Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Sophomore change Essay Example for Free
Sophomore change Essay A major event that has changed my life forever is high school. It has affected my life both negatively and positively. I never expected it to go the way it has gone. I can honestly say that if I could re-do high school all over again, I would. It has been a bumpy road and I wish I had done it completely different. The small events within it have made me realize who my true friends are, look forward the future, and make the best decisions for myself. High school started out a mystery. I had no idea what I was in for. I came into it in a relationship that lasted half of my high school years. I would not have changed that as a whole, just some of the parts in between. I consider myself as being very naive in the beginning. Freshman year was confusing for everyone. No one knew who his or her real friends were yet. It changed for most everyone. Sophomore year was basically the same, just older. Cliques started forming and more friends were made. I made a lot of mistakes in this time of my life that I would change if possible. I should have been a lot of things but I definitely should have been more considerate. Junior year was pretty much the same. I started defining who I was. I became more aware of situations and started making better decisions. I feel as if I grew up pretty fast. My parents started trusting me more and letting me experience life a little more freely. Junior year was a learning period of high school for sure. Senior year has been the most challenging year. I started realizing life is starting to get real. Everything counts now. College applications were a hard task. Realizing where you want to spend the next chapter in your life is really mind-altering. It is confusing yet exciting. This has changed my life drastically. My mind kept changing and changing over again. This was the year I began to realize who my real friends are. A lot of my friends came and went but I have really started to realize that family is what counts the most. High school has changed my life forever. I have lost people that I love and I have gained a great amount of knowledge. I still have no idea where my life will take me but I know that with the right support system, I will get where I am supposed to be. Family will always be there and friends are sometimes temporary. As these years have passed by, I’ve learned a lot about growing up and taking my life more seriously. I wish I had stepped up and applied myself like I know I could have. I should have taken school more seriously so I would have more options for my future. High school has had its ups and downs. It was the biggest life-changer I have had. I look forward to seeing where the next chapter in my life goes. These past few years have definitely changed my life forever.
Monday, August 5, 2019
The possible solution
The possible solution CHAPTER VII One reason for dissatisfaction with the IWT is that, as presently constructed, it offers very thin support to the integrated or joint development of the Indus River Basin. After all the treatys success, in the face of huge distrust and animosity between the two signatory, had largely to do with its abandonment of customary international norms governing internationally shared rivers. In particular, it discarded the norms protecting the downstream countrys traditional uses of rivers wtare, in place of which it offered geo-physical partition of the river system itself. This formula was conceivable only in the unique geographic and political circumstances of the Indus Basin[1] As has been brought out in the previous chapter the complete abrogation of the IWT is not possible therefore there is a need to generate various options that can be exercised to resolve the conflict of interest between Pakistan and Kashmir over water resources. Pakistans answer to the problem lies in complete contr ol over the state of Jammu Kashmir which would place the watershed areas in its control and solve its problem of being a lower riparian state. This is not a practical solution. Indias solution to the problems envisages gradual erosion of the provision of the treaty by constructions of dams in Jammu and Kashmir which would enable it to exploit the resources of the three Northern rivers while remain on the fringes of the treaty. These different approaches by both the countries may not provide us with a solution which would be acceptable to the masses of India, Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Let us examine some of the solutions that have been offered by various personalities as also see the feasibility of implementing them. Chenab Formula [2] Pakistan has directly or indirectly emphasised the Chenab Formula as the most preferred option. This division would be based on the flow of the Chenab, but it would to some extent coincide with religious demography.Why is then Pakistan interested in the Chenab formula that includes parts of Jammu? With a small twist to this proposal, consider the hypothetical situation, as suggested by many experts, of only Kashmir being a part of Pakistan, and entire Jammu province and Ladakh under India. One evident outcome of such an arrangement would be the dissolving of the Indus Waters Treaty, as the political status of Kashmir would change. The distribution of water resources would be altered. Pakistan would then have complete control over only the Indus, Jhelum, and some of their tributaries. The Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers would fall under Indias jurisdiction. This arrangement would be detrimental to Pakistan, as it would lose a major water source the Chenab. The incumbent major water resources for Pakistan Indus and Jhelum have already been exploited to the maximum in Pakistani Punjab itself where over half their water flows is diverted for irrigation. The Chenab also is a major source of water to Punjab. Moreover, the Chenab-Jhelum combine is the only tributary of the Indus that enhances the latters flow downstream Punjab. Losing Chenab to India would mean drastic reduction in water supplies to Sindh, which is already on the brink of a water crisis. It is imperative to note here that the location where the eastern tributaries merge to join the Indus River is at a point just prior to entering Sindh. Moreover, Sindh receives water only from the Indus River. Losing Chenab would also warrant a major rearrangement of the irrigation network in Punjab. This clearly explains Pakistans insistence on making Chenab the basis of the international bo rder and including parts of Jammu and not merely the Kashmir valley, under its jurisdiction. Moreover, it provides strategic depth for the Mangla Dam. Thus, the Chenab Formula would be the preferred solution for Pakistan but will have grave consequences for India. Apart from losing out on the state of Jammu and Kashmir which will lead many other complications, this formula will also see India losing out on its water resources emanating from Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever flexibility that India has due its limited rights over three Northern Rivers will be forsaken for no apparent advantage. Therefore, if hostility reach a degree where Pakistan formally proposes the Chenab Formula, and not merely as a suggestion in track-two diplomacy, Indias response should be in the negative and belligerent. Valley Formula[3] Since Chenab Formula and the resultant division of Jammu portends war, consider an alternate solution, put forward by some experts, of handing over the Valley of Kashmir to Pakistan. Pakistans ISI acts on the belief that it can conquer the Valley of Kashmir by low intensity insurgency. If we were to consider a future scenario in which Pakistan with the aid of terrorist groups have managed to capture to the Valley of Kashmir which has always been its intention than the consequences of such an action for Pakistan would indeed be grave. Apart from other military and economic action which India would be bound to carry out the natural lay of the Indus water system will place Pakistan in great discomfort. Indias response would be to block the flow of the Chenab River into Pakistan thereby depriving Pakistan of major tributary for the Indus. Technically it is possible to divert the water of the Chenab River and join it with the Ravi, thus retaining Chenab for Indias sole use. Under such circumstances, Pakistan would head for disaster, foremost because the water flows in the Indus River would drastically reduce, as the Jhelum would be the only main tributary. The Indus River could dry up even before reaching the Arabian Sea. This would have serious repercussions on Pakistans economy. The extreme consequence of the scenario of losing Chenab to India, and the Valley of Kashmir becoming the base for redrawing the map, would be the entire reworking of the canal and irrigation system in Pakistan. It is therefore very clear that even capturing the Kashmir valley will not solve Pakistans problem. In fact such an action will only increase Pakistan vulnerability due to water scarcity. The preceding paragraphs have also brought out the immense importance of the corridor through which Chenab flows into Pakistan and same can also be examined in light of repeated Pakistanis attempts to capture this area in the past. The other point that stands out is that India is at an advantage vis -a-vis Pakistan due the geographical location of the Indus water Rivers. How does India take advantage of this? One area of immediate concern for India will be to meet its water requirement for the future. The water potential of the Beas, Satluj and Ravi has already been exploited by India. Therefore this means that the only option left is the exploitation of the Northern Rivers. What are the repercussions of such an action? As long as India uses these Northern Rivers within the provision of the IWT there would be no major objections from Pakistan but a breach of the treaty will surely invite conflagration of hostilities from our neighbours. Moreover if India wants to project itself as a responsible country willing to shoulder greater responsibility in line with its growing economic status than such an action will have detrimental results. An unstable neighbourhood as it is will deny India of any advantage that it a ccrues fro abrogation of the treaty. The above arguments elucidates that India does not have many options. As is the case with Pakistan belligerence over water is not going to solve any problem in fact it will create more. The resource available is meant for use of both the countries and has been done throughout history and therefore there is no reasons why both the countries cannot strive for a integrated development approach of the Indus basin and division of water resources is done not based on geographical partition of rivers but based on actual needs and appropriate sharing. Integrated Development Approach A sustainable solution is possible only if it is based on a win-win formula. Currently, the root of the problem lies in the lack of harmony between the interests of Pakistan and India and Jammu Kashmir. Pakistan needs Jammu Kashmir to build dams to divert water flows to Punjab and Sindh wheras India is frustrated at seeing precious resource flowing unabated into Pakistan.. On the other hand, Jammu Kashmir needs to come out of the Indus Waters Treaty to improve its own irrigation, hydro-electricity and employment prospects. The irony is that deeper the conflict grows between Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan, the greater would be the desperation of Pakistans military to annex Kashmir, resulting in increase in terrorism in Jammu Kashmir and all over India. More the tensions mount, greater are pressures on New Delhi to take a hard line against Pakistan. It is imperative for both India and Pakistan to envisage comprehensive development and planning in the River Basin. A holistic approach to water resources recognizing the interaction and economic linkages between water, land, the users, the environment and infrastructure is necessary to evade the impending water crisis in the subcontinent. The development of such a plan would require vast amount of financial and technical resources. It should be possible to mobilise such resources from around the world, perhaps with the World Bank agencies playing the lead role. The integrated development approach is Utopian. It is only possible with a paradigm shift in mindset and complete end to hostilities, both physical and psychological. The prerequisite of such an approach would be the following[4]:- Complete end to terrorism. Change in mindset in Pakistan about using Kashmiri youth as a tool to ensure Punjabs prosperity and consolidate control over an increasingly alienated Sindh. Acceptance by both, India and Pakistan, to treat Kashmir for the good of the Kashmiri people, and increase efficiency in domestic water management. Restoration of mutual trust and confidence between both countries. Benefit sharing is widely touted as the solution to water conflicts around the world, although operationalizing the concept is tricky. Benefit sharing is appealing because it shifts away from a volume driven approach to a more ecological approach that specifies and shares the benefit derived from the water source. For countries to participate in a cooperative framework, benefit sharing must offer rewards greater than those of unilateral action[5] . Many would argue that given the level of animosity between the two countries such an approach is impractical. One must wonder if it is, in fact, a viable alternative. Should it not prove to be an acceptable alternative than the future seems bleak for India Pakistan relations? A careful approach to the problem will divulge that this approach is the only practical way of solving future water problems. For an equitable and sustainable management of shared water resources, flexible, holistic approach of integrated water resource management is required, which can cater to hydrological variations in time and space and changes in socio-economic needs along with the societal values[6] . Given the commonality of water resources, the commonality of their utilization, and the commonality of the emergent issues, there is clearly a strong case for meaningful interaction between the scientific institutions and water management agencies across the region[7].This would include information sharing, collaborative studies, capacity building, and technology exchange. Rather than expending huge amount of money in building up offensive potential integration of interest will go a long way in building peace and harmony in the region. There is a need to establish a suitable regulatory framework that aims at integrated water management rather that just geographical division of water resources. With an ap propriate regulatory structure, cross border transactions in volving water services could be a significant source of employment, economic growth and livelihood security[8]. Spotlight on Indus River Diplomacy,Robert G Wirsing and Christopher Jasparro, APCSS Waslekar, The Final Settlement, pp. 47-53, 73-78. ibid, pp. 47-53, 73-78. Ibid , pp 53. Climate Change and Water: Examining the Interlinkages, Jayashree Vivekanandan and Sreeja Nair, Troubled Waters by David Michel and Amit Pandya. Water Resources of India, Rakesh Kumar, RD Singh and KD Singh, Current Science, Vol 89, No 5 , Sep 2005 ,pp804. South Asian Perspective on Climate Change and water policy, Ashok Jaitly, Troubled Waters by David Michel and Amit Pandya. The Management of Inter State Rivers as Demand Grows and Supplies Tighten Ben Crow and Nirvikar Singh, MPRA accessed on line at mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de
Sunday, August 4, 2019
the crime :: essays research papers
                                             Chad                                    â€Å"The Bahamas,†it was a trip of a lifetime. I went there with my girlfriend and a couple of other friends. We were all nervous because it was the first time any of us have flown. We finally got a chance to start boarding, after we arrived at the airport five hours early. Before boarding, we had to show the airport attendants our birth certificate. When I went to show them my birth certificate, they wouldn’t let me board because mine was a copy and not the original. Luckily, after waiting for twenty minutes, they made a few calls and let me go.      As we flew over the ocean the water was crystal clear and the sky was beautiful. I couldn’t wait to get there, but after two and a half hours, we finally arrived in Nassau, Bahamas. We got off the plane and the weather was beautiful, it was 90 degrees and sunny. We walked in, got our luggage and had to go through customs. We went outside caught our bus and off we went to our resort. When arrived there everyone was very nice and respectful.      Our first day their we planned to take a boat over to the Atlantis resort on Paradise, Island. The Atlantis is a resort known to have movie stars and athletes stay. I was only twenty years old when we went there, so I have never been to a casino. We all got to gamble, and I won $300 playing blackjack, it was a blast. The resort also had an underground aquarium with sharks and lots of other odd looking fish.      The next few days we sat around the resort and went parasailing, and lots of other activities. Parasailing was an adrenaline rush and probably one of the funnier things I had done in my life. We also went downtown Nassau and that is where they have a big flea market. The flea market had a lot of neat and different things down there. We spent the whole day downtown and later that night went out to a few dance clubs.      The last two days we were there a hurricane was roaring in, while we were trying to get out.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Rocky Horror Picture Show :: essays research papers
It was a cool, crisp November evening, while five teenagers were hustling and bustling around my house excitedly getting ready for their very first showing of the live version of their all time favorite movie. They knew it would be the best night of their lives. The night of my 15th birthday party, my friends and I all piled into my parents car around 11:00 PM and headed off down the road to the Heights Theater. The movie we are about to see is an all time classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the best cult film of all time. The movie has all the three basic elements it should have. It has funny audience participation, wonderful acting, and a great story line. Before the beginning of the movie, cast members will wander around the theater, and yell out various lines from the movie. When the movie curtain starts to roll its way up, you see a bright pair of red lips singing. When the lips appear, people will start to yell out their favorite audience participation lines. One of my favorite spots in the movie to shout out lines would have to be in the very beginning when the lips on screen are singing the song "Science Fiction, Double Feature." The song is full of participation lines and props that people can bring to the theater with them. There is one line that I particularly like that comes from this song and it goes a little something like this; "and from a deadly place it came from (where?) outer space! (Thank you!)." Another example of audience participation/prop use would be when one of the characters, Dr. Scott, goes flying through the walls of the laboratory in his wheelchair. As he is rolling down the ramp fro m where he flew through, another character, Brad, yells out "Great SCOTT" and that’s when everyone takes the toilet paper they have brought with them and throws it all over the place. Once all the toilet paper has been collected by the cast leader, they pick out one person from the audience and DOUSE them with toilet paper and it’s the funniest sight one will ever see! Even though there is a great amount of audience participation, one really has to turn your attention to the actors in the movie. It takes a special kind of person to really understand the movie they are in.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Free Yellow Wallpaper Essays - Schizophrenia in The Yellow Wallpaper :: The Yellow Wallpaper Essays
Schizophrenia in The Yellow Wallpaper                Throughout history people have always seemed to follow what notions that were considered "cool". Though I doubt that "cool" was the word used to describe these notions they were still there in some form or another. One of the greatest farces ever committed in the name of these popular perceptions was medicine. At that time, medicine that was on the cutting edge seem to have always involved some sort of noxious chemical or a typically atrocious diet. Not to mention the fact that ninety-nine percent of the doctors were men. Women's notions were immediately discounted on the bases of the preconception that women were not meant for such enlightened thoughts. No, men really knew what was best and women were meant to stand by what their husbands' said. This brings one particular husband to mind and how he was responsible for his wife going completely and utterly insane. His name is John and he is the husband to a woman who was diagnosed with a temporary nervous depression, meaning a slight hysterical tendency. Through John's interference he turned what was considered a minor case of a chemical imbalance into to full blown schizophrenia. During the turn of the century, which is when this story took place, what scientists knew of the human mind wouldn't fill the inside of a matchbook. This was for certain the case when it was a woman who was the patient. If there was any deviation in the accepted behavior of a woman as deemed by society, the woman was considered hysterical. When dealing with these patients, instead of seriously considering the consequences of their actions, they went along with obscenely stupid notions on how to deal with problems of the mind. The conventional course of action to take in the narrator's case was the one of nothing. I mean literally, nothing. For the narrator was considered hysterical and slightly depressed and there was only one course of action for such symptoms. That was one of complete rest. In those days the rest cure was very popular. It involved being set apart from anything that might have even the remotest possibility of stress in it. The main character of The Yellow Wallpaper was indeed set apart from all activity as directed by her husband. John dutifully followed the set path, not questioning any of the accepted methods.
“Violence is never far from the surface.” Discuss with reference to three of Heaney’s poems
To discuss the topic of violence in Heaney's poems, it is easiest to look at three of his poems that have an aggressive nature. Therefore, I am going to look at the poems: Punishment, A Constable Calls and Act of Union, all of which incorporate the theme of violence. It is useful to understand the underlying themes of the poems mentioned to understand them as violence is not always explicitly mentioned. A Constable Calls is about a police officer visiting a Northern Irish farm, checking up on the farms produce. A rather innocent task, however, in the mind of the young boy, this visit appears threatening and intruding. Punishment is about the remains of a body (a young female in her day) found in a bog. She appears to be the victim of a ritual killing, punished for the fact that she was an adulteress. Act of Union, on the alternative hand, is a complex metaphor distinguishing England as a man, Ireland as woman and Northern Ireland as the offspring. England has effectively raped Ireland in the way it treats it creating the multi-cultured society that we call Northern Ireland. All three poems have very dissimilar themes, portraying and exploring violence in very different ways. The poems look at mental and physical violence such as in A Constable Calls where the child is very fearful of the intimidating police officer – mental violence: â€Å"Arithmetic and fear†The child does not show his fear of the police officer but constantly looks at the way the constable acts and perceives these actions to be menacing and intruding: â€Å"On the floor, next his chair†Here, noting how the constable acts as if the chair is his, although it is not, looking at him as if being very possessive. Punishment, in contrast, explores the visual images and after effects of violence – the physical side. Violence in this case being the punishment of an adulteress: â€Å"I can see her drowned body in the bog†Here we get a very visual image of the body retrieved from the bog explaining that she was sunk into the bog in a cage and, therefore, drowned. Act of Union also looks at violence in a similar way to both A Constable Calls and Punishment. It looks at the physical and mental side to violence: â€Å"And I am still imperially Male, leaving you with the pain†Discussing how England has effectively raped Ireland in the way it treats it, not having enough knowledge of Ireland to treat it with respect, hence only creating destruction. Both A Constable Calls and Act of Union probe the idea of the threat of violence. For example, in Act of Union, England is: â€Å"The tall kingdom over your shoulder†â€Å"Your†referring to Ireland, the idea suggests how, England being larger and subsequently more powerful, has a large influence over Ireland's actions and will resort to violence if it strays off line in political and social aspects. Similarly, in A Constable Calls, the constable represents the domineering force in Northern Ireland: â€Å"The boot of the law†Here, a common phrase, â€Å"The long arm of the law†has been changed to suit the actions of English authorities in Ireland, once again displaying how England is not apprehensive about using force against Ireland. In conflict with the threat of violence, Punishment actually demonstrates violence as well as investigating why it was used: â€Å"Her noose a ring to store the memories of love†Here explaining that the young woman had taken her marriage for granted and betrayed it, hence being punished. It is in the language of the poems that the theme of violence is cleverly demonstrated. In A Constable Calls many of the words have underlying connotations which contribute to the theme of violence in the poem: â€Å"Its fat, black handle grips†This quote, being very oppressive in nature, relates to the English administration in Northern Ireland and the force it uses to keep events in order. â€Å"The domesday book†Refers to the way in which England has invaded Northern Ireland as William the Conqueror invaded England back in 1066. The most important use of language in A Constable Calls, however, is the last line: â€Å"And the bicycle ticked, ticked, ticked†Implying that the constable's bike sounds similar to a bomb, and the child, with his vivid imagination, picks up on this immediately. In the language of Punishment we can detect how Heaney describes the scene after an act of violence, or in this case a punishment, has taken place: â€Å"I can feel the tug of the halter at the nape of her neck†Here, describing the visible ring on her neck left from some form of rope in which the young women was possibly hung from before her execution in the bog. This portrays to us a very violent image in which the young woman was possibly tortured in several different ways before her eventual release into death. Heaney, in Punishment, also proceeds to inform us that, despite how civilised we may think we are in the modern age, the actions of England towards Ireland show how little we have developed throughout the centuries: â€Å"Who would connive in civilised outrage†Act of Union clearly demonstrates this point: â€Å"Mustering Force†Suggesting how Ireland is putting together a force, possibly drawing parallels to the IRA (violent terrorist organisation fighting for the freedom of Northern Ireland), looking to oust the English from Northern Ireland. However, this force is partially looking to avenge Ireland after its supposed â€Å"rape†, much like the community in Punishment looking to find revenge for what the young woman may have brought to various families. Similarly to A Constable Calls; â€Å"The polished holster †¦ †¦ The revolver butt†Where the young boy is stupefied by the gun in the police officers possession with the control he has over other people with it, Act of Union has references to violent weapons, in this case, again, guns and other firearms: â€Å"His heart beneath your heart is a wardrum†The wardrum beating a rhythm calling the Irish and (anti-British) Northern Irish up to bare arms. The poems of Seamus Heaney reflect a lot about the subject of violence between Ireland and England, resulting in the problems of Northern Ireland, depicted as the baby of the conflict in Act of Union. Heaney, having lived in Northern Ireland during his childhood, came to many of the conclusions on the matter in his poems during this time. His poems bitterly reflect on the conflict and seem to incriminate England widely for the current problem. Violence plays such a large role in these poems because all that the occupation of Northern Ireland by England has caused is aggression from both separate parties.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Juno film Essay
Juno The film I have chosen for this paper is the drama-comedy Juno directed by Jason Reirman. It is a domestic comedy with anarchic elements. In the film, you get to follow Juno MacGuff, a 16-years-old girl, as her life changes when she finds out that she is pregnant. It’s a realistic film told from Juno’s point of view. The film touches several controversial, populist themes, but manages to do so without being clichà ©. The most obvious being the teen pregnancy, but other topics such as the curiosity of sex among teenagers, the constant questioning of whether abortion is okay or not comes along with it. A big part of the film takes place in Juno’s home, which is typical for a domestic comedy. The main plot of the movie touches themes common to family life. There is the â€Å"modern family†core with stepmothers and half-siblings, the complicity in being a teenager as well as raising one. The more or less ordinary family life is displayed with a lot of humor. The questioning of stereotypes and prejudices play a big role in this film, as do contrasts. Instead of the cheerleader getting pregnant with the quarterback, as many would expect, it is the tomboy and the geeky runner who end up in that situation. As most teens portrayed in films, Juno has a close girlfriend. The odd thing in this case is that it is not a girl considered stranger than Juno herself in terms of norms, it is the cheerleader. In many other of these teen films, usually the cheerleader bugs the â€Å"odd girl†, as for example in â€Å"Mean Girls†. The most prominent contrast in the film is the home of the MacGuffs VS. the home of the adoptive parents Mark and Vanessa Loring. The two homes are set like two different worlds. In the MacGuff house, it s eems like it is impossible to have too many lamps, ornamental dogs or photo frames. The color scale goes in earthy brown tones. Meanwhile, the Loring house does not seem to ever be perfect enough. As Vanessa and Mark are introduced to the story, Vanessa is putting the photo frames in order and arranging the flowers until they are perfect. The dominant colors in the Loring house are clean bright colors as beige and white. The houses become symbols for how different the two families are. The easygoing, messy MacGuffs, and the uptight, stiff Lorings. For the opening scene of the film, there is a long shot of Juno standing in front of an armchair. The armchair is going to be a symbol throughout the movie. The camera cuts to a close up of Junos face and her empty eyes staring at the chair, delivering a message of frustration and hopelessness. She has a monolog where she tells the viewer about the chair, that it was in a chair everything started, where she got pregnant. A â€Å"film inside the film†of Junos memories from that moment is shown for the viewer. A dog barks and the camera makes a quick cut back to reality, Juno and the chair. She leaves the chair behind and the camera follows her as she goes to the local corner shop to get a pregnancy test, the third for the day. She is dressed in a red hood and blue jeans, the red symbolizes her strong, colorful personality. Red is also a symbol for life and vitality, a color symbolism very suitable for the scene. She takes the pregnancy test in the store’s narrow restroom, which has a dim low-key lightning. The setting reinforces the feeling of Juno being â€Å"painted into a corner†. As she takes the test, the camera cuts between close-ups of Junos legs as she sits down, the pregnancy test and her face. These close-ups make the relationship between Juno and the viewer intimate and one gets to feel sympathy for her. It is important to anchor the sympathy for Juno in the beginning of the film since the viewer will get to follow her during her journey. Juno leaves the store and walks home, the camera follows her from behind. Darkness has fallen and Juno has put the hood over her head as a way to alienate herself from the surrounding world. As she walks, a group of guys from her school comes running towards her. They are out of focus and run by her on both sides, creating like a tunnel for Juno to walk through. To me the runners are a metaphor for the thoughts running through Juno’s head and the difficult repressed situation in which she has ended up. Juno is portrayed as a stubborn, cocky girl who takes her own way in life. She has dark hair that she wears in a ponytail and her clothes are far from what typically are considered â€Å"girl clothes†. She wears loose fitted jeans, t-shirts, pullovers and hoods. Her best friend, Leah, on the other hand is a cheerleader with long blond hair who dresses in skirts and is much of a â€Å"girly-girl†. As the Leah is introduced to the audience, the contrasting personalities between the two friends are shown trough the mise-en-scene. When Juno calls Leah to tell her about the pregnancy, the camera cuts between the two girls and their bedrooms. Junos room has a shoebox feeling to it. There are photos of her friends, posters and dif ferent paintings all over the walls as well as the ceiling. She has plectrums laying all over her desk and a miniature electric guitar that gives away her interest for music. The dominating colors are earthy tones of brown, red and orange. Leah’s room on the other hand is dominated by light colors such as pink, white, yellow and dim blue. She has stuffed animals on a shelf and big windows with thin, light curtains. Juno decides that the way to tell the baby’s father, Bleeker, about the pregnancy is to set up a living room setting in his yard where she can break the news. When darkness falls, Leah is helping to move everything that is needed. They help each other to lift a heavy armchair into the trunk of Junos car. In this scene, the armchair is a symbol for the pregnancy, something that only the girls know of so far. It is still a complex, heavy secret kept in the dark, just like the chair. Reirman uses color values in a broad way through the film, especially when it comes to the characters clothes. In the loading of the armchair scene, Juno wears a red hood while Leah wears a blue. This highlights the different personalities of the two young girls even more. As the pregnancy progresses the color of Juno s clothes changes from the bright red hood to earthier, duller colors in green and brown shades. This color change reinforces Junos situation and the effect the pregnancy has on her life. Another example of color value being used is when Vanessa gets to see her son for the first time. She is then wearing a yellow sweater, symbolizing the joy she feels after finally becoming a mother. A task she feels she has been born to. During a visit to the prospective adoptive parents Juno finds out that Mark is going to divorce Vanessa, sad and frustrated she heads back home. The camera is shooting from the backseat as Juno is driving; she is placed to the left of the frame and the long, empty road ahead of her to the right. This creates a movement from left to right, giving the viewer a feeling of optimism and that everything will work out for the best. The camera cuts to a panning shot as Juno parks the car by the side of the road. A cut to a low angle is made, showing a close up of Juno as she cries. The gray seat, ceiling and the steering wheel creates a tight frame around Juno. There is a claustrophobic feeling through the setting, which emphasizes the fragile state Juno finds herself in. Juno decides that if Vanessa is still willing to be a mom, Juno is willing to give her the baby. The majority of the film is shot in high key lightning, typical for comedy movies. This goes for the scene at the hospital when the baby is born as well. However, in the next scene this will change. The camera shows a close up of Mr. MacGuff as he pats the head of his daughter who just gave birth. The lightning has gotten softer, giving the yellow color of the walls a warm soothing glow. There is calm and a balance over the scene, giving the feeling that everything is going to be okay from now on. The camera then cuts to a shot from Junos point of view showing Bleeker standing in the door opening. The walls behind Bleeker are blue and contrasting to the goldish colors in Junos hospital room. The colors and the separating walls become a metaphor for the â€Å"cold†reality Bleeker is just coming from, and the warm future that he is about to step into with Juno. A reality more suitable for two 16-year-old kids, where they do not have to be parents. Juno is a realistic film anchored in reality, there are several references to modern culture to underline this. Films and â€Å"hobbits†are mentioned, but the main thing is the music. Music is a big part of Junos life and her personality. It also becomes a key element when Juno and Mark are bounding. They burn CD’s to each other and discuss music by Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop and Patti Smith among others. To convey that the film is told from Junos point of view, Reirman uses her voice over as rapid cuts are made of what she is talking about. This technique is used when Juno introduces her family. As she talks about her mother, who is living in Arizona, the camera cuts to long shot of a desert house in the middle of a beige field. The tone of Juno’s voice says that the mother’s absence does not bother her that much, as to the dullness of the colors in the shot. The camera then cuts to extreme close-ups of the smiles of her mother’s new family, the husband and their three â€Å"replacement kids†. To show the viewer that the mother has been out of the picture for a long time the camera cuts to a close up of numerous cactuses in a window. Juno’s voice over is explaining that her mother sends her one cactus every valentine’s day. In Juno, the mise-en-scene is frequently used to strengthen the message of the film. By using color values, lightning keys and symbolism Reirman captures the contrasts of the story. I do not know if I would call Juno my favorite film, but it is definitely one of my favorite â€Å"feel-good†films. No matter what mood I am in, I always feel much happier and more positive after watching this film. I love the sarcasm in the film and I can see much of myself when I was 16 in Juno. I like how the film takes up such a controversial and taboo topic with as much humor as it does. To me it mak es the film appealing instead of feeling as a â€Å"moral message to teenagers†.
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