Write a critical analysis of the story Rosena on the Mountain Free Essay Example, 2500 words

How Can Something So Wrong Feel So Right All Along? A Critical Analysis of Rene Depestre’s â€Å"Rosena on the Mountain† Rene Depestre’s short story â€Å"Rosena on the Mountain† is one of a kind. A lack of knowledge about the culture and background of the author and the Haitian people could affect one’s interpretation of the story. For a moralist, it could be considered very sensual and unfit for general readership. However, a deeper understanding of the background of the people and the author could lead to a greater appreciation of this piece of work which makes it unique and worth reading. Personally, reading â€Å"Rosena on the Mountain† enhanced and enriched my experience ad understanding of the Haitian culture and human nature. Alain is a round character, a true-to-life figure that faces real life struggles. He is at the same time dynamic in the sense that the character has evolved into a more aggressive and mature individual. Rosena, on the other hand, can be considered a round character because of her convincing personality that is consistent throughout the story. Father James Mulligan may be considered a flat character because he is a stereotype of orthodox priests who assume an appearance of holiness and are prejudiced though they are also humans and are tempted to yield to what they consider evil – sex. If Alain is the protagonist, then the antagonists could either be the priest or Rosena, since he is torn between the two. We will write a custom essay sample on Write a critical analysis of the story 'Rosena on the Mountain' or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now One is pulling him to the religious/Roman Catholic priesthood, and the other towards sensual freedom and back to pagan practices. The use of the first person point of view is effective in showing the inner conflict of the main character. The reader can easily empathise with the struggles Alain went through and share with his struggles and triumphs. Symbolism is also present in the story. Mountain may be redundant because Haiti is actually an Indian term for mountains (â€Å"Haiti†. Infoplease). Rosena is a Haitian and in the title she is on the mountain. The term could have several meanings, like a literal mountain, an obstacle, a challenge, something remote or insurmountable. The name Rosena from the word rose could stand for a flower, beautiful but thorny, desirable and challenging. Moreover, irony is evident in the whole story. Alain’s pursuit for holiness is not achieved in the priestly vocation but in acknowledging his own self w ith all his physical and psychological longings. The priest, on the other hand, projects an image of holiness but in reality a weak person of sensual desires too.

The Impact Of Oil Exploration On Nigeria - 1027 Words

Introduction Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa, and currently its most populous country. After the oil discovery in the Niger Delta area of Oloibiri in 1956, the country has had oil has its main income producer. Before this, agriculture had the center stage; it accounted for 50% of revenue. Most of the oil exploration is done in the Niger Delta;a region that’s made up of nine states which includes; River, Cross River, AkwaIbom, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, and Ondo. This region has an estimated population of 28 million, amounting to16.7% of Nigeria population (Emmanuel, 2004). It has however suffered the environmental impact of oil exploration with its attendant environmental degradation for years. Unfortunately, the influx of oil companies and the heightening of their operations in Niger Delta are not matched with an agenda for the development of Nigeria in general and Niger Delta in particular. The oil companies claim to have executed several projects in the host communiti es as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. The claims include: construction of hospitals, roads and schools, provision of portable water, electricity, sponsorship, scholarships, and; supporting health campaign programmes among others. However, the host communities in Niger Delta seem not to have acknowledged these acclaimed community development projects by oil companies as they continue in their hostile disposition to the companies. According to Omole (2000), the relationship ofShow MoreRelatedThe Giant Bomu Oil Field Essay1531 Words   |  7 PagesThe giant Bomu oil field in Ogoni located in Gokana Local Government Area, which has estimated ultimate recovery of 0.311 billion of barrels of oil and a total of 0.608 billion of barrels of oil equivalent including gas, was discovered in 1958 (Aniefiok et al 2013, Amanyie 2006, and Vassilion 2009). According to Amanyie (2005; 2006), in the late 1950s oil was struck in commercial quantity at Lekuma Khana in Ogoni soil, and in Bomu oil field in 1958. In 1962 and 1963, the Korokoro and Ebubu fieldsRead MoreA Month And A Day By Ken Saro Wiwa1423 Words   |  6 Pagesoccurring due to the oil exploration. The violent and corrupted government allows this harm to the locals and the environment. Some locals even stand up to the oil companies, and are paid to protect the oil barrels (Blackboard Video Week 5). Chevron and Shell are the two oil companies that are entwined in the history written by Saro Wiwa. Corruption is displayed in Saro Wiwa’s Diary. â€Å"Corruption against the environment, Local corruption, Government corruption, Since it began producing oil in earnest inRead MoreConceptual Framework And Literature Review Essay1644 Words   |  7 Pagesefforts that go beyond what may be required by regulations or environmental protection groups. The guidance standard on social responsibility, 1S0 26000 published in 2010 says; â€Å"Social responsibility is the responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behavior that: - Contributes to sustainable development including the health and the welfare of society. - Takes into account the expectations of stakeholdersRead MoreShell Petroleum Discovery Of Nigeria Essay1479 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction In 1956, Shell Petroleum discovered oil in commercial quantity in Nigeria. Within a decade, oil exploration speedily replaced agriculture as the mainstay of the country’s economy. In 2006, roughly 97 percent of exchange revenue and about 80 percent of all government expenditures came from petroleum proceeds . The Niger Delta region is located at the southernmost part of Nigeria and comprises of nine states; Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Rivers State, Abia, Imo andRead MoreOil And Gas Industry Analysis1342 Words   |  6 Pagestwelve months, the decline in oil and gas activities has not only led to retrenchment of workers in the oil and gas sector in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria, mainly within the International Oil Companies (IOC†s), but has also affected non-related oil and gas sectors such as the contractors and vendors to the Oil and Gas sector; this has triggered several thoughts outside the box to welcome an industry diversification. The Nigerian Government, which solely depends on the oil and gas exports has alsoRead MoreDifferent Definitions Of Key Terms1220 Words   |  5 Pages and J. D. Walker (1977, cited in Aniefiok E. Ite1, et al., 2013: p 78-79) defines oil as follows: â€Å"Oil is a naturally stirring multipart mixture made up primarily of hydrocarbon mixtures and normally contains substantial quantities of nitrogen, sulphur, and oxygen together with smaller amounts of nickel, vanadium, and numerous components. Oil compounds can occur in solid form as asphalt, liquid form as crude oil and/or gaseous form as natural gas. Petroleum hydrocarbons could be divided into fourRead MoreImpact Of The Nigerian Presidential Amnesty Program1723 Words   |  7 PagesIn this paper, I estimate the impact of the Nigerian Presidential Amnesty Program (Amnesty), a local form of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR), on crude oil production in Nigeria. The President of Nigeria announced the program on June 25th, 2009 which aimed to put an end to the insurgency crisis experienced in the Niger Delta region, particularly between 2006 - 2009 which had led to an average loss of about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day (cited in Asuni, 2009) and which ha dRead MoreAssessment Of Shell s Corporate Social Responsibility1367 Words   |  6 Pagessocial responsibility in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria Executive Summary Oil for over a decade has been the main source of income for the Nigerian economy. It accounts for more than 70% of export.The Niger Delta region of Nigeria has been plagued with different negative effects of oil exploration. The environment, economy and even quality of human life have been greatly affected. This has created a lack of trust between the inhabitants and the oil companies, and even with the Nigerian governmentRead MoreHuman Health Risks And Socio Economic Problems Associated With Petroleum Exploration And Production Activities Essay1315 Words   |  6 PagesENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, HUMAN HEALTH RISKS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES Petroleum E P Activities are characterized by all forms of environmental impacts at different levels of its operations ranging from exploration, development and production, transportation and distribution, marketing, decommissioning and rehabilitation. At the exploration phase, there are the disturbances of forest and ground surface from related activities such asRead MoreThe Crisis Of Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Sudan, And Lebanon Essay1562 Words   |  7 Pagesthe world refine oil. Based on the number of barrels refined during the first three months of 2016, the countries that refined the most oil were: Russia (10.5 million BPD), Saudi Arabia (10 million BPD), the United States (9.2 million BPD), Iraq (4.3 million BPD) and China (4.1 million BPD). (CNNMoney, 2016) Just as there are many oil-producing states in the United States that do not have refineries, there are entire nations that are impacted by having a lack of refineries. A few oil-rich nations that

The Future of American Youths free essay sample

Most American young persons look frontward to their hereafter with hope and optimism. Harmonizing to the study The Mood of American Youth, teenagers put a high precedence on instruction and callings. While filled with high hopes about the old ages before them, today s pupils are non tuging under any misconceptions about what they must make to recognize their aspirations. They admit that difficult work lies in front and claim they are willing to do the forfeits needed to make their ends. Many immature people are headed toward four-year colleges and universities. More than half of all pupils in the United States program to gain a college grade. Many others look frontward to acquiring a occupation after high school or go toing a biennial junior college. Others plan on acquiring married. The average age for males acquiring married for the first clip is 26.2 old ages old, for females, 23.8 old ages old. We will write a custom essay sample on The Future of American Youths or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Other immature people intend to fall in the armed forces or voluntary organisations. For some, travel is the following measure in deriving experience beyond high school. During the early 1980s, calling success was the premier Goa cubic decimeter of most immature people. But, by the terminal of the decennary, attitudes were altering and immature people were going more idealistic. A 1989 study of high school leaders showed that doing a part to society was more than twice as of import to immature people as doing a batch of money. American young person are concerned about jobs facing both their ain communities and the universe around them. In a 1990 canvass, American immature people Young people in the United States are besides concerned with planetary issues such as atomic war and universe hungriness. They care for other people around the universe, as is apparent by such attempts as The Children for Children Project, in the class of which a group of New York City kids worked to raise $ 250,000 to assist the hungering kids of Ethiopia in 1985. Then they challenged other pupils in the United States to fall in in the fund-raising activities. Besides in 1985, a benefit called Live Aid staged two stone music concerts at the same time in England and the United States and raised about $ 50 million to convey alleviation to hungering people in Africa.

Western Film an Example of the Topic Film Essays by

Western Film Since the beginning of cinema in the United States, there has been on genre of film which has been explicitly American the Western. Though touched on by films in other countries, the Western film has been used for decades as the quintessential view into American ideals and lifestyles. Though this genre has not changed much in since its inception, stylistically, it has changed in its way of expressing and covering issues of American culture.Many clichs have arisen out of the western film. The good guys wore white clothes. The bad guys wore black clothes. The lawmen were always on the side of truth and justice and often portrayed as immensely stoic if not immortal. Other clichs of the genre include the savagery of the Native Americans and the bravery, and justice displayed by every man in the position of right IE. Marshals, military men or even the unaffiliated heroes such as the Lone Ranger. Need essay sample on "Western Film" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed One of the first movies to begin to break from this traditional view of the American west was the film High Noon. In this 1952 film, town marshal Will Kane, played by Gary Cooper, is told that a man from his past is returning to town with the intention of killing him for putting the man in prison. Ian MacDonalds Frank Miller is seeking revenge, and returning on the noon train.Though this motif was not original to the film, the manner of its characterization was. Marshal Kanes first response to the news of Frank Millers return is to leave town and avoid the fight. Though his machismo will not allow for a cowardly escape, the film does illustrate the fear that plagues Coopers character. The dread that Kane feels throughout the film is compounded by the lack of support he receives from the townspeople. Despite being a beloved lawman for sometime the movie takes place on the day of his retirement the entirety of the town recommends that Kane flee for his life rather than face possible death as the hands of Miller. Throughout the film Kane attempts to garner, at least, moral support for his pending conflict; however he finds none not even from his wife, who also tells him to flee. Howard Burton wrote, in 1953, that High Noon was the return of the story of everyman as well as the final maturing of the western film as a genre. In Burtons explication of the film, Kane is everyman. Burton describes everyman as weak. He tries desperately to avoid meeting death, even attempting to delay death [} (Burton 83) The film, however, does not stray too far from the old ideal of the stoic hero, as Kane does face Miller. However, a change is noticed, as the hero acknowledges his mortality, as well as his ability to lose it. This break from the norm would ripple throughout the decades and eventually create a near-complete paradigm shift within the genre. The next film that illustrates a shift away from the standards of the western is The Searchers. Released in 1956, this film would be praised as one of the greatest films of all time. This is mainly due to the affect the film had on the genre of the western. In this film, John Wayne nearly a western film clich himself is searching for a tribe of Indians who killed his family and kidnapped his niece. Waynes character, Ethan Edwards, is joined by his nephew who happens to be half-Indian himself. This not only causes tension between the characters, as Edwards hates all Indians because of the loss of his family, but also creates an opportunity for the western film genre to see a character though only half Indian in a sympathetic light. The depth of the racial crossover increases as the film progresses. In the film; [A] white woman is adopted and raised red society, marries a red man; (part) red man is adopted and raised by white society, marries a white woman. This parallel poses an exchange between red and white tribes. (Henderson 13) Because of this crossover, both sides of the racial issue are illustrated, and explained. This motif offers a commentary on the prejudice and hypocrisy of the white American culture because it was ok for the white family to take the native child, but not for the reciprocal to occur. Another example of the western leaving changing the normal expectations of the genre occurred in the film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. In this film, James Stewart is a Senator who returns to the town from which his career began in order to attend the funeral of a drifter, played by John Wayne. throughout the film, Stewart is acknowledged as the man who killed the areas most notorious outlaw, Liberty Valance. There are several subtle details of this film which make a prime example of the shift in Americas western film. First, and most obvious, the prime villain is called Liberty creating a tension between good and evil that most films had not dared before 1962. The hero, in opposition to this, is named Ransom which is also in conflict with the nature of good versus evil. Next, the film spends the majority of its time building up the character of Ransom Stoddard as an all-around hero archetype. Ransom teaches the townspeople to read and write, as well as bringing order to the town through his law office.John Waynes character, Tom Doniphon is portrayed as a shiftless tough guy with few redeeming moral virtues. There is conflict between Stoddard and Doniphon for the affections of Vera Miles character Hallie who eventually will marry Stoddard and accompany him to Doniphons funeral. As the story progresses, conflicts arise with the character of Liberty Valance. These conflicts lead to a gun fight, after which, Valance is dead; and Stoddard is hailed as his killer. The acclaim that Stoddard receives from the killing of Liberty Valance propels his political career and is the driving force behind his lifes success. The shift in the movie comes in the end as Stoddard tells the story of the death of Liberty Valance to a reporter. Through his exposition, Stoddard eventually reveals that it was actually Doniphon who killed Valance, but took no credit. It was then the guilt created by the success of his title, that brought Stoddard back to his hometown. Because Stoddard did not come forward sooner, Doniphon died penniless and alone. This revealed truth from Stoddard, shows that the success he enjoyed after leaving this town and being elected to the US Senate was based on a lie. This illustration of impropriety was rare in films of the era. To say that those who were controlling the highest offices of government were not as they claimed was a strong departure from the purity of government that most films portrayed. The film, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, though filmed primarily in Spain, and directed by an Italian director, still illustrates a strong paradigm shift in the western dogma. Drawn together by the promise of treasure and riches, three veterans of the Civil War join forces. The conflict of personalities in this film is another example of this shift in western cinema.Because they are forced to work together, the lines of good and evil are blurred by greed. This film depicts the characters in ways that illustrate their characters; good, bad, ugly (in deed more than looks). However, because of their necessity for cooperation, their characters are forced to subjugate their expectations to some degree.By 1990, the western had nearly been lost as a genre however, the movie Dances with Wolves revived the concept. It also made the strongest divergence from the western of old. This film illustrated many juxtaposed characterizations from the suicidal and insane Lieutenant commander, to the very personal and sympathetic view of the Lakota tribe. Dances with Wolves also paints a picture of the American cavalry in a very unflattering, and prejudicial light. The actions of the soldiers in the western frontier lands are shown as extremely violent and immoral. They soldiers refuse to find the story behind why a praised and decorated lieutenant is found in close association with the Lakota. Instead, they instantly deem him a traitor based solely on his dress and arrest him.The film also shows a deep understanding of the social unit of the Lakota of the time. This, in itself, is a departure from class forms of the American western, which still to this day often portray the Native American only as a savage. This film, however, delves into the culture itself - in a way that allows the viewer to learn of the people along with the character of John Dunbar. Though not directly, the film also addresses the continuing conflict between the modern American culture, and that of the Native American cultures. The movie ends without a strong conclusion to the story of John Dunbar. he is still pursued by the Calvary, and seen as a traitor and deserter. The trials of the Lakota people are not resolved as they have not been in reality. There is also a strong sense of tension at the end of the film, between John Dunbar and the lead warrior of the Lakota tribe Wind in his hair. Dances with Wolves also touches on relationship between an individual and his or her country. Though John Dunbar never acts against the best interests of the United States, he is labeled a traitor due to his style of dress when seen by the returning soldiers. This calls into question several aspects of American society.First, the concept of innocent until proven guilty which is the basis for the American judicial system is completely ignored in the arrest of John Dunbar. Next comes the idea of patriotism. John Dunbar is arguably the most patriotic character in the film; however he is eventually arrested and treated as the worst type of criminal. Finally, there is the question of loyalty. John Dunbar is portrayed as a fine example of loyal soldier and is initially rewarded with his choice of assignments. The use of cinema to comment on society is in no way a new concept - the plays of ancient Greece did the same, as did the plays of Shakespeare. However, for the majority of Americans, film is the primary source of social commentary and the most American form of that commentary is the western. Because of its perception of being an entirely American genre, these types of films can hold a strong place in the minds of their audience. The directors of these types of films understand this, of course, and use that to their advantage. Though not all directors set out to create a film which has some, deep, underlying message about the state of affairs in the United States, many western films contained such nuances, nonetheless. World War II, Viet Nam, the Civil Rights Movement and the counter culture movements of the 60s and 70s were all very important to the development of the current American identity. It is, therefore, no surprise that these changes in social order were echoed in the changes of American cinema. These eras also brought about the first questionings of authority, and shifting away from the blind trust that Americans had in the government, and society as a whole this was also mirrored in the American western. The social upheaval that occurred in the United States during the 1940s, 50s, 60s and into the 90s, marked drastic changes in both social stratification as well as American identity. WORKS CITED High Noon. dir. Fred Zinnemann. starring Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges. 1952. United Artists. The Searchers. dir. John Ford. starring; John Wayne, Jeffery Hunter, Vera Miles. 1956. Warner Bros. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. dir. John Ford. starring; John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles. 1962. Paramount Studios. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. dir. Sergio Leone. starring; Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef. 1966. United Artists. Dances with Wolves. dir. Kevin Costner. starring; Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene. 1990. MGM/UA Entertainment. Henderson, Brian. The Searchers: An American Dilemma. Film Quarterly. Vol. 34, No. 2. 1980. p/ 9-23. Burton, Howard A. High Noon: Everyman Rides Again. The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television. Vol. 8, No. 1. 1953. p. 80-86.