Common Muslim and Arab Stereotypes in TV and Film

Common Muslim and Arab Stereotypes in TV and Film Even before the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Arab-Americans, Middle Easterners, and Muslims faced sweeping cultural and religious stereotypes. Hollywood films and television shows frequently depicted Arabs as villains, if not outright terrorists, and misogynistic brutes with backward and mysterious customs. Hollywood has largely portrayed Arabs as Muslims, overlooking the significant number of Christian Arabs in the United States and the Middle East. The media’s racial stereotyping of Middle Eastern people has allegedly produced unfortunate consequences, including hate crimes, racial profiling, discrimination, and bullying. Arabs in the Desert When Coca-Cola debuted a commercial during Super Bowl 2013 featuring Arabs riding camels in the desert, Arab-American groups werent pleased. This representation is largely outdated, much like Hollywood’s common portrayal of Native Americans as people in loincloths and war paint running through the plains. Camels and the desert can be found in the Middle East, but this portrayal has become stereotypical. In the Coca-Cola commercial, Arabs appear backward as they compete with Vegas showgirls and cowboys using more convenient forms of transportation to reach a giant bottle of Coke in the desert. â€Å"Why is it that Arabs are always shown as either oil-rich sheiks, terrorists, or belly dancers?† asked Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, during a Reuters interview about the commercial. Arabs as Villains and Terrorists There is no shortage of Arab villains and terrorists in Hollywood films and television programs. When the blockbuster â€Å"True Lies† debuted in 1994, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a spy for a secret government agency, Arab-American advocacy groups staged protests in major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, because the film featured a fictional terrorist group called the â€Å"Crimson Jihad,† whose members, Arab-Americans complained, were portrayed as one-dimensionally sinister and anti-American. Ibrahim Hooper, then a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The New York Times: â€Å"There is no clear motivation for their planting nuclear weapons. They are irrational, have an intense hatred for everything American, and that’s the stereotype you have for Muslims.† Arabs as Barbaric When Disney released its 1992 film â€Å"Aladdin,† Arab-American groups voiced outrage over the depiction of Arab characters. In the first minute, for example, the theme song declared that Aladdin hailed â€Å"from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam, where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face. Its barbaric, but hey, it’s home.† Disney changed the lyrics in the home video release after Arab-American groups blasted the original as stereotypical. But the song wasn’t the only problem advocacy groups had with the film. There was also a scene in which an Arab merchant intended to hack off the hand of a woman for stealing food for her starving child. Arab-American groups also took issue with the rendering of Middle Easterners in the film; many were drawn â€Å"with huge noses and sinister eyes,† The Seattle Times noted in 1993. Charles E. Butterworth, then a visiting professor of Middle East politics at Harvard University, told The Times that Westerners have stereotyped Arabs as barbaric since the Crusades. â€Å"These are the terrible people who captured Jerusalem and who had to be thrown out of the Holy City,† he said, adding that the stereotype seeped into Western culture over centuries and is found in Shakespeares works. Arab Women: Veils, Hijabs, and Belly Dancers Hollywood also has represented Arab women narrowly. For decades, women of Middle Eastern descent have been portrayed as scantily clad belly dancers and harem girls or as silent women shrouded in veils, similar to how Hollywood has portrayed Native American women as Indian princesses or squaws. The belly dancer and veiled female sexualize Arab women, according to the website Arab Stereotypes: â€Å"Veiled women and belly dancers are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, belly dancers code Arab culture as exotic and sexually available. ... On the other hand, the veil has figured both as a site of intrigue and as the ultimate symbol of oppression.† Films such as Aladdin (2019), â€Å"Arabian Nights† (1942), and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944) are among a host of movies featuring Arab women as veiled dancers. Arabs as Muslims and Foreigners The media nearly always portray Arabs and Arab-Americans as Muslims, although most Arab-Americans identify as Christian and just 12 percent of the world’s Muslims are Arabs, according to PBS. In addition to being sweepingly identified as Muslims in film and television, Arabs are often presented as foreigners. The 2000 census (the latest for which data on the Arab-American population is available) found that nearly half of Arab-Americans were born in the U.S. and 75 percent speak English well, but Hollywood repeatedly portrays Arabs as heavily accented foreigners with strange customs. When not terrorists, Arab characters in films and television often are oil sheiks. Portrayals of Arabs born in the United States and working in mainstream professions, such as banking or teaching, remain rare. Resources and Further Reading: â€Å"Arab-Americans Protest True Lies.† New York Times, 16 July 1994. Scheinin, Richard. â€Å"‘Aladdin’ Politically Correct? Arabs, Muslims Say No Way ⠁  - Criticisms That Kid Movie Is Racist Takes Disney by Surprise.† Entertainment the Arts, Seattle Times, 14 Feb. 1994, 12:00 a.m. â€Å"Veils, Harems Belly Dancers.† Reclaiming Our Identity: Dismantling Arab Stereotypes, Arab American National Museum, 2011.

Discussion Question 13 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Question 13 - Assignment Example There are various behaviors that I need to incorporate in my teaching such as cultivating a holistic mindset and internalizing professional ethical standards that are sensitive to cultural diversity. I will also need to engage in those activities that advance nursing education and science. This also means that I will need to exhibit discovery behaviors by developing and adopting scholarly materials and make sure that I am creative and persevering enough to cater for the needs of the rest. I am meeting this scholarship competency by being proficient in writing of proposals. I am also considering ingraining lifelong learning concepts and being focused on understanding how diverse people learn. I have also continued to ensure that I seek advanced teaching techniques in order to expand my theoretical intellect. In order to prepare nurse students, I ought to be an expert in my nursing skills. Therefore, in case I do not get an opportunity to complete this competency, I will meet it in future as an educator by making sure that I balance the time that I spend in academics with that spent improving my personal skills in both roles as a nurse and an educator. Finally, I will continue going for seminars, trainings, practice prospects, and workshops to ensure personal growth (Cash & Tate, 2008). Cash, P., & Tate, B. (2008). Creating a Community of Scholars: using a Community Development approach to Foster Scholarship with Nursing Faculty. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 5(1):

Pharmaceutical Treatment Options for Myasthenia Gravis Article

Pharmaceutical Treatment Options for Myasthenia Gravis - Article Example The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has the distinction of being the first site of a defined autoantibody mediated neurological disease, namely myasthenia gravis (MG), which is due to autoantibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (Vincent, 2002). Other targets at the NMJ include muscle specific kinase (MuSK) in MG patients without AChR antibodies. About 20% of MG patients with generalized disease in Europe, North America and Japan do not have AChR antibodies. These so called 'seronegative' MG patients can be divided into two groups: those with antibodies to MuSK and those without [AChR/MuSK seronegative MG (SN-MG) (Hoch etal, 2001). In normal neuromuscular transmission depolarization of the presynaptic nerve terminal produces an influx of calcium through voltage-gated calcium channels. Vesicles containing acetylcholine (ACh) then fuse with the presynaptic nerve terminal membrane. After release, ACh interacts with the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) on the muscle endplate surface. This opens the AChR channel, resulting in an influx of cations, largely sodium. Depolarization of the muscle surface produces an excitatory endplate potential, and if the endplate potential is of sufficient amplitude, muscle surface voltage-gated sodium channels are opened. This generates an action potential that eventually results in excitation-contraction coupling and muscle movement. ACh binds transiently to its receptor and then either diffuses from the neuromuscular junction or is hydrolyzed by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), providing a self-limited response to nerve depolarization. In MG, antibodies are directed against the acetylcholine receptors (AChR antibodies). AChR antibodies interfere with neuromuscular transmission through one of three mechanisms- First, some bind to the AChR cholinergic binding site, blocking the binding of ACh. Second, some AChR antibodies cross-link muscle surface AChRs, increasing their rate of internalization into muscle and reducing the numbers of available AChRs. Third, and perhaps most importantly, AChR antibodies that bind complement result in destruction of the muscle endplate, and a more long-lasting loss of AChRs. Drugs like acetylcholinestrase inhibitors nhibits AChE, increasing the amount of ACh available to interact with available AChRs, thus prolonging the action of Ach, and allowing muscle contraction. Pharmacological treatment Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the first pharmacological choice in the treatment of MG. Acetylcholinesterase is an acetylcholine-hydrolyzing enzyme which binds the overflowing acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junction, keeping the junction clean from excessive transmitter. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors bind to the acetylcholinesterase, inhibiting its action. Pyridostigmine is a more recent long-acting reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors increase the amount of available acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junction. This leads to enhanced binding of acetylcholine to the diminished number of AChRs on the myasthenic muscle cell membrane, causing contractility improvement (Millard and Broom field, 1995) When additional pharmacological tre

Persuasive Message Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Persuasive Message - Essay Example As such, we have come up with detailed and more complex ways of handling cleaningness as one of the more imperative outsourcing projects. Apparently, we are aware that numerous companies have claimed to offer cleaning services in the market but have ended up doing the exact opposite. However, at Marcus-Fortune Cleaning Agency we believe that ‘COMFY DEMANDS CLEANINGNESS’. In this regard, we are equipped to offer probation services at affordable fees to act as an expression of our undoubted services upon your approval and cooperation. Marcus-Fortune Cleaning Agency as a cleaning agency offers services such as essential cleaning for offices, hospitals, schools, churches, hotels among other institutions. In addition, it offers moving services for offices and residential places for both private and public properties. Another service that we offer comprises of providing hygiene bins, collecting, and replacing them for use in washroom and recreational facilities in their respected institutions and organizations. It is for this undoubted reason that Marcus- Fortune Cleaning Agency is at your service to ensure that the level of cleaningness has met you comfort. At Marcus- Fortune Cleaning Agency, you are assured of getting the highest level of cleaningness that gives you the utmost comfort required. In addition, we have a dedicated working rot that is willing to retain its professionalism while working towards satisfaction of its potential customers. We have incorporated a comprehensive brochure of the agency, for your perusal. We anticipate for convenient meetings where we could discuss the likelihood of working with you in future. As such, we will contact you sooner than later for the possibility of setting up meetings at your convenience. You can also visit our website at www.marcusfortuneagency.uk for more information on the

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Essay Example for Free

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Essay This measurable activity can be detected by a Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, machine. The machine created a powerful magnetic field which aligned the hydrogen atoms in the body. Radio waves are used to alter the alignment of this magnetization which causes the atoms to emit a weak radio signal that can be detected by the machine. The subject lies very still in the MRI machine, essentially a giant cylinder. A movement of more than 3 mm could render the image useless so absolute stillness is a necessity. The test can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours and during that time the subject will undergo various stimulants designed to alter the neural activity (MRI 2007). In regards to detecting deceit, the subject would undergo a series of questions while the neural activity is monitored. At least two companies have been established to use fMRI for lie detection purposes, No Lie MRI, Inc. and Cephos Corporation (FRMI 2007). They represent the latest in scientific achievement for detecting the truthfulness of people. Since this technique is so new, there will obviously be questions to its reliability. However, these questions will work themselves through as more research is done on this particular topic. Unfortunately, several court cases may have determined that this technique may not be admissible in court. On the federal side the court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals changed how scientific â€Å"expert† evidence was determined to be admissible. According to D. Arthur Kelsey, the â€Å"pre-Daubert courts allowed scientific testimony when the underlying scientific theory or basis of opinion was generally accepted as reliable within the expert’s particular field† (Kesley 2006). This concept, as noted by Wikipedia entries, is known as the Frye test. It came about in 1923 in the case Frye v. United States which asked if the evidence was relevant and generally accepted. Modern critics complained that the Frye test was antiquated and did not allow for new, cutting-edge scientific evidence to be presented (Frye 2007). Other critics were concerned that if the evidence was allowed purely on relevance alone, too much scientific evidence include so called â€Å"junk science† would result. The Frye test was simply too simple for it to be used in the complex, modern world. An overhaul of that standard was needed. One man pushing for reform was Peter Huber. He wrote a book called Galileo’s Revenge: Junk Science in the Courtroom. The book asserted that junk science was destroying the American courtroom. His theory was based on two premises. First, the average juror was too stupid to understand what is and what is not junk science. The second premise was the result of junk science discourages companies from introducing better products in fear or being sued (Daubert 2007). In 1993, the Supreme Court revisited this issue to answer the modern problem of new scientific evidence. The ruling gave birth to the Daubert standard. This standard is based on two aspects: relevancy and reliability. The question of relevancy asks whether the evidence has anything to do with the case. Although some expert testimony can be related to a case, it may not necessarily be relevant to it. To determine whether evidence is considered reliable, the Supreme Court determined that the conclusions of the expert witness must have been derived using the scientific method (Daubert 2007). To meet the standard of the scientific method, four things are needed. First, the test or theory must be falsifiable, refutable, and testable. This is also called empirical testing. Second, it must be â€Å"subjected to peer review and publication. † Third, it must have a â€Å"known or potential error rate and the existence and maintenance of standards concerning its operation. † Finally, the theory and technique is generally accepted by a relevant scientific community† (Daubert 2007). Technically speaking the Frye test contained the last aspect of the scientific method, but it failed to include the first three. To summarize, the Daubert standard asks five questions from every new technique to determine if it is admissible. First, â€Å"has the technique been tested in actual field conditions (and not just in a laboratory)? † Second, â€Å"has the technique been subject to peer review and publication? † Third, â€Å"what is the known or potential rate of error? Is it zero, or low enough to be close to zero? † Fourth, â€Å"do standards exist for the control of the techniques operation? † Finally, â€Å"Has the technique been generally accepted within the relevant scientific community? (Daubert 2007)† Initial reaction was that of praise for the reform. However, according to the Tellus Institute the standard in practice has not been favorable. A 2002 RAND study showed a significant increase in the rejection of expert testimony of which 90% fell against the plaintiffs (Daubert 2007). The problem is judges are not scientists yet Daubert asks them to make scientific decisions. Essentially they because â€Å"amateur scientists. † In some states, plaintiffs prefer to use the state court because they tend to be friendlier to expert witnesses (Tellus 2007). Kelsey asserts that the Daubert shifts the question of who decides whether the scientific evidence is reliable from the scientific community to the judge. Under federal law, using the Daubert standard, the fMRI would questionable as admissible evidence. The problem is with the complex nature of the test itself. Although MRIs are generally accepted within the medical community, this concept is no longer used as a test since the Daubert standard replaced the Frye test. Judges now have to weigh whether or not the fMRI is reliable as evidence. For evidence to be considered admissible, the conclusions must derive from the scientific method. Unfortunately, one of the biggest critiques of the fMRI is how it does not follow the method of the scientific method. Wikipedia points out that â€Å"many theoretical models used to explain fMRI signals are so poorly specified that they are not falsifiable. † This is a central tenet of the scientific model. This only can exclude it as evidence and any good defense attorney will point that out to a judge. Also, critics claim that fMRI is simply a modern day phrenology. Phrenology is the theory that claims to be able to determine character and personality traits based on the shape of the head, according to Wikipedia (2007). This concept is derived by how fMRI looks for where hemodynamic activity occurs in the brain as opposed to how. Although this comparison is hardly fair considering one is not based on science and the other is. Nevertheless, it may be enough to have a judge throw it out as evidence. Relevancy also comes into question as the second part of Daubert. Although truth is always relevant in a case, are the specific subject’s results from an fMRI during questioning relevant? Based on this, most likely the fMRI would not pass the Daubert standard and not deemed admissible in court. This is unfortunate as the Daubert standard is essentially calling fMRI lie detection â€Å"junk science† when it is far from it. It is new science and the federal system does not allow for a practical way for new science to present itself. Rather it applies an old model against the new science. However, some states are making laws that allow techniques such as fMRI to be admissible. The state of Virginia is one such state that has sought to ensure that its evidence not fall prey to that of the Daubert standard. Kesley points out that Virginia disliked the Frye test more than the federal courts because it believed is yielded far too much power to the scientific community and not to the consensus of the specific jury. As a result in 1993 Virginia passed a law that used a then-existing Federal Rule of Evidence 702 to change its statues on how evidence was looked at. The Supreme Court also looked at the Federal Rule of Evidence and made its ruling on Daubert based on it. However, the Rule 702 has undergone 2000 amendments to make it into what is now the Daubert standard. Virginia, although it notes Daubert, refuses to accept any changes to the system (2006). Kesley goes on stating that expert testimony in Virginia must meet specific requirements. The assumption of the evidence cannot be speculative or rely on insufficient factual basis. It cannot contain â€Å"disregarded† variable, rely on â€Å"dissimilar tests,† or create an â€Å"illusory impression of exactness. † Judges do not deem the evidence reliable or unreliable. Instead they make what is called a â€Å"threshold finding. † Instead of ruling simply whether it is admissible or not, the judge determines whether a reasonable juror could distinguish between reliable and unreliable. Based on this, that state of Virginia would almost certainly accept the fMRI into evidence. Although the fMRI does not necessarily follow that of the scientific standard, this is not a basis to determine if the evidence is admissible in Virginia. So long as its relevancy is not questioned in its use, a judge will likely allow it to be used in court as evidence. Under Virginia statutes, the judge will only determine whether a reasonable juror could determine if the fMRI is reliable in the particular case. Even though there are questions to the fMRI’s exactness, the judge would still allow it to be presented. The Daubert cases shows how sweeping reforms, although well intended can result to a system worse than the one it replaced. By shifting focus from the experts to the judicial system, the Daubert standard placed a power on judges that they are ill-qualified to handle. It is also an insult to potential jurors that they are simply too stupid to determine for themselves what is and what is not. Although the scientific evidence can be confusing, the standard removed any chance to prove to a juror the evidence is indeed authentic, reliable, and trustworthy. The federal courts cannot go back to Frye. Frye opened the door to too much interpretation from the scientific community. Although one segment of the scientific community may agree with a piece of evidence, another may not. Which is correct? Are either correct? Frye left too many questions about the evidence and it yielded too much control to the scientific community. The federal system does need to adapt somehow. They cannot leave it they way it is. In contrast, the state of Virginia has provided a good, fair system for allowing scientific evidence to be presented. They, too, agreed that Frye was inadequate to be effectively used. It may have worked well in 1923, but it was time to move to the 21st century. However, Virginia did not make the mistake of shifting all the decision making from one group to another. Rather it diluted the power yielded by the scientific community and placed some control with the judged. Nevertheless it never removed the importance of the juror to the courtroom. Whereas the federal system seemed to treat the juror as unintelligent and not suited for big decision making, Virginia did not want to take away the big decision from the jurors. For the fMRI system it represents a new technological advance in lie detection. It also represents a new challenge to the courts. Based on the federal court case rulings, the fMRI system would not be allowed as evidence because it does not follow the scientific method. Despite all of its potential, the federal system removes this power tool because of a rigid standard applied to a dynamic technology. Most likely, this will only prevent the federal system from advancing. However, it may also motivate the federal system to change how it views evidence. FMRI, however, will be welcomed in Virginia as evidence. Despite its faults the Virginia system is flexible enough to accomidate new technology such as the fMRI, but is not too flexible to allow â€Å"junk science† to permeate amongst the other evidence. Between the two systems, in regards to how it is applied to fMRI, the Virginia system is more fair and realistic in today’s courtroom. Work Cited Daubert Standard (2007) Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Daubert_standard FRMI (2007) Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/FMRI Frye Test (2007) Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Frye_test Haemodynamic Response (2007) Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Haemodynamic_response Kesley, D. Arthur (2006) Virginia’s Answer to Daubert’s Question Behind the Question. Retrieved on Dec 3, 2007 from http://www. ajs. org/ajs/publications/Judicature_PDFs/902/Kesley_902. pdf Lie Detection (2007) Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lie_detection Tellus Institute (2003) Daubert: The Most Influential Supreme Court Ruling You’ve Never Heard Of. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://www. defendingscience. org/upload/Daubert-the-Most-Influential-Supreme-Court-Decision-You-ve-Never-Heard-Of-2003. pdf Lie Detection (2007) Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lie_detection

The Battle Of Algiers Film Review Film Studies Essay

The Battle Of Algiers Film Review Film Studies Essay A film is a piece of art that aims to entertain as well educate. It is a popular kind of entertainment that is created by a certain culture, and may affect another one. There are various genres of films, with each having its own aim and characteristic. For instance, historical movies (films) are designed to tell about history, comedy ones are to amuse and provoke laughter and so on. Films are always pregnant with meanings and messages that the audience has to depict while enjoying the scenes and following the course of the story. The Battle of Algiers is a worldwide famous film that was banned by France because of the ideas and reality it transmits to the world about the guerilla war that took place in Algeria and led to the destruction of a whole population while seeking their freedom. The film describes the events from two different points of view and aims to convey a lesson at the end. Credits The Battle of Algiers is a war film which is a recreation of the events that happened in the capital city of Algeria between 1954 and 1962 during the Algerian War of Independence. The film won the Golden Lion Award from the Venice International Film Festival in 1966, the International Film Critics Award also in 1966, and the United Nations Award from the British Academy of Film and Television in 1971. It was directed by Gillo Pontecorvo who was a member of the Italian Communist Party at the time and was implicitly on the side of the independence movement. He was nominated as Best Director for the movie in 1966 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. The film was inspired by Souvenirs de la Bataille dAlger which Saadi Yacef, who was a leader of the FLN (Front de Liberation National), wrote in prison. The screenplay, which was written by Gillo Pontecorvo and Franco Solinas and was nominated as Best Original Screenplay in 1966 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci ence, describes the sufferings of both sides: the Algerians and the French both civilians and military. The movie was filmed in black-and-white and the casting took place in the actual locations of the struggle which made the scenes appear as if they were recorded the time they were happening and not a recreation of a bloody war which ended a long history of colonization in Algeria. To stress his neutrality vis-à  -vis the two parts of the struggle, Pontecorvo tried to create parallels between the scenes of both French and Algerian people being assassinated and killed by using the same tragic music. However, he made a difference between the French and Algerian approaches to the war by using different sounds to symbolize each groups approach: the sound of gunfire, helicopters and truck engines for the French, and the bomb blasts, ululation, wailing and chanting for the Algerians. Pontecorvo uses non-professional actors for the movie, maybe because he wants the events and the screenplay to be sought for their importance and not only for the sake of the famous actors involved. So, he chose Brahim Haggiag, an Algerian, to play the role of Ali la Pointe. His adversary, Colonel Mathieu, was acted by Jean Martin, the only professional in the film, who was an actor, mainly acting in theater (in Waiting for Godot), and have been member of the French paratroopers in Indochina. Besides, Saadi Yacef, the former FLN leader, played the role of Jaafar, another FLN leader. Plot The film is shot in flashback and it is shown as the memories of Ali la Pointe (played by Brahim Haggiag) who was a leading member of the FLN. The film opens with scene in which the French paratroopers arrests Ali and he starts remembering the events that occurred 3 years earlier when he joined the FLN. The film describes the atrocities from which the French and the Algerians suffered. It traces the resistance of the Algerians (mainly the FLN members) to free their country from the colonizers as well as the French measures taken to stop them and remain in Algeria. When Alis memories are over, he and the other remaining FLN members are killed. However, the elimination of the FLN does not stop the resistance but rather turns it to a nationwide one asking for an independent Algeria which is finally achieved in 1962 with the Declaration of the Independence of Algeria. Characters The main actors of the movie are the persons who were involved in the real-life experience, which made the film appear like a documentary rather than a recreation of events. Saadi Yacef, who was a leader of the FLN and was put in Jail by the French, acted in the movie as an FLN leader also under the name of Jaffari. The bombing in the cafà ©s and French agencies or the assassination of either French or Algerians are in fact a recreation of what Yacef lived. Even when he was arrested by the French in the Casbah, he is acting his own arrest. The other member of the FLN is Ali la Pointe which was played by Brahim Haggiag. Ali was a thief who was arrested and put in prison where he witnessed the executions of Algerians. Once he was released, he became a member of the FLN but he was first tested to make sure that he was not a spy (he was asked to kill a French policeman). Even if Brahim Haggiag was not, in reality, an FLN leader; he lived at the time of the struggle for liberation and witnessed, and may have participated as an Algerian, in the resistance against colonialism. He can be seen as the representative of all Algerian young people who were ready to sacrifice themselves to ensure their peoples freedom. The third major character of this film is Colonel Mathieu, played by Jean Martin. He represents the efficiency and seriousness of the French military. He came from France to ensure stability in Algeria when the FLN members became threatening the French existence in Algeria. He is very influential and follows strategic method of fighting the enemy instead of just spontaneous violence. He has a strong personality and can at any time change the course of events once he feels that its not in his benefit. For example, when an FLN a leader is captured and a press conference is held, he stops the conversation as soon as he feels that the enemys words started to influence the audience. Besides, when answering a journalists question, he said openly that if they want France to stay in Algeria, they must accept the consequences. Other important characters in this film are women. Unlike what is usually known, that war is reserved for men, the battle of Algiers involved both men and women who fought side by side to reach their goal. Women serve as a secret bunker for weapons and guns as they are the only ones who are exempt from inspection, and hence, they can carry them in their bags. A most striking scene in the movie is when three FLN women drop their veils and assume a French look to be able to enter a French cafà ©, nigh club and travel agency to plant explosives and create an alert situation among the French. So, women were a vital part of the FLN and fought with men to ensure freedom. One last character to mention is Omar, the small boy whose duty was mainly to transmit letters and serve as a messenger between the FLN members and which represents the Algerian children who participated in the resistance and who proved to be older than their ages. Thus, the Algerian society, with all its components, was mobilized against the common enemy which was the French colonialism. Conclusion In the Battle of Algiers, Pontecorvo shows the inevitability of violence. In other words, every part wants to be the winner and hence tries to be the last one to inflict the other: an execution of an FLN leader led to the assassination of many French policemen, which led to the French bombing the Casbah which led to the FLN women bombing the French sites (cafà ©s and offices). The film clarifies history and tells us that we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over even today. This film is pregnant of messages. On the on hand, it tells us that violence can lead only to violence and not peace. On the other hand, it gives a moral lesson to the countries which try to interfere in other countries internal affairs and try to impose their own will. They will be losers no matters how long they manage to stay there. The Battle of Algiers is a film which is worth seeing since it tells us history as well as moral lessons on how we should respect others properties as well as struggle to preserve ones own belonging.

George Orwells: A Hanging Essay -- Literary Analysis

A world famous Essayist, a Novelist, and Critic, George Orwell is a name most people have heard at one point in their lives. His work continues to be used for educational purposes and held to a very high standard by many. Best remembered for his twin satires on totalitarianism, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell was a major participant in the British socialist movement. Although championing a radical politics of collective ownership, he extolled tradition and love of country while drawing a sharp distinction between patriotism and nationalism ("ORWELL, GEORGE." ). He was born into a poor but proud middle class family in Moti-hari, Bengal, India as Eric Arthur Blair. His surname, George Orwell, stuck with him after writing his first book Down and Out in Paris and London. This title was regarding his experiences of how his upbringing left him with feelings of great guilt, and how he then chose to live in squalor for a period of his life. With unemployment rates extremely high in the 1930’s he chose to join the labors and beggars and lived in low income lodging in London and Paris. He wondered the streets with professional vagrants and lived and learned their way of life. For Orwell this brought him closer to his roots and was an experience he has to live (â€Å"George Orwell.†). Orwell was raised in England by his mother Ida, but he was often separated from his father Richard Orwell; who spent his time working in India. His reputation among the people led him to be known as young and eccentric but withdrawn by most people who knew him. Orwell made an interesting reputation for himself, as a brilliant but poverty stricken writer. His determination led him to many good things; Orwell was awarded two scholarships to what were ... ...ell. Printer Publishers, 1991. 85-92. Rpt. In short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson and Marie Lazzari. Vol. 4 Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Feb. 2012 Orwell, George, and George Packer. Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays. Orlando: Harcourt, 2008. 23-28. Print. "ORWELL, GEORGE." Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts. Oxford: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 08 April 2012. "Orwell, George (pseudonym of George Orwell) (1903 - 1950)." The Bloomsbury Dictionary of English Literature. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd, 1997. Credo Reference. Web. 12 March 2012. Rodden, John. â€Å"View To A Kill.† AmGeorgean Conservative 10.9 (2011): 33. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 08 Mar. 2012 Sheldon, Michael. Orwell: The Authorized Biography. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. 53-340. Print.