Thursday, October 31, 2019

Forms of Government in England and France Essay

Forms of Government in England and France - Essay Example A the paper stresses feudal aristocracy was under division because of internal faction and it is doubtful if they could participate in economical and political spheres as an organized group. Church had a great power there. Though there were such events like feudal faction, church and cities autonomy, we consider the society of Western Europe to be integrated, but it is worth mentioning that this integration was based not only on common ideas, but on combination of political and economical power that was held by one social class. In the period of economical development western society was considered to be pluralistic and divided into relatively autonomous spheres of political, economical, scientific and religious life, no class could reign another one like it was when the feudal aristocracy was at the top. We can say that transfer to capitalism was not just change of the ruling circles, but transfer from integrated society to pluralistic one. This essay declares that the events of 1066 were very important for England and had positive results: England became strongly involved into European life. Reunion was very significant because it took place when European countries and their aristocracy were at the top after the crusades. We should also mention that the most important time for England was the time of crusades: as a result of winners and beaten fusion the English nation was generated.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Criticize the article Francis Fukuyama "The end of History" Essay

Criticize the article Francis Fukuyama "The end of History" - Essay Example Prior to the release of his article, Francis Fukuyama was an unknown state department official but after the posting of his journal titled â€Å"The End of History?† he was regularly mentioned and attracted various responses. His interpretations were heavily borrowed and adapted from G.M.F. Hegel, a German philosopher. Hegel was of the idea that history had reached its end in the year 1806 after Napoleon defeated the Prussian Monarchy. It is along these lines that Fukuyama identifies the main hurdles to liberal democracy, and they are Fascism and communism. Fukuyama states that these two ideologies have ended with fascism facing its end after the defeat of Italy, Germany and Japan in the Second World War. On the other hand, communism met its end after the recent economic and political concessions in China and the Soviet Union (Herwitz, 2005). After all the ideologies, Fukuyama affirms that Western liberal democracy is the outright winner. The only remaining adversaries are religious fundamentalism and some aspects of nationalism. Fukuyama stated that history was full of struggles meant to realize the freedom idea that is etched on our consciousness. His thoughts must have been heavily influenced by the end of the Cold War, and this led him to assert that it marked the end of history. The end of the Cold War was an apparent triumph of capitalist and liberal ideologies of western nations. The events of the Cold War had shown a clear win by the United States and her allies. He used this to conclude that it was the universalization of Western liberal ideologies and also marked the end of humankind’s ideological evolution (Herwitz, 2005). By the time when this article appeared in the National Interest, people could not disagree with Fukuyama. The Soviet Union was about to disintegrate, and so was the Berlin Wall. Everything that was happening at that time suggested that it was only liberal capitalist democracies that

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Unexpected Halide Transfer: Aluminium and the Lanthanoids

Unexpected Halide Transfer: Aluminium and the Lanthanoids Unexpected Halide Transfer: Complex Reorganisation Between Aluminium and the Lanthanoids. Glen B. Deacon, David J. Evans and Peter C. Junk.* This submission was created using the RSC Communication Template (DO NOT DELETE THIS TEXT) (LINE INCLUDED FOR SPACING ONLY DO NOT DELETE THIS TEXT) [Pr(MeCN)9][AlCl4]3.MeCN undergoes reorganisation upon the addition of an ether. In the case of recrystallisation from tetrahydrofuran, the ionic nature is lost, whereas the addition of crown ether gives reorganisation, whilst maintaining ionic character. Isolation of homoleptic ionic trivalent lanthanoid complexes, under non aqueous conditions, has been investigated using nitrogen based ligand systems 1-5. The interest surrounding these homoleptic complexes is attributed to their potential catalytic properties 3,5. Under non aqueous conditions, the use of highly labile ligands, such as solvent molecules, presents the possibility of exposing the metal centre, hence providing a site for catalysis and thus can be considered to be ‘near naked 3. Complexes involving Ln3+ ions, that can be considered ‘near naked’ have to date been restricted to complexes such as [Ln(MeCN)n]3+ , with anions such as AsF6 and AlCl4 3-5. With this in mind, we have investigated the ability to access homoleptic ‘near naked’ Ln3+ complexes with tetrahydrofuran (thf) ligands. Currently, no such complexes have been reported for the smaller trivalent species unlike the larger divalent species, for which there is precedent viz. [Sm(thf)7][BPh4]2 6. Exploitation of the coordination abilities of crown ether has been investigated with the isolation of [ScCl2(18-crown-6)][FeCl4]. Via Sc n.m.r it has been shown that [ScCl(thf)(18-crown-6)][FeCl4]2 and then subsequently [Sc(thf)2(18-crown-6)][FeCl4]3 can be synthesised even though it has not been structurally characterised. With this in mind it should therefore be possible to isolate similar adducts in MeCN. Results and Discussion Homoleptic acetonitrile Ln3+ complexes can be obtained via two pathways viz equations 1 and 2 3. It was our intention to extend this chemistry to involve homoleptic Ln3+ complexes with ether ligands in place of MeCN. In reactions analogous to equations 1 and 2 with thf in place of MeCN, we found to our surprise [LnCl3(thf)2]n (Ln = Pr, Nd) was the sole Ln complex isolatable. This suggests that the complex is formed by a concerted process whereby AlCl4 binds to Ln3+ releasing AlCl3, allowing binding of another AlCl4 and so on until complete halide transfer to Ln3+ occurs yielding LnCl3(thf)n (equations 3, 4). Similarly, addition of 18-crown-6 to [Pr(MeCN)9][AlCl4]3 resulted in reorganisation to [(PrCl(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œCl)(18-crown-6))2][AlCl4]2.2(MeCN) (1) † . Isolation of 1 illustrates there is an equilibrium in solution involving [Pr(MeCN)9][AlCl4]3.(MeCN). Conductivity measurements show a 1:3 electrolyte 7.This is in contrast to that previously reported for the Sm complex by Hu and supported by Bà ¼nzli for which a 1:2 is electrolyte is reported 4,8. We believe that the complex [Ln(MeCN)9][AlCl4]3.(MeCN) undergoes rearrangement in solution ranging from a 1:3 down to a 1:2 electrolyte (equation 5). This change in coordination environment of the lanthanoid metal establishes the pathway to halide transfer involving a transient species related to that shown in Figure 1. Structural motifs similar to this have been observed for several lanthanoid complexes including [Sm(ÃŽÂ ®6-C6Me6)(AlCl4)3] .toluene 9,10. The reaction is completed by the substitution of MeCN by the crown ether and cleavage of the bridging Al–Cl bonds in a similar fashion to that observed for reactions involving thf. Complex 1 has a nine coordinate Pr centre that is bound to all six oxygens of the crown ether. The Pr is also bound to one terminal and a bridging chloride, and dimerises through an inversion centre. There is a distinct change in bond lengths between the terminal (Pr-Clter 2.715(2)Ã…) and bridging chlorides (Pr-Clbr 2.839(2) and 2.858(2)Ã…) as would be expected with similar changes identified in [PrCl(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­-Cl)(tetraethyleneglycol)]2 11. The distances for Pr-Ocrown range from 2.572(4) 2.590(7)Ã…, following the same trends in the related cation [(DyCl(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œCl)(dibenzo18-crown-6))2][(DyCl3(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œCl)(MeCN))2] 12, albeit with a lengthening of Ln-O in line with increased ionic radius between Dy and Pr. The crown ethers adopt a saddle type morphology with the metal residing in almost the centre of the cavity made by the O1, O3, O4, O6 (0.601Ã…) plane and the O2, O5 (0.491Ã…) plane. The crown ether collapses to accommodate the smaller size of the Pr3+ which is evident in the planes derived by the oxygen atoms of the crown. The angle between plane 1 (O1, O2, O5, O6) and plane 2 (O2, O3, O4, O5) is 125.71o showing this slight closure to ensure that the oxygen atoms are all bound. This closure of the crown ether is observed for all the Ln3+ 18-crown-6 complexes in which the angle closes from 129.74o in complex [LaCl3(18-crown-6)] 13 through to 68.95o in [Lu(CH2(SiCH3))2(18-crown-6)][(CH2(SiCH3))B(C6H5)3].C2H4Cl2 14 owing to the reduction in size of the ionic radius of the Ln centre. Notes and references All reactions were carried out under dry nitrogen using dry box and standard Schlenk techniques. Solvents were dried by distillation from sodium wire/benzophenone (thf) or CaH/P2O5 (MeCN). IR and far IR data were obtained as described previously 15. Metal analyses were carried out by complexiometric EDTA titration with the addition of 5% sulphosalicylic acid to mask Al 16. Anhydrous AlCl3, LnCl3, and 18-crown-6 were supplied by Sigma Aldrich. AlCl3 was freshly sublimed prior to use. Conductivity measurements were carried out on a Crison Conductimeter 522 (serial no; 3807), using a locally manufactured air-sensitive cell. The complex [Pr(MeCN)9] [AlCl4]3 was made using previous published methods 3 and conductivity measurements were carried out as mentioned above (367.97 S cm2 mol-1 1.097 x 10-3 mol dm-3, MeCN). 1: Method A: [Pr(MeCN)9][AlCl4]3. MeCN (0.20g, 0.19 mmol) and 18-crown-6 (0.20g, 0.57 mmol), was dissolved in MeCN (30 ml). The solution was stirred and heated to near boiling to assist dissolution. The resulting green solution was then filtered and reduced in-vacuo. The solution was then cooled at -30oC yielding small green crystals. (0.21 g (81%)). m.p. 170oC(dec), C28H54Al2Cl12N2O12Pr2; calcd. Pr 10.27; found Pr 10.68%. I.r absorption (Nujol): cm-1. Unit cell collection confirms the same product as via method A. Method B: A mixture of PrCl3 (0.10 g, 0.40 mmol), AlCl3 (0.16 g, 1.20 mmol) and 18-crown-6 (0.29g, 0.83 mmol), was dissolved in MeCN (30 ml). The solution was stirred and heated to near boiling to assist dissolution. The resulting green solution was then filtered and reduced in-vacuo. The solution was then cooled at -30oC yielding small green crystals. (0.44 g (87%)). m.p. 170oC(dec), C28H54Al2Cl12N2O12Pr2; calcd. Pr 10.27; found Pr 10.42% I.r absorption (Nujol): 2291w, 2253s, 1644w, 1353s, 1291s, 1248s, 1082s, 1034s, 966s, 925w, 878w, 837s, 802w cm-1. 27Al nmr: 104 ppm(AlCl4) † X-ray data for complex 1 was collected on a Nonius Kappa CCD, MoKà ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡ radiation,à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¬ = 0.71073 Ã…, T = 123(2)K. The structure was solved and refined using the programs SHELXS-97 17 and SHELXL-97 18 respectively. The program X-Seed 19 was used as an interface to the SHELX programs, and to prepare the figures. 1: [(Pr(Cl2)(C12H24O6))2][AlCl4]2.2(C2H3N): C28H54Al2Cl12N2O12Pr2, M = 1371.91, green prismatic, 0.40 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ´ 0.40 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ´ 0.30 mm, monoclinic, space group P21/n (No. 14), a = 12.377(3), b = 15.356(3), c = 14.387(3) Ã…,à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢ = 107.97(3) °, V = 2601.0(9) Ã…3, Z = 2, Dc = 1.752 g/cm3, F000 = 1360, Nonius Kappa CCD, MoKà ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡ radiation,à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¬ = 0.71073 Ã…, T = 123(2)K, 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ±max = 56.6 º, 20600 reflections collected, 6215 unique (Rint = 0.0864). Final GooF = 1.022, R1 = 0.0478, wR2 = 0.1052, R indices based on 4182 reflections with I >2sigma(I) (refinement on F2), 263 parameters, 0 restraints. Lp and absorption corrections applied,à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­ = 2.551 mm-1. Fig. 2 The structure of the cation [{PrCl(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­-Cl)(18C6)}2]2+. Hydrogen atoms omitted for clarity. Thermal ellipsoids shown at 35%. Coordination environment of the atom Pr(1) with applicable bond lengths (Ã…) and angles(o). Symmetry transformations used to generate equivalent atoms: -x+1,-y+1,-z+1. Pr(1) O(1), O(2), O(3), O(4), O(5), O(6), Cl(1), Cl(2), Cl(2), 2.572(4), 2.579(4), 2.574(3), 2.590(4), 2.588(4), 2.587(6), 2.715(2), 2.839(2), 2.858(2). Cl(1)-Pr(1)-Cl(2), Cl(2), 144.30(4), 143.18(4), Cl(2) Pr Cl(2),72.52(4). Fig.1 Proposed cation structure observed prior to ether coordination and subsequent cleavage of Al– Cl bonds. 1Evans, W. J.; Rabe, G. W.; Ziller, J. W. Inorg. Chem 1994, 33, 3072-3078. 2Willey, G. R.; Aris, D. R.; Errington, W. Inorg. Chim. Acta 2001, 318, 97-102. 3Deacon, G. B.; Gortler, B.; Junk, P. C.; Lork, E.; Mews, R.; Petersen, J.; Zemva, B. J. Chem. Soc.-Dalton Trans 1998, 3887-3891. 4Hu, J.-Y.; Shen, Q.; Jin, Z.-S. Chinese.Sci.Bull 1990, 35, 1090. 5Shen, Q.; Hu, J.-Y.; Jin, Z.-S.; Sun, J. Zhongguo Xitu Xuebao (J. Chinese Rare Earth Society) 1990, 8, 359. 6Evans, W. J.; Johnston, M. A.; Greci, M. A.; Gummersheimer, T. S.; Ziller, J. W. Polyhedron 2003, 22, 119-126. 7Geary, W. J. J. Coord. Chem. 1971, 7, 81. 8Bunzli, J.-C. G.; Milicic-Tang, A. Inorg. Chim. Acta 1996, 252, 221-228. 9Cotton, F. A.; Schwotzer, W. Organometallics 1987, 6, 1275. 10Cotton, F. A.; Schwotzer, W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108, 4657. 11Rodgers, R. D.; Henry, R. F. Acta Cryst. Sect. C 1992, 48, 1099. 12Rodgers, R. D.; Rollins, A. N.; Etzenhouser, R. D.; Voss, E. J.; Bauer, C. B. Inorg. Chem 1993, 32, 3451. 13Crisci, G.; Meyer, G. Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 1994, 620, 1023-1027. 14Arndt, S.; Spaniol, T. P.; Okauda, J. Chem. Commun. 2002, 896. 15Deacon, G. B.; Feng, T.; Junk, P. C.; Skelton, B. W.; Sobolev, A. N.; White, A. H. Aust. J. Chem. 1998, 51, 75-89. 16Schwarzenbach, G.; Flaschka, H. A. Complexometric titrations; 2nd English ; ed.; Methuen: London,, 1969. 17Sheldrick, G. M. Acta Crystallogr., Sect. A 1990, 46, 467. 18Sheldrick, G. M. Shelx97; A program for crystal structure refinement; release 97-2 ed.: Germany, 1997. 19Barbour, L. J. Supramol. Chem 2001, 1, 189. 1

Friday, October 25, 2019

Das Projekt einer globalen Ethik und die afrikanische Philosophie :: German Essays

Das Projekt einer globalen Ethik und die afrikanische Philosophie ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Die Frage nach einer globalen Ethik stellt sich heute verschà ¤rft unfgrund der neuen Qualità ¤t gegenseitiger Abhà ¤ngigkeit der einzelnen Staaten und Regionen beruhend auf einer eng verknà ¼pften Weltwirtschaft und dem weltumspannenden Netz modernen Kommunikationssysteme. Diese Verknà ¼pfung zeigt sich am deutlichsten in der Vernetzung transnationaler Konzerne, deren Produktionsstà ¤tten nicht mehr an nationale Territorien gebunden sind. Die Entstehung einer globalen Interdependenz hà ¤ngt jedoch nicht nur mit à ¶konomischen Entwicklungen oder der neuen Effizienz der Kommunikationstechniken zusammen, sondern auch mit der in diesem Jahrhundert entstandenen Mà ¶glichkeit einer à ¶kologischen oder milità ¤rischen Selbstzerstà ¶rung der Erde durch den Menschen. I. Einleitung Die Frage nach einer globalen Ethik stellt sich heute verschà ¤rft aufgrund der neuen Qualità ¤t gegenseitiger Abhà ¤ngigkeit der einzelnen Staaten und Regionen beruhend auf einer eng verknà ¼pften Weltwirtschaft und dem weltumspannenden Netz moderner Kommunikationssysteme. Diese Verknà ¼pfung zeigt sich am deutlichsten in der Vernetzung transnationaler Konzerne, deren Produktionsstà ¤tten nicht mehr an nationale Territorien gebunden sind. Die Entstehung einer globalen Interdependenz hà ¤ngt jedoch nicht nur mit à ¶konomischen Entwicklungen oder der neuen Effizienz der Kommunikationstechniken zusammen, sondern auch mit der in diesem Jahrhundert entstandenen Mà ¶glichkeit einer à ¶kologischen oder milità ¤rischen Selbstzerstà ¶rung der Erde durch den Menschen. Oder wie der deutsche Philosoph Karl-Otto Apel es ausdrà ¼ckt: „... das Bedà ¼rfnis nach einer universalen, d.h. fà ¼r die menschliche Gesellschaft insgesamt verbindlichen Ethik [war] noch nie so dringend, wie in unserem Zeitalter einer durch die technologischen Konsequenzen der Wissenschaft hergestellten planetaren Einheitszivilisation."(1) Aus der Notwendigkeit einer solchen Ethik kann aber noch nicht auf deren Mà ¶glichkeit geschlossen werden. Deshalb scheint mir die Frage nach der Mà ¶glichkeit einer globalen Ethik zu den wichtigsten unserer Zeit zu gehà ¶ren. Verschiedene Ethikprojekte, wie die Diskursethik in Deutschland oder die Befreiungsethik in Lateinamerika, haben nun den Versuch unternommen, eine Ethik mit Anspruch auf universale Gà ¼ltigkeit zu begrà ¼nden, die kulturelle, religià ¶se, politische etc. Unterschiede transzendiert. Solche Projekte mà ¼ssen einer grà ¼ndlichen Prà ¼fung unterzogen werden, wozu vor allem auch eine intersubjektive ÃÅ"berprà ¼fung von Vertretern unterschiedlicher kultureller Kontexte gehà ¶rt. Meine These ist, daß eine Ethik solange keinen Anspruch auf universale Gà ¼ltigkeit erheben kann, solange sie nicht einer interkulturellen Prà ¼fung unterzogen wurde, oder wie der à ¶sterreichische Philosoph Franz Wimmer es formuliert:„... halte keine philosophische These fà ¼r gut begrà ¼ndet, an deren Zustandekommen nur Menschen einer einzigen kulturellen Tradition beteiligt waren."(2) Dieser „kategorische Imperativ" der interkulturellen Philosophie ist natà ¼rlich kein ausreichendes Kriterium zur Bestimmung des Wahrheitscharakters einer Theorie, aber wohl ein unverzichtbares. In einer solchen „interkulturellen Prà ¼fung" sollen Theorien auf ihre Relevanz fà ¼r verschiedene Kontexte und Orientierungssysteme hin geprà ¼ft und mit anderen Theorien aus anderen Kontexten konfrontiert werden.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Child’s Voice as Reflected in Victorian and Romantic Poems Essay

Child labor is one of the most sensitive and controversial issues today, as it is association with child maltreatment. Nowadays, children are entitled to several rights and privileges like the rest of a country’s population, which secure and protect them from all the possible abuses and maltreatments that they may experience. Today, people’s resentment and disagreement towards child abuse and child labor can be observed in campaigns, advocacies, television programs, and other kinds of promotional advertisements. Yet, considering this, one may ask, did this societal issue exist during the medieval times, or is it a relatively young societal dilemma? If this issue indeed existed during the earlier times, how did people react to this and what did they do in order to fight this issue? In trying to address these questions, it may be very helpful to understand find out the answers within the messages of the early Victorian and Romantic poets who talked about issues like child labor during their time. The best examples of these Victorian and Romantic poems which reflect messages about child labor and abuse would be Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s The Cry of Children and William Blake’s The Chimney Sweeper. â€Å"The Cry of the Children† by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a Victorian poet who has been once known for her very emotional and moving poem entitled, The Cry of the Children. The Cry of the Children expresses the poet’s resentment and bitterness towards the fact that there were children of her time who were exposed to such very grueling and physically challenging tasks and jobs that can only be done efficiently by adults. The most predominant idea which covers Browning’s poem is the weeping of the distressed and miserable children. She describes in detail how painful, dark, and negative these children’s view of life has become because of the sufferings and pains they experience as they complete each day’s work. She also reveals the insensitivity and cruelty of â€Å"tyrants† who never cared about these children’s rights and privileges, as reflected in these lines: â€Å"Our blood splashes upward, O our tyrants / And your purple shews your path; / But the child’s sob curseth deeper in the silence / Than the strong man in his wrath! † (157-160). She expresses her hatred towards seeing these children weep out of exasperation and hopelessness in life. Comparing Browning’s work with that of Blake, her words appear to be more compassionate towards the feelings of abused children. Her words also sound like she is attempting to debunk everything which tolerates and allows the forceful child labor acts which put the children of the society in such a very demoralized and downgraded situation. This is also one factor which makes her work more heartrending and emotionally-moving compared to Blake’s work. ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ by William Blake The Chimney Sweeper by the Romantic poet William Blake primarily talks about the life of children who are required by their life and economic status to work as chimney sweepers. In a short and very simply-written prose, Blake reveals the feelings and perceptions of children towards an activity which adults consider as work but which they regard as their life. Comparing Blake’s work with that of Browning’s, it can be said that his poem appears to be a mere representation and reflection of the realities of these children’s lives as juvenile workers. He presents how such children consider hard-work and perseverance as the essential values they must possess in order to live. This idea can clearly be observed in these lines: â€Å"And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark / And got with our bags & our brushes to work. / Tho’ the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm; / So if all do their duty they need not fear harm† (20-24). In a lot of ways, Blake’s poem does not reveal and expound much on the emotional pains and sufferings the children felt as much as how Browning’s poem does. Blake’s The Chimney Sweepers provides the impression that it only depicts what chimney sweepers do and how they feel about working hard, unlike Browning’s explicit emphasis on the maltreatment and abuse aspect of child labor. Comparing Victorian and Romantic Poems’ Sympathy on Child Labor Cause Although Browning represents the Victorian genre of literature and Blake, on the other hand, the Romantic field, the entirety of both genres cannot be judged and evaluated by looking at the works of these two poets alone. However, if the works of Browning and Blake would be used as the basis of comparison, it can be said that the Victorian genre of literature, as represented by Browning, appears to express more sympathy towards children in the issue of child labor as compared to the Romantics, as portrayed in Blake’s poetry. Also, based on the strength and dynamics of the words used, it can be observed that Browning’s stanzas are undeniably more sympathetic and compassionate towards children. Her poem also shows more concern and empathy to what children experience and go through everyday which they do not actually deserve. However, although Blake’s poem does not appear to be as much sympathetic and compassionate towards working children, it at least provides a good picture and representation of the kind of life that working children of his time led. Works Cited Blake, William. â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper. † The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 2. 8th Ed. Eds. Meyer Howard Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. Pennsylvania: W. W. Norton and Co. , Inc. , 2005. 85 Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. â€Å"The Cry of the Children. † The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 2. 8th Ed. Eds. Meyer Howard Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. Pennsylvania: W. W. Norton and Co. , Inc. , 2005. 1079.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

History of film in Latin America Essay

Film is a medium of entertainment where sequence of images is projected on a screen creating an illusion of movement (Parkinson, 24). Film industry started in 19th century as a tool of entertainment, communication and mass media. The motion pictures technology had a great impact on politics and society at large (Ibid, 45). Latin America is the region in Central and South America. The region has 21 countries with the main languages being Spanish, French and Portuguese. Main races that occupy the regions are Amevidians, who are majority in Bolivia and Peru African, Asians, Caucasians, Mestizos, Mulletoes and Zambos. Most of Latin Americans are Christian and mostly catholic Christian . Latin America has a diverse culture, but generally, the Latin America culture is influenced by Africa culture especially in Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Haiti, Cuba and Costa Rica. Europe culture which were mainly brought by Spanish, Portuguese and French. And the native culture of people who inhabited the continent prior to arrival of Europeans (Parkinson, 61). Latin America has rich and diverse film industry. The industry started in mid 20th century as entertainment tool. Mexicans, Brazilian, Cubans and Argentineans have rich history in filming. They have also made significant step in development of film industry. In Argentina, cinema become prominent in first half of 20th C, however, it suffered during the 1976- 83 military dictatorship (Parkinson, 36). But the industry re-emerged and even produced the academy award winner, the official story in 1985. In Brazil, cinemas and movies become important tools in the society, in mid 20th century. Cuban cinema also developed tremendously especially after it enjoyed government support since the Cuban revolution. They have produced important film-makers like Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Mexican cinema in the golden era of 1940s greatly boasted the film industry. Mexican films have received recognition world over (Ibid, 54). Beside film being used as an entertainment tool, it has also been used as mass media tool to shape the political order in many Latin America countries. Political struggle to have government respect the citizen rights were mainly carried through the film medium. Latin America experienced many coups and revolution in first half of 20th century as people struggle for freedom and right which they were denied by the repressive regimes (Missing). Cinema and print media was used to call people to demand for their human rights and speak against cruelty by the repressive governments. Repression is control by holding the subject down. It amounts to forced subjugation (The Official Story). Human rights and freedom are basic rights to which all human beings are entitled to. They include civil, political, cultural, and economic rights. Examples of human rights and freedom includes right to life, right to liberty, freedom of expression, freedom from discrimination on any basis, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of worship and right of owning property etc. Many of political regimes in Latin America countries in early 20th century denied their citizen their basic rights. This precipitated revolution and social-political struggles most of which were met with crude repression (Men with Guns). Artist and film-maker, used cinemas, movies to express the people’s call for their civil rights. Literature artist also used their skills and knowledge to express the people’s call for their rights. One of the best film work set is Latin America that depict the political situation that was in 20th century is ‘Missing’. The movie was first released in 1987 in US and was directed by Costa-Gavras. It is a powerful political drama that revolve around the life before and after a 1973 coup is a south American – country (even though the movies does not reveal it refers to the Chile) which was very volatile the movie capture the who whole situation as it was, strict curfews, armed police terrosing people, many people close to 30,000 being killed, mass kidnapping, torture and ‘disappearance’ of people who were considered leaning to former regime (Missing). The movie is based on a true story of an America-activist and writer Charles Horman who disappeared in Chile at the height of America-backed violent military coup in 1978 (). This story was also in a book by Thomas Hauser. The film focuses on struggle of Horman wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) and conservative father End Horman (Jack Lemman) as they search for Charles. The film vividly show how the oppressive ruling junta oppressed people in the streets, both Sissy speak and her farther-in-law were stonewalled not only as the ruling military but also the America consulate (Missing). They only leant later that the American government had been betraying their effort to find Charles and that America government was friendly to the South America tyrant. Violation of human rights and repression is clearly present where the military dictator impose curfew and torture to all those who speak against the civil strife which was perpetuated by the ruling junta (Ibid,) The US government which also played key role in the coup also is keen to muffle all voices that were against the forced takeover. This is seen as the American embassy betrayed Ed (jack) and Beth (Sissy)’s effort to find and reconcile with Charles. Media and press freedom was suppressed as the writers and journalists were not allowed to cover the killings, torture, raping and kidnapping. Freedom of movement was denied as 24 hours curfew are enforced, there was gross violation of human right as people were butchered, kidnapped, jailed and women raped (). Violence existed as there was military and tyranny regime which disposed the civil government led by twice-elected Salvador Allende. President Salvador Allende led a leftist regime which the US government was keen to topple so on to reduce the spread of communism in the western world. The effort of CIA to block president Allende to vie for the second term by spreading propagandas and supporting dissidents to oppose Allende’s government also was a major driver that plugged Chile to civil strife. Violence is perpetrated by corrupt political regimes which are just out to fulfill their selfish interests (). Military machine is used to enforce cruel order and untold suffering to the citizen and mostly for those who are perceived as opposing the ruling power (). In this movie we have seen that, in civil strife, many citizens usually dies, other maimed and the survivors have to live with fear, and in a suppressed political environment (). Many who survive these ordeals use films and other mass media tools to express what they are going through and call for need to address their plight. Victims are the citizens while victimizers are politicians who fight to retain or get into power (). The film was an eye opener to what victims of coup have to undergo as selfish power hungry dictators fight to access or cling on power. It also pointed how influence from interested foreign government can bring hell on the life especially in politically volatile countries. The ‘Missing’ film describe how a south-America country goes through change of political regime from civil to military regime led by ruthless junta which caused gross human right violation (). The film explains well what civilians underwent in the 1973 coup the curfews, torture, kidnappings and ‘disappearance’ of those who voice out the suffering of the civilians (). The visual effects of events during and after the coup as shown in the movie has a strong emotional impact to the viewer that best explain and communicates human right violations and repression enforced by military. ‘Men with guns’ is an American political drama film written and directed by John Sayles. Set is unrevealed South American country it’s a story about a man who discovers political events that were going on in his country (Men with guns). It was first released in Canada in 1997 and was filmed in Mexico. The plot of the movie start as Dr. Fuentes (Federico Huppi) an old medical profession who had been teaching young people to provide health care to poverty-stricken citizen in a country where small-scale agricultural communities struggle to make end meet (Ibid). He is described as being ignorant of political event in his country. After Dr. Fuentes heard rumors that his former students are lost and possibly dead he decides to go and investigate the issue. Later Dr Fuentes discover that his student have been killed by ‘men with gun’ indicating that there has been people executing people who oppose them and damp them in the jungle (Men with guns). This was done to repress the guerillas who where opposing the junta rule, as Dr Fuentes moved deeper into the hill, he teams up with Padre porillo ( a defrocked priest who lost his faith), Domingo (a deserter from the army), conejo (a boy who survive by stealing) and Graciela (a woman who turned mute after she was raped). Dr Fuentes discovered that army officer were killing, torturing and raping those who were opposed to the military regime, especially young activist. Dr Fuentes’s journey describes clearly the weight of price to pay to bridge between not knowing and knowing, silence and acknowledgement assumption and truth (Men with guns). Just like ‘Missing’, this film exposes repression and human right violation meted out to civilians by military regimes. The victims are still citizens who struggle for their life and standing for their rights, freedoms and beliefs. The film depicts political process during 1960 – 80 where most Latin America countries experience revolution and military coups. Unlike the other, this film describes and emphasis the needs to find out what others in a country are going through. ‘Men with guns’ teaches us that although we are alone in our personal struggle to find information, freedom and right we are never alone in our common humanity struggle to freedom and rights. This is so on the doctor, the priest, the soldier, and the mute woman found themselves in same mission to get the truth and acknowledge it (Ibid). ‘The official story’ is another political thriller that revolves around story of a single family. Directed by Roger Ebert, it was first released in 1985 (The Official story). In the movie, Alicia is married to Robert, wealthy, powerful man with government connection. They have adopted a girl. Alicia is ignorant of political situation in Argentina until Anna an old high school friend enters in her life (Ibid). Anna narrated to Alicia how her lover a leftist ‘disappeared’ and she was kidnapped and tortured. She later discovers what was going on when she came across demonstration by family member of a missing person (). She began to realize that her husband was part of repressive government and their adopted child may be stolen from a mother who was a political prisoner (The Official story). Alicia meets an old woman who may be the grandmother of the adopted daughter and they become close (Ibid). They found strength in each other. Like the ‘Men with guns’ the movie demonstrates that there could be crimes being inflicted on other while certain class or group of people are innocently unaware. In this film, army officer are killing leftists and those who are opposed to the government. There is a gross violation of human rights and repression by government. The victims are the citizens who stand for their right. The movie clearly demonstrates how repressive regimes commit civil crime and mass murder without awareness, acknowledgement from the internal community. It vividly captures the political process that many Latin America counties went through in late 20h century (The Official story). ‘Of Love and Shadows’ is a political drama novel written by Isabel Allende. Isabel is a Chilean writer who is president Salvador Allende’s niece (Isabel, 42). The book is a story of love and shadows of political commitment. The story centers on a daughter of a wealthy family and son of a Spanish exile with whom she becomes involved (Ibid, 32). Both of them, as a reporter and photographer, uncovered a hideout crime that puts not only their love but also their life at risk. The book is set in a country under military dictatorship where arrest, disappearance and executions are rampant. Irene a reporter and Francisco a photographer are prepared to risk everything for the sake of truth and justice. They discovered crimes by the ruling military to those who opposed or undermine the military regime. At the end Irene, a daughter of a wealthy family which was backing the military regime and Francisco, son of a Marxist professor who was opposed to junta rule, are caught up in terror and violence (Ibid, 46). Like the three films, this book is about repressive regimes that was common in many South American countries in the late 20th century . The victim are citizens who stand against the repression and human right violation. This book demonstrates what majority of Latin American went through during revolution and political regimes coups. The novel helped to create awareness of crimes that military regime and political tyrant inflicted on citizens and hence call for intervention. The book vividly describes physical, mental and psychological effects of crime and human right violation to individual and society as whole. It shows that love can overcome hate as the two passionate lovers marshal on despite what they go through (Isabel, 76). ‘Child of dark’ is a diary written by Carolina Maria de Jesus in 1960. The diary contains what Carolina went through in her life in a slum of Sao Paulo, Brazil (Lavine, 24). The dairy contains what Carolina faced in her life as a fevelado (slum dweller) and political and social facts which were present during Carolina life. She writes how poverty and desperation caused people to compromise their dignity to get food (Ibid, 35). Carolina vividly describe the dreadful life around her life, but despite these she forget to have better life and gave her three children the best through writing (Lavine, 45). Her writing drew attention of politician who tried to involve agencies to give relief to the poor, however these projected faded. This diary shows how government avoided the social welfare obligations to the poor citizens as they focus on upper income class welfare (Ibid, 84). In conclusion, the three films and the literature works where very important in advocating for the writes of the citizen and exposing violation by some government. The films demonstrated the political history of Latin America countries and political process they underwent to achieve democracy and political freedom.