Rabbit-Proof Fence Essay Example for Free

Rabbit-Proof Fence Essay * How do the filmmakers begin the film and engage us in the story and at the beginning of the film what do you think you are seeing at first? The Australian film based on the true story about â€Å"The Stolen Generation† titled â€Å"Rabbit-Proof Fence† begins with a brief written summary about the Australian Aborigines Act of 1931. This historical information is just enough to really grasp the viewer’s curiosity before moving on to what is initially, the unidentifiable aerial footage of the endless desert plains of Australia. This is footage is only further complicated by the voice of an unknown women speaking in an unfamiliar language and the native sounding instruments fading in slowly from the background. At first, I was unsure of the geographical location, thinking it was possibly that of a sandy or muddy beach. It then crossed my mind that perhaps I had mistakenly selected a non-English version of the film which would explain the foreign language, but not the English text at the beginning. It wasn’t until the view included the unmistakably blue sky along the horizon of the desert that the location became completely recognizable and my previous thoughts were extinguished. * What impressions do you gain of life in the desert Aboriginal community?   Living among nothing more than the dry and dusty Australian plains scattered with sagebrush and a few desert trees, the film showed how desolate of a landscape the Aborigines called home. With nothing more than simple huts constructed from small sticks and branches, their homes didn’t appear to provide adequate shelter much less protection from the elements such as the unrelenting heat and sun. It was clear that their lives had been disrupted by â€Å"white† European settlers whom had depleted their lands of natural resources needed for survival, as the community was forced to rely upon government rations for food, water, clothing, etc. As seen in the film, the community rations were distributed to the native people by a â€Å"white† government worker at the Jigalong depot which gave the state every opportunity to evoke complete control over their lives. * Very early in the film, we see the eagle, Molly’s totem, her spirit bird. Her mother tells her the eagle will look after her. When does the bird appear again in the film and why? The eagle first appears in the very beginning of film as Molly stares up to the blue sky watching intently as an eagle circles overhead. Soon joined by her mother, together they both gaze up as her mother speaks to her in native tongue; she explains the meaning of the totem to Molly and its promise for protection and guidance. Then after Molly and her sisters are taken to the settlement, the eagle appears again circling overhead in her dream signaling that the time had come for the girls to make their escape. Finally, after walking over a thousand miles the two remaining sisters collapse from pure exhaustion in the endless desert when again the eagle appears in Molly’s dreams. Awakening her from near death, the eagle seemingly provides the strength and encouragement needed for Molly to contin ue on, with promise of home. Out of curiosity, I did some further research about the totem and the Aboriginal people. In the Aborigine culture each individual family has a totem with different animal symbols on it which represent their descended mythical â€Å"Being of Dreamtime†: the belief in a spiritual connection between land, animal, and man in a time before time. For indigenous aborigines the religious significance of the totem is conceptually similar to the religious significance of the cross for Christians; both carry symbolic meaning representing a spiritual life. * Why do you think that some children just accepted their fate, whereas others were desperate to escape? After being kidnapped from their family and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement, the Aboriginal children were forced to conform to the strict authority of the sisters and Mr. Neville’s staff, including the tracker. The children were warned from the beginning that if they were to attempt an escape they would be tracked and surely brought back to receive the punishments they had deserved. Those who dare attempt were immediately tracked and returned to the settlement where they would be brutally punished in front of their peers by the Mr. Neville or his staff; after which they were then locked up in the isolation room for hours or even days. For the majority of the children the fear of punishment was enough for them to accept their fate and obey the endless rules. Additionally, it seemed that for many of the children the settlement had become their home and they didn’t want to leave. Clearly this was not the case for Molly, and the other girl seen punished in the movie for sneaking out to visit her boyfriend. * What kind of activities were the children involved in to â€Å"civilize and Christianize† them? Once the children arrived at the Moore River Native Settlement they were expected to dress, speak, and behave as instructed by Mr. Neville’s staff. The children were each scrubbed by one of the sister’s before being dressed all alike in plain smocks and shoes. At the start of each meal they were required to stand and all say a uniform prayer before eating. They were required to address their elders by â€Å"Ms. or Mr.† only, able to speak only when spoken to, allowed only to speak in English instead of their native tongue which was commonly referred to as â€Å"jabber†. All the children were forced to attend classes, and church as instructed, as well as daily chores like sweeping, mopping, and sewing. * After their escape, when ever Mollly is asked where she is going, the answer is always the one word: â€Å"home†, what does this mean to Molly? For Molly, the word â€Å"home† is where she belongs, the place where her mom is, the only place she knows, the place she must return to at all costs. Unlike some of the other children who had been made to believe that the settlement was their home, and that they no longer had a mother; Molly knew better, she knew that they still had a mother. For fourteen years, wherever her family was at was â€Å"home† and she dearly longed to be reunited with the family that she loved and she knew loved her. * The girls stumble across a remote farm where they meet Mavis, another Stolen Generations Aboriginal girl who is working as a domestic helper. What evidence is there to suggest that life is very difficult for Mavis? Why was she so keen for the girls to shelter with her for the night? One of the few people that the sisters encountered on their incredibly long journey across the desolate Australian plains was a young woman by the name of Mavis. They came across a homestead where they found Mavis hanging laundry, deciding to stop and take the chance by asking for food. As the girls soon would learn, she too had been kidnapped from her family and brought to the compound where she lived until she was old enough to go to work as a domestic worker for the white family with whom she lived. Immediately upon seeing the girls, Mavis r ecognized the trio as having escaped from Moore River. She instructed the girls to wait in the brush until later that evening when she would bring them food and insist upon them staying with her for the night. That night as the girls lay fast asleep in Mavis’ bed they were woke by the white boss man attempts to crawl into bed with whom he clearly had thought to be only Mavis. After the discovery, Mavis briefly spoke with boss man before pleading with the girls to stay with her for the remainder of night out. Clearly she was fearful that if they left her bed he would return to finish what he had started. Unfortunately, despite her promise, Mavis boss did in fact call the authorities and again the girls were woke, only luckily this time narrowly escaping capture by outwitting the trackers. * Imagine you are Molly aged about thirty and the mother of two children. Tell your children what you learned from your experiences in 1931. First of all, I want to acknowledge that it is impossible for me to comprehend what Molly, or any Aboriginal child endured at the hands of the Western Australian government; I can only do my best to imagine what I would be like after such an experience. As forty four year old Molly with two children, I anticipate that I would be open and honest with my children about the events in my life while doing my absolute best to teach my chil dren about the necessity of forgiveness. I would try to explain that the actions of the Australian government were the result of ignorance and fear. It is our job as parents to prepare our children for the future and to hopefully avoid repeating the mistakes of our past; as such I feel that it would do no good to teach them to be angry or hateful towards the â€Å"white† people, but feel sorry for their ignorance. * Many Aboriginal Australians today are still suffering from the effects of loss of identity and family brought about by the practice of removing Aboriginal children. What do you understand by the word â€Å"reconciliation†? To me personally, the word reconciliation means the act of making something right that has been wronged and I don’t know if the past in instances like this can be made right. After the movie, I went on to view several other pieces about the Stolen Generations and some of the stories were heart breaking to say the least. It is very true that many Aboriginal families are still suffering today; many who have lost every bit of their real heritage as a result. It’s hard to imagine not having any idea where you came from, but it’s even harder to imagine those whose last memory of their mother was her heartbroken face as they were ripped from her arms. To have no idea what became of your people is something I can only begin to imagine. Therefore, I don’t think that there ever will be any reconciliation possible between the government and the Aboriginal people, an apology sure but the wrong will never be able to be right. What I do believe can take place, is for the Australian government to accept responsibility for the mistakes of their predecessor’s against the Aboriginal people and to provide any and all resources that may help this culture heal.

Paradise Lost Essays -- essays papers

Paradise Lost The poem is divided up into 12 books. The verse is English heroic without rhyme, as that of Homer in Greek, and of Virgil in Latin. (Knopf, 1996) â€Å"This neglect then of rhyme so little is to be taken for a defect, though it may seem so perhaps to vulgar readers, that it rather is to be esteemed an example set, the first in English, of ancient liberty recovered to heroic poem from the troublesome and modern bondage of writing.† (Knopf, 1996) Book One proposes the whole subject of the poem of mans disobedience and the loss of the Paradise where God had placed him. The serpent or Satan is talked about whom is the prime cause of mans fall. Satan who was once at Gods side had revolted and was driven out of heaven along with thousands of angels to a place of â€Å"utter darkness, filtiest called Chaos.†(Knopf, 1996) While they were recovering from being banished from heaven, Satan regroups them with a speech that they still have a chance to regain heaven. In his speech he also tells them of a new world that is to be created along with a new being. To find out if this prophecy is true, Satan convenes a full council in his palace called Pandemonium. This book ends as the consultation begins. Book Two is where the debate among his council has begun and they are discussing basically three ideas. They are wondering if another battle will help them with the recovery of heaven and if it would be detrimental to their efforts. Some are for this proposal and others against it. The third proposal is to find out the truth of the prophecy of a new world and a new being. Whether the being is equal to them, or inferior. Satan will undertake this journey alone, which is seen as a very honorable thing to do.... ...oo bitter of a man, as he had already lost just about everything except his ability to write at the very end. He will always be an icon in literature, and my look on life is broader for having had the chance to scratch the surface of the man known as John Milton. Bibliography: Hill, John Spencer. John Milton: Poet, Priest and Prophet. London: Macmillin, 1979 http://axil.uttawa.a/~phoenix/jm-ch-2.htm Marlowe, Christopher. Milton-What’s His Gig? milton.html@www.missouri.edu Milton, John. Paradise Lost. (Electronic version.) Internet WWW at URL: http://dreamfarer.home.mindspring.com/milton.htm (accessed [March 1998]). Patterson, Frank Allen. The Student’s Milton. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc. New York 1961 Steadman, John M. Milton and the Renaissance Hero. Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1967

Library System Essay

Technology has already become one of the essentials of a person’s daily living. Without it, life would be much more complicated for people will still always have to do things manually. It has already helped billions of people here on the planet. It simply makes life much easier. It makes tasks easier and faster to accomplish. Furthermore, technology has already been a part of our daily lives. It is everywhere; from the simplest things like mobile phones to the biggest machineries. It is already given to people and it’s up to you to maximize its use to the fullest. Technology is needed everywhere; grocery stores, malls, offices and especially in schools. Not only should the students learn how to use technology, computers to be exact. It also has to be learned by the instructors to keep up with this fast-growing computer age. In line with this, they also need it to ease their tasks from calculating grades to simple library systems. Handling a library could be a very complicated task as you need to keep an updated list of the books being used, borrowed and returned. Also, a librarian’s task is to organize these books so that it would be easier to find. Most libraries still stick to the manual system from long ago. This makes their job more complicated and more time consuming. A library system is important to a library to make the job for looking, arranging, borrowing and returning of books simpler with just a couple of clicks. Books would be much easier to find and borrowing and returning of books would be updated easily. With everything systemized and automatic, it will lessen the job of the librarian. 1. 1Background of the Study San Roque Catholic School is parochial catholic school located beside San Roque de Alabang Parish, Mendiola, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. It was established in 1981 by parish priest, Monsignor Tomas T. Gonzales. Its first batch was made up of one hundred forty one students which were divided into three sections. It was in 1982 when its three-storey building was begun to be built, due to the increase of the population of the students in the following year. Their first principal was Miss Lydia Santos. For 31 years, San Roque Catholic School has been providing affordable, high quality education to its students aiming to cultivate spirituality, evangelize and spread Christianity. In the present, San Roque Catholic School has a population of about nine hundred to one thousand two hundred students and approximately 20-25 faculty members. It already has two campuses: The main which is the original building and the annex that serves as the building for the elementary students which is in Ilaya, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The school library is located at the 3rd floor of St. Roch building. It was built by joining two rooms together. Half of the library contains the librarian’s desk, books, and tables. The other side is where magazines, newspapers, computer units, and the latest books are. The number of books hasn’t grown that much for the past years. It has approximately 1000-1500 books. An average of 10-20 classes visits the library every day. Almost half of the class borrows books. Although they already have an existing library system, the librarian still finds it inefficient to manage the books for the students. On our system, we have our current features; Login system with History log, for security on the administrators and assistants. The system has simple processes like add, edit & archive a book to database, and Filtered book search results. Has a book preview pane, gives the librarian the image of the front page of the book. Have Corporate GUI design that is neat and user friendly. Everyday alert, gives the librarian each updates on everyday processes and transactions. Daily, Weekly & Monthly Reports and has an penalty which is very convenient. 1. 2 Statement of the Problem After gathering information, the proponents found the following problems: General Problem The school manual library system is time consuming and is sometimes inaccurate. This doubles the job at hand. The proponents also found out that the penalty of the due books is sometimes miscalculated by the manual system, which can hinder the library’s implementation of rules against overdue books. It usually takes long for the librarian to accommodate many borrowers at a time because of the system’s process. Specific Problem 1. The system cannot view the content of each book when borrowing. 2. The system process is not easy. 3. The system lacks of security. 4. The system cannot confirm the identity of the book that is being borrowed. 5. The system’s process of updating information is time-consuming. 6. The system’s catalogue process is manually maintained. 1. 3 Objectives of the Study This study was made in order to achieve the following points: 1. 3. 1 General Objectives To develop an efficient and user-friendly library system for San Roque Catholic School that will ease the process of the system. 1. 3. 2 Specific Objectives 1. To create a system that will preview the content of each book; 2. To build a system that has an easy to use-all in-one interface; 3. To make a multiple user-account system. 4. A system that will preview the cover of each book. 5. System that will be able to update the information on each book. 6. To develop a system that is cataloguing ready. 1. 4 Significance of the Study The system is being fulfilled in order to benefit the following: †¢ School Administrator The system will ease the inventory of the library system. Determining the number of available copies and the number of copies needed for each book won’t take much time. †¢ School Librarian The system will avoid long lines when students borrow books at the same time thus, it will make the job much easier and more time constraint. It won’t be a hassle tracking down penalty fees anymore. †¢ Students The system will make it easier to browse books without checking every shelf for its availability. †¢ Future Proponents The system will serve as guide for future use and also a practice for aspiring programmers. 1. 5 Scope and Limitations The scope of this study: The Study is conducted at San Roque Catholic School. Therefore, we’ve managed to produce a few scopes on the system. †¢ The User Interface We will be focusing more on making the system more user-friendly. †¢ Borrowing System. The system allows viewing of borrowers and books for the librarian. The system is able to retrieve the books borrowed date and return date. †¢ Catalogues The catalogues are printable whether it is single or multiple. †¢ Preview of Book Cover The book cover is able to be previewed using the library system without needing to search for the book in the shelves of the library. †¢ Overdue penalties The system is able to track down the number of days the book is overdue and as well as the total penalty to be paid by the borrower. The limitations of this study: The system that we’ve created has few limitations, issues like lack of time, Error Fixings and Maintenance. †¢ Weekly Reports This feature has been implemented but it is not yet accurate. †¢ Library Cards This feature cannot be implemented in our system due to technical difficulties. Methodology The researchers decided to use the prototyping paradigm. Prototype systems development methodology in which a prototype is built, tested, and then reworked as necessary until an acceptable prototype is finally achieved from which the complete system or product can now be developed. This paradigm is very helpful to the group because the system can be adjusted frequently even the small details to make the system effective to the library. System Development Life Cycle Planning Phase In this Phase, is to plan and achieve the client’s perspective on their said features, think all possible problems that may appear while building the system and how to create that system in efficient way and not time consuming. Analysis Phase Phase that focus on all errors or problems can be acquired, how to resolve it and meet all the expectations of the clients. Design Phase In this Phase, To create a system that is very easy to use, have a well organized codes, have a user friendly GUI and meets all requirements needed to impress the clients. Implementation Phase Where the system is finished, all data are converted, resolve all possible errors during on designing and until its ready to install on their computer. Its smooth and efficiency makes the system great on quick processes. Maintenance Phase This phase checks and maintains the system for unspecified or unexpected errors that have been occurred after using it. The system can also be updated, giving it a better performance on each task.

How Political Parties Harm Democracy - 1957 Words

Roy Young Professor Goodman PSCI 4300 U.S. Congress 11 March 2013 How Political Parties Harm Democracy Political parties exist in a democracy as a way for likeminded individuals to be united over a set of shared beliefs. (Daniel) Political parties allow the members of the party to elect politicians to government positions in order to advance their beliefs. (Hargrave) The political parties offer their members strength in numbers, by uniting large numbers of individuals into a collective group; they can select the best candidates to pursue their interests, as opposed to having thousands of individuals running for office based on a very narrow spectrum of beliefs. (Daniel) While political parties help organize the election process and†¦show more content†¦The ways in which people vote have led to a situation where there are two political parties that dominate the elections. This leads to an inability of the voters to choose the candidates of their likings. The existence of political parties has led to a situation in the United States that is inconsistent with the intentions of a representational style of government that the country was formed on. The existence of these political parties has taken much of the power and ability to control the government away from the citizens. (Hargrave) The United States government is set up in a way that allows the people to elect individuals that they see best fit for serving their needs and desires. This is evident in the House of Representatives. In the House of Representatives, each representative is elected by the people of his district. The citizens of each district vote on the candidate that will best serve their needs once in Washington D.C. (Davidson) Although the representatives are elected based on their promises to their constituencies, they face a great challenge once in office, and that is the political party to which they belong. While serving in the House of Representatives, th e individual congressmen that are elected by the citizens of their districts are expected to comply with the beliefs of the political party that they belong to. By having to vote on issues based on theShow MoreRelatedThe Detrimental Practice of Gerrymandering1004 Words   |  5 Pagespractices exist that greatly harm the American public. One of these dangerous practices, known as gerrymandering, occurs in nearly every state. While some claim that the practice helps America, in reality gerrymandering harms American democracy and safety. Gerrymandering greatly affects society, and must become illegal to insure fair representation, the democratic processes in America continues, and America continues to thrive. When gerrymandering occurs, a political party draws the boundaries of anRead MoreShould Mandatory Voting Be Banned?912 Words   |  4 Pagesthe decline in voter turn-out in the last several elections is one of great concern to Canada’s democracy. As a result, mandatory voting has gained the attention of many political scientists and political analysts. While there are good reasons to worry about Canadians’ diminishing voter turn-out, it is also fair to say that mandatory voting will not prove beneficial to the future of Canada’s democracy. Although mandatory voting will increase the voter turn-out, it will not create an informed voterRead MoreThe Country s Current Political Infrastructure1223 Words   |  5 Pagesled to throwing off Entdeckungland politics into confusion. Ever since president’s best’s death all parties have be banned and thrown over by new ones. Entdeckungland political infrastructure is leading the people of Entdeckungland to confusion and this can harm the nation as a whole, not only its political system, but its very survival as a country depends on how the country’s current political infrastructure is resolved. No group has ever been able to colonize the institutions of government andRead MoreJacksonian America Essay1150 Words   |  5 PagesDemocrats created a vastly popular political party. They were, of course, led by Andrew Jackson, a war hero and a man of the people. Jacksons followers who created the party were also for the people. Such ideals were shown throughout various times within the period. The democrats were essentially guardians of the United States Constitution and, similarly, were protectors of individual liberties. In addition to this, the Jacksonian Democrats promoted political democracy, a nd also the equality of economicRead MoreCitizens United for Arguments1260 Words   |  6 PagesContention 1: Super PACs decrease voter turnout Subpoint A: Voter turnout is a pre-requisite to the election process A flourishing democracy presupposes citizens who care, who are willing to take part, and who are capable of helping to shape the common agenda of a society. Participation through the act of voting, is always seen as an essential prerequisite of stable democracy. Subpoint B: Super PACs decrease voter turnout by 25% â€Å"Unlimited spending by supposedly independent super PACs is creatingRead MoreThe Party System Is Not The Best System For America1606 Words   |  7 Pageswould be more beneficial to move to an open multi-party system to give Americans more choice in its elections, and more political diversity. Third-party running candidates in America are always a possibility, but are majorly overshadowed by the already well established Democratic and Republican party candidates. Many Americans would prefer an alternative to our current system, but are either bullied into conforming to it, or are convinced that third-party is a waste of a vote. One of the main reasonsRead MoreThe Plagues And Profits Of Polarization1587 Words   |  7 PagesGeorge Washington warned against the â€Å"party passions† that weaken public administration, afflict the community, promote animosity between different sectors, and as a result, render the American nation vulnerable to foreign invasion. Political polarization is most simply defined as the divide between Liberals and Conservatives or between Republicans and Democrats. According to measurements from DW-NOMINATE, a system that gives politicians a score based on how liberal or conservative they are, polarizationRead More Democracy: An Analysis Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pagesonce remarked that â€Å"democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried†. In agreement with his statement, this paper will examine the problems of democratic governments using specific examples, and compare it to the failure of fascist governments in Nazi Germany and Italy and communist governments in the Soviet Union and China. Theoretically, democracy is a stable form of government where power is in the hands of the people. In a democracy, people have the libertyRead MoreEssay about United States Government vs. North Korean Government1324 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States has a complex government that builds on democracy whereas North Korea has communism centered on totalitarian rule. Both had their conflicts during the past and still are struggling in the future. Even though their government has two different sides to tell about they too have some similarities. One country having majority rule and the other having political authority [whom] exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life (definition: totalitarianism at dictionaryRead MoreEssay on Vietnam and Korean Wars Ruined Americas Image566 Words   |  3 Pagespreserve a separate, independent, non-communist government. The elections had great effects on the America, as the communist parties of Korea and Vietnam led milli ons of their people to restore the independence of each individual country. The Americans strictly against national elections rose to take control, but ended up mishandling the situation. Now the question is not about how come they did this, but it’s more like why did they start these horrible incidences? Why did the United States oppose the