An Analytical Study of the Earthquakes as a Natural Disaster Research Paper

An Analytical Study of the Earthquakes as a Natural Disaster - Research Paper Example â€Å"An earthquake is a series of vibrations or seismic (shock) waves which originate from the focus – the point at which the plates release their tension or compression suddenly†. Earthquakes involve the phenomenon where the earth surface shakes at certain points in time. It involves some kind of vibration that is emitted from deep within the earth's crust. Earthquakes result from some shocks that are remitted from within the earth's surface which is felt on the land and in the sea. Earthquakes often cause the damage of building and destruction of properties. The epicenter of an earthquake is the part of the surface of the earth which is the focus of the earthquake. Usually, the epicenter is the point on the earth where the highest impact of the earthquake occurs. Aside from the epicenter, the earthquake is felt in other lands around the epicenter. However, relative to the epicenter, the other areas affected by the earthquake is much lesser than that of the epicenter. Earthquakes are emitted by a series of shocks. There are some large shocks whilst there are other smaller shocks. These shocks shake the earth surface and are known as tremors. The tremors that occur before the earthquake are known as foreshocks whilst those that occur after the major earthquake are known as aftershocks. In terms of occurrence, there dynamics of earthquakes vary with the layer within which an earthquake emanates. Primary waves are body shocks in the earth's interior. The occur deep within the earth and close to the earth's core.

Case study analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis - Case Study Example In the e-learning project, strong team work made it to attain its objective making the Australian Customs Service to provide excellent services. Being a body that is responsible for provision of security and integrity of Australia borders, Australian Customs Service noted the need to develop a system that would ensure effective collaboration among the 4,900 employees (David, 2006).The e-learning project was undertaken after the Customs evaluation and came to a conclusion that it will achieve the expected outcomes. One of the notable strengths of the project is that it enjoys the support of the large number of employees. In this way, it would not face resistance during implementation. Additionally, Australian Customs Service applied new technology that is positively viewed as a major solution that faces security personnel. The project also underwent extensive analysis before being implemented, implying that minimal resources were lost resulting to a higher rate of return on investment. The strong working relationship between the project managers and the working group is another strength that made the e-learning project to achieve its objectives. Based on the need by the Customs to provide a project that is effective, the process of planning e-learning took a lot of time. The costs that the Customs underwent in terms time and financial resources could have been possible reduced by outsourcing the project. Due to the modern technology that the e-learning project is adopting, the Customs have an opportunity of conducting training programs easily. On their part, people working in Australian Customs Service will get a chance of enhancing their skills thus becoming more productive. The e-learning project can also be adopted by other security agents that work in collaboration with Australian Customs Service. In this way, the Customs work will not only

Functions of Modal Verbs in European and British Legal Documents

Functions of Modal Verbs in European and British Legal Documents Functions of Modal Verbs in European and British Legal Documents Abstract: Researches in languages for special purposes have qualified legal texts as a distinctive type of texts. The purpose of this study is to describe linguistic features of modal verbs which were found in different types of legal writing and to examine the reasons for their use. In this paper I will try to compare the use of modal verbs in European Directives and British Statutes and to investigate the expression of obligation in legal texts such as contracts which are texts which lay down the obligations and the rights of the parties to the contract. Key words: coherence, obligation, modality, legislation, variety, statement, behaviour. Modal Verbs in Contract Law There are different types of legal writing. According to their purpose there are operative legal documents, expository documents and persuasive documents. Legal language is widely spread in all areas of social life and it can be combined with language from different domains. The function of the law is double: regulative and constitutive. The legal genre represents a sublanguage which includes a wide range of texts and situational patterns. The legal genre contains a variety of sub-genres such as statutes, conventions and contracts. There are different ways of expressing obligation in legal English. Legal documents may prohibit certain actions, may confer rights or create obligations, may permit or authorize certain actions. Therefore, there are four types of legal rules: authorizations, obligations, prohibitions and permissions. There are certain rules used in legal language to formulate these rules nut these are not subject to grammar rules but to drafting principles. The present study will focus on the investigation of grammatical ways of expressing obligation through the use of modal verbs. The textual organisation of a contract contains the following elements: title, introduction, recitals, and definitions, body of the documents, provisions, signatures and dates. The contract law developed in the 19th century and derives from the principles which characterized the Industrial Revolution. Nevertheless, the origins of contract law are much more ancient than that and are to be found in the early common law of the Middle Ages. The main preoccupation of society at that time was land ownership and law developed very quickly in relation to the protection of ownership of land or of interests in land. As a result, the law of that time was also mainly concerned with property rights. The distinction that the law drew in terms of identifying the enforceability of rights was between formal agreements and informal ones. A formal agreement was one made in writing and which was authenticated by the practice of ‘sealing. This is the origin of the deed, which was the method accepte d for transfer of land and interests in land up to 1989, when the requirement to complete the document by the process of sealing was relaxed in favour of the already common practice of witnessing the document. Narrative contracts often contain ambiguities (e.g., conflicts and gaps) and these must be avoided or at least the conflicts arising from them resolved. Furthermore, there may be complex interdependencies between contract clauses that can be hard to track down. The content of the contract has to be in conformity with the legal framework and it forces the parties to involve themselves in politeness strategies in order to avoid the face threatening acts. The modal verbs occurring in contracts have double or triple functions and this applies to the modals shall, will, can and must. The modal will may be used to express either an obligation or a prediction, may and can express permission or possibility while must may express obligation (deontic use) or logical necessity. The strategies placing the parties to the contract under some kind of obligation are the most frequently used directives in English contracts. In order to express obligation in a contract the modal shall is used and expresses the illocutionary force of an order: â€Å"The distributor shall pay commission on a quarterly basis†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The regulation of behaviour in a contract can be made by issuing prohibitions and here the modal verb shall is used again: â€Å"The Representative shall not be entitled to enter into any contract or obligation on behalf of the Company without the express written consent of the Company being first obtained†. Statements of permission issued by some authority are usually conveyed with the help of the modal verb may: â€Å"The employer may determine the hiring at any time by giving one months previous notice in writing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The contract also stipulates the limitations of liability and the assignment of benefits which are expressed with the help of shall. In this case the most frequently used verbs in connection with the auxiliary shall are: entitle, relieve, accept, have power, etc. In the language of contracts shall represents the principal means of expressing obligations. Obligations and intentions are the main aspects dealing with a contract. The modals shall and will have each been used to express modal meanings and to mark future time. But shall is rarely used to indicate future time. Shall is a modal used to impose obligation on the subject of a sentence. In contract law it conveys the meaning â€Å"has a duty to†. Lawyers tend to avoid using the modal must, because they find it too bossy. Another alternative instead of shall could be will but it seems less promising. Even if many legal drafters tend to avoid using the modal must, this may be an alternative to shall as a means of expressing obligation. The use of must instead of shall may express any obligation whether it is imposed on the subject of a sentence. For example:†The Company must reimburse the Sales Manager for all authorized expenses†./†The meeting must take place at the companys headquarters†. But a disciplined use of shall to impose an obligation on the subject of the sentence makes clear who owes the obligation: The Company shall reimburse the Sales Manager for all authorized expenses. An obligation can be expressed in other ways by using passive voice: The Sales Manager shall be reimbursed for all authorized expenses. Or one could use is entitled to: The Sales Manager shall be entitled to be reimbursed for all authorized expenses.† Shall is also used to express future time in contracts and these may result in confusion. There are cases when the simple present tense would be more appropriate as for example: â€Å"This agreement shall be governed by the Los Angeles law.† Due to the fact that shall is unusual in ordinary speech, this modal verb has been criticized by the Plain English Campaign, which recommends the use of must to express obligations. (Tiersma, 214). Comparative Analysis of Modal Verbs in European Directives and British Statutes Modal verbs usually appear in the sequence of verbs in a verb phrase. They are finite verb form with no inflected endings and no past tense. They are followed by the short infinitive. The most frequently used modals in legal English are: shall, may, must, would, will followed by can, ought to, should. According to the European style guide the enacting terms of the EU legislation can be divided into two linguistic categories: imperative terms and declarative terms. The imperative terms may be further divided into positive and negative commands and permissions and the declarative terms are those terms that are implemented by virtue of being declared. The study of modality is concerned with the meaning of the modals. Legal language contains both deontic and epistemic modality. Epistemic modality shows how certain is a speaker about an expressed utterance. Deontic modality involves both language and action and refers to the instances when the speaker orders, promises or places an obligation to someone. Deontic modality can be divided into: a) directives (expressing possibility by the use of may or necessity by the use of must); b) commissives (expressing promises) and imperatives. I carried out a comparative analysis to show the frequency of the modals in both European and British legislative texts. The European directives used in this work were taken from the Official Journal of the European Communities and the Acts of Parliament from the online UK Statute Law Database. Table 2 Act of Parliament Directive ↓ ↓ Shall → 60 301 Should → 20 150 Will → 10 6 Would → 30 12 Must → 90 1 Can → 5 30 Could → 10 5 May → 100 96 According to table 1 the most frequently used modal verb in the European directive is shall, while may is the most frequently used modal in the British Act of Parliament. EU legal drafters tend to use modal verbs in prescriptive statements and should is used instead of must because it is less strong than must. Bhatia states that â€Å"shall not only sustains the myth of precision in legal language but also perpetuates a style and language that differentiates the genre from that of other professions†.(Bhatia, 101-102) The verb shall is one of the most frequently used modal auxiliary in legislative writing, especially in European legal texts, and therefore it fulfils a variety of functions. Crystal and Davy talk about the different uses of this modal verb and state that in legal English: â€Å"Shall is invariably used to express what is to be the obligatory consequence of a legal decision, and not simply as a marker of future tense, which is its main function in other varieties .†(Crystal and Davy, 206-207) In the European legal text shall is used to indicate a positive command, as for example: â€Å"For authorisation as a payment institution, an application shall be submitted to the competent authorities of the home Member State†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Shall may be also used to give directions or to indicate future events as in the following example: â€Å"Each element shall be included in the sum with its positive or negative sign.† Here the verb shall may have the meaning of is to be included, but it can be also interpreted as a future event meaning that after the directive comes into force each element will be included in the sum. Shall is also used in both European and British texts to express an order: â€Å" If the payment service user provides information additional to that specified in Articles 37(1)(a) or 42(2)(b), the payment service provider shall be liable only for the execution of payment transactions in accordance with the unique identifier provided by the payment service user.† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-31) In this example taken out from the European directive, the modal verb shall indicates the obligations of the payment service provider which represents the addresser. So, according to this provision the addresser must conform to this obligation of executing the payment transactions. In British legal texts shall is used to express an obligation: â€Å"Accordingly, in determining in the case of an offender whether it should take steps as mentioned in subsection (1), the court shall also have regard to the matters mentioned in those paragraphs.†(Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 2, p. 8) In this example taken from Criminal Justice and Immigration Act shall expresses the obligations of the court and the steps that have to be taken in determining the case of the offender. Shall can be used to express the application of a directive: â€Å"This Directive shall apply to payment services provided within the Community.† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-9) Shall can also be used to state rules: â€Å"This Section shall apply to other payment transactions, unless otherwise agreed between the payment service user and his payment service provider, with the exception of Article 73, which is not at the disposal of the parties.† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-30) In this example shall serves as an indicator for the application of this provision. It also indicates the rules according to which this section is valid. Shall may be used to express prohibitions: â€Å"†¦such credit shall not be granted from the funds received or held for the purpose of executing a payment transaction;†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-17) The use of shall may also create ambiguity, especially in British legal writings: â€Å"No order or regulations which, by virtue of section 18A, is or are to have effect for a limited period shall be made unless a draft of the order or regulations has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament†(Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 4, p. 45). The predicate from this sentence, containing the modal auxiliary shall refers to an inanimate subject no order or regulations. This indicates that a rule is imposed an abstract thing (in this case order or regulation) and the agent of the action is not specified. So, in this example we have passive voice without an agent. This construction shall + BE + past participle is frequently used in both types on legal documents. The construction shall + short infinitive is also widely used especially in European legal texts. Critics also say that legal drafters should avoid using a negative subject with the affirmative form of shall. (No orders or regulations (†¦) shall be made). Shall is a modal verb which expresses a legal obligation, but in most of the cases this verb occurs with non-human subjects. Anna Trosborg argues that â€Å"statements with non-human subjects typically refer to functions of the statutory instruments, they explain when a law is effectuated, how far an act extends, whom it affects, how a term is to be understood, etc., and such they serve as conditions to be considered by the citizens as well as the court.†(Trosborg, 106). In this cases the modal verb shall has a declarative function and here are some examples when the modal verb is used with inanimate subjects: â€Å"An authorisation shall only be granted to a legal person established in a Member State† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 25). â€Å"A provision shall not be contained by virtue of subsection (1)(b) in a warrant under section 4A unless it satisfies the following two conditions† (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 6, p. 71) In these texts I did not find any sentences where human subjects are specified. In most of the instances shall is used in the passive voice with non human subject. Because of the fact that most of the passive constructions with shall are agentless, most occurrences of shall are unmotivated. Verbal groups are characterized by a high number of non-finites. Among the finites the most frequently found group is modal auxiliary+ be +past participle, and in this construction the most used modal auxiliary is shall which expresses deontic modality. Crystal and Davy say that shall expresses â€Å"what is to be the obligatory consequence of a legal decision and not simply as a marker of the future sense, which is its normal function†( Crystal, Davy, 206-207). e.g. : â€Å"Such waste shall be subject to all provisions of Directive 75/442/EEC. It shall in particular be: destined for duly authorised facilities only, authorised according to Articles 10 and 11 of Directive 75/442/EEC, subject to all provisions of Articles 8, 12, 13 and 14 of Directive 75/442/EEC†( Case C 176/05). In this example shall occurs in passive sentences. In legal language shall does not indicate the future, it indicates an obligation. Shall is also to be found in declarations. It is commonly used in legal language and therefore it has the function of indicating that the document in which it occurs is legal. The verbs used with shall are selected from a small number of lexical sets, such as apply, be, preclude, exceed, act, vacate, etc. The frequency of this modal and the avoidance of the modal auxiliary must shows in a way an improvement over the British style, but its use in excess also leads to ambiguities regarding its different meanings. Another modal verb that is predominantly used in legal texts is the modal auxiliary may. As table 1 shows, may is the most frequently used modal verb in British Acts of Parliament. May expresses permission, but it has some other additional meanings. The following three examples have been taken from the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act and show different instances when this modal auxiliary is used: (1) â€Å"†¦or with the requirements of any community order or any youth community order to which he may be subject†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2) â€Å"The court may make a youth rehabilitation order in respect of the current offence instead of imposing a fine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3) â€Å"Rules under sub-paragraph (4)(a) may, in particular, make provision in relation to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4)â€Å"The Secretary of State may by order amend paragraph 2, 3 or 4 by substituting for any reference to an amount of money or a number of hours or days there specified a reference to such other amount or number as may be specified in the order.† In the third example reference is made to the inanimate subject rules, while in the first, second and fourth example references are made to human subjects. In the first sentence we have the pronoun he as a subject and in the second sentence the noun court. The most frequently used subject in combination with the modal may is the noun court. In the first sentence may indicates probability, possibility although this modal is not normally used to convey possibility or probability. This feature is characteristic for the common usage. In the fourth example may has the meaning of to grant a right or a power. But this sentence is a little bit ambiguous because the modal verb may can simply refer to the possibility that the Secretary of State might amend the paragraphs under certain circumstances. The use of the negative form of may can be ambiguous. In spite of the fact that the positive form of this modal has a different meaning from must and shall, the negative form is the same. The negative form is used to express prohibition, something that is forbidden, and that is why this form should normally be avoided. Therefore may+not is used in the sense of limiting the rights or the powers of a provision as in the following example: â€Å"The power conferred by subsection (1) may not be exercised in relation to any sentence or order if an appeal, or an application for leave to appeal, against that sentence or order has been determined† (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 3, p. 206) In the example the negative form of may limits the power of this provision under certain circumstances. This means that the power under section 1 cannot be used in relation to any sentence if that appeal has already been determined. The modal verb must is used to describe a requirement or a prohibition and in general English it expresses obligation. As table 1 shows, it is frequently used in British Acts of Parliament. The European drafters have tried to avoid using this modal auxiliary, perhaps because of the fact that shall is the most frequently used modal verb in the European directives. However, critics have argued that the use of shall and must at the same time leads to ambiguity because readers may not understand any more whether different meanings are intended. Must + not expresses a prohibition, as in the following example: â€Å"The Secretary of State must not release a person under subsection (2) unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is not necessary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 2, p. 22). Must also expresses an obligation: â€Å"Where on a reference under subsection (1) relating to any person the Board recommends his immediate release on licence under this Chapter, the Secretary of State must give effect to the recommendation.† (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 2, p. 22). Here the verb must suggests that the Secretary of State has the obligation to give effect to the recommendation. To sum up the functions of the most frequently used modals, one can say that the modal shall is the most frequent auxiliary used in the European directives. It fulfils many functions from imposing an obligation to creating rights or defining words. May is frequently used in British statutes and expresses permission and authorization. Must is used to express obligation and prohibition in legal language and should not be used as an alternative to shall. The language of the legislative documents is not only informative providing the reader with details and useful information about their rights and obligations, but it also specifies and mentions the authority which issues, orders or prohibits certain acts. This authoritative and permissive dimension is conveyed in legal English by the means of modal verbs. Bibliography Bhatia, Vijay. Analysing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. London: Longman, 1993 Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Crystal, David and Davy, Derek. Investigating English Style. London: Longman, 1969. Garner, Bryan. A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, second edition, Oxford University Press, 1995. Kimble, Joseph. The Many Misuses of Shall in Scribes J. Legal Writing, 1992. Mellinkoff, David. The Language of Law. Boston: Little Brown, 1994. Taylor, Christopher. Language to language: A practical and theoretical guide for Italian and English translators. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Tiersma, Peter. Legal Language, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999. Trosborg, Anna. Rhetorical Strategies in Legal Language. Tà ¼bingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1997. Corpus: Case C 176/05, KVZ retec GmbH v Republik Ãâ€"sterreich, March 2007 Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 DIRECTIVE 2007/64/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 November 2007 on payment services in the internal market amending Directives 97/7/EC, 2002/65/EC, 2005/60/EC and 2006/48/EC and repealing Directive 97/5/EC

Climate Change is a Minor Threat Essay -- Global Warming Essays

Predicting climate change is less accurate than firing a pistol at long range. The fact is, finding a forecast of our future is just as difficult as explaining the meaning of life. I mean, how can we predict the future climate when meteorologists can’t even predict today’s weather? Scientists have only been keeping exact records of the earth’s surface temperature for only just over a hundred years.# Before accurate readings of the earth had been taken, scientists have only viewed charts and graphs of recent years. Patterns have been formed from these short-term graphs. But how can scientists be sure that their trend is true? What proof do we have anyway? The media-crazed threat of global warming has made this topic a very popular and, according to the media, a very serious global issue too. I’m not going to deny Global Warming, but I feel that as humans, we have only contributed very little to the emission of greenhouse gases, etc. Global Warming is a natural phenomenon, and should be dealt with accordingly: A coat when it’s cold, a t-shirt when it’s warm. The biggest ...

Chinese Traditional Wedding

Chinese Traditional Wedding In the different culture, there are many different customs and traditions in festival celebrations. Wedding customs are one of the most representative and symbolic customs in revealing the differences. Wedding ceremony shows not only the love of couple or two families involved, but also reflects the heritage of Chinese civilization. Ever since ancient times, the most delightful moments in one’s life come with success in marriage and birth of son. Chinese wedding decorates with one primary color is red which causes the Western culture to find out how they celebrate their wedding.In this essay, I introduce to Chinese traditional wedding ceremony such as the symbols, preparation, and procession of wedding. According to Wang (1998), he explains a man side has the opportunities to choose what kind of a woman to be his wife or mother of his children. First, a man finds a woman to marry who has never dated with anyone before. Second, a man meets woman†™s parents to engage with her. Additionally some of marriages are blind because marriage is not built up from a love but it was a family connection.Marriage is being arranged between two families: pride and groom do not know each other. Without asking from their parents, many women were forced to marry with the men they never knew before. Lastly, Wang mentions that men are looking for a â€Å"value women† which means a woman appears â€Å"docile, quiet, and sweet. † He claims that a man marries only to virgin woman in fact prefer to a woman who have never dated with anyone else beside him. In the Chinese belief, a virgin woman gives honorable to her husband’s status and can bring love and peaceful to the family after a marriage.In a Chinese legend, Chinese people believe in god of love who ties a red string to bind man and woman into a loving couple. The power of red always bring the couple together even from a great distance. The color red becomes a dominant color in the wedding ceremony: red dragon, red wedding costume, red candle†¦etc. Red is a symbol of utmost double happiness and joy. During Chinese wedding ceremony, they choose the red peonies and orchid represent love, new family, safety and peace is the characteristic of Chinese culture (Xie, 1970).Unlike the flowers use in Western weddings, traditional Chinese never used white flowers in ceremonies except funeral. In the past, a family often hires a matchmaker to go search for a matching bride and groom as their parents’ requests. Then, both families get to know each other, and consult a fortune teller to analyze that the man and woman’s birthday, name, and other information. Chinese people believe that a marriage deal can be brokered unless the fortune teller tells that couple is good matching (Mack, 2007).It is Chinese culture to believe in supernatural. Contrary to Chinese culture, American culture just set a wedding date according to time availability. Ame rican people believe that a marriage needs to build up from love; not a family relationship. Xie explains that there are many things to prepare before a wedding date for both families. The traditional marriage is not only about two people but also two families cooperate together to celebrate this wedding. Both families prepare a meeting day to discuss about wedding of their daughter or son.Then, they come together to pick an auspicious day which they believe a lucky day according to astrological signs. After this meeting, this couple considers as legally engaged through both sides of parents. This gives an opportunity for the groom’s family prepares to send the gifts called â€Å"Grand Gifts or betrothal Gifts† to display their honest and financial ability to the bride’s family. Grand Gift is a set of gift to be represented to the bride’s family by groom’s family. All gifts should in even numbers meaning a love of couple.Furthermore, red eggs would wrap in pairs to a symbol â€Å"good things in double†. Li Shi Money is the amount of money to determine by groom’s family, usually contains the number 9 such as $99 or $999. The traditional Chinese beliefs still exist till today and the next future Chinese generation with a to hope to live in happiness and peace after married. Both families are busy to prepare for their daughter and son wedding in the few months before wedding. Bride’s family would prepare dowries which consist of the gifts that the bride would bring to her husband’s home after marriage.Once a woman marries, she considers as a part of her husband’s family. The value of the dowry is used for a woman’s status in her new position as a wife and a daughter-in-law. Her responsibility is not about her family anymore but her husband’s family (Mack, 2007). At the same time, Xie also mentions that the groom’s family is busy to decorate the bridal house or room such as â€Å"double happiness† signs, red dragon and phoenix design, and red candle to represent love to the last. The wedding’s unique ritual and tradition make the ceremony meaningful and solemn.The two rituals such as â€Å"Hair dressing and Capping rituals† would be held in the bride’s and groom’s house on the morning of the wedding day. â€Å"Hair dressing† ritual takes place in the bride’s home. Bride’s parents choose a lucky woman who lives with parents-in-law, children and husband, to help the bride to make her hair in a bun which was a common style for traditional married woman when she becomes an adult and a married person. Similarly, â€Å"capping† ritual takes place in the groom’s home, and hairstyle changing is usually done by his mother (Costa, 1997).According to Mack, the traditional wedding day is â€Å"the groom would bring a sedan chair with trumpet blaring to bring his bride to his family. † Fin ally, the last step is the tea ceremony when the new couple serves tea to their parents to show their respect to them. Moreover, the gloom parents give the gift with money to their daughter-in-law and son after drinking tea because this gift would encourage them to have children as soon as possible. After this ceremony, the new couple can have their private time together.Chinese wedding is complicate and too long because there are so many steps that the bride and groom have to follow before marriage or a day of marriage. If we compare to American wedding day, American people celebrate their wedding ceremony in church with a short amount of time. American parents give more right to their daughter or son to choose the day of their marriage, location of their marriage, and pick up their wedding costume (white). White color represents purify of woman with honest and love.The Chinese traditional wedding ceremony is considered a spiritual ceremony and the display of long history and herit age of China. This research paper divides into three general focus points such as symbol, preparation, and procession. First, the symbol is about the color represents the Chinese culture and how they believe about the legend tale. Secondly, both families prepare everything for their son and daughter in the wedding day. Thirdly, the process of wedding day when the bride and groom get to meet each other and the groom brings his wife to his home with love and joy. Chinese Traditional Wedding Chinese Traditional Wedding In the different culture, there are many different customs and traditions in festival celebrations. Wedding customs are one of the most representative and symbolic customs in revealing the differences. Wedding ceremony shows not only the love of couple or two families involved, but also reflects the heritage of Chinese civilization. Ever since ancient times, the most delightful moments in one’s life come with success in marriage and birth of son. Chinese wedding decorates with one primary color is red which causes the Western culture to find out how they celebrate their wedding.In this essay, I introduce to Chinese traditional wedding ceremony such as the symbols, preparation, and procession of wedding. According to Wang (1998), he explains a man side has the opportunities to choose what kind of a woman to be his wife or mother of his children. First, a man finds a woman to marry who has never dated with anyone before. Second, a man meets woman†™s parents to engage with her. Additionally some of marriages are blind because marriage is not built up from a love but it was a family connection.Marriage is being arranged between two families: pride and groom do not know each other. Without asking from their parents, many women were forced to marry with the men they never knew before. Lastly, Wang mentions that men are looking for a â€Å"value women† which means a woman appears â€Å"docile, quiet, and sweet. † He claims that a man marries only to virgin woman in fact prefer to a woman who have never dated with anyone else beside him. In the Chinese belief, a virgin woman gives honorable to her husband’s status and can bring love and peaceful to the family after a marriage.In a Chinese legend, Chinese people believe in god of love who ties a red string to bind man and woman into a loving couple. The power of red always bring the couple together even from a great distance. The color red becomes a dominant color in the wedding ceremony: red dragon, red wedding costume, red candle†¦etc. Red is a symbol of utmost double happiness and joy. During Chinese wedding ceremony, they choose the red peonies and orchid represent love, new family, safety and peace is the characteristic of Chinese culture (Xie, 1970).Unlike the flowers use in Western weddings, traditional Chinese never used white flowers in ceremonies except funeral. In the past, a family often hires a matchmaker to go search for a matching bride and groom as their parents’ requests. Then, both families get to know each other, and consult a fortune teller to analyze that the man and woman’s birthday, name, and other information. Chinese people believe that a marriage deal can be brokered unless the fortune teller tells that couple is good matching (Mack, 2007).It is Chinese culture to believe in supernatural. Contrary to Chinese culture, American culture just set a wedding date according to time availability. Ame rican people believe that a marriage needs to build up from love; not a family relationship. Xie explains that there are many things to prepare before a wedding date for both families. The traditional marriage is not only about two people but also two families cooperate together to celebrate this wedding. Both families prepare a meeting day to discuss about wedding of their daughter or son.Then, they come together to pick an auspicious day which they believe a lucky day according to astrological signs. After this meeting, this couple considers as legally engaged through both sides of parents. This gives an opportunity for the groom’s family prepares to send the gifts called â€Å"Grand Gifts or betrothal Gifts† to display their honest and financial ability to the bride’s family. Grand Gift is a set of gift to be represented to the bride’s family by groom’s family. All gifts should in even numbers meaning a love of couple.Furthermore, red eggs would wrap in pairs to a symbol â€Å"good things in double†. Li Shi Money is the amount of money to determine by groom’s family, usually contains the number 9 such as $99 or $999. The traditional Chinese beliefs still exist till today and the next future Chinese generation with a to hope to live in happiness and peace after married. Both families are busy to prepare for their daughter and son wedding in the few months before wedding. Bride’s family would prepare dowries which consist of the gifts that the bride would bring to her husband’s home after marriage.Once a woman marries, she considers as a part of her husband’s family. The value of the dowry is used for a woman’s status in her new position as a wife and a daughter-in-law. Her responsibility is not about her family anymore but her husband’s family (Mack, 2007). At the same time, Xie also mentions that the groom’s family is busy to decorate the bridal house or room such as â€Å"double happiness† signs, red dragon and phoenix design, and red candle to represent love to the last. The wedding’s unique ritual and tradition make the ceremony meaningful and solemn.The two rituals such as â€Å"Hair dressing and Capping rituals† would be held in the bride’s and groom’s house on the morning of the wedding day. â€Å"Hair dressing† ritual takes place in the bride’s home. Bride’s parents choose a lucky woman who lives with parents-in-law, children and husband, to help the bride to make her hair in a bun which was a common style for traditional married woman when she becomes an adult and a married person. Similarly, â€Å"capping† ritual takes place in the groom’s home, and hairstyle changing is usually done by his mother (Costa, 1997).According to Mack, the traditional wedding day is â€Å"the groom would bring a sedan chair with trumpet blaring to bring his bride to his family. † Fin ally, the last step is the tea ceremony when the new couple serves tea to their parents to show their respect to them. Moreover, the gloom parents give the gift with money to their daughter-in-law and son after drinking tea because this gift would encourage them to have children as soon as possible. After this ceremony, the new couple can have their private time together.Chinese wedding is complicate and too long because there are so many steps that the bride and groom have to follow before marriage or a day of marriage. If we compare to American wedding day, American people celebrate their wedding ceremony in church with a short amount of time. American parents give more right to their daughter or son to choose the day of their marriage, location of their marriage, and pick up their wedding costume (white). White color represents purify of woman with honest and love.The Chinese traditional wedding ceremony is considered a spiritual ceremony and the display of long history and herit age of China. This research paper divides into three general focus points such as symbol, preparation, and procession. First, the symbol is about the color represents the Chinese culture and how they believe about the legend tale. Secondly, both families prepare everything for their son and daughter in the wedding day. Thirdly, the process of wedding day when the bride and groom get to meet each other and the groom brings his wife to his home with love and joy. Chinese Traditional Wedding Chinese Traditional Wedding In the different culture, there are many different customs and traditions in festival celebrations. Wedding customs are one of the most representative and symbolic customs in revealing the differences. Wedding ceremony shows not only the love of couple or two families involved, but also reflects the heritage of Chinese civilization. Ever since ancient times, the most delightful moments in one’s life come with success in marriage and birth of son. Chinese wedding decorates with one primary color is red which causes the Western culture to find out how they celebrate their wedding.In this essay, I introduce to Chinese traditional wedding ceremony such as the symbols, preparation, and procession of wedding. According to Wang (1998), he explains a man side has the opportunities to choose what kind of a woman to be his wife or mother of his children. First, a man finds a woman to marry who has never dated with anyone before. Second, a man meets woman†™s parents to engage with her. Additionally some of marriages are blind because marriage is not built up from a love but it was a family connection.Marriage is being arranged between two families: pride and groom do not know each other. Without asking from their parents, many women were forced to marry with the men they never knew before. Lastly, Wang mentions that men are looking for a â€Å"value women† which means a woman appears â€Å"docile, quiet, and sweet. † He claims that a man marries only to virgin woman in fact prefer to a woman who have never dated with anyone else beside him. In the Chinese belief, a virgin woman gives honorable to her husband’s status and can bring love and peaceful to the family after a marriage.In a Chinese legend, Chinese people believe in god of love who ties a red string to bind man and woman into a loving couple. The power of red always bring the couple together even from a great distance. The color red becomes a dominant color in the wedding ceremony: red dragon, red wedding costume, red candle†¦etc. Red is a symbol of utmost double happiness and joy. During Chinese wedding ceremony, they choose the red peonies and orchid represent love, new family, safety and peace is the characteristic of Chinese culture (Xie, 1970).Unlike the flowers use in Western weddings, traditional Chinese never used white flowers in ceremonies except funeral. In the past, a family often hires a matchmaker to go search for a matching bride and groom as their parents’ requests. Then, both families get to know each other, and consult a fortune teller to analyze that the man and woman’s birthday, name, and other information. Chinese people believe that a marriage deal can be brokered unless the fortune teller tells that couple is good matching (Mack, 2007).It is Chinese culture to believe in supernatural. Contrary to Chinese culture, American culture just set a wedding date according to time availability. Ame rican people believe that a marriage needs to build up from love; not a family relationship. Xie explains that there are many things to prepare before a wedding date for both families. The traditional marriage is not only about two people but also two families cooperate together to celebrate this wedding. Both families prepare a meeting day to discuss about wedding of their daughter or son.Then, they come together to pick an auspicious day which they believe a lucky day according to astrological signs. After this meeting, this couple considers as legally engaged through both sides of parents. This gives an opportunity for the groom’s family prepares to send the gifts called â€Å"Grand Gifts or betrothal Gifts† to display their honest and financial ability to the bride’s family. Grand Gift is a set of gift to be represented to the bride’s family by groom’s family. All gifts should in even numbers meaning a love of couple.Furthermore, red eggs would wrap in pairs to a symbol â€Å"good things in double†. Li Shi Money is the amount of money to determine by groom’s family, usually contains the number 9 such as $99 or $999. The traditional Chinese beliefs still exist till today and the next future Chinese generation with a to hope to live in happiness and peace after married. Both families are busy to prepare for their daughter and son wedding in the few months before wedding. Bride’s family would prepare dowries which consist of the gifts that the bride would bring to her husband’s home after marriage.Once a woman marries, she considers as a part of her husband’s family. The value of the dowry is used for a woman’s status in her new position as a wife and a daughter-in-law. Her responsibility is not about her family anymore but her husband’s family (Mack, 2007). At the same time, Xie also mentions that the groom’s family is busy to decorate the bridal house or room such as â€Å"double happiness† signs, red dragon and phoenix design, and red candle to represent love to the last. The wedding’s unique ritual and tradition make the ceremony meaningful and solemn.The two rituals such as â€Å"Hair dressing and Capping rituals† would be held in the bride’s and groom’s house on the morning of the wedding day. â€Å"Hair dressing† ritual takes place in the bride’s home. Bride’s parents choose a lucky woman who lives with parents-in-law, children and husband, to help the bride to make her hair in a bun which was a common style for traditional married woman when she becomes an adult and a married person. Similarly, â€Å"capping† ritual takes place in the groom’s home, and hairstyle changing is usually done by his mother (Costa, 1997).According to Mack, the traditional wedding day is â€Å"the groom would bring a sedan chair with trumpet blaring to bring his bride to his family. † Fin ally, the last step is the tea ceremony when the new couple serves tea to their parents to show their respect to them. Moreover, the gloom parents give the gift with money to their daughter-in-law and son after drinking tea because this gift would encourage them to have children as soon as possible. After this ceremony, the new couple can have their private time together.Chinese wedding is complicate and too long because there are so many steps that the bride and groom have to follow before marriage or a day of marriage. If we compare to American wedding day, American people celebrate their wedding ceremony in church with a short amount of time. American parents give more right to their daughter or son to choose the day of their marriage, location of their marriage, and pick up their wedding costume (white). White color represents purify of woman with honest and love.The Chinese traditional wedding ceremony is considered a spiritual ceremony and the display of long history and herit age of China. This research paper divides into three general focus points such as symbol, preparation, and procession. First, the symbol is about the color represents the Chinese culture and how they believe about the legend tale. Secondly, both families prepare everything for their son and daughter in the wedding day. Thirdly, the process of wedding day when the bride and groom get to meet each other and the groom brings his wife to his home with love and joy.

Film And Mafia: Comparing the Godfather and The Untouchables Essay

Good vs. Evil, a universal theme seen throughout the history of story telling, can find itself to be especially malleable and suprising in the modern gangster movie. In the classic depiction of this struggle, the Gangster was looked upon as the criminal, the bad guy, while today this is not always the case. In this paper I will be explaining the early gangster films restrictions on who could be good or evil, and then introduce the two films I will be comparing. After a brief summary, a comparing and contrasting will take place between them, offering insights into how the two different films offer up this classic struggle. Early on in the gangster film genre, when the Hays Code was in effect, crime was not allowed to be something that was glamorized. The Hays Code was basically a set of moral standards films had to measure up to before being passed for distribution. It lasted from 1930 until 1968. The Hays code made things like profanity, violence, and sex completely unmentionable or undoable on the big screen. In the case of the gangster film, the gangster, as stated above, was always to be portrayed as the bad guy, and was almost always met with demise by the end of the film, to give the idea that â€Å"crime doesn’t pay. † As discussed in class, the antagonist to the gangster in these early films was usually the detective. The detective was the â€Å"good guy,† that is, usually a white, clean cut, god fearing American man who takes it upon himself to rid his city of crime after the rise of the gangster. This example of â€Å"good vs evil† was apparent to me in the film we watched earlier in the year, Little Caesar (1931). It doesn’t quite develop the detective as well as other films, but you could clearly see the Hays Code at work. The gangster in this film is portrayed as a stereotypical immigrant; uneducated, not speaking very good English, and destined for a life of crime. The life of crime would be short lived, however, as the police (all very Americanized white men) take Caesar down in the end, keeping their city safe from the treachery of the gangster. After the Hays Code ended, films could explore more things in the realms of which characters would be good or bad. Criminal types could now be portrayed in a favorable light, and in some cases, the audience may even feel sympathetic towards their cause, as perhaps they are the underdog, trying to make a living in any way possible. The classic â€Å"good guys,† police, politicians, or the like, could now be portrayed as corrupt, thus turning the tables on the audience, who would normally expect them to be the heroes of the story. The Godfather (1972) portrays these points perfectly. The Godfather tells the story of the Corleone Family- a family from Sicily who comes to America to attain the â€Å"American Dream. † Led at first by Vito Corleone, and later his son Michael, The Godfather takes a very different approach to the classical image of the gangster as the â€Å"bad guy. † As the movie progresses, one feels sympathetic toward the family and their struggles, even though their lives are based around organized crime and extreme violence. Through the characters of the movie, one can begin to understand that the life of crime is the only one that will allow the family to attain the â€Å"American Dream† of prosperity. One even begins to root for the family to succeed- they become they â€Å"good guys. † especially after Vito dies, and his son Michael assumes control of the family’s affairs. The morality of the family is also warped in a way that makes one sympathetic towards their cause. Although they kill, extort, and bribe their way to power, there are certain things they stand against as well. The only people who get killed are men; no women and children are harmed. They also do not get involved in drugs, as this is considered to be too immoral a means of prosperity. The antagonists, or â€Å"evil† to the Corleones are many-fold. They battle against the other mafia families, after the very same thing the Corleones seek. They deal with corrupt police officers and politicians, being bought off by rival families to put an end to their reign. As stated above, this is a complete reversal from what one would expect to see in the early gangster film. The Godfather offers a very unique perspective into what a gangster film could become in modern cinema. The Untouchables (1987) on the other hand, offers the more classic scenario of good and evil, but with a little twist. The story takes place in Prohibition-era Chicago, where Al Capone has the city in his back pocket, allowing his criminal activity to go completely unchecked. Capone is portrayed as the bad guy, with protagonist, Treasury Department Agent Elliot Ness, trying to figure out a way to restore order to the city. This carries the classic theme of good vs evil as the gangster portraying evil and law enforcement good, yet the twist is that most of the police force is corrupt, being bribed by Capone. Ness cannot trust anyone, and fails in his first attempt to bring Capone down by raiding one of his liquor warehouses. As the film progresses, Ness meets up with another officer who also vehemently defends righteousness, and the two begin to hatch a plan to take down Capone together. After discovering the amount of corruption in the court system and on the police force, Ness and his partner decide to go outside of the law, and form a team of trustworthy men fresh from the police academy, unable to be corrupted by the allure of money from Capone. This development offers a disconnect in the traditional view of the hero, as in order to achieve his goal, the hero may need to use means which could possibly be looked upon as immoral and illegal. The audience gives this lapse of righteousness a pass in favor of the ultimate goal, however, which remains getting the bad guy. Eventually, at the end of the movie, Capone is finally brought to justice. It is done so in a completely non-violent way, although violence was definitely used in order to reach the climax. The corruption in the courts is shown as being broken, and Capone is sentenced to jail for tax evasion. These two films give a very different portrayal of the life of crime and how the gangster operates and is viewed by the audience. In The Godfather, the audience is subjected to the inner-workings of the Corleone Family, and gains an appreciation for their dedication and love for each other. Their criminal activity can be overlooked, as the world that they live in is stacked against their success, and they are simply trying to provide for each other in the only way they know how. This is contrary to what is portrayed in The Untouchables, where the gangster is not given the opportunity to make a connection with the audience, instead his way of life is given the title of evil, while the family man Elliot Ness is the focus. His striving for justice is given the spotlight, and the audience is shown to root for him. He is the hero in a world filled with evil and corruption. An interesting dilemma arises from the way in which Elliot Ness achieves his success against evil, however, as stated above in the movie’s summary. Just as the audience is to overlook the wrongdoings of the Corleone family in their pursuit of happiness, the same must be done for Elliot Ness in the way he tiptoes along the fine line between legal and illegal during his pursuit of Capone. He kills and tortures Capone’s henchmen in order to get at Capone himself. In the tradition legal system of the United States, all men accused of wrong doing should be brought in front of a court and judged fairly. This is shown to be impossible, due to the corruption of Chicago’s legal system at the time, with Capone bribing everyone from judges to juries. Thus Elliot Ness and his posse’s transgressions against humanity are brushed to the side in the place of the ultimate goal of restoring peace to the city. The main characters of the two films are in fact very similar, despite being on different sides of the law. Michael Corleone and Elliot Ness are both at their core, good men. Their upbringing and families are the key difference in how they are perceived in the world. Michael Corleone was born into a life of crime. It is interesting that in the beginning of his story, he sort of on the outside looking in. The family business is really no concern to him. He is shown as having served in the army, and having an American girlfriend. This removes him from the inner workings of his family for some time, but when he is called upon to step up and protect his family in a dire time of need, he does so. His character transforms from an innocent man on the outskirts of his family’s life of crime, to a man who is just as or perhaps even more ruthless than his father before him after he assumes control. Elliot Ness is a protector of the law. He takes his job very seriously, and believes in the justice system as a means of keeping evil out of his city. He is a family man as well, with his wife and child (later on children,) constantly in his mind. His goal is to protect them and the city he loves at all costs. He also goes through a pretty drastic transformation. From the naive agent who believes in his justice system, to a cold-blooded killer intent on destroying the criminal enterprise threatening his family and city. Both of these transformations are accepted by the audience, and really lead one to root for these particular characters. Although they are both shown to get their hands dirty, and although they are on opposite sides of the law, common ground can be found in the fact that they both are men who stand up for what they believe in, and are willing to put themselves in harms way if it means protecting their families, as well as everything else they hold dear. Even in the case of the â€Å"criminal,† the audience can come to terms with the idea that he is simply staying true to his beliefs, and that is something that should be respected. Elliot Ness is a character who in the beginning is easy to root for, and even though some might waver on his methods, still end up rooting for him in the end. Michael Corleone is tougher to root for in the beginning of his saga, due to his distance from his family, yet towards the end of the film, is easy to root for in the coming to defense of his family in their time of need. This contrast shows that even though the distinct characters follow very different story arcs in their respective films, both are ultimately loved by the audience. Good vs. Evil is not a black and white subject. As these two films show, it is indeed very grey. The line between right and wrong can be very blurred, and can be crossed many times throughout the course of a story. Perceptions of characters and their place in the world can change drastically based on a few events, and the classic examples of cops and robbers can be turned on their heads. I greatly enjoy both of the films discussed in this paper; as they are very different in many ways, yet in the end, provide us the audience with a common denominator, a lovable character who will hold our attention to the very end. Even though the circumstances in which these characters interact with their worlds vary greatly, they both basically hold the same values very close to their hearts, and that is what shows on the big screen. It shows us that whatever our preconceived notions are about who is good and bad in a particular scenario, everyone has an opportunity to prove us right or wrong. This is what makes the modern gangster film so popular and great- an ability for us, the audience, to be surprised. Bibliography â€Å"Synopsis of The Untouchables (1987). † IMDb. IMDb. com, n. d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"Synopsis of The Godfather (1972). † IMDb. IMDb. com, n. d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. . Bynum, Matt. â€Å"The Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 (Hays Code). † The Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 (Hays Code). Arts Reformation, n. d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. .