealing how humanity’s nature and glory is essential in order for human race to maintain faith and stay in a balance of compatibility. Challenging viewers to consider the effect of manmade actions on the current world and how it is shaping the future.

Descartes †First Meditation Essay

In the First Meditation, Descartes presents his philosophical project, and he claims that, in order to complete this project, he needs to put into questions the truth of all his beliefs. Descartes shows that we can doubt of the truth of all our beliefs by two main arguments, the Dream Argument and the Evil Genius argument. In the Dream Argument, Descartes discusses the senses and how it can deceive. Descartes then mentions that when he is dreaming he can also sense real objects, or at least feels he can, causing him not be able to distinguish between being asleep and being awake. This is shown in the quote from the First Meditation, â€Å"I see so plainly that there are no definitive signs by which to distinguish being awake from being asleep. As a result, I am becoming quite dizzy, and this dizziness nearly convinces me that I am asleep† – (19, Mediation One). Descartes also discusses the possibility of the universal dream, mentioning that his whole life could in fact be a dream with no actual world that you are awake. Descartes mentions that dream images are images that we already experience in our waking life, they are images that we already know of. The images don’t necessarily have to be something we have seen before because it can be parts of real things we already know that create another image we have not yet seen or experienced. The dream argument that Descartes represents interprets the message that the senses are not always reliable, and we can easily be fooled by them, therefore, we should not rely on our senses to base all of our beliefs on. Now moving on to Descartes second argument, the Evil Genius argument, it implies that everything we think we know is in fact not true and we cannot rely on our senses. In The First Meditation, Descartes presents that God is good, therefore he would not fool the beings he creates into believing false things. If someone were to believe in this suggestion then he would know that he can’t be fooled by anything. This is shown in Descartes quote â€Å"But perhaps God has not willed that I be deceived in this way, for he is said to be supremely good. Nonetheless, if it were repugnant to his goodness to have created me such that I be deceived all the time, it would also seem foreign to that same goodness to permit me to be deceived even occasionally† (21 – Meditation One). On the other hand, Descartes mentions that there are some people who believe there is no God, if this is the point of view to be taken then there would be a very big likelihood in us being deceived. The reason for this theory is due to the argument Descartes presents that if there is no good our senses would not be perfect since it would not have been created by a perfect being, such as God. This is shown in Descartes quote, â€Å"But because being deceived and being mistaken appear to be a certain imperfection, the less powerful they take the author of my origin to be, the more probable it will be that I am so imperfect that I am always deceived† (21 – Mediation One). In the end of the First Meditation, Descartes sees it as impossible to stop from thinking about these theories, he then tries to believe that his opinions are not true. Descartes does this for the reason to be able to keep thinking as normal without disruptions. Descartes mentions this in his quote, â€Å"Hence, it seems to me I would do well to deceive myself by turning my will in completely the opposite directions and pretend for a time that these opinions are wholly false and imaginary† (22 – Meditation One). Descartes then concludes that an evil genius has set out to deceive him so everything he thinks he knows is not true, â€Å"I will not suppose a supremely good God, the source of truth, but rather an evil genius, supremely powerful and clever, who has directed his entire effort at deceiving me† (22 – Mediation One). With Descartes doubting all his beliefs he makes sure that he is not led to believe in what is not real by the so called â€Å"evil genius† he mentions in the First Meditation. In regards to the question, does Descartes appear to be a sceptic? I would have to say no, the reason I say this is although Descartes does appear to be a sceptic in all his arguments, he demonstrates theories to all his doubts. When Descartes represents a reason for his doubt this cannot be viewed a scepticism anymore as scepticism as defined is the philosophical position according to which knowledge is impossible. Descartes represents knowledge on each topic he doubts, as to why it should be doubted and for what reasons. Descartes does not constantly doubt everything for no reason, a sceptic doubts everything around them for no reason whatsoever. To prove this argument I suggested we can look at the First Meditation when Descartes denies the thought that he might be insane, which is shown in his quote, â€Å"Unless perhaps I were to liken myself to the insane, but such people are mad, and I would appear no less mad, were I to take their behavior as an example for myself† (19 – Meditation One). In this quote it proves that all the doubts Descartes is making in the First Meditation are logical, and provide reason. Descartes is not just doubting for the sake of doubting, but for logic that causes this doubt he is experiencing. This concludes that Descartes is not a sceptic, and his arguments in fact to continue to grow, while maintaining logical reason behind them.