Authority in One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Essay Example for Free

Authority in One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Essay On the surface, Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest seem like two very different films. Loneliness is filmed in black and white and takes place in an English borstal school; Cuckoo’s Nest takes place in an American psychiatric ward and is presented in color. Dig a little deeper, however, and it is clear that these films are actually quite similar. Each film depicts the rebellious protaganists—Colin and McMurphy—attempting to overcome the oppressive figures of authority—the Governor and Nurse Ratched. Because of the nature of the films, viewers are lead to consider Colin and McMurphy heroes and to despise the authorities. While it is hard to deny that the Governor and Nurse Ratched don’t at times take advantage of their jurisdiction, it is also unfair to argue against the fact that they are just two people doing their jobs. Both Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest depict rebels who are doomed. The authorities at the psychiatric ward and the borstal have strict rules and expect Randle Patick McMurphy and Colin Smith to conform to these rules, just as every other patient or student has done. The differences between the tone and outcome of these two films are a result of the differences between the types of characters who represent authority. In Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, authorities are shown to be invasive and aggressive. As Colin mentions in the opening line of the film, his family is always running from the police. Further into the film, a flashback shows a detective tracking Colin down at his house after he steals from a bakery. Before finally catching him, the detective is very persistent in his efforts to catch Colin. This surly man provides a search warrant but is unsuccessful in his attempts to locate the stolen money, so he tells Colin that he will be watching him. The true authority figure in Loneliness, though, is the Governor at Ruxton Towers. The Governor is a nice man with absolute power. At the borstal he runs everything by the book. He holds the boys to very strict rules and standards, from having to wear uniforms to having a monitored sleeping schedule. With the boys living and going to school in the same place, there is really no way of escaping the watch of the Governor. In fact, he even comes into the locker room and has conversations with the boys while they are in the shower. Throughout the film, there are also several religious undertones present in the representation of authority, shown primarily in the singing of the English hymn â€Å"Jerusalem. † The Governor uses conformity as a tool to strengthen his school. His main goal is recognition for the school and for himself. In Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched is depicted as a very cold figure. She runs the psychiatric ward with an iron fist. Yes, she answers to the head doctors and has a large staff to help her, but she runs the place. The nurse takes advantage of the vulnerability of her patients. In group ‘therapy’ sessions, she often pushes the men to talk about experiences that they are unwilling to talk about. She uses her friendship with Billy’s mother as a threat in order to get him to cooperate with her. Instead of listening to what McMurphy and the other patients want to do, she pushes her own agenda. When McMurphy and the others want to watch a game of baseball, she won’t let them for the sole purpose of not giving McMurphy what he wants. It seems as though the head doctors (the people who should really be the authority) are oblivious to the actions of Nurse Ratched. In fact, they praise her work and there is no one capable of arguing with them. It is interesting to note that in terms of authority, there is no religious imagery in thie film like in Loneliness. Instead, it is McMurphy who appears Christ-like and takes on ‘disciples. ’ Nurse Ratched uses conformity to get her patients to do as she says. Her goal is to try to ‘fix’ each of them. The Governor is mostly respected by the boys. He’s a nice man, but everyone is afraid of him because of his power, just as employees fear their bosses. They don’t mess with him because they know they can only get so far. He has total control over them because they eat, sleep, and go to school all under his watch. Ruxton Towers is the type of place a teenage boy would want to escape from, but the Governor has made the boys feel as though escape is beyond reality. Nurse Ratched, on the other hand, is not respected by her patients. This is a direct result of her concern with getting people to do as she says rather than gaining their respect. Though she demands to be taken seriously, she rarely is. Her patients are all tired of her oppression but lack the physical and mental capacity to do anything about it. Also, like in Loneliness, her authority is not challenged simply because her subjects are afraid of her. Randle McMurphy and Colin Smith are game-changers. Their arrivals empower their cohorts to act out against the system. We see the authority of the Governor challenged in the food fight scene and the authority of Nurse Ratched challenged in the fishing scene. However, Colin and Randle doom themselves in their final acts of defiance. Colin throwing the race results in his contemptment by the borstal; Randle throwing a party and chocking Nurse Ratched results in his lobotomy. In going against authority, these protagonists are left worse off than they were before. Nurse Ratched and the Governor each bring down the antihero. But does that warrant them heroes? No. It doesn’t make them good or bad. Yes, Nurse Ratched seems evil and the Governor seems overbearing, but we are only viewing them through a lens. They lead a system bad enough for people to want to rebel against it, but maybe that rebellion is against the system and not the characters. These are two characters merely doing their jobs. Their borstal and psychiatric ward are not ones that I would want to be in, but I wouldn’t want to be in any borstal or psychiatric ward. Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest contain similar themes and represent similar figures of authority. Nurse Ratched and the Governor are not the most likeable characters. They desire order and take advantage of their power, and that makes us dislike them. But none of their actions are unprovoked. They have tough jobs and they made mistakes. They’re human.

The History of Writing :: Literature Language Essays

The History of Writing Language existed long before writing, emerging probably simultaneously with sapience, abstract thought and the Genus Homo. In my opinion, the signature event that separated the emergence of palaeohumans from their anthropoid progenitors was not tool-making but a rudimentary oral communication that replaced the hoots and gestures still used by lower primates. The transfer of more complex information, ideas and concepts from one individual to another, or to a group, was the single most advantageous evolutionary adaptation for species preservation. As long ago as 25,000-30,000 years BP, humans were painting pictures on cave walls. Whether these pictures were telling a "story" or represented some type of "spirit house" or ritual exercise is not known. The advent of a writing system, however, seems to coincide with the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to more permanent agrarian encampments when it became necessary to count ones property, whether it be parcels of land, animals or measures of grain or to transfer that property to another individual or another settlement. We see the first evidence for this with incised "counting tokens" about 9,000 years ago in the neolithic fertile crescent. Around 4100-3800 BCE, the tokens began to be symbols that could be impressed or inscribed in clay to represent a record of land, grain or cattle and a written language was beginning to develop. One of the earliest examples was found in the excavations of Uruk in Mesopotamia at a level representing the time of the crystallization of the Sumerian culture.

Lion king

The Lion King was first made in 1994 directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. The original Disney cartoon of a lion cub blamed for his father's death has been remade into a Broadway musical acclaimed all over the world. The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical.The director works closely with the performers in the theatre, guiding them in sharping their performance. The director also works closely with the playwright, and is responsible, as well, for coordinating other aspects of the production. When Julie Taymor the director was faced with a problem of whether to create humans or animals playing the part and she decided to make masks that show the animal face, as well as, show the human face giving the character his or her personality.The costumes have a value of their own, adding color, shape, texture, and symbolism to overall effect. Other element such as; make up, hairstyles, mask and personal items like bracelets and necklaces and also very important. As for expressing other animals that are not part of the main cast or to express a certain theme, 2 different kinds of puppetry were used to express an African theme. Masks are considered â€Å"functional works of art† and play a social purpose in Africa.They are used in storytelling and ceremonies and are made to be worn over the head rather than cover the face. This technique is also used in The Lion King so that the human facial expression is not lost and to support the beadwork, corsets and armor used to show the human qualities of a lion. The costumes on the other hand are made of silk cloth to hide the human form, break the shoulder line and to enhance the powerful Joints and thighs. Lion king The Lion King was first made in 1994 directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. The original Disney cartoon of a lion cub blamed for his father's death has been remade into a Broadway musical acclaimed all over the world. The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical.The director works closely with the performers in the theatre, guiding them in sharping their performance. The director also works closely with the playwright, and is responsible, as well, for coordinating other aspects of the production. When Julie Taymor the director was faced with a problem of whether to create humans or animals playing the part and she decided to make masks that show the animal face, as well as, show the human face giving the character his or her personality.The costumes have a value of their own, adding color, shape, texture, and symbolism to overall effect. Other element such as; make up, hairstyles, mask and personal items like bracelets and necklaces and also very important. As for expressing other animals that are not part of the main cast or to express a certain theme, 2 different kinds of puppetry were used to express an African theme. Masks are considered â€Å"functional works of art† and play a social purpose in Africa.They are used in storytelling and ceremonies and are made to be worn over the head rather than cover the face. This technique is also used in The Lion King so that the human facial expression is not lost and to support the beadwork, corsets and armor used to show the human qualities of a lion. The costumes on the other hand are made of silk cloth to hide the human form, break the shoulder line and to enhance the powerful Joints and thighs.

Rikki Tikki Tavi Essay

When Ricketier hears Nag and Angina plotting to harm his family, he immediately begins to think of a way to help out, â€Å"Now, if kill him here, Nag an will know; and if I fight him on the open floor, the odds are in his favor. † (Para 54) . This proves bravery because Ricketier is thinking about the wellbeing of his family before he's thinking about his wellbeing and the consequences. Courage is demonstrate dated here because it shows even though that most individuals may think of a moon goose as a small creature, Ricketier demolishes that idea by being brave when it matter the most.While Ricketier is talking with Nag, a slight wave of anger washes over h â€Å"Well,† said Ricketier, and his tail began to fluff up again, â€Å"marks or no marks, do you think it is right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest? † (Para 25). Ricketier stop d up for a friend even though he was unsure about what might happen next. Ricketier w as kind enough to help out somebody he didn't know well. If Ricketier decided to go o n the â€Å"renouncement† path, then he wouldn't have been as willing to step up. These w re just a few examples Of Ricketier showing daring and friendly behavior.In the story, Angina IS determined and protective. In paragraph 88, Angina states that she wants to bite Teddy and his family to get rid of Ricketier. She made a plan and stuck to it. This acknowledges the fact that Angina didn't let her fee r of Ricketier stop her from doing what she wanted to do. Even though people HTH ink of snakes as tough creatures, they do get scared sometimes. The fact that Nag an didn't let fear stop her proves that the size of a person doesn't indicate the size of the argue. Angina is similar to Rollicking because Ricketier kept on trying until reached his goal.As Ricketier tells Angina that he has possession of one of h ere eggs she â€Å"spun clear round, forgetting everything for the sake of the one egg,† (par a 95). The character tr ait, protectiveness, is shown because Angina was willing to Stop important task to save her family. She was brave enough to turn her back in a dangerous situation and was willing to risk herself to save one of her eggs. Risk kiting has a similarity to Angina because he saved his family multiple times even w en it meant danger for him.

Karlas Ghost its a narrative essay

Karlas Ghost its a narrative essay The bell rang, it's the end of fourth period in Lincoln School; just as I'm rushing out of room 206, I bump into a garbage can right in the middle of the hallway! Someone must have been cleaning his or her locker. I'm going through the hallway as if I was being tackle by a football team. As I pass a window I see its sunny and that I will have a nice walk home.Finally I get out of the building, I'm free for about five hoursbut then I notice that my best friend Karla is not here. Everyday we leave together but today she wouldn't be next to me, " I wonder why?" On the weekends we sleep at each other's house, watch the scariest ghost movies and even wear blankets over ourselves with flashlights under them, to pretend we are the ghost, the best, and the greatest ones.karla (alternate head)Even though Karla and I don't believe in ghosts or any other abnormal thing, we still play it. Then on the weekdays we switch clothing styles so our friends will think we buy the same outfits; sometimes we come to school so alike that it's as if we spoke through our thoughts. I decide to take the trip to her house, but she lives to the right of the school, the fastest way is going around the school building.As I walk I see that the trees are calm, I feel being watch but with a comfort of safety, and there is no wind but a breeze now in then. It's the perfect temperature not too hot or too cold, its spring. The little flowers next to the huge rocks are starting to blossom their way to the sun. They seem to open wide and develop a quick fluorescent...

Palenque Aqueduct Systems - Ancient Maya Water Control

Palenque Aqueduct Systems - Ancient Maya Water Control Palenque is a famous Classic Maya archaeological site located in the lush tropical forest at the foothills of the Chiapas highlands of Mexico. It is perhaps best known for the lovely architecture of its royal palace and temples, as well as for being the site of the tomb of Palenques most important ruler, king Pakal the Great (ruled A.D. 615-683), discovered in 1952 by the Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Luhillier. A casual visitor at Palenque today always notices the rushing mountain stream nearby, but that is just a hint that Palenque has one of the best preserved and sophisticated systems of underground water control in the Maya region. Palenque Aqueducts Palenque is located on a narrow limestone shelf about 150 meters (500 feet) above the plains of Tabasco. The high escarpment was an excellent defensive position, important in Classic times when warfare was increasingly frequent; but it also a place with many natural springs. Nine separate watercourses arising from 56 recorded mountain springs bring water into the city. Palenque is called the land where the waters flow out of the mountains in the Popol Vuh, and the presence of constant water even in times of drought was very attractive to its residents. However, with so many streams within a limited shelf area, there isnt a lot of space to put houses and temples. And, according to the archaeologist A.P. Maudsley who worked at Palenque between 1889-1902 when the aqueducts had long since stopped functioning, the water level rose and flooded the plaza and residential areas even in the dry season. So, during the Classic period, the Maya responded to the conditions by constructing a unique water control system, channeling the water beneath plazas, thereby reducing floods and erosion, and increasing living space all at the same time. Palenques Water Control The water control system at Palenque includes aqueducts, bridges, dams, drains, walled channels, and pools; much of it recently discovered as a result of three years of intensive archaeological survey called the Palenque Mapping Project, led by American archaeologist Edwin Barnhart. Although water control was a characteristic of most Maya sites, Palenques system is unique: other Maya sites worked to keep water stored during the dry season; Palenque worked to harness the water by constructing elaborate subterranean aqueducts that guided the stream beneath the plaza floors. The Palace Aqueduct Todays visitor entering the archaeological area of Palenque from its north side is guided on a path that leads her from the main entrance to the central plaza, the heart of this Classic Maya site. The main aqueduct built by the Maya to channel the water of the Otulum River runs through this plaza and a length of it has been exposed, a result of the collapse of its vault. A visitor walking down from the Cross Group, on the hilly southeastern side of the plaza, and toward the Palace, will have the opportunity to admire the stonework of the aqueducts walled channel and, especially during the rainy season, to experience the roaring sound of the river flowing under her feet. Variances in building materials made researchers count at least four construction phases, with the earliest one probably contemporaneous to the construction of the Pakals Royal Palace. A Fountain at Palenque? Archaeologist Kirk French and colleagues (2010) have recorded evidence that the Maya not only knew about water control, they knew all about creating and controlling water pressure, the first evidence of prehispanic knowledge of this science. The spring-fed Piedras Bolas aqueduct has a subterranean channel of about 66 m (216 ft) in length. For most of that length, the channel measures 1.2x.8 m (4x2.6 ft) in cross-section, and it follows a topographic slope of about 5:100. Where the Piedras Bolas meets the plateau, there is an abrupt decrease in channel size to a much smaller section (20x20 cm or 7.8x7.8 in) and that pinched-in section runs for about 2 m (6.5 ft) before it reemerges in an adjacent channel. Assuming the channel was plastered when it was in use, even relatively small discharges could maintain a quite significant hydraulic head of nearly 6 m (3.25 ft). French and colleagues suggest that manufactured increase in water pressure may have had a number of different purposes, including maintaining a water supply during drought, but it is possible that there may well have been a fountain springing upward and outward in a display in Pakals city. Water Symbolism at Palenque The Otulum  River that runs from the hills south of the plaza was not only carefully managed by the ancient inhabitants of Palenque, but it was also part of the sacred symbolism used by the city rulers. The spring of the Otulum is in fact next to a temple whose inscriptions talk about rituals associated with this water source. The ancient Maya name of Palenque, known from many inscriptions, is Lakam-h which means great water. It is not a coincidence, then, that so much effort was put by its rulers in connecting their power to the sacred value of this natural resource. Before leaving the plaza and continuing toward the eastern portion of the site, the attention of the visitors is attracted to another element that symbolizes the ritual importance of the river. A huge carved stone with the image of an alligator is posed on the eastern side at the end of the aqueducts walled channel. Researchers link this symbol to the Maya belief that caimans, along with other amphibian creatures, were guardians of the continuous flow of water. At high water, this caiman sculpture would have appeared to have floated on the top of the water, an effect that still is seen today when the water is high. Fending Off Droughts Although American archaeologist Lisa Lucero has argued that a widespread drought may have caused great disruption at many Maya sites at the end of the 800s, French and colleagues think that when the drought came to Palenque, the below-ground aqueducts could have stored adequate amounts of water to keep the city sufficiently watered even during the severest droughts. After being channeled and running under the surface of the plaza, the water of the Otulum flows down the slope of the hill, forming cascades and beautiful water pools. One of the most famous of these spots is called The Queen Bath (Baà ±o de la Reina, in Spanish). Importance The Otulum aqueduct is not the only aqueduct in Palenque. At least other two sectors of the site have aqueducts and constructions related to water management. These are areas not open to the public and located almost 1 km away from the sites core. The history of the construction of the Otulums aqueduct in the main plaza of Palenque offers us a window into the functional and symbolic meaning of space for the ancient Maya. It also represents one of the most evocative places of this famous archaeological site. Sources Edited and updated by K. Kris Hirst French KD. 2007. Creating space through water management at the Classic Maya site of Palenque, Chiapas. In: Marken DB, editor. Palenque: Recent Investigations at the Classic Maya Center. Lanham, Massachusetts: Altamira Press. p 123-132.French KD, and Duffy CJ. 2010. Prehispanic water pressure: A New World first. Journal of Archaeological Science 37(5):1027-1032.French KD, Duffy CJ, and Bhatt G. 2012. The hydroarchaeological method: a case study at the Maya site of Palenque. Latin American Antiquity 23(1):29-50.French KD, Duffy CJ, and Bhatt G. 2013. The urban hydrology and hydraulic engineering at the Classic Maya site of Palenque. Water History 5(1):43-69.Lucero LJ. 2002. The collapse of the Classic Maya: A case for the role of water control. American Anthropologist 104(3):814-826.Lucero LJ, and Fash BW. 2006. Precolumbian Water Management. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Pedaling vs. Peddling

Pedaling vs. Peddling Pedaling vs. Peddling Pedaling vs. Peddling By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked for a post about the confusion between pedaling and peddling. The only errors I found related to the use of two idioms: â€Å"influence peddling† and â€Å"go pedal your papers†: Incorrect: All I had to do was get close to the power brokers in these foreign countries and report on any  influence pedalling  without compromising my clients confidentiality. Correct : All I had to do was get close to the power brokers in these foreign countries and report on any  influence peddling without compromising my clients confidentiality. Incorrect: She should be in jail for corruption and  influence pedalling.   Correct : She should be in jail for corruption and  influence peddling.   Incorrect: After we  told him  to go  pedal his papers  elsewhere,  he  got on  his  cell phone.   Correct : After we  told him  to go  peddle his papers  elsewhere,  he  got on  his  cell phone. â€Å"To peddle† is â€Å"to sell.† â€Å"To pedal† is â€Å"to push with the foot against a pedal.† influence peddling: the practice of using the influence of wealth or authority to bestow favors or obtain preferential treatment. go peddle your papers: go somewhere else with whatever you are trying to sell. The verb peddle is a backformation from pedlar: â€Å"An itinerant trader or dealer in small goods.† Because a pedlar sells items of insignificant value, the verb peddle connotes disparagement and contempt. Note: The US spelling of pedlar is peddler. The noun pedal, referring to a foot-operated lever on an organ, entered English in the 17th century. The verb pedal, with the meaning â€Å"to push a pedal,† came into use in the late 19th century. When bicycles were invented, the foot levers were named pedals. Two figurative expressions based on the word pedal- soft-pedal and backpedal- derive from two different activities. â€Å"To soft-pedal† comes from music. A piano’s pedals enable the player to soften or muffle the sound produced by the keys. Figuratively, â€Å"to soft-pedal† means â€Å"to reduce in force or effect; to tone down, play down, go easy on.† Here are some examples from the Web: After getting retailers and consumers excited by its commitment to closing the online GST loophole, the Government is again soft pedalling on the issue.   A 1960s movie starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty will resurrect the groundless legend of Bonnie Clyde, part Romeo Juliet and part Robin Hood, soft-pedalling the fact that they killed at least 13 police officers and citizens.   The mob-fueled extremism of the Cultural Revolution has been thoroughly rejected by peasant and plutocrat, alike despite propagandistic soft-pedaling in official media. â€Å"To backpedal† comes from cycling. Back-pedaling is the action of pressing down and back on the pedal as it rises, in order to check the movement of the wheel. Figuratively, â€Å"to back-pedal† is to back down from a previous position. Here are some examples: After likening welfare recipients to stray animals, Andre Bauer, the embattled lieutenant governor, is hastily back-pedalling from remarks his rivals have called immoral. In a Rolling Stone interview, Sienna Miller made disparaging remarks about Pittsburg. She has been back-pedalling ever since. Spelling notes: 1. Although pedaling is US spelling and pedalling is British spelling, I noticed the double-l spelling frequently in US publications. 2. The OED shows the verbs as soft-pedal and back-pedal. M-W shows backpedal and soft-pedal. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHow to Punctuate Descriptions of Colors35 Synonyms for Rain and Snow