Shakespeares Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares Hamlet Essay One of the challenging aspects about transforming a play like Shakespeares Hamlet into a film which preserves the brilliance and depth of the play as it is written is the issue of the plays minor characters. For example, in Franco Zeffirellis Hamlet (1990) which starts Mel Gibson in the lead-role, s direct emphasis on the character of Hamlet is pursued by the director and facilitated by the script. Many of the contemporary reviews of the film also focused on the lead-actor with the inference that Gibsons performance in the role of Hamlet would either make or break him as a serious actor. Reviewers were also quick to point out that Zeffirellis version of Hamlet was clearly made for a mass audience (Erskine, Welsh, Tibbetts, and Williams 142) and, as such, the movie is therefore understood to have created lowered expectations on its original release. The verdict on Gibsons portrayal of Hamlet was mostly-positive with reviewers more or less agreeing that Gibson was quite good as the prince and is certainly capable of doing justice to the lines (Erskine, Welsh, Tibbetts, and Williams 142). Also of note was the fact that Gibsons performance [was] energetic and well modulated (Erskine, Welsh, Tibbetts, and Williams 142). The end-result of promoting the central character of Hamlet and lowering expectations for the film was that the film was by and large accepted by reviewers as a success. The problem with this appraisal of the film is that it leaves out certain very important points regarding the films neglect of the sub-plots and minor characters of Shakespeares original play. Even though Hamlet is widely loved for the lines of its main character, the play offers minor characters who play crucial roles not only in terms of the plot and thematic development of the play but with regard to the plays dramatic structure and technical structure. For example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern help to forward crucial plot developments, but they also enable the plays ironic ending. In most cases, with film-versions of Hamlet, the issue of the minor characters, and particularly the portrayal of the character, Horatio, is very difficult because both Hamlet and Horatio are characters who were conspicuously written for the stage and each functions in Shakespeares play not only as characters but as theatrical and narrative devices which may not be translatable to film. In order to more fully understand these qualities which are missing from the Mel Gibson Hamlet, it is useful to revisit the role of Horatio in the original play. Keeping in mind that Zeffirellis method was to close in rather than open up the play, (Erskine, Welsh, Tibbetts, and Williams 141) and that he makes no attempt to conceal the fact that this is a film of a play and lets the play speak for itself (Erskine, Welsh, Tibbetts, and Williams 141), the missing elements of the plays supporting cast is a huge negative for the final film. The formality of Hamlets technical structure is an important element of the play and Horatio, who is described as Friend to Hamlet, functions, essentially, the plays narrator, interpreting conflict and action for the audience. Horatios role is obvious in plays beginning when he remarks to Marcellus: A piece of him. This remark is Horatios ironic confession that he functions not only as a person in the play, but as a technical device. Horatios line is followed by Marcellus statement that Horatio .. says tis but our fantasy,/ And will not let belief take hold of him (Act I, Scene 1). This line elevates Horatios credibility with the audience who, also, are likely to be initially skeptical of the presence of the ghost of Hamlets father. From the beginning of the play it is clear that Horatio is meant to serve as the plays interpreter and his relationship with the audience is established quickly. Horatios role as narrator continues through the whole play. An example of Horatios versatility (from a technical point of view) is his role in Hamlets Dram of Eale speech in Act 1, Scene 4. Here, Horatio speaks few lines, but helps to give a rhetorical provocation for Hamlets intricate and poetically dense speech. He functions as a target for Hamlets speech which is meant, obviously, to be directed at Claudius and perhaps to Hamlet himself, and to the world. Not only is Horatios role as a narrative device enhanced in this famous scene, but a subtle elevation of his character development is evident in the way Shakespeare tacitly demonstrates Horatios friendship with and devotion to Hamlet. The example of Horatio is meant to show just a glimpse of the subtlety of expression which was lost in the Mel Gibson Hamlet, precisely because so much emphasis was placed on the lead-role. In fact, Hamlet, the character as written by Shakespeare can only be fully understood by his relationship top the minor characters and the film is totally lacking in this respect. The movie, by placing far too much emphasis on the lead actor and the plays lead character becomes one-dimensional despite fine performances from the cast. Although Mel Gibson is a strong, believable, and passionate Hamlet, the play is not granted the same depth and detail as is evident ion the original work by Shakespeare. Another example of a film-version of Hamlet which misses the brilliance and depth of the original play, but which is till a very well-made film, is Kenneth Branaghs Hamlet which as one critic mentioned, is far too long and abstract. Most film-goers would probably be put off by the critic who said Maybe if moviegoers got free T-shirts saying Ive survived Hamlet, it would boost the box office (JUST BARD TIMING? THAT 5) but this charge is a good charge against the movie because rather than embracing the intense, always-moving-forward sense of energy which is in Shakespeares Hamlet, Branagh chooses to create a more meandering, epic feeling to the story. Just as the lapse in the portrayal of the minor characters in the Mel Gibson Hamlet detracted from the cohesiveness of the film, the off-pace of Branaghs movie helps to impede the experience of Shakespeares masterpiece rather than facilitate it. Because a sense of time rushing by fast, furious, chaotic, and lethal pervades the play, Hamlet, and because events in the play as written by Shakespeare have an urgent (if fated) energy about them, the slow pace of Branaghs film is a bad-match for the central themes and emotion of Hamlet the play. This sense that the Branagh version completely missed the sense of pace for the story is evident in critical reviews which remarked that If only they could have kept the proceedings to two and a half hours, this would have been a must-see masterpiece (JUST BARD TIMING? THAT 5). That opinion is a shame because in many ways Branagh did seem to capture the spirit and themes of Hamlet very well. Despite the well-meaning and very creative approaches of both of the directors discussed above, I would agree with the critical responses which praise the actors involved in the films but slight the directors and screenwriters a little for not managing to successfully capture the wholeness of Hamlet. In one case, the director seemed too preoccupied with delivering a slid lead-performance and elevating the performances of the actors at the expense of the emotional and dynamic interrelationships between the characters in the original plat. In the second film, Branaghs version, a misplaced sense of plot-pace and mood helped to disrupt the essential emotional flow of the original play. In the latter case, the mistake is far more devastating, I think, because the whole emotional energy of the original play Hamlet rests on the feeling that life and events speed out of control, in chaos, and go by so fast one cant grasp them. A slow pace doesnt fit. In the case of Mel Gibson, his performance in Hamlet is so strong that the film is a success even if it does not actually preserve the depth and originality of the play, which was, of course, drawn itself from other versions of Hamlet and caused some degree of controversy when Shakespeare originally produced it for the Elizabethans. Works Cited Erskine, Thomas L. , James M. Welsh, John C. Tibbetts, and Tony Williams, eds. Video Versions: Film Adaptations of Plays on Video. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. JUST BARD TIMING? THAT IS THE QUESTION; Hamlet. The Mirror (London, England) 13 Feb. 1997: 5.

Impact of the Maoist Insurgency on the Nepalese Society

Impact of the Maoist Insurgency on the Nepalese Society CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1. The Nepalese people had a positive, but to a large extent unrealistic, expectation with the new political establishment of 1990, which had installed a democratic system of governance in the country. This form of governance was unable to meet the peoples expectations. Midterm parliamentary elections of November, 1994 resulted in a hung parliament that further led to a power-centric rivalry between various political parties. Maoists, a radical fraction of the Nepalese communist movement, whose ultimate goal was to establish a communist republic through armed struggle, found the prevailing environment most appropriate for triggering a long awaited armed struggle. The Maoists started an armed insurgency amidst political instability from the remote hills of mid Western region, and finally emerged as a threat to Nepals democracy. The Nepalese government, in its various capacities, fought the Maoist insurgency. The government was able to contain a growing insurgency, but had not been abl e to achieve the desired political end state within the existing constitutional framework. 2. Nepal endured the Maoist insurgency for more than a decade and this truly posed a formidable threat to national security. The government failed to anticipate and diagnose the problem properly in the first place and a frequently changing government could not effectively employ the instruments of national power by devising a coherent and coordinated national strategy. Ultimately, the government relied on security/military measures without formulating a viable and broader political and socio-economic strategy. The governments response to the Maoist challenge in general was reactive, inconsistent, and far from effective.   The extreme friction and division within the ruling circles prevented the state from articulating a clear, consistent and convincing response during the most critical phase of democratic transition. The conflict resolution and long-term stability in Nepal is still uncertain, yet the conflict settlement process has started after more than a decade long conflict. Ha d there been a better understanding of the insurgency from the beginning, conflict would have been less costly. 3.Emergence of Nepal Communist Party (Maoist).Understanding the birth of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), relates back to the conquest of Kathmandu valley in 1769 by a king from Gorkha, a small principality in central Nepal. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Shah dynasty of Gorkha through conquest, marriage and diplomacy had succeeded in annexing the small principalities and forming the country that is today known as Nepal. Towards the end of the unification campaign in the early nineteenth century, the Kings power waned and control of the state slid into the hands of the military families. Competition for the control of the state led to bloody struggle between different military families. From the mid nineteenth century onwards, the state machinery became the preserve of one family the Ranas. 4. With its aim to overthrow the Rana rule, the Nepali National Congress (NC) was formed in 1946 in Banaras by fusing the Akhil Bharatiya Nepal Rashtriya Congress, the Nepali Sangh and the Gorkha Congress. Pushpa Lal Shrestha who served as the office secretary for Nepali National Congress was dissatisfied with the NCs policies for a non-violent struggle. He quit the party and started working on setting up a communist party. He translated and published Marxs Communist Manifesto which was released on 15 September 1949, the date that is considered the founding day of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). Although political parties were legally prohibited during this time, Nepali students in India had been exposed to Marxist views and many were even affiliated to CPI (Communist Party of India). At the time of the 1950 uprising, the CPN was in the early stages of party formation. Although it enunciated its ideology of class struggle and armed revolution, the party was not explicit about its objectives nor was it clear about its role in the 1950 movement in which NC had professed overthrowing the Rana regime and establishing democracy with constitutional monarchy. Therefore, NC dominated the 1950 revolution and CPN began expanding its support base and exercising its strength only after 1950. 5. Ideological and personality clashes among the leaders began eroding the organizational unity of the CPN during the decades of 1960s and 1970s. The party divided into three branches: the moderates, the extremists and the radicals. In 1974 the ‘central nucleus split into the CPN led by Mohan Bikram and Nirmal Lama and the CPN led by Man Mohan Adhikari. The communist party led by Adhikari joined with smaller groups and formed the CPN (ML) in 1978. By 1991 the CPN (ML) joined hands with Pushpa Lals CPN (Marxist) to form the CPN (Unified Marxist Leninist) a nomenclature that is retained to this day. At the time of the 1990 movement, the CPN (UML) was the largest Communist organization in the country. 6. While the Communist party led by Man Mohan Adhikari was consolidating with smaller groups and expanding its base, the other CPN was experiencing numerous break offs. In May of 1979, King Birendra announced a national referendum. Disputes arose between the two leaders of this party regarding the referendum. Mohan Bikram Singh was unwilling to participate in a referendum called by the King while Nirmal Lama, general secretary, accepted the referendum and faced opposition within his party. As a result, he was forced to resign from his post. Ultimately, Mohan Bikram Singh and Nirmal Lama parted ways. Singh formed his own party the CPN (Masal) in 1983. In 1985, Masal fragmented into Mashal and Masal. Mashal, led by Mohan Baidya, was subsequently replaced by Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda, who would later be known as the Maoist supremo. The subsequent development and emergence of the Maoist party is shown in Appendix â€Å"A†. 7.Background of Maoist Insurgency in Nepal.The start of armed insurgency was not only the result of an opportunistic response to the emerging political instability after 1990 but also the product of a rational and deliberate calculation. Some form of radical elements of the leftist movement in Nepal has always believed in armed insurgency. The root of the communist movement in Nepal goes back to the birth of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) in 1949. The CPN had secured four seats out of 104 in the first ever parliamentary election conducted in 1959. The CPN was split on the question of supporting a royal takeover in December 1960. Towards the latter half of the 1970s, the communist movement in Nepal had also developed its radical factions which were influenced by the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Naxalites movement of India. Following in the footsteps of Naxlites, CPN (Marxist-Leninist) carried out killings of local land owners in eastern Jhapa district of Nepal during the la te 1970s, also known as Jhapa Uprising. This uprising was immediately suppressed by the then Panchyat government, a party-less government system under direct rule of the monarch. The Nepalese communists were generally divided into two groups until the end of the Panchayat system. One group was ready to follow democratic system and another believed in seizure of power through armed insurgency. CPN (Maoist), who started the armed insurgency in February 1996, was always in favor of armed insurgency. Maoists, through their open political front, forwarded a 40 point demand to the government in February 1996, as an ultimatum otherwise to begin an armed insurgency; however, the Maoists started the armed insurgency even before reaching the deadline. 8.Governments Counter Insurgency Strategy.Nepal had experienced 15 different governments from 1990 to April 2006. Political instability made democratic transition difficult and prevented the government from acting appropriately against the insurgency. Various governments endeavored to respond to insurgency with a range of policy instruments during their respective tenure. Weak administrative infrastructure, frequent changes in government, hung parliaments, lack of determined leadership, diverse interest and different views of major political forces towards insurgency contributed to reactive, inconsistent and sometimes counterproductive response. Maoists completed preparation of the armed insurgency by keeping the government unaware, in order to avoid government repression. As an initial response, the government preferred to use police forces without anticipating the long term consequences. Police operations engaged the Maoists, but never controlled the local population. These repress ive and heavy handed law and order measures further alienated the local populace, which ultimately benefited the insurgents for organizational expansion. Only with the November 2001 offensive by the Maoists, did the government become more serious. After initial setbacks, the government decided to take a immediate approach to address grievances at the local level. It was conceived as the Internal Security and Development Program (ISDP). Increased Maoist violence prevented the government from running such types of programs together with combat operations in the insurgency infested areas. The government was forced to back out of this program.   Nepalese government counter insurgency measures from 1996 to 2006 included programs as followings: Initial Police/administrative measures. Security/military measures with ISDP programs. Counter Insurgency Operations. Peace Talks Promulgation of Terrorist and Terrorism Act. Activation of special courts to try insurgents. METHODOLOGY Statement Of The Problem 9. The researcher intends to analyze the impact of the Maoist insurgency on the Nepalese society in terms of political, social, economic and security aspect which they were forced to undergo during the period. The researcher also lays suggestions and recommendations to assist the future military leaders for better understanding of the problems and ways to address all societal needs if exposed to similar type of environment in the future. Hypothesis 10. The Nepalese society and the people were the main victim of the conflict during the decade long insurgency, in terms of social, economic and political losses. Justification Of The Study 11. Conflict, war and warlike events themselves are intolerable events in a peaceful society and automatically their impact on the society and its organ is more intolerable. The research will limit itself to a brief description of the then prevailing political situation. The main focus of the research will be concentrated towards how the society experienced the insurgency/counterinsurgency operations. A detailed analysis of the states inability to visualize the social, political, security and economic impact realized during the counter insurgency will be analyzed in detail. 12. The sole intent to scrutinize the above mentioned aspects is to provide an insight view to all the readers to understand the psychological pressure that the Nepalese society had undergone during the counter insurgency operations. Despite being one of the most significant subjects, there were some limitations regarding preparation of the paper which includes; the time limitation to make detailed study and the other commitments of the researcher in the college as well. 13. There are various national and international books, research paper written, prepared published by military professionals, academicians journalist about the Maoist insurgency and the governments approach to the problem, but only few of them that were relevant to the subjects were studied for the preparation of the paper. Methods Of Data Collection 14. This paper is based on a review and examination of information gathered from a variety of secondary sources. Due to the nature and availability of numerous research works on the subject matter the researcher did not opt for any field based research. This study is based on a descriptive along with analytical study of the Nepalese governments counter insurgency strategy along with its impact on the Nepalese populace at large. For this, the researcher has mainly studied and analyzed books and various websites. This research is by no means a complete picture of the conflict in Nepal and neither a complete picture of the Nepalese experiences during the insurgency period. Neither does this research claim to cover all impacts, but merely constitutes a review dependent upon available information. Organisation Of The Dissertation 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner: The chapter II highlights the background reasons behind the decade long conflict, in which more than 13 thousand innocents lost their lives. The chapter III briefly tries to explain the societal experiences of the insurgency in various levels and facades. The chapter IV tries to analyze the victims of the insurgency. The chapter V finally concludes the research, with proving of the hypothesis. CHAPTER II BACKGROUND REASONS BEHIND THE CONFLICT General 16. On February 13, 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), initiated a Peoples War with over 5,000 actions being carried out throughout the country including armed assaults on police stations in rural districts, the confiscation of property from oppressive landlords and punishment of local tyrants. The Maoist movement in Nepal grew out of imbalance within the society due to poverty, unemployment and frustration among the youths. Inaccessible hills, lack of communication and illiteracy further created an environment where insurgency could easily take its roots. Political instability in the country and failure of political leaders to respond to the hopes of mass population further attributed to the rise of Maoist movement. 17. Geographical disparity.Mid Western and far Western regions are basically remote areas of Nepal suffering from widespread poverty, disparity, structural inequality, injustice and discrimination. This in turn provided the Maoist with perfect breeding ground. Hence, the insurgency started from the mid-Western region (namely Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Jajarkot districts). Gradually they were able to increase their influence across the country and later were virtually present in all seventy five districts from rural to urban and hills to terai (plain) areas. The geographical expansion and growth of the Maoist insurgency was sharp and ubiquitous mainly because of two reasons. First, they effectively and successfully utilized media, rights activists, frustrated masses (e.g., ex-bounded laborers, unemployed youths, etc.) and poor, marginalised and underprivileged groups. They also created reign of terror to help expand their activities. Second, complete failure of the government to address geographical inequalities and provide regionally balanced development opportunities and infrastructures. All form of governance had completely neglected these two regions as they were inaccessible and remote. 18.Impacts of the Security Forces.Nothing can be more appalling to innocent rural community than when security forces move in, searching for insurgents. Because of the poor training of the police personnel and their lack of knowledge and proper orientation, instead of resolving the problem, they usually end up becoming major problems themselves. Police Operations like Operation Romeo, Operation Kilo Shera-2 and Jungle Search Operations (1998-99) and Silent Kilo Shera-3, Delta and Operation Chakrabihu (2000-May 2001) did not prove effective. Instead they helped escalate the conflict from certain geographical areas to across the country. Large numbers of innocent people were victims of these operations, which developed further resentment and feeling of revenge. The government completely failed to recognize the gravity of the problem of geographically neglected areas. Thus the Maoist were able to give the impression to the general public that they truly represented their interests, need s and aspirations of geographically isolated poor rural population who had been excluded from the economic, political and social opportunities mainly because of staying in geographically remote and backward areas. 19.Social Exclusion and Acute Inequalities. Absolute poverty, lack of access to resources and failure of political structures to address these issues made the Nepalese society extremely vulnerable to conflict. Deep rooted social cleavages in terms of caste, ethnicity, gender, regional, cultural, linguistic and religious forms of discrimination provided fertile ground to escalate the conflict.Maoists successfully capitalised the widely discernible disillusionment of people towards poor performance of political structure. Dominance of certain groups (e.g., Brahmin, Chhetri and Newar) in all social, political and economic sectors promoted feeling of injustice and revenge as lower caste people strongly believed that they had been excluded from opportunities and resources. Maoists tactically utilised these feelings. The emergence of ethnic interest groups, awareness on social exclusion, ethnic inequalities and governance failure fuelled the conflict. 20.Unstable Government and Their Lack of Responsiveness.There has been considerable political instability since the inception of democracy in the country.   The performance of parliamentary democracy for years had repeatedly failed by its frequent shifting of alliances, changing stands with the alternative governments and seeking fresh elections. This trend created an unhindered and favorable environment for the Maoist to widen their influence, the government being unable to take any bold steps for the economic as well as social upliftment of the people. The people, who had great expectations from the political leaders after the restoration of democracy, were disheartened by their irresponsible acts of engaging themselves in internal wrangling. 21.Lack of good governance.The revolving door charade of ministers with the formation and fall of different governments only increased the corrupt practices across the board.The splitting of major parties created a weaker government which inspired the rampage corruption in the administrative sector. The nepotism and favoritism made people feel the class discrimination. Such conditions decreased the faith towards the government and the Maoists were successful in exploiting the discontented group to gain passive or active support.  Ã‚   22.Fragile Economy and Rampant Poverty. Nepal ranks among the poorest countries of the world. With no major industries for earning foreign currency and deteriorating tourism industry, the economic condition of the country is decreasing each day. No economic program had been implemented effectively in the remote areas where 85 percent of the populations are still in acute poverty. The 2002 Budget presented by the government headed by then Prime Minister Deuba painted a gloomy economic picture of the country. Out of Rs. 96.12 billion, Rs. 57.45 billion was set aside for regular expenditure and rest for developmental projects. Rs. 14 billion was allocated to the security forces. This meant regular expenses were higher than expenditure under the development section in the, and government was giving more importance to law and order than economic reform. 23.Ideology.Maoist Movement involves only a small minority of the countrys population as active participants. Most of the participants are members of the underground who perform their normal functions within the society along with their clandestine and covert activities. However, ideology has been an important factor in unifying the many divergent interests and goals that exists among the Maoist movements membership. As a common set of interrelated beliefs, values and norms, the ideology has been used to manipulate and influence the behavior of individuals with in the communities and societies. Such strategy of the Maoist has directly or indirectly motivated and attracted many innocent citizens of the country.   24.Illiteracy and ignorance. Nepals Functional literacy remains low, even though official statistics show that the literate population numbers at around 60 percent. Most of the literate or educated are again concentrated in the cities and often it is the illiterate majority that remains back in the villages where the Maoists are still active with organization building. Those without proper education are unable to distinguish between promises and practical goals and because they are â€Å"unaware† or not â€Å"critically conscious† about what they are told, they are more likely to be influenced. Inability of the people to differentiate between what is told to them and what is achievable is reason for the increase in support to the Maoists. Low literacy and lack of effective information and communication mechanisms in rural areas   provided the Maoists, the space to persuade locals to support their cause and at the same time failure of democracy to deliver up to the exp ectations of the people contributed to the frustrations of the poor and to the growth of the insurgency. Positive Aspects Of The Conflict 25. The conflict also had some â€Å"positive† aspects, i.e. if one discounts and pretends to temporarily forget the losses. These positive aspects are the social reforms initiated by the government after the Maoists began rattling the status quo by forcibly correcting some long-standing socio-cultural inequities. Some of those reforms were in the plans and programs of the government and political parties but had never really been implemented. The Maoists have effectively challenged the discriminatory and exploitative caste system and have taken the debate on ethnicity and identity to the level of discussion or regional autonomy and self-determination. 26. The Maoists advocate regional autonomy, promising nationalities and geographically specific regions the right to self-determination. Locally, Maoists women, enforced bans on alcohol production and distribution, which they claim had helped reduce social evils (domestic violence, for example), and also to improve food security by ensuring that food grains are not used for brewing alcohol. The anti-alcohol drive, however also had another side. Many of the ethnic populations need alcohol for religious ceremony and cultural events, and the industry is also a major employer. 27. In the village the Maoists are also said to have forcefully ended polygamy, by shaming or even killing those found guilty of the offense, which is something every woman would support. They also advocated equality of the sexes, and were able to portray that they are at least better than the state, on gender equality. According to published information, about one third of the Maoists militia comprises women, which is symbolically a better mix, compared to the status of women in state institutions. Furthermore, in the Maoists â€Å"base areas† places where they claimed to have complete control they tried out different development models, for example cooperatives, restoration of the tenancy rights of tillers and the setting up of â€Å"model† primary schools. CHAPTER III SOCIETAL EXPERIENCES OF THE INSURGENCY AND COUNTER INSURGENCY General 28. Nepal has endured a decade long brutal insurgency which pushed the nation to the brink of catastrophe. Notwithstanding the little knowledge and experience in Counter Insurgency (COIN), Nepals Armed forces were haphazardly deployed to mitigate the threat posed by the insurgents. Devoid of a proper political stratagem, however, the military response failed to yield the intended outcome.Any form of violence / conflict leaves behind physical scars not only on the mankind but also to its surroundings with the left away of damaged building, displaced individuals and families, disrupted public services along with the deaths and disappearances. However, the real damage is done on the hearts and minds of the people, most of them civilian peoples who stayed as bystanders during the entire period of the conflict sharing the both pain from the side of the rebel and the government forces. Hence following are some of the broad categories in terms of social, political, economic and security imp act that the researcher has identified as possible areas which were experienced by the Nepalese as a whole in the past conflict. Social Impact 29. The conflict in Nepal had resulted into death of more than thirteen thousand, from the hands of Maoist or the security forces. Many more have been impaired for life and thousands more have been displaced from their homes. There were fightings almost every day after November 2001, except during seven months of truce between January and August 2003. The conflict between the security forces and the Maoist in the past had far-reaching effects on any society, in terms of destruction, disruption, diversion and dissaving. Besides destruction of material, the conflict also disrupted the normal walk of life of the people causing social and economic losses, many of which were difficult to measure. Some of them being the pain of an individual or group that had lost their dear and near ones, anguish of bereaved widows, orphans and friends and families of those killed in the conflict, belonging either to security forces, civilians or the Maoist combatant. Besides, there is other aspect of the socio-cultural impact which includes displacement of people resulting to homeless, Human Rights violations, educational shutdown, detainees and disappearance, psychological and mental problems in children and women, degradation in environmental protection are some of the experiences faced by the society during the insurgency period. Following paragraphs discuss the socio-cultural impacts of the conflict, based on the findings from the research. 30.Displacement. Operation Romeo was the major pushing factor for the displacement of people right before the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) declared Peoples War on 13 Feb 1996 with an aim to overthrow the constitutional Monarchy and establish New Republican State. Later it was followed by the government launching Operation Kilo Sierra Two which also fuelled the displacement problem.The rate of internal displacement was further intensified after the government initiated actual counter insurgency operation. However there are no any definite statistics of the displaced people and the one available also shows the variations regarding the numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDP) which is shown in Appendix â€Å"B†, this however does not include the displaced people due to the threat of the government and security forces. 31. However it has been clear that the displacement had been both voluntary and forced. Those who left the village voluntary did so fearing they could be attacked by the Maoist, even though they were not threatened by them. Most of the voluntary migrants included members of the politician, local landlords, money lenders and the ones who were involved in illegal activities. The bitter experience of the displaced people could be understood easily since any individual that are forced to move from his/her place of residence faces multiple problems. 32.Children and Women.Where ever there is a conflict, children and women are often the worst sufferers in the conflicts, it is no doubt that many have appreciated Maoist for empowering women into their party but there are many more who blames Maoist for victimizing them as well. Though recruitment of women alongside of the men in the militia/guerilla has been termed as empowerment but at the same time the ignorance of the hardship that the women had to undergo during the conflict has always been neglected. Women experienced conflict differently than men, there were numerous cases regarding gendered form of violence during counter insurgency operations such as rape, slavery, deprivation of food, teenage widow and eviction from the family (according to Thapa, Ranjana, Impact of Armed Conflict on Women). They were victims of rape and torture and would often end up being forced to raise their children on their own, especially after their male partner were killed or captured. There were i ncidents where the young women/girls within Maoist had suffered from sexual abuse and exploitation, there was an interview in the national TV which the researcher still recalls, a 19 year old women Maoist cadre had claimed that she and many in their party had to fulfill the sexual desire of their own level Maoist cadre and she further notified that sometimes she even had to fulfill sexual desire of more than dozen per night. Overall, women had been adversely affected during these periods, whether as daughters, mothers, sisters or wives of both the personnel of the security forces and the Maoist. 33. Despite a national campaign â€Å"Children as Zone of Peace†, it was the children who were caught up in the Maoist conflict mainly as victims. Many had been killed in the Maoist Government conflict of which they were no part of. According to the INSEC, over 260 children under the age of 18 were killed in the conflict between 1996 till 2004. Many others were wounded and many had lost either both or one of their parents. According to other estimate, at least 2,000 children have lost one parent and more than 4,000 had been displaced. The Maoist at one hand had been using children as child soldier by either using them for combatant, cultural groups or as informants. At the same time the security forces have also used children in various ways such as guides, couriers and porters. Children nationwide experienced school disruptions because of Maoist attack on schools, forced closures and strikes at schools. The Maoist always use to see school going children as their potential fu ture combatant or child combatant resulting into abduction of entire class of student. 34. The framework projected in Appendix â€Å"C† provides an overview of an involvement of children in armed conflict and its impact which was distinctly experienced/ observed during the counter insurgency operations against the Maoist Peoples War. 35.Health and Food Security.Though many people had experienced death as a direct result of fighting from knife wounds, bullet, bombs and landmines, but many more died from malnutrition and disease due to Maoist Peoples war. The interruption of food supplies by the security forces, the destruction of agricultural and health services infrastructures by the Maoist, resulted into diminished food intake and severe malnutrition/infections, the target always being children and the older peoples in the society. The people living in the rural area of Nepal experienced serious cutback in local food production, caused by the migration of the merchants from the rural areas, lack of access to markets due to restriction imposed by the Maoist cadres and the displacement of able human resources from the villages. 36. In one incident in particular in 2004, Rolpa district suffered from transport blockade for nearly a year, similarly four village in Acham district faced movement restriction for over year and the Doti district faced blockade of food transportation for more than 6 months, all of them were enforced by the Maoist activists. On the other hand, in order to prevent food from falling into the hands of the Maoists, the security forces had also imposed small weekly quotas on private traders of food in some district. In some cases these amounts were so small that it was not worth for merchants to long risky journey to sell it. The quotas impacted civilians more then intended Maoist force because the Maoist regularly forced the villagers to provide them with meals, leaving very little food left for feeding families. 37.Human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. Trafficking of women and girls to India and other countries is a long standing prob

Eating Disorders and the Media Essay -- anorexia nervosa and bulimia n

Eating Disorders and the Media Doctors annually diagnose millions of Americans with eating disorders. Of those diagnosed, ninety percent are women. Most of these women have one of the two most common types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (National Council on Eating Disorders, 2004). People with anorexia nervosa experience heart muscle shrinkage along with slow and irregular heartbeats and eventually heart failure. Along with their heart, their kidney, digestive system and muscles often fail them. The mortality rate of anorexia is twenty percent, which is the highest of any psychiatric disorder. People with bulimia nervosa experience erosion of their teeth, irritation and rips in their throat, stomach, and esophagus, and develop a dependency on laxatives. These symptoms occur along with the same symptoms that anorexics suffer. One third of people with eating disorders never fully recover. Instead, according to eating disorder researchers, they experience â€Å"repeating wavelike patterns of disease and recovery [and] seldom return to a state of normal eating† (D'Abundo & Chally, 2004; National Council on Eating Disorders, 2004). How can a female choose to force her body into a state of living decay? In this paper, I have discussed the complex interaction of media and young women. I have also proposed solutions that might help activists interested in lessening the chances of girls developing eating disorders. In the literature review, I focus on the scholarly work conducted to understand how consumption of certain media interacts with low self-esteem to cause young females to want to fit the societal norm of being thin. This drive for thinness in young women can cause eating disorders. Th... ...urrent Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 181-183. Thomsen, S. (2002). Health and Beauty Magazine Reading and Body Shape Concerns Among a Group of College Women. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, (79) 4, 988-1007. Tyner, T. (1992). Implementation: The Next Step. Strategies for Media Literacy Quarterly. Walsh, B. (2004). A Plea for Expanded Media Literacy. Retrieved on December 8, 2004, from http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/readings/articles/kubey.html. Wade, T. Davidson, S. & O’Dea, J. (2002). A Preliminary Controlled Evaluation of a School-Based Media Literacy Program and Self-Esteem Program for Reducing Eating Disorder Risk Factors. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 371 – 383. Zajonc, R. (2001). Mere Exposure: A gateway to the Subliminal. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(6), 224-228.

Comparing Death in Araby and The Metamorphosis Essay -- comparison com

Death in Araby and The Metamorphosis Many readers have commented on the contrast of light and darkness in the story Araby by James Joyce. Perhaps the death of the priest in Araby adds to the "darkness" that the boy experiences when he is thinking about Mangan's sister, as contrasted with the light he experiences when he is actually in her presence. It is interesting that the death of the priest does not become so "dark" until Mangan's sister is introduced. In the first scene where the boy visits the priest's old room, he rummages around and finds some treasures, including "paper-covered books," and "the late tenant's rusty bicycle pump." There is no sense of gloom here, in fact, the boy seems to be having fun exploring and discovering things, and reminisces about how the priest "had been a very charitable priest" in a rather disconnected way. But later, after the boy's crush on Mangan's sister has been introduced, this dead priest's room takes on a very different character. This is the place where the boy retreats on a stormy night while his emotions are churning inside him. It is no longer a place to explore, but has taken on almost a "sacred" character. Here the boy experiences his most impassioned moment of "strange prayers and praises," pressing the palms of his hands together "until they trembled, murmuring: 'Oh Love! Oh Love!' many times." You can almost feel the presence of the dead priest in the room on this "dark rainy evening" as the boy is praying, in a way that you would not feel his presence if he were merely on vacation. The fact that he has died here in this very room adds to the drama and it intensifies the boy's emotions. Maybe the boy was thinking that the priest was watching him from he... ...ere really what the family needed to start living their own lives. In this story the "deaths" of Gregor serve to make obvious where he really stands in the family, and what the real situation is. If he had not turned into a bug and ultimately died, neither he nor the family would have ever known that what he was doing for them wasn't really helping them. Gregor's deaths also showed that the family didn't really care that much about him, and weren't that grateful for his sacrifices. It brings out the contrast between what Gregor was willing to do for his family (die) and what his family was willing to do for him (not very much). They wanted to get rid of him once his condition started demanding too much from them. Gregor's death turns him into a sort of tragic hero. If the story ended differently, I think readers would feel less sympathetic towards him.

Bram Stokers Dracula: A Struggle to Maintain Victorian Upper and Middl

The Victorian men and women conveyed in Bram Stoker's Dracula are pure and virtuous members of the upper and middle class. However, hiding behind this composed and civilized conception of England lies a dark and turbulent underbelly. This underbelly is the lumpenproletariat, whom Karl Marx defined as "the lowest and most degraded section of the proletariat; the ‘down and outs’ who make no contribution to the workers cause". Victorian culture discriminated against these vagrants, who were seen not only as shiftless and immoral, but dangerous as well. Sex was taboo and purity was held sacred to the Victorian middle and upper class, but prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases ran rampant among the lumpenproletariat. The rich strive to be pious and good, but consider those of lower social standing to be less than human. The reaction of the characters in Dracula to the evil of the vampires can be likened to the Victorian conception of the lower classes. They were seen as a hedonistic but powerful force, with the collective capacity to end the affluent citizen's way of life. In this sense, the novel can be viewed as a struggle to maintain upper-class Victorian traditions against the traditions of the lower class. This paper will examine the similarities between the vampires and the perception of the lower classes in regards to superstition, sexuality, inequality and the "preying" of the lumpenproletariat on the respectable middle-class. It will also examine the signs evident in the novel of the Victorian mindset. Dracula is an aristocrat with a castle and noble title, but in reality he is more associated with the lumpen. While trapped in Dracula's castle early in the novel, Jonathan discovers that he has no hired help, has been performing menial tasks such as bed-making and table setting in secret, and even acting as the horse-carriage driver. He slumbers in dirt, much like the homeless, and is nomadic for most of the book. The Count associates himself most clearly with the lumpenproletariat in the form of a horde of gypsies who "attach themselves as a rule to some great noble"(49). They even do his bidding: "The [gypsies] have given me these"(50) Dracula says of Jonathan's ill-fated letters. Dracula attempts to hide his lumpen nature and exude an aristocra... ... "stagnant and foul" air (111). Vampires and the poor are projected as animal-like, and both prey on others. Since the vampires in Dracula can be seen as a representation of the lower class, we can draw some assumptions. If one draws this parallel to its logical conclusion, the battle with the vampires, it can be seen that in the end the lower class and their perceived values are soundly defeated by the righteous ruling class, and the threat is expelled from Britain. However, this ruling class does not come out of the battle unscathed, and the Victorian tradition is mostly lost. By reading Dracula as a battle to maintain Victorian tradition, one can more fully understand the actions of the characters. Their prudishness, Seward's scientific adherence to logic, and the idea of the fall from grace take on a new meaning in the light of such an understanding. Just as the characters in Dracula cling to their humanity, so too do they cling to their upper-class values in the face of the lower class. Works Cited Stoker, Bram. Dracula. England: Pengiun, 2003. defn:"Lumpenproletariat". Oxford English Dictionary. http://dictionary.oed.com

Keynesian and Classical economics

INTRODUCTION:The general theory by Maynard Keynes states that the level of employment is determined by the marginal efficiency of capital, marginal propensity to consume and the real interest rates, he also the level of output and employment is determined by aggregate demand and that the aggregate demand can be increased through an increase in government expenditure.Keynes therefore advocated for government intervention in steering the economy while the classical economist argued that the government should not interfere with the running of the economy, on unemployment according to Keynes theory this problem could be resolved by the use of government policies, the two theorists differ in the causes and the solutions of unemployment, to the classical economists unemployment is caused by excess supply which is caused by high wage rates, high wage rates means low demand and therefore this causes unemployment, therefore the Classical economist believe that the economy should be left to ad just itself until an equilibrium is reached at full employment.Says law was developed by Jean Say who was a French businessman, according to this theory there cannot be demand without supply, according to this law a recession which is characterized by high unemployment is not caused by low demand or lack of money, however an increase in money supply will result to inflation. The Say’s law therefore clearly identifies the difference between the Keynes theory and classical economists in their explanation of the economy.Classical Economists and Say’s law:Classical economist supports Say’s law that supply causes demand and that there is never over supply, the Law states that people will supply things to the economy so that they can get money to buy other goods in the economy that are of the same value they have supplied. This is in line with the classical economists who argue that money does exist in an economy and that money will flow in the economy and this flow o f money flows from the businesses to the people through paying jobs.The classical economist states that the price level is changed by the level of money supply, also that the amount of supply will always be at full employment such that producers will not change the level of supply but will adjust the price levels to achieve the required demand level, therefore because supply creates its own demand then in the long run the economy will be at equilibrium and this means very low or no unemployment.According to the Says law the classical economist therefore defined the model of the economy as follows P X Q = M X V, where P is the price level, Q is the quantity of goods sold, M is the money supply and V is the velocity of money flow. As the level of money supply increases assuming that the level of money supply is constant then the price or the quantity of goods sold will increase. If on the other hand the money supply increases and assuming that the velocity level remains constant then the price level or the quantity demanded will rise, therefore our outcome for the model means that an increase in money supply is inflationally and that an increase in the velocity of money flow will lead to economic development.Keynes Theory and Say’s law:Keynesians dismisses Says law as a false statement, he argues that supply and demand should be separately analyzed, on supply Keynesians says that supply generates income, people will then consume this income, the largest portion of income goes to consumption while the rest is saved, they analyzed the consumption levels of the income in terms of marginal propensity to consume which will rise as the level of income rises.The Keynesian economist therefore considered the model of the economy as Y = C + I + (X-M) where Y is income, C is consumption, I is the investment X is exports and M is imports. The model is further analyzed as C = (a + b Y) where a is the autonomous income level, b is the marginal propensity to consume and Y is the income level.Conclusion:We can conclude that the Says law is the major difference between the Keynes theory and the classical economists, the classical economist support the Says law and also advocate for a free market economy while Keynes argues that the government can solve the problem of unemployment in an economy through an increase in spending to increase the aggregate demand that results to lower unemployment levels.References:Alan Coddington (2003) Keynesian Economics: The First Principles, Rout ledge publishers, US  Alfred William (1991) The Classical Economists and Economic Policy, University of Michigan press, Michigan  George Douglas (1967) Macro-economic Theory: A Mathematical Treatment, Macmillan publishers, US  Steven Kate’s (2003) Two Hundred Years of Say's Law: Essays on Economic Theory's Most Controversial Principle, Edward Elgar Publishing, US  John Fender (1981) Understanding Keynes: An Analysis of the General Theory, Wiley publishers, US

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The brain and spinal cord are made up of many cells, including neurons and glial cells. Neurons are cells that send and receive electro-chemical signals to and from the brain and nervous system. There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain. There are many more glial cells; they provide support functions for the neurons, and are far more numerous than neurons. There are many type of neurons. They vary in size from 4 microns (. 004 mm) to 100 microns (. 1 mm) in diameter. Their length varies from a fraction of an inch to several feet.Neurons  are nerve cells that transmit nerve signals to and from the brain at up to 200 mph. The neuron consists of a  cell body (or soma)  with branching  dendrites(signal receivers) and a projection called an  axon, which conduct the nerve signal. At the other end of the axon, the  axon terminals  transmit the electro-chemical signal across a  synapse  (the gap between the axon terminal and the receiving cell). The word â€Å"neuro n† was coined by the German scientist Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer-Hartz in 1891 (he also coined the term â€Å"chromosome†).The  axon, a long extension of a nerve cell, and take information away from the cell body. Bundles of axons are known as nerves or, within the CNS (central nervous system), as nerve tracts or pathways. Dendrites bring information to the cell body. Myelin  coats and insulates the axon (except for periodic breaks called nodes of Ranvier), increasing transmission speed along the axon. Myelin is manufactured by Schwann's cells, and consists of 70-80% lipids (fat) and 20-30% protein.The  cell body (soma)  contains the neuron's nucleus (with DNA and typical nuclear organelles). Dendrites branch from the cell body and receive messages. A typical neuron has about 1,000 to 10,000 synapses (that is, it communicates with 1,000-10,000 other neurons, muscle cells, glands, etc. ). DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEURONS There are different types of neuron s. They all carry electro-chemical nerve signals, but differ in structure (the number of processes, or axons, emanating from the cell body) and are found in different parts of the body. Sensory neurons or Bipolar neurons  carry messages from the body's sense receptors (eyes, ears, etc. ) to the CNS. These neurons have two processes. Sensory neuron account for 0. 9% of all neurons. (Examples are retinal cells, olfactory epithelium cells. ) * Motoneurons or Multipolar neurons  carry signals from the CNS to the muscles and glands. These neurons have many processes originating from the cell body. Motoneurons account for 9% of all neurons. (Examples are spinal motor neurons, pyramidal neurons, Purkinje cells. * Interneurons or Pseudopolare (Spelling) cells  form all the neural wiring within the CNS. These have two axons (instead of an axon and a dendrite). One axon communicates with the spinal cord; one with either the skin or muscle. These neurons have two processes. (Examples are dorsal root ganglia cells. ) LIFE SPAN OF NEURONS Unlike most other cells, neurons cannot regrow after damage (except neurons from the hippocampus). Fortunately, there are about 100 billion neurons in the brain. GLIAL CELLS Glial cells make up 90 percent of the brain's cells.Glial cells are nerve cells that don't carry nerve impulses. The various glial (meaning â€Å"glue†) cells perform many important functions, including: digestion of parts of dead neurons, manufacturing myelin for neurons, providing physical and nutritional support for neurons, and more. Types of glial cells include Schwann's Cells, Satellite Cells,  Microglia, Oligodendroglia, and Astroglia. Neuroglia (meaning â€Å"nerve glue†) are the another type of brain cell. These cells guide neurons during fetal development.