Crime Fiction Notes Essay Example for Free

Crime Fiction Notes Essay Study: read over your essay and familiarise yourself with your wording have discussions Figure out the arguments in your head practise exams don’t just Know the material REALLY UNDERSTAND it The Big Sleep Observation: conventions that are constant throughout generations of crime fiction genre (passion, detachment, love, hope, justice) are a reflection on the timeless and universal human needs conventions that are subverted are a reflection of changing values and context Context: 1950’s post WW2 Economic depression Desire for hope, justice, escapism Theorists: Schwartz: â€Å"crime fiction serves to explicate the dangers and pleasures of life. † There is human emotion with which the audience can empathise Gives the illusion that they have entered the world of crime Miller: â€Å"A rhetorically sound definition of genre must be centred not on the substance or form of discourse, but on the action it is used to accomplish,† manipulate audiences empathy to engage them in the text typical of TRADITIONAL crime fiction GENRE Techniques: (Remember these techniques interchangeably and only use the appropriate ones) Context specific 1. Subvert Context: Desire for hope Convention: film noir subgenre traditionally seek to realistically portray the inescapable broken nature of society – subverted – Happy Ending Observation Theorist: Imperative of genre to allow for subversion to become relevant to socio-economic or political context Chandler, â€Å"the cycles and transformations of genre can be seen as a response to the changing political, social and economic conditions† 2. Context: socio-economic context of 1940’s World War 2 America midst of an economic depression employment was low and consequently crime was on the rise yearning for justice and heroism to correct the broken nature of society Convention: Characterisation of Marlowe as determined and relentless Ironic and self-depreciating dialogue â€Å"I’m just a guy whose paid to do other peoples laundry† embodies disposition of lone ranger Heroic connotations, â€Å"why did you have to keep going?†, â€Å"too many people told me to stop.† Observation and Theorist: Crime fiction gives the audience what it NEEDS 3. Context: 1950’s audience can critique broken society and judge morality of characters Convention: Conforms to traditional structure of c/f: red herrings, witnesses, investigation, unveiling of mystery Lack of narration; no point of view; audience critique characters E.G. Marlowe, womanizer, heavy drinker, blatant disrespect for authority and the law, â€Å"I don’t know what I am going to tell them- but it will be pretty close to the truth† retain a degree of morality, reproach toward reprehensible behaviour, â€Å"my, my, my, so many guns for so few brains.† Reflects ambivalent noir concept that everything good is tainted with evil Observation and theorist: Convoluted plotline makes the audience â€Å"objective viewer† Critique the broken society and the morality of characters Livingston, â€Å"different genres are concerned with different world views†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Universal 1. Conform Context: common timeless human desires transcend context and audience and hence are constant throughout generations of crime fiction Convention: human fascination with romantic love interest foregrounded interaction between ‘hardboiled detective’ Marlowe and ‘femme fatal’ Vivien Rutledge Verbal sparring soaked in double-entendres indicative of sexual tension; â€Å"do you always think you can handle people like trained seals?† â€Å"uh-huh and I usually get away with it too† Theorist: Colette, â€Å"romance pervades oral and written story-telling as far back as can be traced† Anil’s Ghost Observations 1. Post-colonial text; exposure to different culture; challenges Western perspective of crime fiction genre Barthes, â€Å"it is in relation to other texts within a genre rather then in relation to lived experiences that we make sense of certain events within a text.† Cohen, â€Å"Genres are open categories. Each member alters the genre by adding, contradicting or changing constituents, especially those members most closely related to it.† 2. Challenges not only our understanding of the genre, but also our perception of the world around us Berger: â€Å"Never again will a single story be told as though it were only the one†. 3. Crime fiction can be a means of contextual political and philosophical discussion The subjectivity of truth Nihilism and post-modernism Techniques 1. Context: socio-political context 1980’s Sri Lanka multifaceted civil war unimaginable for a western audience – but can relate to universal themes Convention: Mystery as a medium for Anil’s quest for her identity Ambiguous characterisation forces reader to share in her frustration and confusion Refuses to be defined or typecast, religious allusion, â€Å"The return of the prodigal†, â€Å"I am not a prodigal† Symbolised through an aggressive campaign to chose her own name Observation and theorist: international audience relate to a common quest multifaceted nature of identity Ambiguity and struggle within an individual, reflective of wider post modern society 2. Observation, context and theorist: Fister; â€Å"crime fiction deliberately exploits anxiety within the reader through reflecting and magnifying societies fear du jour.† Terror of those living within civil war Convention: explored through specific victims, personalise pain; agonising imagery Gunesena’s crucifixion, â€Å"prized the nails from the tarmac, freeing his hands† fear impregnates every facet of society; personification of Sri Lankan national fear through simile used to warn against the dangers of truth, â€Å"truth is like a flame against a lake of petrol† 3. Observation: aware of the horrendous acts of violence but absent from the actual event never presume to understand the degree of suffering novel seeks to extrapolate sympathy NOT empathy Convention: Subversion: post-modern style, not one single perspective, intrusive narration to explore a variety of characters perspectives. (Berger: â€Å"Never again will a single story be told as though it were only the one†.) Foregrounds the differences; â€Å"the darkest Greek tragedies were innocent compared to what was happening here† compares European mythology with Eastern reality, highlights vast discrepancies between crime fiction Theorist: Texts challenge audience’s worldly perceptions; Cole: â€Å"This can function as a form of social protest and reform†¦ giving crime writers the status symbol of social activists.† More on VALUES

Terrorism - No Public Discourse on Terror :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

No Public Discourse on Terror Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California) said the following in casting the lone vote against giving President Bush full congressional approval for carrying out his War on Terrorism as he sees fit: I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States. This is a very complex and complicated matter. . . . However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint. Our country is in a state of mourning. Some of us must say, let us step back for a moment. Let us just pause for a minute and think through the implications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control. . . . I have agonized over this vote, but I came to grips with it today and I came to grips with opposing this resolution during the very painful yet very beautiful memorial service. As a member of the clergy so eloquently said, "As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore." I agree. But what is striking to me as a linguist is the use of negatives in the statement: "not prevent," "restraint" (inherently negative), "not spiral out of control," "not become the evil that we deplore.'' Friends are circulating a petition calling for "Justice without vengeance." "Without" has another implicit negative. It is not that these negative statements are wrong. But what is needed is a positive form of discourse. There is one. The central concept is that of "responsibility," which is at the heart of progressive/liberal morality (See Moral Politics). Progressive/liberal morality begins with empathy, the ability to understand others and feel what they feel. That is presupposed in responsibility-responsibility for oneself, for protection, for the care of those who need care, and for the community. Those were the values that we saw at work among the rescue workers in New York right after the attack. Responsibility requires competence and effectiveness. If you are to deal responsibly with terrorism, you must deal effectively with all its causes: religious, social, and enabling causes.

Africa Essay

Between 600-1450, Africa went from governments with increased wealth from trade with varying religious traditions, also with some beliefs of polytheism; to governments with extensive powerful bureaucracies with many people converting to Islam. the more advanced forms of government ,trade and local traditions however, remained constant. Prior to the introduction of Islam as a religion, there were various belief systems with animistic beliefs. There was also some polytheism as well as monotheism. all the traditional religions remained, although Islam became the more prominent religion. Islam became an important religion because of trade and umayyad conquest out of the middle East into North Africa . Islam also became the more important religion because of the Kings of Ghana and later Mali, who had converted because it benefited them in that they got more money. The conversion of authority figures influenced people to convert, as well as they were convinced by an authority figure . The introduction of Islam and the connection to trade routes in the Dar-Al-Islam marked a turning point for Africa. During this time, after the fall of Rome, the power vacuum then led to the Umayyad conquest out of the middle East into North Africa.Also West Africa’s connection to Northern Africa via Trans-Saharan trade by Berber nomads allowed for the spread o9f islam to sub-saharan Africa. Trade and conquest brought Islam to North Africa, making it a slow ,but widely growing religion in Africa at the time. After the introduction of islam and the connection of trade routes in the Dar-al-Islam, political changes were prominent within africa. The Qur’an also promotes trade as a blessing to humanity, so trade had increased steadily. Because of the increasing trade, organized governments increased considerably. Increased Trans-Saharan trade of gold for salt led to the need to regulate trade. it also led to increased wealth. the increased wealth in turn led to a more powerful government with an extensive bureaucracy and also led to the government controlling and taxing their trade routes. the kingdom of ghana fell and became the Empire of Mali which had control over the greater region. The kingdom of Ghana went from governments to stateless societies. Although africa went through many changes, there were still some continuities. for example, although people converted to Islam, it was a very slow process and initially it was only the kings and merchants were converting because it benefited them; local traditions were still prominent because of thousands of years of the local animistic beliefs being passed down. Most people still practiced animistic worship and rituals. Another continuity would be the advances in government. There were still many advancements in government because of the steady increases in population and the need for regulation. Another continuity would be how trade is constant throughout the area. This is because it is needed to increase wealth and grow the economy to increase the population.

Yogh - A Letter of the Alphabet in Middle English

Yogh  (Ê’)  was a  letter  of the alphabet in  Middle English. According to the editors of the American Heritage Dictionary, yogh was used to represent the sound (y) and the voiced and voiceless velar fricatives. Yogh can be found in the original manuscript of the late-14th-century romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight [Sir Gawayn and à ¾e Grene KnyÈ t], but the letter  died out during the 15th century. Middle English yogh was derived from the insular g in  Old English.  As explained below, the letter was pronounced in different ways according to a number of factors. Although the yogh has no exact equivalent today, it can  correspond to Modern English y as in yet, Modern English gh as in light, and Scottish English  ch as in loch. Examples and Observations The yogh ... asks us to make the sound that most Germans make when they say ich, which most Scots people make when they say loch, which most Welsh people make when they say bach, and which some Liverpudlians make when they say back. As the Old English said this kind of sound a good deal, it was very useful to have a letter for it. They had the Roman g which we see in the first line of Beowulf. The yogh was used in the Middle English period (late 12th-15th centuries) to represent the ch sound, perhaps as g had other work to do.(Michael Rose, Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story. Counterpoint, 2015)Pronunciations of Yogh in Middle EnglishYogh (Ê’) was pronounced in several different ways, according to its position in the word. Initially, yogh was pronounced like y, as in Modern English yet. It had the same sound after the vowels e, i, or y, for example in the Middle English words yÊ’e (eye) and hiÊ’e (high), which unlike their Modern English counterparts were pronounce d with two syllables. Within words or at the ends of words, yogh or gh sometimes represented the sound of w, as in folÊ’ed (followed), or innoÊ’e (enough), which we know from its use in rhyme was pronounced enow rather than with an f sound as in Modern English enough. Before t and after e, i, or y, yogh or gh was pronounced like ch in German ich (for example, in the Middle English ryÊ’t, right); before t and after a and o it was pronounced like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach (for example, in Middle English soÊ’te, sought). It had the same value word-finally in the word à ¾aÊ’, though. However, at the ends of words, it more often represented the unvoiced sound of s as in Modern English sill--though it may also at times have represented the ​voiced sound of z as in Modern English zeal (Vantuona 176).(David Gould,  Pearl of Great Price: A Literary Translation of the Middle English Pearl. University Press of America, 2012)  The gh Pronunciation of Yogh - [I]n Old English, ... one of the sound values of the letter yogh was /x/. ... Words like niÊ’t, hiÊ’, burÊ’, miÊ’t and thoÊ’ were respelled by French scribes with a gh, so we get night, high, burgh, might and though as common spellings for these words in early Middle English. To begin with, the gh continued to be pronounced. When we read in the opening lines of The Canterbury Tales about the little birds sleeping all through the nyght, we need to take that spelling at face value and read it as /nIxt/, with the ch sound of Scots loch or Welsh bach. But the /x/ disappeared from southern English during the 15th and 16th centuries. North of the border, and in some other provincial accents, it stayed--hence modern Scots spellings such as moonlicht nicht.(David Crystal, Spell It Out. Picador, 2014)- [T]he breathy English g or y sound (once denoted by the English letter yogh) came to be spelled as GH. ... However, it was GHs bad luck to be left behind by subsequent, genera l changes in English pronunciation. Originally, in words like sight, although, cough, or enough, the Norman GH-spelling mirrored the medieval pronunciations. Yet these pronunciations later changed, variously, and today the whole family of English GH words is notoriously unphonetic in spelling--to the frustration of purists. ...(David Sacks,  Letter Perfect: The A-to-Z History of Our Alphabet. Knopf, 2010)- The digraph gh causes difficulty. It is commonly a relic of a velar or palatal fricative that is preserved as a velar fricative /x/ in Scots, as in bricht night (bright night). (1) It is normally silent after u as in taught, drought, naughty, thought, though, through, thorough, bough, and after i as in straight, weight, height, high, light, night. (2) It is pronounced /f/ in a few words such as cough, enough, laugh, rough, tough. (3) In the following place-names in England, each gh is different: Slough (rhymes with how), Keighley (Keethley), Loughborough (Luff-). (4)   In hicc ough, the gh was substituted for p (hiccup) in the mistaken belief that the word derived from cough. (5) It has disappeared in AmE draft, plow (formerly also used in BrE) and in dry, fly, sly, although preserved in the related nouns drought, flight, sleight. (6) It sometimes alternates with ch in related words: straight/stretch, taught/teach.(Tom McArthur,  Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 2005)From Yogh to Zee in Scottish EnglishThe yogh owes its origin to the Irish scribes who arrived in Saxon Britain in the 8th Century and began teaching the Anglo-Saxons to write--before this, old English was written in runes ... .It fell out of favor with the Normans, whose scribes disliked non-Latin characters and replaced it with a y or g sound, and in the middle of words with gh. But the Scottish retained the yogh in personal and place names, albeit mutating into a z to please the typesetters of the day.Inevitably, however, the euphemistic z became a real z, in some quarters at least. The surname MacKenzie now almost universally takes the zee sound although it would have originally been pronounced MacKenyie.(Why is Menzies Pronounced Mingis? BBC News, January 10, 2006) Pronunciation: YOG or yoKH Also see: From A to Z: Quick Facts About the AlphabetKey Events in the History of the English LanguageSpelling