Cyber Bullying and Racial Discrimination

Cyber Bullying and Racial Discrimination Melissa Hui Xin Yue Q3: In the recent times, cyber bullying and hate mongering towards people groups have increased, especially in social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism and other forms of similar negative impressions have dominated cyber space. Analytically discuss ways and means to combat the above mentioned phenomena in an amicable and workable manner. According to Bill Belsey (2000), cyberbullying is defined as activity that involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm others. In this digital era, it is without a doubt that most children have their own cell phones, and with the fast Internet connectivity, it is safe to assume that most of the children has at least one social media account. This increase the chance of them being a cyberbully or being cyberbullied. Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism is generally associated with bullying. In a 1991 Runnymede Trust Report, Islamophobia was defined as hostility towards Muslims, and therefore fear or dislike of all or most Muslims. Whereas Anti-Semitism is the prejudice, discrimination and hatred of Jews as a national, ethnic, religious or a racial group (Lipset, 1969). These cyberbullying activities can be stopped and prevented by raising awareness for Islamic practice s and Judaism, have counselling for students who are being cyberbullied and government’s efforts in stopping cyberbully. Cyberbullying activities towards Jews and Muslims is a problem that can be stopped by raising awareness about Islamic practices and Judaism. Awareness can be raised by operating campaigns about Islamic belief and Judaism. These campaigns should run throughout the whole year in schools and also in public areas. Governments and schools should see the brighter side of these two religions instead of stereotyping them as terrorist in accordance to what have happened in the events of 9/11 Attacks in New York (2001) and Charlie Hebdo killings (2014). According to Martin et al. (2011), stereotyping is categorizing information about others in daily life. Campaigns should have activities like cultural talks about what Islamic beliefs and Judaism are about. What could be better than a little bit of eye candy to catch your attention? Clothing and accessories can be used as a media to spread awareness. Example, you can wear a blue t-shirt in support of Islamic beliefs and Judaism. Games and activ ities with the Muslims and Jews will show how friendly and fun they are in contrast of the stereotypes that people have about them. Student exchange programmes are a good way to raise awareness on Muslim students or Jewish students. These students can show their host families about their religion and culture, prompting their host families to stop having stereotypes towards the students’ religion. In response to the event September 11, 2001, Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program is one of the programme that provides scholarship for students from Islamic countries to learn about American society and values (YESprograms, 2002). With raising awareness, this will help the students and society to not be afraid of Muslims and Jews. Thus, discrimination and cyberbullying towards Muslims and Jews will decrease because they understand and empathize that everyone in the world has feelings. Counselling is a great way to stop cyberbullying. Although you might think that counselling will not do much change, but in fact, according to Bower and Rowland (2006), counselling is more effective than usual care, people receiving counselling is likely to be satisfied after treatment. Muslims and Jews who are being cyberbullied can go to see a counsellor whether at school or outside of school. Victims can choose to join either one-on-one sessions if they are too shy or they can join group sessions where they get to listen to other victims’ experiences. Listening to other victims can help them because they empathize with the victims. Based on Dr Brenà © Brown’s research (2010), she defines shame as the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging. When a victim decides to share his or her experience, the victim is being courageous to face his or her problem. Counsellors should always encourage the victims to talk about their feelings and relieve their stress about being in their own religion. Group sessions not only have experience sharing, but also should have games and activities to bring the victims together and show them that they are not alone. Dr Brenà © Brown once said, â€Å"To practice courage and compassion is to look at life and people around us†. Counsellors should teach the victims the ways to protect themselves when they are being cyberbullied, like reporting to the police or blocking the cyberbully on internet. No doubt that counselling is able to make an impact in the lives of victims of cyberbully. The Government should do their parts in stopping cyberbullying toward Muslims and Jews. Whenever victims report about cyberbullying, the police should not turn a blind eye over them just because the police is Islamophobia or Anti-Semitism. Police should be fair and just when it comes to criminal and law-breaking citizens. B.F. Skinner (1938) coined the term operant conditioning; it means roughly changing of behaviour by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response. If the cyberbully is a student, the school should give warning to the cyberbully. The cyberbully must undergo charity hours if caught cyberbullying anyone if caught by the school. These charity hours help them to reflect on themselves for what they have done so that they will not repeat it again. Governments should take away the cyberbullies’ electronic devices and internet when they are caught cyberbullying. Government should impose and reinforce the laws on cyberbullying. Hiring more cyber po lices will help to decrease the cyberbullying rate. Actions will be taken if the cyber police accepts bribery from the cyberbully. Incentives can be given by the government for the non-profit counselling groups that help the victims of cyberbullying. The government should provide a building for the non-profit counselling groups to do their activities in. By doing this, the government is helping the victims indirectly because the government provided facilities for the counselling groups. Thus, Muslims and Jews can share their emotions and relieve their stress caused by cyberbullying. Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism should not be the topic for cyberbullying nor should any characteristics be used as a topic for cyberbullying. You may not be the ones being cyberbullied, maybe one day your child might be cyberbullied. Being born into your own race is not your fault or your choice, we cannot change our race and should not discriminate other race as well. So, let us make an effort to stop cyberbully towards Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism by raising awareness, counselling sessions and also government’s efforts in stopping cyberbullying. References: Belsey, B. (2000). Cyberbullying. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.cyberbullying.org/ Defining Islamophobia (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://crg.berkeley.edu/content/islamophobia/defining-islamophobia 9/11 Attacks. (2010). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks# Charlie Hebdo and its satirical role. (2015, January 8). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-15551998 About YES Program. (2001, January 1). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://yesprograms.org/about Lipset, S. M., â€Å"The Socialism of Fools- The Left, the Jews and Israel,† Encounter, (December 1969), p.24 Retrieved March 11, 2015 Martin, J.N. , Nakayama, T.K. (2011), Experiencing Intercultural Communication, McGraw-Hill International Edition Bower Peter, J. and N. Rowland (2006) Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of counselling in primary care. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Retrieved March 12, 2015 Brown, B. (2010, September 1). The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think Youre Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Retrieved March 12, 2015 Skinner, B. F. (1938).The Behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century.

SouthWest Airlines :: essays research papers

According to their main website, their mission statement is, â€Å"The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.† This reveals Southwest’s true mission: To please their customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For their loyal customers, Southwest offers a â€Å"Rapid Rewards† program which gives the customers free tickets based on the number of times they fly with Southwest. Customers who make 8 round trips or 16 one-way trips receive a free ticket. Programs such as the â€Å"Frequent, Frequent Flyers-Companions Travel† offer a year of free trips to customers. Customers who make 50 round trips a year can designate someone to fly with the customer free of charge for an entire year. Award programs such as these show that they appreciate their loyal customers and that they are willing to take cuts, such as giving away free tickets, to prove to their customers that their patronage is valued.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another aspect of their great customer service is their online travel booking center. The customer can rent a car and make reservations at a hotel all online. This allows the customer to thoroughly plan their vacation or trip. Since Southwest was a relationship with Alamo, Budget, Dollar, and Hertz, customers have the ability to pick what kind of car they will get upon arrival. By making friendly relations with other companies Southwest is making their customers’ job easier by consolidating all the necessities of travel under one roof. This shows that Southwest is willing to go the extra mile for their customers and do more than just provide transportation by air, but also transportation by land, and also accommodations at hotels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a part of their â€Å"low fares, no frills† campaign, Southwest does not offer any in-flight meals to their customers. They believe that by offering the bare minimum, so they can offer low customer rates. However during the flight they do offer complementary juices, cold drinks, and nuts to the passengers. They also encourage the passengers to bring their own meals on board for their own pleasure and convenience. Actions like this show the honesty of Southwest Airlines. Although they could make a sizeable amount of revenue by offering in-flight meals, Southwest allows passengers to bring their own meals so that the customer saves money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A big part of Southwest’s game plan is cost reduction; this shows that Southwest is very customer-oriented.

Clockwork Orange Essay -- essays papers

Clockwork Orange In all of my reading, I have come to the conclusion that Anthony Burgess is one of the greatest literary genius’s of the twentieth century. His masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange, is unrivaled in obvious depth, insight, and innovation. The novel is a work of such quality, such perfection, that it seems to be genuinely written by a literary demigod. The novel's main theme deals with free choice and spiritual freedom. More specifically, "[The ethical promise that 'A man who cannot choose ceases to be man'] can be taken as both the explicit and implicit themes of the novel" (Morgan 104). Anthony Burgess expresses his view that no matter how "good" one's actions are, unless one has free moral choice, he is spiritually damned. The novel revolves around one criminally minded teen, Alex, whose world consists of rape, murder, and ruthless violence. Alex is eventually setup by his "droogs" (friends) and is arrested and jailed. After some time in jail, Alex is placed in a new rehabilitating program that uses electro-shock therapy, new medicines, and exposure to violent film. The program breaks all that Alex holds dear and builds him up with a new artificial conscience. This part of the novel "presents the reader with a new, reformed Alex, an Alex without free will or freedom of choice, an Alex who has become a victim" Burgess considers this lack of freedom to be spiritually murderous and terribly wrong. Burgess knows that it is better to choose to be evil, than to be forced to be good. Alex is tormented by his new state of oppression. He is incapable of making any choice; he must always do what is good. Alex is then taken under the wing of a writer who is fighting the oppressive government. The writer... ...a way that appears to distance it. Stanley: If this occurs it may be because the story both in the novel and the film is told by Alex, and everything that happens is seen through his eyes. Since he has his own rather special way of seeing what he does, this may have some effect in distancing the violence. Some people have asserted that this made the violence attractive. I think this view is totally incorrect. Bibliography: Coale, Samuel, Anthony Burgess (1981); Mathews, Richard, The Clockwork Universe of Anthony Burgess (1978). Kagan, Norman, The Cinema of Stanley Kubrick (1989); Nelson, Thomas Allan, Kubrick: Inside A Film Artist's Maze (1982); Phillips, Gene, Stanley Kubrick: A Film Odyssey (1975); Walker, Alexander, Stanley Kubrick Directs, rev. ed. (1972). English to Russian Dictionary (1996). â€Å"A Clockwork Orange† (1963); Burgess, Anthony

Alcohol consumption during this developmental period

Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs worldwide, and when used excessively it has deleterious effects on almost every organ system.   Many people begin to drink alcohol during adolescence and young adulthood.Alcohol consumption during this developmental period may have profound effects on brain structure and function. Heavy drinking has been shown to affects on brain structure and function.Heavy drinking has been shown to affect the neuropsychological performance of young people and may impair the growth and integrity of certain brain structures. Furthermore, alcohol consumption during adolescence may alter measures of brain functioning, such as blood flow in certain brain regions and electrical brain activities. Not all adolescence and young adults are equally sensitive to the effects of alcohol consumption, however.Moderating factors-such as family history of alcohol and other drug use disorders, gender, age at onset of drinking, drinking patterns, use of other drugs, an d co-occurring psychiatric disorders-may influence the extent to which alcohol consumption interferes with an adolescent’s normal brain development and functioning (Tapert, Calwell, & Burke, 2004-2005).Emerging adulthood, the transitional period between high school and young adulthood, is marked by the formation of identity, the establishment of more mature interpersonal and intimate relationships, and the transition to new adult-type roles. It is also is a time of increased alcohol use and abuse, which can have long-term effects on both physical and psychological well-being and may have implications for the attainment of traditional adult roles.Gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, college, employment, peer and family influences, individual temperament, and attitudes about drinking all influence drinking behavior in this population.Attending college may represent a special risk to emerging adults, as increases in alcohol availability and acceptance of drinking on college c ampuses may lead to increases in heavy drinking among students.The non student population of emerging adults also is an important target for preventive interventions, especially because people in this segment of the population may be less likely to mature out of heavy drinking patterns established during adolescence, thus, the transition from high school to young adulthood appears to be an ideal developmental turning point during which to target interventions.Arnett (2000) referred to the transitional period from high school to young adulthood as â€Å"emerging adulthood.† This stage of life is defined as the period from the end of secondary school through the attainment of adult status (Arnett 2005), covering approximately ages 18 to 25, although it can extend longer. Emerging adulthood is marked by frequent change and exploration. It also is a period of increased alcohol use and abuse. The transition out of high school may be marked by increases in alcohol use and intoxicat ion.Even men who drank heavily in high school may drink more and become intoxicated more often after high school. Drinking patterns during the senior year of high school generally are useful in predicting post-high school drinking behavior, although research results vary. Some studies have found a high degree of individual stability in problem drinking from the early twenties into adulthood, whereas others have notMost emerging adults will outgrow heavy drinking and related problems before adulthood, on their own and without treatment (Marlatt et al. 1998). Research consistently shows that most indexes of alcohol use, and especially heavy drinking, are higher among males than females (O’Malley and Johnston 2002).In addition, the gender disparity in heavy drinking increases between late adolescence (i.e., senior year of high school) and young adulthood. In contrast, the rates of alcohol problems among male and female college students tend to converge (Jackson et al. 2005), alt hough men still report more problems in the public domain compared with women.Racial and ethnic differences in drinking and related problems have been documented in the literature. In general, White and Native American emerging adults drink more than African Americans and Asians, and drinking rates for Hispanics fall in the middle. In addition, in contrast to the peak in drinking among Whites around ages 19-22, heavy drinking among African Americans and Hispanic peaks later and persists longer into adulthood (Caetano and Kaskutas 1995).Some argue that the college campus environment itself encourages heavy drinking (Toomey and Wagenaar 2002). Alcohol use is present at most college social functions, and many students view college as a place to drink excessively. Students experience greater exposure to drinking and encounter higher levels of peer drinking and positive attitudes toward alcohol as they transition from high school to college.Alcohol is the drug of choice among adolescents in the United States. Slightly over 50% have tried alcohol as early as grade 8; by the end of high school, 80% have tried it and 50% are current drinkers. These statistics cause concern because adolescents are particularly susceptible to several of the negative consequences associated with drinking-motor vehicle crashes (Zador, Krawchuk & Voas 2000), sexually transmitted diseases (Bailey et al. 1999), suicide, death and disability.Many observers believe that alcohol advertising contributes to the widespread social acceptability of drinking and thereby fosters both initial and continued use. Television advertising, which is banned in the United States for cigarettes but not for alcohol, is cited as a major source of alcohol advertising available to young people.Large numbers of American youth are exposed to television advertisements for alcohol, particularly beer (Grube & Wallack 1994). Young people typically see these advertisements on sports and certain late night programs popular with youth (Madden & Grube 1994).Youth exposure to advertising in additional venues, as well as through other promotional activities, is also substantial (Taylor 1990). In the United States, most young people are exposed to alcohol advertising in such common locations as supermarkets and corner stores; many also see alcohol advertising in magazines and at concerts and sports events.One study found no relationship between advertising and actual drinking behavior (Wyllie, Zhang & Casswell 1998), while others have suggested a positive relationship between advertising exposures (Grube & Wallack 1994) or positive responses to alcohol advertisements (Wyllie, Zhang & Casswell 1998) and intentions as an adult. In addition, intentions to drink as an adult tap the child’s expectations of engaging in an activity that is normative and legal for adults; they are far removed from the child’s actual drinking behavior or expectation of drinking while under age.

Issues of Same-Sex Marriage

6, November 2009 Issue of Same-sex Marriage As the world rapidly transitions into the twenty-first century, a new set of problems arise and the people of the world are faced with challenges that they have never encountered. The majority of world cultures are based around religion and religion comes with many stipulations that are not agreed upon by everyone. In Christian culture, the issue of homosexuality is a conflict that is currently being debated. The direct issue is whether or not people of homosexual tendencies have the right to share a union that is comparable to that of heterosexual couples.Marriage has been described as a legally binding contract, a moral commitment, a change of familial ties, and in some cases, a religious rite. That religious rite is what is being debated. Why shouldn’t two homosexuals be joined by the same kind of relationship that is accepted by everyone? These unique individuals share the same human characteristics as their heterosexual counterp arts, and they hold the same civic responsibilities. Many argue that a same-sex relationship ruins the sanctity of marriage or is morally irreprehensible, but the issue of divorce does the same exact thing.Not to mention, the main argument against homosexual relations is people believe the church has the last word on all moral issues, but after thousands of years, they hold almost no relevance in today’s issues. Pondering the idea of same-sex dealings, people need to take into consideration the fact that unions between two people does not effect outside parties personally; so it should mean next to nothing to them to see two men or two women be bonded by more than plutonic love. The Catholic Church has been active for many centuries. In the early years, the church was the ruling party of the lands in ancient Europe.However, as time progresses, the church slowly lost its power and it was merely there as a support system for its believers. Church theories are known around the w orld, but as time moves ahead, they continue to loose their value. I believe the churches messages are mere suggestions. Due to the fact that the modern countries have spent an enormous amount of time and money shaping their nations into what they think it should stand for apart from church’s principles. The church and its ideals are not nearly as valuable to the modern world.But when dealing with the issue of same sex unions, it is exactly the opposite, people go by what the church says as if the church is the actual government. It is puzzling to hear people speak of their respective churches and what it stands for, as if that church is the last word on all things of moral impact. Perhaps I am a modernist, but I believe that the government can be the only one to issue judgments upon relationships. The institution of a federal government can actually preside over different aspects of relationships, including marriage.The government has recorded over thousands of different way s married couples are given special status under federal law. It is not fair to limit same-sex couples a variety of benefits just because they are gay. Because the issue of same-sex marriage has become a prominent discussion topic, the Catholic Church decided to publish their opinion on the matter. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith states, â€Å"all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions† (Griffiths, 10).The church so blatantly stating all Catholics should be opposed to homosexual unions is absurd. It offers no real reason, other than its contradiction to the bible. The bible is a book written thousands of years ago, and some might argue that it holds no real evidence of its events being true. In addition, the bible itself contains homosexual activity; in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, homosexual pursuits are very evident. One could go as far as to say that the Catholic Church is boarding hypocritical.Joseph Cardinal Ratzinge r states in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one's own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God (CDF 18). It is unimaginable how the Catholic Church can come to a conclusion such as this, because they know nothing about homosexuality. All the church sees is the general idea of being gay , and therefore misinterprets the entire culture. With a world as diverse as this one, no one can assume they know everything about a topic that they haven’t experienced for themselves.To generalize that someone is unable to be happy is utterly bizarre because they have no real way of knowing what that person is going through. Charles E. Curran and Richard A. McCormick explain it best in their pursuit for homosexuals’ needs to be incorporated into a wider community, for physic-security and well being just as the rest of the people in society (Curran, McCormich, 345). Homosexualsâ⠂¬â„¢ needs to be accepted into society is parallel with everyone else’s, because it gives people security and the feeling of acceptance.Most people are able to achieve acceptance through their community, but when homosexuals strive for acceptance within their community, they are shut down for their orientation. It is not right to exclude homosexuals from normal society just because they are different. Sexuality is a defining characteristic of ones life; it carves the path on how one will live the rest of their life. Because sexuality holds such an important place in people’s lives, it should not be able to hold them back in anything they want to do.Of course homosexuality is very different from what was considered the norm hundreds of years ago and therefore still somewhat a taboo topic, but homosexuality is not a bad thing. People who oppose same-sex relations are not willing to take the chance and introduce something different into their lives, and more often than n ot, it is just an uncomfortable situation that they are unwilling to face. For same-sex couples to be accepted, we, as a society, must put our judgments aside and experience a world where gay people are able to participate in daily life without being oppressed.I suspect that people would not notice a change from how life is today; the idea of same-sex relationships only affect the people who actually take part in such behavior. I honestly believe that homosexuality would not be nearly as big as a problem as it is today, without the influence of the Catholic Church. The church spews out their opinions on all issues, and provide no alternative; it is either their way or not at all. Same-sex relations should be positively acknowledged with the rights of every other couple in the world, and not ignored.Work Cited Curran, Charles E. , and Richard A. McCormick, S. J, eds. Readings in Moral Theology. 8th ed. New York: Paulist Press. 330-46. Print. Griffiths, Paul J. â€Å"Legalize Same-Se x Marraige. † Commonweal (2003): 10-14. Print. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, â€Å"Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons† (October 1, 1986), http://www. vatican. va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en. html, 18.

Joe, a Filipino Rockssical: Play Review Essay

We were assigned to watch a stage play entitled Joe, a Filipino Rockssical last July 22, 2012 at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila. Actually, I have no interest in watching stage plays but after witnessing the presentation, my point of view changed. The play was about our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, but who is Rizal? For me, Rizal in this modern period is an instrument for us to love our country more despite of the dilemmas or struggles experiencing by it. Even our country had some flaws or imperfections, even the views and beliefs of others to our country were unlovely, we should still be proud and fight for it like what Rizal who’s brave as a lion did. He was also an inspiration to all youths because of his distinct attributes and his perseverance when it comes to studies. The stage play, Joe, a Filipino Rockssical is a kind of presentation wherein it was accompanied by songs and dances which is for me, an effective strategy because it can avoid boredom among the viewers. It has three chapters and used Filipino language for us to understand the play. It also used a little English and Espaà ±ol. This play was not a drama at all, it was also blended with comedy that can crack someone up and will make your jaws fall from laughter. But the most important thing is that it has a moral lesson that the viewers will realize after watching. The stage play was started through a lively song and dance. Six students of Rizal Integrated School were assigned to research and perform a stage play about our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, for the celebration of the 50th Foundation Day of the school. Joecas that symbolizes a man who values his craft more than anyone or anything else, is the writer and director, Joanne that symbolizes the character of having a principle and always with the truth, is the researcher, Hunter that symbolizes a character of having a principle and belief but can sacrifice it for the love of his life, is the composer of music, Bimbo that symbolizes a character that is persistent and diligent in reaching his dreams, is the choreographer, Ambo that symbolizes the character that is gleeful despite of his struggles especially when it comes to love, is the set designer, and Julia that symbolizes a character that has determination in reaching her dreams, is the fashion designer. They finished the play successfu lly although they have a little background or idea about the national hero. Ten years after, Joecas became a prominent writer. He was commissioned by the government to make and direct a stage play about the life of Rizal to be presented as a tribute for his 150th Anniversary of being a hero. Joecas together with his wife Joanne searched for his friends way back in high school to help him in the making of a stage play entitled Joe, the name that Josephine used to call Jose Rizal. Joanne became a successful researcher, Hunter became a rebel who climbed up in the mountains of Banawe, Bimbo became a DJ, Julia became a famous fashion designer, and Ambo owned a parlor. They have decided to stay at the condo of Joecas while finishing the play. During the researching and writing of the play, they learned many things about Rizal’s life. All the significant parts of the history about his live were presented. Some of these were about his love life including Josephine Bracken and Leonora, the writing of the novels that woke the consciousness of the Filipinos, the studying of Rizal abroad and here in Philippines, the exile of Rizal to Dapitan, the retraction of his ideologies to embrace again the Catholicism and to marry Josephine, and the shooting of him at Bagumbayan. The six main characters in the play also faced the different issues in their lives which are similar and compared to the life of Rizal. These consisted of the love of Joecas for Joanne and not sacrificing his love for art which is his true love, the love of Hunter for Joanne and the sacrifice of his ideologies, facing the true sexual preference of Ambo, consciousness of Bimbo about the problems of society, and Julia’s will of studying again. The conflict which is about the retraction was ended through a song and dance wherein the viewers were given the chance to decide whether Rizal signed the retraction or not. At the same time, they presented that even though Rizal signed it or not, what is important is that he had a stand about the ideologies and principles he’s fighting for and he kicked the bucket for the country. After all what happened, years passed, Joecas was given an award and honor for the stage play entitled Joe and he met his friends again during the event. The stage play was ended through a beautiful and magnificent music. In this play, many social illnesses are mentioned and shown and some of these are still occurring nowadays. In the dialogue stated by Ambo, â€Å"Palibhasa kabit ang nanay mo!†, is one of the social illnesses. It symbolizes a character of being a gossiper or spreading a speculation about a certain thing or person. It can cause a dispute or quarrel between the involved people. It can also cause disharmony or disunity. â€Å"I’m so fed up with the so called professionals, sobra na nga maningil wala pang work ethics. At sa sobrang dami ng raket, hindi marunong magcommit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This was said by Joecas. It is one of the social illneses nowadays. Many people have too much confidence or belief in them, the belief that they are superb in terms of doing their work. Not only that, they are also asking for too much payment that is not appropriate, that’s why Philippines is not progressing. â€Å"Isipin na ang mabuting ina ay iba sa inang linalang ng prayle. Dapat palakihin ang anak na malapit baga sa larawan ng tunay na Diyos. Diyos na di nasusuhulan, Diyos na di masakim sa salapi, Diyos na ama ng lahat, na walang kinikilingan, Diyos na hindi tumataba sa dugo ng mahihirap, na hindi nagsasaya sa daing ng naruruhagi at nangbubulag ng matalinong isip.† These are the words mentioned at the back or the window of condo while Hunter and Joanne were fighting. The characteristics of God mentioned was contradictory to our government wherein it can be defined as another social illness. The scene where Ambo said that, â€Å"Hindi naman nasusukat sa sexual preference ang pagkatao at karakter. What is important is the heart and soul.† Judging a person is also one of the social illnesses acted in the play. The reason why most of the people do not believe in their talent is because they were primed by their anxiousness or shyness. The ability of a person is not measured by either physical appearance or sexual preference. In the scene where George Tauffer raped Josephine Bracken can be included as one of the social illnesses nowadays. Rape and other crimes are very rampant during these days. Sometimes, even their own fathers or stepfathers were the ones involved in this kind of situation. There are many barbarians in our country nowadays due to the lack of education or else because of drug addiction. The social illness like spreading information that is not proven or seen is very widespread nowadays. One example of this is occurring in the world of showbiz or show business. Many rumors are spreading in this industry that’s why it’s complicated. Those professionals that were taking too much charges or fees are also rampant nowadays that’s why the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer. Similar to our government officials who live high on the hog, they were corrupting the taxes and other cash received from citizens for their personal use instead of giving it back in the form of basic services like education, health cares, and others. Criminals were also very rampant now and then but because police authorities like the friars before accept bribes, those culprits were not afraid to do crimes. These are some social illnesses mentioned in the play and at the same time I witnessed while watching. This stage play is not presented just to entertain but also to educate the audience. For me, having a stand in everything we do and say is the moral lesson that I have realized after watching. If we said and did something, continue it until the end as long as we know that we’re on the side of truth, although it can hurt those people that we loved the most. Another lesson derived from this play is the true love for the country. If our heroes can defend our country from opportunists and at the same time proud of it, we, the citizens of the Philippines, that have the capability to change the undesirable system of our government, can also do what they have done. It is the time for us to move and act especially the young generation that according to Dr. Jose Rizal is the hope of the nation.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay

In Ambrose Bierce’s short story, ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,’ he uses his setting to carry out the plot of the story better than the short film of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. ’ The words in the short story flow so beautifully, and give such detail as to fully understand the emotions running through Peyton Farquhar’s head as the time progresses to his hanging. In my opinion, the story’s graphic settings and imagery easily grasp the introduction rising action/climax, and conclusion as Ambrose Bierce originally wanted the story to be told. In the introduction of the short story, Bierce tells of a man, soon to be known as Farquhar, standing above a bridge engaged to be hung. As he is waiting for the lieutenant to complete preparations, he lays eyes upon a piece of drift wood in the swirling stream below the bridge. The story then goes into detail about how slowly the stream appeared to be moving the drift wood along, â€Å"He then let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed the current. How slowly it appeared to move! What a sluggish stream! (Literature 71). † However, in the short film it only represents the image of the piece of wood. This driftwood symbolizes the situation he is currently in; that he is in a chaotic predicament but is still able to ‘slowly drift’ through the problem. Therefore the story helps the reader fully grasp the introduction of the story better than the short film. During the middle of the story, before Farquhar’s last moments he thinks about his wife and children only to be interrupted by the sound of his pocket watch. As if time were slowing down in his last seconds, the interval between each tick is symbolic to how little time he has left. â€Å"Striking through the thought of his dear ones was the sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil.. the delays became maddening (Literature 72). † In the short film of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,’ time speeds up and his pocket watch was taken from him by one of the officers, clearly not as in dept to relate why Bierce wrote the pocket watch into the story. Also during the rising action of the written story, it is told in great details of how he plunges into the water, and begins to swim through the stream. When he removes the noose from his neck, he sees himself performing but doesn’t follow through. He commands himself to place the cord back once he feels a sudden pang throughout his body, but his hands disobey him. This gives the reader inside details of the characters internal state, which is not expressed in the short film. Lastly, before it is known that Farquhar has been hung and this was his mind flashing through his last moments of life, the soldiers begin firing guns while he swims to safety downstream. At one point the written story tells of how he is spinning and whirled around in the water; which brings us back to the symbolism of the driftwood in the introduction. He spins round and round like the driftwood, finally caught up and not in control of the predicament he is in. â€Å"He had been caught in a vortex and was being whirled on with a velocity of advance.. spinning like a top (Literature 75). The film does not show the final symbolism of the driftwood and rushes through the stream to only have Farquhar advance to the bank and run through the forest to his wife and children. Therefore, in my opinion, Bierce’s written version of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek,’ uses the setting to advance the story and plot to the readers. It is more in dept and brings all things to light: internal state, physical state, symbolism, and his flashbacks. The introduction, rising action, and conclusion were all better carried out with setting in the written version rather the short film.