Lord Of The Flies - Book Review Essays - English-language Films

Lord of the Flies - Book Review The classic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an exciting adventure deep into the nether regions of the mind. The part of the brain that is suppressed by the mundane tasks of modern society. It is a struggle between Ralph and Jack, the boys and the Beast, good and evil. The story takes a look at what would happen if a group of British school boys were to become stranded on an island. At first the boys have good intentions, keep a fire going so that a passing ship can see the smoke and rescue them, however because of the inherent evil of the many the good intentions of the few are quickly passed over for more exciting things. The killing of a pig slowly begins to take over the boys life, and they begin to go about this in a ritualistic way, dancing around the dead animal and chanting. As this thirst for blood begins to spread the group is split into the rational (the fire-watchers) pitted against the irrational (the hunters) (Dick 121). The fear of a mythological beast is perpetuated by the younger members of the groups and they are forced to do something about it. During one of the hunters celebrations around the kill of an animal a fire-watcher stumbles in to try and disband the idea of the monster. Caught of in the rabid frenzy of the dance, this fire-watcher suddenly becomes the monster and is brutally slaughtered by the other members of the group. The climax of the novel is when the hunters are confronted by the fire-watchers. The hunters had stole Piggys (one of the fire-watchers) glasses so that they may have a means of making a cooking fire. One of the more vicious hunters roles a boulder off of a cliff, crushing Piggy, and causing the death of yet another rational being. The story concludes with the hunters hunting Ralph (the head and last of the fire-watchers). After lighting half of the island on fire in an attempt to smoke Ralph from his hiding place, they chase him on to the beach only to find a ships captain and crew waiting there to rescue them, because he saw the smoke. The novel is packed full of symbolism and irony. Golding also communicates his message quite well. The title refers to Beelzebub, most stinking and depraved of all the devils: it is he, and not the God of Christians, who is worshipped (Burgess 121). This is just one of the many examples of symbolism. Another would be that as the story progressed characters names slowly begin to change. A pair of twin boys, Sam and Eric, became know as Samneric, a single unit. Another boy completely forgot his name because he was just lumped into the group know as the littleuns. This is symbolic of the break down of the basic structure of society, identity. If a person does not know who he is then he can never function properly in society. The other tool that Golding uses very well is irony. It is very ironic that the group of boys finally get rescued because they accidentally lit the island on fire hunting down the last of the fire-watchers. From these example it is easy to make a conclusion on the m essage the William Golding was trying to convey when he wrote Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies he [Golding] showed how people go to hell when the usual social controls are lifted, on desert islands real or imaginary (Sheed 121). Despite being heavily involved in the war efforts during the second world war, Golding managed to not become a war novelist, this does however, somewhat explain why most of the conflicts in his books are basic struggles between people. He [Golding] entered the Royal Navy at the age of twenty-nine in December 1940, and after a period of service on mine sweepers, destroyers, and cruisers, he became a lieutenant in command of his own rocketship (Baker xiii). So many of the authors of his time used the war as the back ground or main conflict in their books, but not Golding, he is able

Battered Womans Syndrome

Battered Womans Syndrome Free Online Research Papers This paper looks at the history of men battering their wives. The physical and mental strain placed on the victim is examined, as is the behavior which many women who face these beatings experience. This paper examines reasons why a woman would fight back using deadly force and will show the successful use of the battered woman syndrome as a defense in court. The battered woman syndrome will be viewed as a legitimate cause for self defense and justifiable homicide of the victim’s spouse. Throughout United States history, women have been controlled, beaten and verbally abused by their spouses. This is mainly due to the fact that from the time this country was conceived until the early 19th century, women were viewed by the U.S. legal system as the property of their husbands. The law was written that, by marriage, a man and a woman were recognized as one person in the eyes of the law. The law even went as far as to allow the husband to give his wife â€Å"moderate correction†. This meant that he could strike his wife in order to restrain her as long as he used nothing wider than his thumb. This came to be known as the â€Å"Rule of Thumb†. Since these days of barbaric unions between men and women, the United States government has passed the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment clearly states that â€Å"†¦ [n]o state shall deny equal protection of the laws to any person.† This statement means that the government cannot take away rights protected by the Constitution based on an individual’s race, religion, or sex. As a result of this Amendment being passed, the United States Supreme Court has f ound many laws to be in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, including the â€Å"Rule of Thumb†. (Muraskin, 2007. pp.5-6) Today, domestic violence laws prevent a man from beating his spouse without any consequences. This is assuming that the wife decides to call the police, which often times she will not because of a fear of embarrassment. Therefore, this leads to many women being beaten continuously to the point where the physical and psychological damaged caused can lead to a violent outburst towards their husband, which then results in his murder. In such cases where a woman is beaten to the point of becoming capable of murdering her abusive spouse, the battered woman syndrome can become a very useful tool for the defense counsel in order to gain an acquittal on the grounds that the woman killed out of self defense, thus making it a justifiable homicide. (CRJ30 class notes) First, it is important to take a look into exactly how battering can occur. The reason men batter their wives has been a mystery to society for the better part of the last half century. Social learning theory suggests reasons as to why there are men who will use force and violence against their spouses. Violent behavior will likely not stop once it has been initiated and rewarded, and some victims tend to have great difficulty in either stopping the violence or ending the relationship with their abusive spouse. (Pagelow, 1981. pp.29.) Social learning theory is defined as â€Å"an extension of differential-association and reinforcement theories, holding that social sources, or people with whom one interacts, are the reinforcers that result in the learning of nondeviant and deviant behavior. The type of behavior that is most frequently and consistently reinforced by the people will be the one most often exhibited.† (Pagelow, 1981. pp.35.) A basic proposition of the social learning theory is that reinforcement which follows behavior can increase the probability that this behavior will be repeated. Another proposition of this theory is that intermittently reinforced behavior is the most difficult to extinguish. The theory points out that the two major parts of the learning process are reinforcement and punishment. The emphasis is focused more on the reinforcement than the punishment. This is due to the fact that punishment has been shown to have relatively short-term effects on extinguishing behavior while immediate reinforcement will outweigh the effects of delayed punishment in controlling behavior. (Pagelow, 1981. pp.36.) However, for one to understand the battered woman syndrome, one must familiarize themselves with the kind of physical and mental strain that a battered woman goes through, as well as the psychological trauma which is placed upon the abused. Many critics of the battered woman syndrome blame the victim rather than the abuser. Critics believe that a woman who is beaten by her spouse can simply just call the police in order to stop the violence. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Abused women are often embarrassed by these encounters with their spouse to the point that they would not want to tell anyone, not even the police. This silence about the abuse leads many women to learn how to live with the violence rather wanting to eradicate it from their lives. Many critics of the battered woman syndrome claim that the women who use this defense are pathological individuals. Critics and prosecution alike see these women as having an individual problem rather than seeing domestic violence as a social issue that could affect anyone. To these people, an abused woman is a rare occurrence and women who are abused are mentally ill. The assumption that an abused woman is â€Å"sick† is based on the belief that she is a masochistic and she, as well as the abuser, receives a certain satisfaction from the violence. (Pagelow, 1981. pp. 54-55.) Harvard Law Professor Alan M. Dershowitz believes that a battered woman does not have to take matters into her own hands but rather â€Å"has the option of either leaving or calling the police†. (Reutter, 2005) This is simply not true. An abused woman, who does nothing to stop the abuse, is often stuck in a state of learned helplessness. This means that she believes that she can not control the abuse and she recognizes herself to be completely helpless to it. Learned helplessness consists of three essential components. The first of these components is called contingency. Contingency deals with the objective relationship between a person’s actions and the outcome which they experience. In this case, the actions of the abuser make the abused feel like she is less than her husband and therefore becomes accustomed to the situation. The second component to learned helplessness is known as cognition. This has to do with the way in which the woman perceives, explains, and extrapolates the contingency. There are several steps involved with the cognition. First, she must apprehend the contingency. A person experiencing learned helplessness may view the contingency either accurately or as the complete opposite of what it really is. In the case of domestic violence, the woman perceives the abuse as being somehow her fault because her spouse makes her feel as if she has done something to deserve the beating, when in actuality she has done nothing wrong and he is the one who is in fact wrong. Next, she explains what she has perceived. If she perceives that the abuse takes place because of her wrongdoing, then she will hold herself responsible as the cause for her beating. Finally, she uses her perception and explanation to form an expectation about the future. For example, if her husband beats her every time she has not finished preparing dinner by 6 o’clock, she will then assume to be beaten every time dinner is still in the over when he arrives home. Because of this false perception, she is left open to future abuse to no fault of her own. (Peterson, Maier, Seligman, 1993. pp.8.) Gelles (1976) explained his theory as to why women stay with their batterer in an article he published. His ideas in this article received wide publicity since that time. In the article, Gelles stated, â€Å"Three major factors influence the actions of abused wives. The less severe and less frequent the violence, the more a wife remains with her husband. Secondly, the more a wife was struck as a child by her parents, the more likely she is to remain with her abusive husband. Lastly, the fewer resources a wife has and the less power she has, the more likely she is to stay with her violent husband. In addition, external constraint influences the actions of abused wives.† (Pagelow, 1981. pp. 145) Of course, for any good battered woman defense to be brought into a murder trial, a battered woman needs to set herself up with the right lawyer to present her case to the judge. As attorney Michael G. Dowd stated about his experience with defending a battered woman, [â€Å"Before a battered woman could fight the battle for the hearts and minds of a jury she needed an advocate to present her story. Like a screenplay that needs a good director and the backing of a producer, a battered womans self defense case needed the vision of a lawyer to structure the case and a judge willing to let it be presented to the jury. An attorney or judge encumbered by prejudices about battered women would be an unlikely candidate to advance a defense that contradicted fundamental opinions about the existing social order. Even the unbiased might deny the reality of societal prejudice to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the violence these beliefs tolerated. Obviously the denial of such prejudice renders us powerless to correct an injustice that we cannot admit exists. Too little attention has been paid to the cases of women that were never presented in court, not because of a biased or ignorant judge but as the product of inaction or ignorance of the atto rney charged with her defense. These injustices surface, if at all, as the woman languishes in jail and becomes aware of what could have been done for her case.â€Å"] (Dowd, 1999.) It could be easy for any judge or lawyer to confuse the battered woman syndrome with being a disease because of the word â€Å"syndrome†. The word â€Å"syndrome† suggests that there is something wrong with the woman. If that were the case, then she would not be the victim. In fact, it is merely a syndrome that results from the battering itself. Once periodic beatings take place, there is a sense of imminent danger, and this is a key fact in any self defense case. Imminent does not refer to a specific period of time, however. This fear of danger is that the woman believes she could be beaten at any moment or anywhere. This belief in imminent danger further helps the self defense case. For example, if a woman is beaten repeatedly for years on end, she may feel the need to defend herself even at times when the abuse is not occurring at that exact moment. If she were to kill her husband in his sleep, a jury or a judge may say that it was unprovoked. However, the battered woman’s syndrome suggests that it is self defense because she is always in a state of fear from imminent danger. There is not a single moment of her life where she feels safe, yet she does not run to the police or tell anyone because she believes there is something wrong with her. (Dowd, 1999.) In the 1985 decision for People v. Torres, the judge wrote, [â€Å". . . It is the defendants state of mind and sense of fear which is critical to a justification defense. In this regard, proof of violent acts previously committed by the victim against the defendant as well as any evidence that the defendant was aware of specific prior violent acts by the victim upon third parties is admissible as bearing upon the reasonableness of the defendants apprehension of danger at the time of the encounter.†] The battered woman’s defense has caught the spotlight ever since it was first introduced in Ibn-Tamas v. United States. Since that time there have been hundreds of successful cases involving this defense. There are certain aspects to these cases, however, that differ significantly from abuse cases that do not result in the death of the batterer. First, cases involving deadly retaliation by the abused often contain alcohol abuse, death threats, threats with weapons, more severe beatings and sexual violence towards the woman or other family members. The actually homicide often takes place after an unusual incident, meaning that something was done by the male that was not in his usual repertoire of violence. He could do things like threaten the lives of their children, which would then lead to the woman saying â€Å"he’s never done that before†. This could prove to be a turning point because now the abuser has gone to other forms of abuse other than what she h as learned to live with. (Easteal, 1992. pp.3) Still with all of these studies done, there are many misconceptions and false beliefs about the battered woman’s syndrome. To combat these myths, a good defense team will enlist the help of an expert witness. Without the help of expert witnesses it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to win a case of self-defense. The expert witnesses are able to paint a picture for the jury of exactly what a battered woman’s mind is like in order to help understand a battered woman’s thought process. It is extremely important for a judge to allow the testimony of an expert witness into these cases. In the instances where a judge has not allowed those testimonies, there have been numerous successful appeals of the original decision. (Easteal, 1992. pp. 5) Dr. Easteal sites one specific case in her article (1992) where the battered women defense was successful in gaining an acquittal for self defense. [â€Å"The Diaz Case 1985 (Blackman 1989, pp. 184-6): This case is particularly interesting since it exemplifies the increasing use of a self-defense plea in situations where, in traditional terms, there is no immediate sense of danger since the batterer is asleep (or passed out) at the time of the killing. Madelyns husband, a police officer, had committed numerous acts of violence, including sexual, upon her during their marriage. These included taking her out in the car in winter, making her undress and inviting a stranger to rape her in the backseat while he watched. The day preceding the killing, he had threatened their six-month-old daughter, holding a revolver at the babys head. He had never done this before. The next morning as he still slept, Madelyn left with the three children to go grocery shopping. Having forgotten money, she returned and opened the drawer where the money was kept. She picked up the gun that lay there and hearing a flashback of his voice as he had held the gun to the baby, she fired it twice at his sleeping body. Then she left, went shopping and bought items that he normally liked. Initially, she told investigators that the apartment had been broken into; three days later, she remembered what she had done and confessed. Madelyn was indicted for murder in the second degree, the highest murder charge in New York State. Ultimately, she was acquitted. The jury extended the definition of self-defense to include the circumstances Madelyn described. The jury, with the help of expert witnesses, was able to see that the threat of violence was psychologically imminent.†] (Easteal, 1992. pp. 6) The Diaz case is a perfect example of the battered woman defense at its full potential. The jury was able to view the imminent danger through the eyes of a battered woman rather than through the eyes of the average reasonable American. Therefore, the case for imminent danger was established. Secondly, this is a fantastic example of expert witnesses basically winning a case for the defense council. In a world where domestic violence often goes unnoticed by outsiders, it is important for society to keep an open mind to those who suffer from the battered woman’s syndrome. When this case is presented as self-defense, it can often be seen as a farce and be met with many myths and misconceptions by judges, juries, and prosecution teams alike. However, with the help of expert witnesses to establish the meaning of imminent danger to a battered woman, juries can more likely be swayed to the side of the defense. There is no doubt that the battering of women is a serious issue that can often time result in a deadly backlash, and unfortunately it is often that the batterer had what was coming to him. Society can only expect a woman to take so much abuse with a closed mouth before she finally snaps, and often times homicide is the only answer. However, the battered woman syndrome can prove to be a very reasonable cause for a justifiable homicide by reason of self-defense. References Dowd, M.G. (1999). The Battered Womans Defense Its History and Future. Retrieved April 9th, 2007, from Find Law. Website: http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Dec/1/130513.html Easteal, Dr. P. (1992). Battered Women Who Kill: A Plea of Self- Defense. Retrieved April 9th, 2007, from JSTOR. Website: aic.gov.au/publications/proceedings/16/Easteal1.pdf Muraskin, R. (2007). It’s a Crime: Women and Justice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Pagelow, M.D. (1981). Woman-Battering: Victims and Their Experiences. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Peterson, C., Maier, S.F., Seligman, M.E.P. (1993). Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Ages of Personal Control. New York: Oxford University Press. Reutter, M. (2005). Battered Women Who Kill in Non-Beating Situation Have Self Defense Right. Retrieved April 9th, 2007, from New Bureau. Website: news.uiuc.edu/news/05/0815women.html Research Papers on Battered Woman’s SyndromeUnreasonable Searches and Seizures19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPETSTEL analysis of IndiaEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMind TravelQuebec and CanadaWhere Wild and West Meet

Gender Bias Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Bias - Essay Example To start with, the author of the text is definitely a man. This is easy to tell since the work has been written from the third person perspective. This simply means that he is sharing experiences that are foreign to him. The author uses simple sentences and a limited description of objects, people and events. This is common among men who are unable to express their feeling accurately using words. His reference to the imagery of the â€Å"American wife† clearly shows the author is a man as all other men do in the American society (Hemingway 695). The description of how she went out to look for the cat shows the caring and compassionate nature of women while her husband accompanies her although he is unwilling. This shows that the author is a man since he clearly captures her husband’s reaction. The author explains how the woman is attracted to the hotel keeper who is described as being serious, mature and cold. The author captures the manly features that attract the woman to the hotel keeper. He states that the woman is interested in fine things, romantic dining, long hair and a cat (Hemingway 695). He describes these things as being foreign to him and could have described them better if he were a woman. The author vividly points out her husband’s interests and this could only mean that he is a man as well. This text clearly shows the plight of an African-American woman who works hard by cleaning laundry for the white people. From the beginning of the text, it can be seen that the author is a woman from the way that she describes Delia as being a hard worker and provides for her husband Sykes. On the other hand, her husband is depicted as being lazy and does not treat her well too (Hurston 697). He once played a trick on her by placing the bullwhip in her laundry. He was well aware of the fact that Delia was scare of snakes. This shows that he is

Health implications related to the personal health and wellbeing of Essay

Health implications related to the personal health and wellbeing of individual patients in hospital and domestic settings - Essay Example My immediate guess was that both chemotherapy and laser therapy had affected his body metabolism to a certain extent. He was a patient very concerned about his appearance. Being just 27 years of age and unmarried, he wanted to look smart all the time. He recalled the fact that he had a very stylish hair style prior to undergoing chemotherapy. He lamented stroking the few remaining strands of hair remaining in his otherwise bald head. The patient said he used to look in the mirror often and was very proud of his neatly combed hair earlier, but now he was devastated by the figure looking back at him when looking in the mirror. According to him his hair style enhanced his personality and every one used to comment on it. I knew that he was visibly shaken by his hair loss and this was affecting him psychologically. He asked me whether his hair would grow again. Due to his hair loss he told me that his confidence was shattered and did not know how to face society once he was discharged from hospital. Chemotherapy treatment often causes hair loss basically because the cells in the hair follicles grow fast (Baker, 1996). Hair loss would not be a permanent issue and the hair will grow back once the patient's treatment has ended. In fact chemotherapy damages fast growing cells, however all drugs will not cause hair loss and in some scenarios it just cause thinning and others cause dramatic hair loss including the body hair and eye brows (Bandura, 1998). Moreover, different people have different tolerances to the drugs and occasionally, some people lose their hair when it is not expected and sometimes in other cases no hair loss occurs when it is expected. The patient did not understand how certain drugs produced negative side effects in the long run, when I told him that certain chemical combinations coming from different drugs would have caused his hair roots to destabilize he thought that I was talking about some alien disease. When I explained this to him and said that his hair loss was temporarily he was much relieved and satisfied. Finally a smile appeared on his hitherto gloomy face. He thanked me a lot for enlightening him about his hair loss. I was much satisfied when a smile finally appeared on his face. Entry two This week I had an encounter with a patient who complained of a swelling in the neck and in the groin and the legs. But he was experiencing no pain. He also complained of an early feeling of fullness of the stomach and recurrent abdominal pain. He was sixteen years of age and had been an active member of the school soccer team and other sports sometime back. But now he was thin and frail and has been under medication for some time. He lamented that he was unable to go to school and take part in soccer practices which he loved so much. He had been a boy of robust build but of late has lost a lot of weight and said he was having a feeling of 'lack of energy'. This apart he experienced chills, fevers and night sweats on a regular basis. Being the only child in the family, he was the apple in the eye of his parents. He wanted to do all that he can to make his parents proud. Though not a very bright student in his studies, he was very keen on sports and said that his ambition was to

Environmental Regulation and Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental Regulation and Protection - Essay Example The political factors include; environmental regulation and protection, consumer protection, international trade regulations, employment laws, taxation, and competition regulations among others. Environmental Regulation and Protection The government through Environmental Protection Agency imposes various rules and regulations to protect the environment. These rules impact on businesses directly especially the manufacturing industries which are high pollutants of environment. Moreover, customers are nowadays buying products from green companies who are environmentally friendly thus putting pressure on businesses to go green (Robbins & Coulter, 2009).Those businesses who have not appreciated green strategies thus risk losing their businesses. The New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) is the body concerned with environmental regulation through Protection of Environment Operations Act (PEOA) of 1997. Businesses are supposed to acquire licenses and carry out environmental training for the staff. Strict penalties and fines are applied to those individuals and businesses that contravene the law and pollute water, air, land and for improper waste management. The organization thus needs to continuously update itself on environmental laws to avoid prosecution. For example, a copper manufacturer was fined $28, 000 for causing toxic overflow in Sydney (NSW, 2011). Fernando (2010) argues that businesses should convert environment issues to their own advantage. Those businesses who protect the environment earn themselves a good reputation. Others engage in continuous innovations hence improving the environment as well as the business. Businesses also are forced to use environmentally friendly product and packages and also processes and these are cost effective. For example, McDonalds was forced to use recycled materials in packaging and transport by customers. Consumer Protection The government has the responsibility of protecting consumers form uncouth businessmen through various measures such as setting quality standards, safety standards and ensuring efficient distribution of goods and services (Fernando 2010). Sometimes, businessmen carry out extensive advertisement of products thus attracting buyers but the goods may be substandard. It is the role of government to ensure all relevant information is put on labels to avoid such instances. It also enforces regulations such as those stipulated on standard weight and measures Act, consumer protection Act among others. Such rules impact on the business as it is required to change its advertising techniques as well as pricing. For example, a government control on cigarettes may force businesses to close or lower production. In India, the Essential Commodity Act of 1955 allows the government to declare any commodity as essential hence control its production and distribution (Fernando, 2010). International Trade Regulations Most countries have opened their borders to free trad e but sometimes, they enforce trade restrictions to protect critical industries from competition. Most countries have also entered into trade agreements with trading partners and these agreements form basis for international trade rules. For example, World Trade Organization (WTO), North America

Features of Karate

Features of Karate Karate-do Introduction Karate is a martial art that was originally created in Japan. The main idea of karate is battling and defending by using defensive and counteroffensive body movements including punches and kicks. The psychological and ethical characteristics of karate aim to advance and improve the student in general. The term karate is a mixture of two Chinese characters: kara (empty) and te (hand), thus karate means empty hand. The suffix -do is added to the word karate to indicate that karate as an overall way of life. An individual who practices karate is sometimes referred to as a karateka. The conventional karate-do is a difficult sport and it takes time and dedication to become a master in this martial art. Three components of karate   Ã‚   The five main karate styles are: Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, and Kyokushin. Karate training is separated into three sections: Kihon, Kata, and Kumite. Kihon means basic techniques. These techniques are mostly attacking moves, blocking moves, stances, and other movements. The trainer demonstrates a certain move, which is then imitated by the student. It is vital to practice and repeat the basic fundamental movements because as a result, the student develops the right techniques. Kata means form. It is a sequence of certain movements displayed in a pattern that the student has to memorize. It represents a battle or a fight against an enemy or enemies. In karate training, every kata begins with a block and this proves that defense is the most significant aspect of karate. In karate, there are numerous katas as they help at shaping the body and mind. The katas are performed slowly with full strength and help at developing control of the entire body, mind, breathing, rhythm, and breathing. In order to perform the katas in the right way, they have to be repeated thoroughly and carefully with full relaxation and focus. Kumite means partner work. In karate, there should not be any opponents or enemies, only partners. Traditional kumite help advance karate students both mentally and physically with the help of their partners. Karate ranks In karate, different colored belts indicate the ranking and the skill level of a karate practitioner. Once a karate student has obtained a karate belt of a certain/rank, people can see your ranking and that you have dedicated your time getting to that level. Simply because somebody has a white belt tied to him/her, it doesnt mean that he/she is not experienced in karate, it means that the person is ready to thrive to gain the skill. There are nine belt colors in karate: white, orange, blue, red, black, yellow, green, purple, and brown. Not all karate schools/clubs use all of these colors and the arrangement of the belts/ranks differ from school to school. The role of an instructor is very important in karate and they have different behaviors. Some teachers easily hand out new belts without thinking and others are careful when choosing the student who deserves a higher rank. Karate belt colors vary from school to school. Some schools include the colors red and purple in their system, while others only have 7 colors. Some schools also use stripped belts with different colors. The order of the belt colors may vary, but most of the time, the white belt is for the beginner and the black belt is the highest ranked belt color. Three of the most common orders of belt colors are: 1. White, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, red, brown, black. 2. White, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, black. 3. White, yellow, green, orange, red, blue, purple, brown, black. To get to the next phase/belt, the student is required to dedicate his time into improving every day and trying his/her best. Generally, it takes anywhere from 8 to 18 months of training and practice to move to the next phase in karate. The more you practice, the faster you will get a new belt. Each of nine colors of belts in karate have meaning behind them. White Belt: The white belt is the symbol of purity. This makes sense because those who are just starting out in karate are innocent and do not know how much work and discipline is required in order to become a master in karate. This level introduces the basics and the first ideas about karate. This is the beginning of a path to mastery. Yellow Belt: Once a student gets a yellow belt, it means that he/she is past the introductory level of karate and has basic understanding of the art and has the ability to do basic karate. The yellow belt represents energy. The student now has more control over their bodys energy. Orange Belt: The symbol of an orange belt is stability. Practicing karate includes basic punches, kicks, blocks, and postures. The basic skills gained from the first three belts will be necessary to progress in karate because all of the techniques learned in higher belts will be learned upon the basic skills. Purple belt: Once a student gets a purple belt, it means that he/she has advanced from beginner to intermediate level. At this stage, students should be able to understand all basic strikes and blocks. They should also be comfortable with controlling and moving their body in order to do a certain strike/block. Blue belt: A student who has a blue belt must learn to adapt to given situations. Karate belt colors vary from school to school. Some schools include the colors red and purple in their system, while others only have 7 colors. Some schools also use stripped belts with different colors. The order of the belt colors may vary, but most of the time, the white belt is for the beginner and the black belt is the highest ranked belt color. Three of the most common orders of belt colors are: 1. White, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, red, brown, black 2. White, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, black 3. White, yellow, green, orange, red, blue, purple, brown, black To get to the next phase/belt, the student is required to dedicate his time into improving every day and trying his/her best. Generally, it takes anywhere from 8 to 18 months of training and practice to move to the next phase in karate. The more you practice, the faster you will get a new belt. Each of nine colors of belts in karate have meaning behind them. White Belt The white belt is the symb ol of purity. This makes sense because those who are just starting out in karate are innocent and do not know how much work and discipline is required in order to become a master in karate. This level introduces the basics and the first ideas about karate. This is the beginning of a path to mastery. Yellow Belt Once a student gets a yellow belt, it means that he/she is past the introductory level of karate and has basic understanding of the art and has the ability to do basic karate. The yellow belt represents energy. The student now has more control over their bodys energy. Orange Belt The symbol of an orange belt is stability. Practicing karate includes basic punches, kicks, blocks, and postures. The basic skills gained from the first three belts will be necessary to progress in karate because all of the techniques learned in higher belts will be learned upon the basic skills. Purple belt Once a student gets a purple belt, it means that he/she has advanced from beginner to interme diat

Legalization of Medicinal Marijuana Essay -- medical cannabis should be

In the U.S., cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, is illegal for medicinal purposes only because the federal law places it in Schedule I, a category for drugs that have been deemed unsafe, highly subject to abuse, and possessing no medicinal value. After much scientific research, and investigations of evidence, this has been proven to be quite inaccurate. First of all, Judge Francis L. Young, concluded not only that marijuana’s medical utility had been adequately demonstrated, but also that marijuana had been shown to be â€Å"one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man† (â€Å"Medical Marijuana Briefing..). He also ruled that marijuana has legitimate medical applications and should be available to doctors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only eight people today receive marijuana through a federal â€Å"compassionate use† program which stopped admitting new patients in 1992, after the number of applications, mostly from AIDS patients, increased dramatically. Young also ruled that â€Å"†¦the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act permit and require the transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II† (â€Å"Medical Marijuana Briefing†¦). As a Schedule II drug, marijuana would be allowed to be prescribed to patients by physicians, but only under highly regulated conditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of therapeutic applications s...