Monday, April 13, 2020

Film Analysis Essay Paper Sample PDF

Film Analysis Essay Paper Sample PDFFilm analysis essay paper sample PDFs is becoming increasingly popular. There are numerous students and educators that would definitely find it a good idea to learn how to analyze films. All it takes is some searching and you can easily be taught the basics of analyzing a film.Before you write your essay, make sure you have selected a film analysis essay paper sample. This may sound simple, but there are numerous essays online and in books that aren't as helpful. When you choose the right essay for you, you can actually benefit yourself greatly. It will help you learn the concept of writing a screenplay and analyzing film and television material.Film writers, filmmakers, and professors often require students to read screenplays, or source materials to understand the film-making process. The hard part about reading screenplays is not learning the basics of how to write a screenplay. By having a sample to learn from, you can help yourself from the wr iting process.While your screenwriting course is offered online, look into the unique features of film analysis online. Some sites actually provide a sample to take a look at. Others will only show a link to a similar site with a different style and presentation. Most are not worth your time and may as well not be even a paper to review.Another good option is to look into one that offers a free sample. This way, you can get the hang of writing and analyze. Many offer a variety of screenwriting courses, which are often broken down into parts. In this way, you can learn to break the plot and deliver your own unique version of the plot. You will soon be writing your own script, which can help you see how you can improve your writing abilities.How do you become a new writer? How do you improve your knowledge of screenwriting, from getting the essentials to the nuances? If you want to hone your craft, starting from reading and analyzing screenplays can help you get the most out of the sc reenwriting skills. These free online essays are also extremely useful for those just learning the craft.As with everything else in life, video games are an essential way to pass the time, learn a new skill, or just learn more about yourself. When it comes to movies, many are turned off by the art of writing a screenplay. Look into video analysis for your screenwriting needs and have fun!

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Gun Control Essay Essay Example

Gun Control Essay Essay Abstraction Some grounds why colleges should look at the Torahs that they put in topographic point and attempt to alter them. Students should hold the right to hide arms on college campuses. The guns provide the protection that may be necessary in certain state of affairss. Like the Virginia Tech Shooting. many people could hold been saved if merely one individual had a gun. Having a gun gives a sense of safety to many people on the campus. particularly for adult females with a greater hazard of interlopers and rapers. For these adult females. cognizing that they have a manner to support themselves can put their heads to ease. Though some believe that the allowance of guns would increase force on campus. no other college that has allowed concealed pieces has had an issue. Another refering issue would be that holding guns on campus would be easier for pupils to perpetrate self-destruction ; there are merely some things in life that governments can non command. and that is one of them. The right t o hold a concealed arm on campus should be conveyed freely. We will write a custom essay sample on Gun Control Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gun Control Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gun Control Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Position Paper – Legalize Concealed Weapons on College Campuses Liberty senior. Craig Storrs. says. â€Å"It makes me experience unafraid knowing I would be able to support myself if something does go on. like Virginia Tech or if I get stopped on the street for a mugging or something like that† ( Barry. 2011 ) . The subject of legalising hidden arms on college campuses has been argued for many old ages. Some colleges have legalized concealed arms on campus and have non had jobs. but many will non even think about legalising hidden arms. Transporting a hidden arm at the age of 21 is a right including a college campus. because it offers protection and safety to pupils ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Background of Concealed Weapons on College Campuses Since the Virginia Tech hiting. many colleges have changed their on-campus Torahs refering pieces. In eight provinces. the statute law is sing if pupils and staff would be able to transport a hidden arm into college edifices. Many functionaries did non desire to hold another repetition the Virginia Tech hiting. Two old ages before the Virginia Tech shot. the lawgivers of Texas rejected a measure to let hidden arms onto college campuses. Since so. the measure has come back with better statements for the right to hold a concealed arm on college campuses. Corey Zipper. a 21 year-old psychological science major. went to the province capitol to speak to the functionaries to go through the measure. Corey Zipper stated. â€Å"We acquire the mature thing a batch – that college pupils aren’t mature adequate. And the alcohol thing – that we’re all merely boozed up all the time† ( Burnett. 2011 ) . He besides states that the jurisprudence states that â€Å"a individual much be 21 old ages old. hold a clean record and no psychiatric upsets. and take a 10-hour direction class that includes clip at a fire range† ( Burnett. 2011 ) . In 2009 Texas passed the measure to legalise holding a hidden arm on college campus ( Burnett. 2011 ) . It Gives Protection Leting pupils to transport a gun could salvage their lives. Life can be unpredictable. so when something happens people should be prepared. If by being prepared agencies they need to transport a gun. so why would the province privation to take that right from person? A individual has the right to protect his/herself and others. and a responsible piece proprietor would make such. Many lives could be saved by the simple action of leting hidden arms on college campuses ( Concealed Guns. 2011 ) . Background of Virginia Tech Shooting On April 16. 2007. Seung-Hui Cho. pupil at Virginia Tech. began his hiting about 7:15 A. M. in a coeducational residence hall. He foremost killed Emily Hilsher and Ryan Clark. The Virginia Tech Police Chief said. â€Å"We secured the edifice. we secured the offense scene† ( Caruso. n. d. ) . The governments did non set the college on lock down and had categories as schedualed. Seung-Hui Cho did non go forth the campus ; around 9:15 A. M. he started to kill once more. He went into the technology and scientific discipline edifice and chained the doors so no 1 could get away. He so went into schoolroom after schoolroom ; he killed 25 more pupils and five module members. Twenty-nine people were wounded. In the terminal Cho besides took his life ( Caruso. n. d. ) . It was reported that 19 of the 32 victims that were killed were over the age of 21. The age of 21 is the legal age for the right to hide a arm in Virginia. If these pupils would hold been able to transport a piece onto campus. so possibly these lives could hold been saved. Alternatively of 33 lives taken that twenty-four hours. there should hold been one. Innocent people would non hold died ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Concealed Weapons Should non Depend on Location It is stated in the Constitution that a individual has the right to bear weaponries at the age of 21. This jurisprudence does non give specific topographic points that are prohibited. Peoples should non hold to set their concealed arm off because of where they are ( The Right to Keep and Bear Arms. 1982 ) . Public Places Peoples can Transport Weapons Though colleges are little. some topographic points that allow concealed arms are smaller. When a individual goes to the films. they are allowed to transport a hidden arm. No 1 would of all time cognize because the arm is concealed. Other topographic points would include a shopping promenade. When people are shopping. the last thing they are believing is that the people next to them might hold a gun on them ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Make College Students Feel Safer The right to hide a arm could set some pupils at easiness. Knowing that they have a manner to salvage themselves in unsafe state of affairss may do the pupils more relaxed. If a pupil comes across a unsafe state of affairs. so they are prepared. These pupils do non hold to worry about what to make ( Marin. 2012 ) . College Intruders and Rapers It is easy for interlopers to acquire into residence halls. In New York. two work forces got into a edifice by mousing in behind another cat after he swiped his card. When the college constabulary were called they came and took the work forces without naming the bulls. If this were to go on once more. these work forces would be taken to the governments. Knowing that it is easy for unusual people to acquire into lodging. it non be a good thought to rob pupils the right to hold a concealed arm. This would give some pupils that okay to populate life and other the demand of protection that they might non be able to happen anywhere else ( Rearick. 2011 ) . One in four adult females have the opportunity of being raped in college. Guns could assist support so many different adult females. They could hold gotten out of the state of affairs if they merely had a manner of defence. Sometimes adult females are physically excessively weak to run from state of affairss like that and the allowance of a gun would supply that chance to them ( College Crime Today. n. d. ) . Counterargument: Guns on Campus Would Promote Violence . â€Å"Some professors might be afraid to publish bad classs if they know that pupils could be transporting guns† ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Some people believe that leting pupil to transport pieces would force them to be violent. If the pupils are allowed to transport pieces. so they will non be afraid to utilize them. If there was an statement with another pupil. so these pupils would be tempted to utilize the gun to frighten or even harm the other pupil ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Logical Response: Guns on Campus Would non Promote Violence There has been over 30 colleges campuses that have allowed concealed arms on their campuses. These campuses have had no issues with gun force. and at that place has non been a gun larceny or accident in all these old ages. This shows that it is a possibility to transport conceal arms and still acquire a great instruction with no distraction with no force. Studies show. â€Å"concealed handgun licence holders are five times less likely than non-license holders to perpetrate violent crimes† ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Counterargument: Guns on Campus Would Encourage Suicide Some believe that leting pupils to obtain pieces would increase the likelihood self-destruction. They would hold all the resources they need now that they are able to transport hidden pieces. This would do it easier for these pupils to perpetrate self-destruction without anyone knowing until after the fact. This would so increase the suicide Numberss dramatically. Leting a pupil to transport a piece that could potentially utilize to kill themselves is non the manner to assist ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Logical Response: Guns on Campus Would non Encourage Suicide Harmonizing to investigators. â€Å"Studies show that 90 % of self-destructions are committed in the home† ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Since the legal age to have a hidden arm is 21. most pupils at this age live off campus. This would non impact the Numberss every bit much as the colleges think it would. If people truly wanted to perpetrate self-destruction. so nil would stand in their manner. Leting them to hide a gun will merely give them an easier manner out ( Students for concealed. 2008 ) . Decision During the Virginia Tech Shooting many lives could hold been saved. Students could besides experience safer cognizing that they have something at that place to protect themselves and others if needed. Though pupils could turn to violence many are really responsible to be transporting this gun in the first topographic point. They merely can non acquire a gun ; they have to travel through the procedure. Another concern would be suicide. but since most of the pupils live off campus anyhow nil would halt that. It would be a lost cause to set a prohibition on hidden arms when there is nil to forestall self-destruction in the first topographic point. Once the right preparation categories are taken. it should non be a job for a individual to be able to transport his/her gun that he/she worked difficult to acquire and paid for. The right to hold a concealed arm on campus should be expressed freely. MentionsBarry. L. ( 2011 ) . Liberty university oks concealed guns on campus. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www2. newsadvance. com/news/2011/nov/16/5/liberty-university-oks-concealed-guns-campus-ar-1463719/ . Burnett. J. ( 2011 ) . Texas Lawmakers purpose for guns on college campuses. Retreieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. npr. org/2011/02/04/133466058/texas-lawmakers-aim-for-guns-on-college-campuses. Caruso. K. ( n. d. ) . What Happened: The Virginia Tech Massacure. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. virginiatechmassacre. com/what-happened-virginia-tech-massacre. hypertext markup language. College Crime Today. ( n. d. ) Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. womens-self-defense-instruction-online. com/college-crime. hypertext markup language. Concealed guns. ( 2011 ) . Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //concealedguns. procon. org/ . Frantz. A. ( 2011 ) . Texas sing concealed pistols on campus. Retrieved from hyperte xt transfer protocol: //news. web logs. cnn. com/2011/02/22/texas-weighing-concealed-handguns-on-campus/ . Marin. J. ( 2012 ) . Guns on college campuses. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //schoolsofthought. web logs. cnn. com/2012/01/03/guns-on-college-campuses/ . Rearick. J. ( 2011 ) . Intruders spark safety concerns. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. miscellanynews. com/2. 1576/intruders-spark-safety-concerns-1. 2660011 # . TxkPxJit-fQ. Students for hidden carry on campus. ( 2008 ) . Retrieved

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812

Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 The Battle of Fort McHenry was fought September 13/14, 1814, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Part of the larger Battle of Baltimore, the Battle of Fort McHenry saw the forts garrison defeat a British fleet that had been advancing on the city. As the British had recently captured and burned Washington, DC, the victory proved critical in halting their advance in the Chesapeake. Coupled with successes elsewhere, the victory strengthened the hand of American negotiators at the Ghent peace talks. Francis Scott Key saw the fighting from a British ship where he was held prisoner and was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner based on what he had witnessed. Into the Chesapeake Having defeated Napoleon in early 1814 and removed the French emperor from power, the British were able to turn their full attention to the war with the United States. A secondary conflict while the wars with France were ongoing, they now commenced sending additional troops west in an effort to achieve a swift victory. While Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, the governor-general of Canada and commander of British forces in North America, commenced a series of campaigns from the north, he ordered Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane, the commander of the Royal Navys ships on the North American Station, to make attacks against the American coast. Though Cochranes second-in-command, Rear Admiral George Cockburn, had been raiding up and down the Chesapeake Bay for some time, additional forces were en route. Arriving in August, Cochranes reinforcements included a force of around 5,000 men commanded by Major General Robert Ross. Many of these soldiers were veterans of the Napoleonic Wars and had served under the Duke of Wellington. On August 15, the transports carrying Ross command entered the Chesapeake and sailed up the bay to join with Cochrane and Cockburn. Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane. Public Domain Reviewing their options, the three men elected to mount an attack on Washington DC. The combined fleet then moved up the bay and quickly trapped Commodore Joshua Barneys gunboat flotilla in the Patuxent River. Pushing up the river, they destroyed Barneys force and put Rosss 3,400 men and 700 marines ashore on August 19. In Washington, President James Madisons administration worked fruitlessly to deal with the threat. Not thinking that the capital would be a target, little work had been done in regard to constructing defenses. Overseeing the troops around Washington was Brigadier General William Winder, a political appointee from Baltimore who had been captured at the Battle of Stoney Creek in June 1813. Since the majority of the US Armys regulars were occupied on the Canadian frontier, Winder s force was largely made up of militia. Burning Washington Marching from Benedict to Upper Marlborough, the British decided to approach Washington from the northeast and cross the East Branch of the Potomac at Bladensburg. On August 24, Ross engaged an American force under Winder at the Battle of Bladensburg. Achieving a decisive victory, later dubbed the Bladensburg Races due to the nature of the American retreat, his men occupied Washington that evening. Taking possession of the city, they burned the Capitol, Presidents House, and Treasury Building before encamping. Additional destruction ensued the next day before they departed to rejoin the fleet.  Following their successful campaign against Washington DC, Cochrane and Ross advanced up the Chesapeake Bay to attack Baltimore, MD. British forces burning Washington, DC, 1814. Public Domain A vital port city, Baltimore was believed by the British to be the base of many of the American privateers that were preying on their shipping. To take the city, Ross and Cochrane planned a two-prong attack with the former landing at North Point and advancing overland, while the latter attacked Fort McHenry and the harbor defenses by water. Fighting at North Point On September 12, 1814, Ross landed with 4,500 men on the tip of North Point and began advancing northwest towards Baltimore. His men soon encountered American forces under Brigadier General John Stricker. Dispatched by Major General Samuel Smith, Stricker was under orders to delay the British while the fortifications around the city were completed. In the resulting Battle of North Point, Ross was killed and his command took heavy losses. With Ross death, command devolved to Colonel Arthur Brooke who elected to remain on the field through a rainy night while Strickers men withdraw back to the city. Battle of North Point. Photograph Courtesy of the US Army Fast Facts: Battle of Fort McHenry Conflict: War of 1812 (1812-1815)Dates: September 13/14, 1814Armies Commanders:United StatesMajor General Samuel SmithMajor George Armistead1,000 men (at Fort McHenry), 20 gunsBritishVice Admiral Sir Alexander CochraneColonel Arthur Brooke19 ships5,000 menCasualties:United States: 4 killed and 24 woundedGreat Britain: 330 killed, wounded, and captured The American Defenses While Brookes men suffered in the rain, Cochrane began moving his fleet up the Patapsco River toward the citys harbor defenses. These were anchored on the star-shaped Fort McHenry. Situated on Locust Point, the fort guarded the approaches to the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco which led to the city as well as the Middle Branch of the river. Fort McHenry was supported across the Northwest Branch by a battery at Lazaretto and by Forts Covington and Babcock to the west on the Middle Branch. At Fort McHenry, the garrison commander, Major George Armistead possessed a composite force of around 1,000 men. Bombs Bursting in Air Early on September 13, Brooke began advancing towards the city along the Philadelphia Road. In the Patapsco, Cochrane was hampered by shallow waters which precluded sending forward his heaviest ships. As a result, his attack force consisted of five bomb ketches, 10 smaller warships, and the rocket vessel HMS Erebus. By 6:30 AM they were in position and opened fire on Fort McHenry. Remaining out of range of Armisteads guns, the British ships struck the fort with heavy mortar shells (bombs) and Congreve rockets from Erebus. Advancing ashore, Brooke, who believed they had defeated citys defenders the day before, was stunned when his men found 12,000 Americans behind substantial earthworks east of the city. Under orders not to attack unless with a high chance of success, he began probing Smiths lines but was unable to find a weakness. As a result, he was forced to hold his position and await the outcome of Cochranes assault on the harbor. Early in the afternoon, Rear Admiral George Cockburn, thinking the fort had been badly damaged, moved the bombardment force closer increase the effectiveness of their fire. Defense of Fort McHenry, 1814. Public Domain As the ships closed, they came under intense fire from Armisteads guns and were compelled to draw back to their original positions. In effort to break the stalemate, the British attempted to move around the fort after dark. Embarking 1,200 men in small boats, they rowed up the Middle Branch. Mistakenly thinking they were safe, this assault force fired signal rockets which gave away their position. As a result, they quickly came under an intense crossfire from Forts Covington and Babcock. Taking heavy losses, the British withdrew. The Flag Was Still There By dawn, with the rain subsiding, the British had fired between 1,500 and 1,800 rounds at the fort with little impact. The greatest moment of danger had come when a shell struck the forts unprotected magazine but had failed to explode. Realizing the potential for disaster, Armistead had the forts gunpowder supply distributed to safer locations. As the sun began to rise, he ordered the forts small storm flag lowered and replaced with the standard garrison flag measuring 42 feet by 30 feet. Sewn by local seamstress Mary Pickersgill, the flag was clearly visible to all of the ships in the river. The sight of the flag and the ineffectiveness of the 25-hour bombardment convinced Cochrane that the harbor could not be breached. Ashore, Brooke, with no support from the navy, decided against a costly attempt on the American lines and began retreating towards North Point where his troops re-embarked. Aftermath The attack on Fort McHenry cost Armisteads garrison 4 killed and 24 wounded. British losses were around 330 killed, wounded, and captured, most of which occurred during the ill-fated attempt to move up the Middle Branch. The successful defense of Baltimore coupled with victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh aided in restoring American pride after the burning of Washington DC and bolstered the nations bargaining position at the Ghent peace talks. Francis Scott Key, circa 1825. Public Domain - Walters Art Museum The battle is best remembered for inspiring Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner. Detained aboard the ship Minden, Key had gone to meet with the British to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes who had been arrested during the attack on Washington. Having overhead the British attack plans, Key was forced to remain with the fleet for the duration of the battle. Moved to write during the forts heroic defense, he composed the words to an old drinking song entitled To Anacreon in Heaven. Initially published after the battle as the Defense of Fort McHenry, it eventually became known as the Star-Spangled Banner and was made the National Anthem of the United States.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Women in Hunting and Gathering Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women in Hunting and Gathering Period - Essay Example Thus while the men are engaged in productive labor, the women are engaged in unproductive household work that does not command the same amount of respect. Traditionally, the role of an individual in society has been defined and characterized by the person’s contribution to home and society in monetary terms. Being tied down by the responsibility of childbearing, women in traditional, patriarchal societies have been viewed as an inferior race. Women have been confined to homes due to their traditional roles of cooking, cleaning and child rearing. However, a study of Paleolithic and Neolithic times has proved that this was not always the case. In the hunting and gathering societies, it has been noticed that women had a greater role in gathering food around their homes. Wermuth et al have defined womens economic power as being shaped by womens level of control over surplus and the relative importance of what they produce. They have also quoted womens economic control as being influenced by importance of womens labor, organization of labor and the gender ratio in the population. Wermuth et al have also referred to hunting and gathering societies as small bands of loosely associated families with low surplus and low inequality. Men have little power over women in these societies. Mutual cooperation is necessary for survival, and the division of labor between men and women is functionally and materially based. Despite their hunting role, men often interact closely with women and even with small children. Draper, Professor of Anthropology at Harvard observes that in the hunting and gathering society, women are more independent and powerful. They are not considered as subordinate to men and generally both the genders enjoy an equal status. As women in such societies contribute to gathering food for the families’ subsistence, they have greater control over the food (produce in this case) and enjoy an equal

Monday, February 3, 2020

Prices Revolution From general Crises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prices Revolution From general Crises - Essay Example During the first stage of every revolution, there was material progress, people had confidence in culture and they were optimistic of the future. Such cases explain why the first stage indicated an equilibrium condition (Drelichman 120-147). The second stage of every price revolutions experienced instability. The instability arose from the prices that break into this stage, from the borders of the previous equilibrium. During the stage, prices went up and down. Furthermore, the stage experienced political instability in countries, social disruption, and general cultural anxiety (Pamuk 50-240). During the third stage, people started to think about the price inflation as an inexorable condition. They began to notice the fact that the price inflation was a long-term effect. However, their solution to the issue was more harmful. The choices they made further pushed the prices higher. In the process of the stage, there were scenes of hoarding, price fixing, price gorging, and high levels of cheating. In the fourth stage, the institutional inflation was still in place. During the stage, the crisis was more damaging than before. Prices went high and the inflation condition was highly unstable. There was increased volatility in the end. Commodity movements suffered from severe shock prices. Additionally, the money supply alternated between expansion and contraction. Most governments spent more than their revenues causing the financial markets to become more unstable. The countries with biggest economies experienced fiscal stresses (Pamuk 50-240). In the 18th century, the human race experienced the great wave. During that wave, there were cultural crises in the world. It included economic collapse, international wars and increased social violence. It was due to these events that caused motions of price-revolution experienced relieve. The prices went down, rents became affordable and there were low interests. However, the short deflation ended and a period of

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Singlish As A Language In Singapore

Singlish As A Language In Singapore To begin, we need to establish the difference between English and Singlish. English in this essay refers to standard international English that is used by native speakers of English and bilingual users of English for cross-cultural communication. (McKay 2002:132) It is the language formally used in public administration, law and education in Singapore. On the other hand, Singlish refers to Singapore Colloquial English, which is used by many Singaporeans. It is fused with the terms and intonations with the native mother tongues such as Bahasa Malayu, Chinese, Hokkien, Cantonese and Tamil. Singlish can be spoken both by people who do not have a good grasp of English, as well as those who have a strong command of international standard English. Firstly, Singaporeans understand the need for proper English for economical purposes. In the increasingly globalised and interconnected world, the government realizes the need to be able to communicate fluently with others not from Singapore. Singapore is an economically prominent city and does much of its trade with other countries, America being the second largest consumer of Singaporean exports after China. (Statistics Singapore: Ministry of Trade and industry, 2008) The economic situation of Singapore requires the people to be fluent in English so as to be able to communicate well with foreigners who are doing business with them. As such, the government has put in place measures to ensure that Singaporeans are able to speak English fluently. The first language of the Singaporean education system is English and very recently, in September 2009, the Education Minister Ng Eng Hen mentioned in his ministrys work plan seminar that raising the standard of English of students will be a main goal for schools in the coming years. He indicated that they would realize this by allowing students to speak up more often in class. Another government measure to raise help Singaporeans speak proper English is the initiation of the Speak Good English Movement that started in 2000 and is still in effect. The then deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at the launch of the Speak Good English Movement 2001, and voicing that there is a need for Singapore to grow into an attractive economic hub for foreign companies and foreign talent. Through out his speech, DPM Lee Hsien Loong constantly draws the link between Singapore being an economic center and the need for Singaporeans to be fluent in English. From these examples, we can see that th e government in Singapore recognizes the need for English and thereby initiates practices in education and public campaigns to increase the use of English in Singapore. I personally feel that greater emphasis on standard English in the Singaporean education system is in the right direction. I had previously tried relief teaching at a neighborhood school for a few months. On many occasions, I had the opportunity to read the English essays of the students and was rather unsettled by the fact that the students could not express themselves clearly in proper English. Many times, it was apparent that they used the sentence structure of mandarin and translated it to their written English. On many occasions, I find that the students are unable to switch between the use of standard English and Singlish, even when speaking. If they continue to use English and Singlish interchangeably, there is no doubt that people from other countries would not be able to understand them. Due to this, I agree that there is a need to raise the standard of English in Singapore. The government is not the only party who is aware of the need for proper English. Many Singaporeans are aware of this as well, especially when it comes to representing Singapore to the global world. This is clearly exemplified in the recent controversy over Miss Singapore World beauty queen, Ris Low. A local news channel, Razor TV, interviewed Low and it was revealed that her standard of spoken English was not up to the standards of many Singaporeans. Viewers were appalled that she was chosen to represent Singapore despite her low standard of spoken English. Soon after, it was made known that she was charged for credit card fraud. Nonetheless, there were many requests by the public who wrote in to the Straits Times forum, as well as other online forums, to oppose her being chosen as Miss Singapore World even before her credit card fraud case was publicized. This shows that Singaporeans understand the need to speak proper English when portraying Singapore to other countries. Together with their call for the usage of proper English in Singapore, government figures have also expressed concern over the use if Singlish in Singapore. In the opening speech at the launch of the Speak Good English Movement 2000 by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, he expressed concern over Singlish, instead of English, becoming Singapores common language. He maintained that if Singaporeans continue to use Singlish, something he referred to as a corrupted form of English not understood by others, we would lose our competitiveness in the economy. He also mentioned, if they (young Singaporeans) speak Singlish when they can speak good English, they are doing a disservice to Singapore. DPM Lee Hsien Loong highlighted a similar concern regarding this issue in his speech the following year. DPM Lee stated that on top of having more people speaking English, it is equally, if not more important to get Singaporeans to speak good, standard English à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ rather than Singlish, a local dialect unique to Singapore. He added that if we want to reinforce our identity as Singaporeans, we should choose something other than Singlish. Through this, we can see that together with their call for proper English, DPM Lee and PM Goh were also calling for a reduced usage of Singlish. Although I agree with the implementations in educational policies and public campaigns for the usage of proper English due to the need for economic competitiveness, I think that Singlish has a role to play in Singaporean Society. Singlish is unique to Singapore as it is a direct result of the interactions between people of different races and native tongues and is part of the national identity because people are connected to the language and to each other when they use it. Language is fundamentally a tool for us to communicate with one another and Singlish enables Singaporeans to do this effectively among ourselves. In fact, Singlish came about precisely to perform this function. Singapore, before and during the colonial times, already had a wide variety of people from different native tongues working here. Due to its situation as a port along the naval Spice Route, there were many emigrants from the region, such as southern Chinese and Indian laborers. Coupled with the indigenous Malay speaking population, this made Singapore a place with diverse language background. English was introduced when the British colonists used English as the medium for administration. Soon after independence in 1965, the government made English that main medium of education in Singapore. (Low, Brown, 2005, 20) Gradually, English came to be localized with terms from the native tongues of the people in Singapore. Malay, Mandarin and its dialects, and Tamil words were incorpor ated into this local version of English. This is especially so for words which seem to have no direct English equivalent, such as kiasu, blanjah or shiok. Singlish also often takes on the syntax of Chinese and Malay. (Wee, 2009, 56-59) It is seen that the Singaporean version of English, or Singlish, has come about as a result of the interactions between the different cultures and languages here and this mix is not observed anywhere else in the world. Wee (2009, 63-66) states that the formation of Singlish was not from a committee who sat down and discussed the structure, grammar and vocabulary of Singlish. Rather, Singlish was a natural result of the people from different native tongues and cultures in Singapore, communicating and interacting with one another. It is precisely because of the fact that Singlish is a cultural product that came about naturally from Singaporeans that makes it relevant to Singaporean society. While English can be used by everyone in Singapore and allow them to communicate with one another effectively, Singlish has an added quality to it. It allows Singlish speakers to feel a sense of connection to and through the language because Singlish is localized and English does not possess this trait. From my personal experience as a student in Singapore, it is apparent that my teachers try to use proper English during lessons where it is in a formal setting. As a student, I would answer and pose questions to my teachers in standard English. However, I would use Singlish when conversing with my friends because it is an informal setting. In fact, sometimes when we hear someone speaking in proper English in an informal setting, my friends would comment that that person was pretentious and that there was no need to use proper English among friends. In another experience, where I went for an inter- secondary school leadership camp, we were put in groups with students from other schools and backgrounds. During the first group discussion session, I had taken to speaking in standard English because I had thought that it would be more appropriate. However, I realized that some of my group mates were not responsive so I decided to switch to Singlish, hoping that they would open up and contribute more. As I had hoped, they immediately started to speak up more during the discussion. In the following group discussion sessions, I realized that when the facilitator posed a question in standard English, my group mates did not seem forthcoming with their thoughts, but once someone contributed to the discussion in Singlish, they would speak up more and subsequent contributions were in Singlish. Perhaps they initially didnt contribute because they had trouble understand that question or topic of discussion. However, I do not think that they had any trouble grasping what was being asked or discussed. Rather, they started to open up because Singlish provided us the opportunity t o establish a bond with each other. Although simple, these examples show us that Singlish connects Singaporeans together through a common colloquial language in which we are comfortable in expressing our thoughts. Singlish is also used in the media in Singapore to give it an authentic sense of being Singaporean. Singaporean sitcoms like Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, My Sassy Neighbor, Police and Thief, Under One Roof and Growing Up are seen as portraying the lives of Singaporeans and the characters in these shows speak in Singlish. Local films like I Not Stupid, Money No Enough and Just Follow Law had actors speaking in Singlish throughout the film. Even their titles are in Singlish. Musicals like Beauty World, Dim Sum Dollies and $ing Dollar incorporate Singlish as well. In fact, Beauty World was originally a play and it is seen as one of the more successful creative literature locally and has been produced into a musical a few times. It is about a girl called Ivy from Malaysia who comes to Singapore to find the true identity of her father. Her boyfriend, Frankie, accompanies her to Singapore as well. As noted by Low and Brown, both Ivy and Frankie speak in standard English throughout the show while the other Singaporean characters speak in Singlish (Low, Brown, 2005, p. 181). This amplifies how the use of English and Singlish by different characters help identify their nationalities in the show. These shows target the local audience and as a result, include the Singlish language to depict an authentic local portrayal. The Singapore tourism Board portrays Singapore as Uniquely Singapore and a common question asked is whether Singapore has anything to call their own. Singlish is definitely something that is uniquely Singaporean. A poll by NUS Students Political Association done on 750 undergrads revealed that Singlish was considered most Singaporean with 75.3% of the votes (Leo, 2005). Similarly, in a recent Political Science forum, the topic of debate was whether Singapore had a national identity. Singlish came up quite often because many forum participants recognized people who speak Singlish as being Singaporean. Whenever I visited Malaysia, my sister and I would even play a game where we would try to distinguish if a person was Malaysian or Singaporean simply by the way they spoke. Despite the fact that Manglish (Malaysian English) and Singlish are somewhat similar, we were still able to find something distinctive and unique in the way that Singaporeans speak. In this sense, Singlish can be said to be part of Singapores national identity because it differentiates us from people of other places and nations. In conclusion, I do agree that there is a need for Singaporeans to be fluent in standard English so as to be competitive in the global world and raising the standard of English is indeed the right course of action by the Singaporean government. However, I do not think that Singlish should be excluded from being used in Singapore. Not only does it transcend people of different racial identities in Singapore, it allows people to feel a sense of connection to the language itself, which English does not offer. Singlish is part of the nation identity because people are connected to the language and to each other when they use it.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Impact of Public Debt on the Economic Growth Essay

Government debt is also known as public debt. It is the debt owed by a federal government to the internal or external sources. It is required when the stocks of government securities are insufficient to cover previous budget deficits. Budget deficits occur when the level of government expenditures exceeds its revenues. Based on macroeconomic theory, the level of government expenditure must be positive with the economic growth. The higher the expenditure, the higher will be the economic growth. Government expenditure can be divided into productive and unproductive expenditure. Productive expenditure will be contributed to the economic growth in a few years’ time. Meanwhile, the unproductive expenditure will lead to the decline in the economic growth. Productive expenditure comprise of education and health. Besides, the unproductive expenditure consists of expenditure like pension and subsidies. Meanwhile, high budget deficit will reduce the level of economic growth. In order to finance additional expenditures, the government will borrow money from internal sources. Since the demand of the loanable funds is also derived from the private sector, additional demand from the government will boost the interest rate. Consequently, high interest rate will distort the level of investment. Finally, the lower level of investment will lead to lower economic growth for the country. In addition, high public debt will also result to a financial crisis. If a country is experiencing a trend of an increasing public debt, the investors may be worried about the capabilities of that country to pay its debt. Apart from that, they will ask for higher interest rate as a safety and profitable measures for them to keep financing the deficits. An increase in interest rate can distort the level of economic growth and would create financial crisis. Besides, it is also acts as an obstacle to the development because it will weakens the government’s ability to achieve macroeconomic stability. It comprises the stability of inflation, interest rate and exchange rate target. It will also create adverse incentives associated with future taxes. High debt also will stop the social and developmental progress. Malaysian economy may not be able to achieve high and sustainable economic growth in the long-run if the federal government keeps borrowing money from the domestic sources in order to finance the budget deficit. However, there is no such evidence to conclude that the external debt can distort the economic growth in the long-run.