Truman Show Essay Example for Free

Truman Show Essay Society watches and is attracted to these shows because they are supposed to relate to ordinary people’s lives. Even though it appears that their real lives are playing out on television, it is not as real as it seems when compared to people’s â€Å"real† lives. These â€Å"actors† have nothing to fear. They have security guards surrounding them when filming the show. They do not have to pay for anything because the company pays for their needs and wants. The director cuts and edits the clips to show the adience how he wants the actors’ lives and show to appear. The only difference between the reality shows of today and the Truman show is that Truman was not aware that he was part of a show. In today’s reality shows, the actors are very aware of their surroundings and display behavior that will make the shows more amusing to their audience. Truman’s world was in a way almost a â€Å"utopia† with no worries and no fear. It was, however, repetitive. Every day was the same. There were no difficult choices to make; much like reality television is portrayed today. The decisions they make and the outcomes do not truly reflect what would happen if an ordinary person does the same. The actors in today’s reality television have welcomed the public eye to see everything they are doing, but this isn’t true for everyone in society. While the rest of the society hasn’t invited anyone to track their actions, government and other organizations are already doing this in many ways. These groups have the ability to put up surveillance cameras to track when people are in different locations. They can track internet, credit card and cell phone usage. When traveling by a cell tower, for example, the tower stores the location information in a database. It is ready to be revealed to any government official when solicited (ACLU). Purchases can be tracked, along with, vacations, hotel stays, etc. According to an article written by Daniel J. Solove, for The Chronicle of Higher Education, the most common response to privacy advocates is â€Å"Only if you’re doing something wrong should you worry, and then you don’t deserve to keep it private. † (cite ). The problem with the government collecting private information goes beyond someone doing right or wrong. Some of the problems resulting from collecting and using personal data include the fact that people do not know that this data is being collected about them. They cannot fix an issue if they do not know this technology exists. Another problem with government gathering and using personal data is the distortion of the data. It often fails to reflect the whole person and can paint an untrue picture (Chronicle). Privacy is not typically lost with one major action, but it occurs over time with many pieces of information being collected and used to make assumptions about a person. The question is can it be stopped? The best way to slow down the invasion of privacy is to be careful of the information a person is freely giving out, especially on the internet. Information provided in emails, Facebook, on-line shopping sites, use of credit-cards, or completing surveys for a â€Å"free-gift† all contribute to an ongoing database of personal information. Consumers can continue to express their opinions with government representatives on how this personal information is collected and used. Those who want an increase in privacy should encourage the policy makers to look at the spending programs, regulatory agencies, privacy-invading regulations and investigative agencies for influence (Privacilla). The Truman show portrays the government or â€Å"creator† as having all personal information of Truman and is able to influence and control his entire life. This is not a future that society wishes to imitate. Bibliography ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, n. d. Web. 12 May 2013. Privacilla. Welcome to Privacilla. org. Welcome to Privacilla. org. Privacilla, 3 June 2012. Web. 12 May 2013. Solove, Daniel J. Why Privacy Matters. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Chronicle Review, 15 May 2011. Web. 12 May 2013.

Sammy in A&P by John Updike Essay -- A&P John Updike Working Careers

Sammy in A&P by John Updike Is where you are in your working career where you want to be for the rest of your life? The answer to that question is simple for Sammy in the story â€Å"A&P† by John Updike. Sammy, like many others in this world, is a young man trying to make some money in a small town. But unlike some, he refuses to be stuck in the same job for many years or possibly the rest of his life. One day while working the register at a local grocery store, Sammy notices three girls walk in. The girls are wearing their bathing suits because the beach is close to the store. When the girls reach the register the manager notices the girls attire. He walks over to them and argues with them for a moment and then girls leave. Sammy didn’t understand why the manager had such a problem with what the girls were wearing. Suddenly Sammy decides to quit. He takes off his apron and walks out the door. One of the things that caught my attention the most was Updike’s use of imagery in describing Sammy’s working environment. â€Å"The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle-†(34), I thou...

The Bean Trees

In the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, there is a young girl named Taylor who did not want to be like the typical girls from Kentucky. She wanted to go and get out of the small town. She got in her old beat up car and traveled throughout the United States, until she landed in Arizona. When she was there she not only had to deal with herself, but she now had a little girl who she named Turtle. This was not her daughter; instead someone she barely knew handed her off to Taylor. Turtle was not your average toddler, she was what some people call retarded or slow, but Taylor did not even notice that, all she saw was a little girl in need of help. Even though Taylor could not give Turtle a life of riches, she knew she could at least do better than before. Throughout the rest of the book Taylor experiences many events that portray evil. â€Å"Turtle's main goal in life, other than hanging on to things, seemed to be to pass unnoticed† (81). Turtle was a mentally slow child. When she was given to Taylor the woman said that her mother had died and that the little girl had no home. Taylor was just being a good person and taking Turtle, so that she could live in a better place. Once she had Turtle she took her back to the hotel and gave her a bath. When she did she realized that the black and blue marks on her body was not just dirt, but bruises. Taylor had grown up in a loving house with a loving mother who taught her the necessities of life. Seeing Turtle and beat up and scared broke Taylor’s heart. There was a cactus with bushy arms and a coat of yellow spines as thick as fur. A bird had built her nest in it. In and out she flew among the horrible spiny branches, never once hesitating. You just couldn't imagine how she'd made a home in there† (130). Which makes Turtle’s new life, not glamorous, but a lot better than it could have been. Turtle was not the only person in Taylor’s life. There were two immigrants that were friends of hers they were Esperanza and Esteven. She knew that they were in the country illegally, but Taylor did not care. They were nice people who had been tortured in their life as well. The government had been trying to get them and everyone seemed to be very rude to them. â€Å"You can go and visit heaven. What? You see a room just like the first one, the same table, the same pot of stew, the same spoons as long as a sponge mop. But these people are all happy and fat† (113). Esteven meant that there is people will help you in heaven, but no one will help you in hell. He was influencing that he was in hell because someone had kidnapped his very own kid, and the government is out to get rid of them. This shows how their whole life they have been trying to run away from evil. Turtle was a very unlucky and lucky girl. She was unlucky in the sense that she had been abused and almost lost and kidnapped. She was in the park one day playing with Lou Ann’s child, when this scary man came up and was going to take her. Her babysitter put up her cane and scared the man away. Turtle did not just forget about it though. She went on not talking to anyone about anything, even Taylor. Taylor had always been very strong when hard or scary situations came upon them. In this case she was not, she was going crazy worried that Turtle would never talk again. She also started feeling sorry for herself, like she wasn’t good enough to be a mother to Turtle. She soon came to realize that she was the best life that Turtle could have right now. Eventually Turtle talked again but it she felt most comfortable with Taylor. Throughout this book there were many bad experiences that happened to Taylor. She found a sad little girl that was abandoned and bruised, friends that were in trouble with the government, and a new daughter that was almost kidnapped. Even throughout all of those hard times Taylor managed to not â€Å"freak out† she always looked at life in the positive eye. Taylor is a strong woman, and even though people have their weaknesses she was a great mother to Turtle. Out of all the evil in her life she made it look so simple to deal with. â€Å"†¦I was not the smartest or even particularly outstanding but I was there and staying out of trouble and I intended to finish† (3). Taylor was not the perfect mother or a perfect person, but she had a great heart and a great passion to do the right thing, and that she was amazing at. The Bean Trees In the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, there is a young girl named Taylor who did not want to be like the typical girls from Kentucky. She wanted to go and get out of the small town. She got in her old beat up car and traveled throughout the United States, until she landed in Arizona. When she was there she not only had to deal with herself, but she now had a little girl who she named Turtle. This was not her daughter; instead someone she barely knew handed her off to Taylor. Turtle was not your average toddler, she was what some people call retarded or slow, but Taylor did not even notice that, all she saw was a little girl in need of help. Even though Taylor could not give Turtle a life of riches, she knew she could at least do better than before. Throughout the rest of the book Taylor experiences many events that portray evil. â€Å"Turtle's main goal in life, other than hanging on to things, seemed to be to pass unnoticed† (81). Turtle was a mentally slow child. When she was given to Taylor the woman said that her mother had died and that the little girl had no home. Taylor was just being a good person and taking Turtle, so that she could live in a better place. Once she had Turtle she took her back to the hotel and gave her a bath. When she did she realized that the black and blue marks on her body was not just dirt, but bruises. Taylor had grown up in a loving house with a loving mother who taught her the necessities of life. Seeing Turtle and beat up and scared broke Taylor’s heart. There was a cactus with bushy arms and a coat of yellow spines as thick as fur. A bird had built her nest in it. In and out she flew among the horrible spiny branches, never once hesitating. You just couldn't imagine how she'd made a home in there† (130). Which makes Turtle’s new life, not glamorous, but a lot better than it could have been. Turtle was not the only person in Taylor’s life. There were two immigrants that were friends of hers they were Esperanza and Esteven. She knew that they were in the country illegally, but Taylor did not care. They were nice people who had been tortured in their life as well. The government had been trying to get them and everyone seemed to be very rude to them. â€Å"You can go and visit heaven. What? You see a room just like the first one, the same table, the same pot of stew, the same spoons as long as a sponge mop. But these people are all happy and fat† (113). Esteven meant that there is people will help you in heaven, but no one will help you in hell. He was influencing that he was in hell because someone had kidnapped his very own kid, and the government is out to get rid of them. This shows how their whole life they have been trying to run away from evil. Turtle was a very unlucky and lucky girl. She was unlucky in the sense that she had been abused and almost lost and kidnapped. She was in the park one day playing with Lou Ann’s child, when this scary man came up and was going to take her. Her babysitter put up her cane and scared the man away. Turtle did not just forget about it though. She went on not talking to anyone about anything, even Taylor. Taylor had always been very strong when hard or scary situations came upon them. In this case she was not, she was going crazy worried that Turtle would never talk again. She also started feeling sorry for herself, like she wasn’t good enough to be a mother to Turtle. She soon came to realize that she was the best life that Turtle could have right now. Eventually Turtle talked again but it she felt most comfortable with Taylor. Throughout this book there were many bad experiences that happened to Taylor. She found a sad little girl that was abandoned and bruised, friends that were in trouble with the government, and a new daughter that was almost kidnapped. Even throughout all of those hard times Taylor managed to not â€Å"freak out† she always looked at life in the positive eye. Taylor is a strong woman, and even though people have their weaknesses she was a great mother to Turtle. Out of all the evil in her life she made it look so simple to deal with. â€Å"†¦I was not the smartest or even particularly outstanding but I was there and staying out of trouble and I intended to finish† (3). Taylor was not the perfect mother or a perfect person, but she had a great heart and a great passion to do the right thing, and that she was amazing at.

Learn About the Von Thunen Model

The Von Thunen model of agricultural land use (also called location theory) was created by the German farmer, landowner, and amateur economist Johann Heinrich Von Thunen (1783–1850). He presented it in 1826 in a book called The Isolated State, but it wasnt translated into English until 1966. Von Thunen created his model before industrialization and in it, he laid the foundation for what we know as the field of human geography. He strove to identify trends of peoples economic relationship with the landscape surrounding them. What Is the Von Thunen Model? The Von Thunen model is a theory which, after Von Thunens own observations and very meticulous mathematical calculations, predicts human behavior in terms of landscape and economy. Like any other scientific experiment or theory, it is based on a series of assumptions, that Von Thunen sums up in his concept of an Isolated State. Von Thunen was interested in ways people tend to use and would use the land around a city if the conditions were laboratory-like, as in his Isolated State. His premise is that if people have the freedom to organize the landscape around their cities as they wish, they will naturally set up their economy—growing and selling crops, livestock, timber, and produce— into what Von Thunen identified as Four Rings. Isolated State The following are the conditions Von Thunen noted as the basis for his model. These are laboratory-style conditions and dont necessarily exist in the real world. But they are a workable basis for his agricultural theory, which seemed to reflect how people actually organized their world and how some modern agricultural regions are still laid out. The city is located centrally within an Isolated State that is self-sufficient and has no external influences.The Isolated State is surrounded by an unoccupied wilderness.The land of the State is completely flat and has no rivers or mountains to interrupt the terrain.The soil quality and climate are consistent throughout the State.Farmers in the Isolated State transport their own goods to market via oxcart, across the land, directly to the central city. Therefore, there are no roads.Farmers act to maximize profits. The Four Rings In an Isolated State with the foregoing statements being true, Von Thunen hypothesized that a pattern of rings around the city would develop based on land cost and transportation cost.   Dairying and intensive farming occur in the ring closest to the city: Because vegetables, fruit, milk, and other dairy products must get to market quickly, they would be produced close to the city. (Remember, in the 19th century, people didnt have refrigerated oxcarts that would enable them to travel larger distances.) The first ring of land is also more expensive, so the agricultural products from that area would have to be highly valuable ones and the rate of return maximized.Timber and firewood: These would be produced for fuel and building materials in the second zone. Before industrialization (and coal power), wood was a very important fuel for heating and cooking, and thus comes in second in value after dairy and produce. Wood is also very heavy and difficult to transport, so it is located as close to the city as possible to minimize additional transportation costs.Crops: The third zone consists of extensive field crops such as grains for bread. Because grains last longer than dairy products and are much lighter than wood, reducing transport costs, they can be located farther from the city.Livestock: Ranching is located in the final ring surrounding the central city. Animals can be raised far from the city because they are self-transporting—they can walk to the central city for sale or for butchering. Beyond the fourth ring lies the unoccupied wilderness, which is too great a distance from the central city for any type of agricultural product because the amount earned for the product doesnt justify the expenses of producing it after transportation to the city is factored in. What the Model Can Tell Us Even though the Von Thunen model was created in a time before factories, highways, and even railroads, it is still an important model in geography. It is an excellent illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation costs. As one gets closer to a city, the price of land increases. The farmers of the Isolated State balance the cost of transportation, land, and profit and produce the most cost-effective product for the market. Of course, in the real world, things dont happen as they would in a model, but Von Thunens model gives us a good base to work from.