Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal Essay Example for Free

Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal Essay This film pictures events and unknown facts about the life of the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal. When I am watching the film I understand the story clearer than reading it, the scenes played in the film made my mind and vision clearer. They’ve explain the life of Rizal clearly even though some information is not that important but still they are saying it for the student’s or the viewer can understand more the life of Rizal. In watching the films I’ve realize the things that a man can do. The film started from Rizal telling what had been his life as a young boy was. Unlike any boy, Rizal came from a rich family which can be considered as principalia. His parents were considered to be a good example in their own ways. He had a big family with 10 siblings, nine sisters and one brother named Ponciano. Rizal was describe as a young boy whose eagerness to learn was of undeniable. At his young age of nine, he was asked to live in manila to study. He took entrance examinations and finally schooled at prestigious campuses in Manila by that time. He studied first at Ateneo de Manila University then continue it at University of Sto. Thomas. Rizal also continued his studies abroad and he was able to visit many countries. Rizal demonstrated great talent in literature, philosophy and also in arts. He received awards in some contests that he joined and successfully won the major ones at times. As a student, I can say that Rizal was very hard working and dedicated. He was an engineer, sculptor, painter, ophthalmologist and a writer. I can’t believe that a man can be that good, a man can do many things, and a man can defend his own country. He will not achieve all of that without his friends, of course.

What Are The Motivations Of Dark Tourists?

What Are The Motivations Of Dark Tourists? On the 27th of April 2008, Josef Fritzl was arrested in Amstetten, a small town in Austria. It has shown that Fritzl sexually abused his daughter, Elisabeth, since she was eleven years old. When she was eighteen years old he locked her up in the basement underneath his house. Fritzl forced his daughter Elisabeth to write a letter to her mother where she stated that she had run away from home and joined a sect. The sexual abuse led to the birth of seven children. Three of these children were raised by Elisabeth in the basement and the other three were raised by Fritzl and his wife. One of the children died a few days after it was born. Furthermore, Fritzl convinced his wife that the three children they raised were exposed by Elisabeth. When one of the children that lived in the basement, the at that time nineteen-year-old Kersten, got ill Elisabeth convinced her father that she needed to be hospitalized. Because Kersten was not registered anywhere, one of the doctors informed the auth orities. After this, Elisabeth saw a program on the television in her basement that made a call up for the mother of Kersten. Then she convinced her father to bring her to the hospital, which led to the hearings of Fritzl and Elisabeth and the confessions of the cruelties that took place. After twenty-four years Elisabeth was freed from the basement and reunited with all her children (Wikipedia, 2010). This affair has received tremendous attention in the media and therefore the case is known all over the world. The affaire encompasses a painful and shameful episode on a national and local basis. Furthermore, the house of Fritzl has become a touristic attraction. Amstetten is dealing with an increasing amount of tourists that come to visit the house. When tourists visit the house, they often take photos of the house and of themselves in front of it. The articles on the internet show that the local authorities find this shocking (HLN, 2010). The phenomenon that people visit places that are associated with death, suffering and violence can be described as dark tourism. Thanatourism is a similar concept and also involves the visiting of locations associated with death and suffering, but an emphasis is placed upon symbolically experiencing a painful death. Another related concept is black spots, which can be described as commercial cemeteries of famous people or locations where death an d suffering took place. The house of Fritzl belongs to such places and visiting this location fits the description of dark tourism and thanatourism. The house of Fritzl, where the abuse and cruelties took place, can be seen as a symbolic reflection of this affaire and its tragic events. Furthermore, the house serves as a tangible object that invokes the memory of the Fritzl-affaire (Yull, 2003: 10-13; Logan en Reeves, 2009: 1-3; Rojek, 1993: 136). The phenomenon that people visit the house of Fritzl inspired me to formulate the following research question: What are the motivations of dark tourists? The case of the house of J. Fritzl in Amstetten. It is interesting to find out why tourists visit the house, if the media attention has played a role in the decision of people to visit the house and if certain characteristics, such as age and gender, affect the motivation of these visitors. The case of Fritzl offers a fascinating and recent case to go more in-depth into the motivations of dark tourists. Scientific and Social Relevance The scientific relevance of this research question lies in the fact that the subject of dark tourism is relatively new within the academic field. Several articles have been published on this topic, but as Stone (2006) argues: despite this increasing attention the dark tourism literature remains both eclectic and theoretical fragile (Stone, 2006: 145). Some researchers have already focused on visitor motivations of dark tourist sites. For example, Yull (2003) investigated why people visit the Holocaust Museum in Houston. However, according to Stone (2006) and Sharpley (2009) research first and foremost has focused on describing the different dark tourist sites, rather than on the consumption and experiences of visitors. This research will contribute to the understanding of visitor participation in dark tourism by taking the visitors of the house of Fritzl as the focal point of this research. Furthermore, the existing research has not focused on the motivations of visitors to dark tour ist sites, comparable to the house of Fritzl and therefore this research will add to and fill the gap in the existing literature. The social relevance of this research is harder to determine. However, finding out what the motivations of visitors are, might provide useful and relevant information for directly involved parties, other than the scientific community. For example, this information could offer the local community of Amstetten and (in)direct victims of this case a better understanding of what is going on and with what reasons people visit this site of horror. For example visitors might be motivated to visit this place to pay respect to the victims or remember the cruelties that took place, instead of entertainment purposes. Furthermore, the results of this research could even be relevant to society as a whole, since dark sites similar to the house of Fritzl seem to increasingly pop up and attract visitors world-wide. This research seeks to provide insights into why people a re motivated to visit these morbid locations. Theoretical Concepts and Hypothesized Relations As mentioned previously, several theoretical concepts are related to the phenomenon where people visit places associated with pain, death and suffering. Academic attention to this phenomenon increased in the twentieth century and several theoretical concepts were introduced. These concepts are black spots (Rojek, 1993), dark tourism (Lennon and Foley, 1996: in Yull, 2003) and thanatourism (Seaton, 1996: in Sharpley, 2009). These dark concepts will be briefly discussed in a more or less chronicle order, based on introduction in the literature. Another concept of importance for this research is visitor motivations (Sharpley, 2009: 12-15). Dark Concepts Black Spots Rojek (1993) coined the term black spots and argues that these locations involve commercial cemeteries of famous people or sites where death and suffering took place. In his research, Rojek (1993) also mentions that people increasingly visit these dark sites and that entrepreneurs initiate tours around these black spots. Examples of black spots are the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim-Brzezinka, Ground Zero in New York and the location where Princess Diana got killed in a car crash (Rojek, 1993: 136-145). Dark Tourism and Thanatourism Visiting places associated with death, pain and suffering is becoming increasingly popular. However, Sharpley (2009) argues that this is not a new phenomenon. In the Roman Empire, it was a common form of entertainment to attend a gladiators match. Another example are the public executions in the Middle Ages. Traveling to places where death and suffering are central elements can be defined as dark tourism. Furthermore, it involves consuming real or simulated places of death and horror. Visiting these places where actual cruelties took place by relatives or friends of the victims cannot be seen as a form of dark tourism. Thanatourism is a concept which strongly relates to dark tourism and was introduced in the literature in the same year as dark tourism. Thanatourism entails the visiting of locations associated with death and suffering, where visitors want to symbolically experience a painful death. This description points more to the motivations of visitors of dark sites. However, the term dark tourism is usually used in the academic field and no distinction is made between the concepts dark tourism and thanatourism. Therefore, I will use the term dark tourism in this research and make no difference between dark tourism and thanatourism (Lennon en Foley, 2000: 3-5; Yull, 2003: 10, 11; Sharpley, 2009: 3-19). Dark tourism involves the actual visiting of black spots. There are different black spots which are visited daily by tourists and therefore belong to sites of dark tourism. Furthermore, several tours are initiated around dark sites. Commercial motives, in terms of entrance fees, are often involved. Examples are the Jack the Ripper tour in London or the tour in Charleroi which shows you, among other dark sites, the house of the famous kidnapper and child molester Marc Dutroux. Visiting morbid museums, old prisons or battle field fall also under the category dark tourism. As discussed previously, the house of Fritzl fits the description of a black spots and inc reasingly attracts visitors. This research seeks to understand the motivations of these visitors (Stone, 2006: 145, 146, 152; HLN, 2010). Visitor Motivations For this research it is necessary to include visitor motivations as a theoretical concept. Motivations of individuals to visit regular tourist places include getting acquainted with other cultures and increase ones knowledge about these locations. Furthermore, motivations often involve entertainment purposes, such as having fun or seeking adventure. Relaxation, revitalization, being active and get close to nature are also common incentives to visit a certain location (Kozak, 2002: 225). However, these motivations of regular touristic locations might differ from motivations of tourists that visit black spots. Unfortunately, few literature is available that focus on visitor motivations of dark tourists. The literature that is accessible, uses similar research questions to the one is used in this research. Yull (2003) studied the motivations of dark tourists and focused more specifically on the motivations of visitors of the Holocaust Museum in Houston. Niemelà ¤ (2010) focused on visi tor motivations of the House of Terror museum in Budapest. This museum is built to remember the tortured and killed people during World War II. In addition, Poria, Reichel and Biran (2006) chose to investigate the motivations of the visitors of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Although the dark tourist locations used in these researches are museums associated with death and suffering and therefore differ from the dark site that is used in this research, similar motivations may be found. If different motivations are found, it could be argued that this difference is dependent on the specific dark tourist site. According to Yull (2003), motivations of dark tourist could involve entertainment purposes, such as providing a thrill, a novel experience or adventure. Furthermore, remembering the victims and the cruelties that took place or curiosity can also be motivations of tourist that visit the house of Fritzl. Although education might be more suitable as a motivation to visit a museum associated with death and suffering, individuals can also visit the house of Fritzl to learn something. For example, visitors might want to enrich their knowledge about the Fritzl-affaire. In addition, Niemelà ¤ (2010) argues that emotional involvement might also play a role in the motivations of dark tourists. Visitors might identify or have a personal connection with the cruelties that took place. Moreover, Poria, Reichel and Biran (2006) include two more motivations; tourists might visit a dark site, because it is famous or because they feel that the site is historically important (Yull, 2003: 146-159, 191-199; Niemelà ¤, 2010: 37; Poria, Reichel and Biran, 2006: 322). The media play an important role within the field of dark tourism. The media can report tragic events that take place all over the world. The attention that the media pay to tragic and horrible events serve as a stimulation for flows of tourism. Furthermore, media has the capacity to bring dark tourism sites to public consciousness (Yull, 2003: 125). Additionally, Lennon and Foley (2000) argue that the attention of the media to specific dark sites, might motivate individuals to visit the location in order to experience the reality behind the media representations. Since, the Fritzl-affaire received tremendous attention in the media, it will be likely that this attention has an influence on the motivation of visitors (Stone, 2009: 57; Seaton, 2009: 90; 95, 106; Lennon and Foley, 2000: 152). Operationalization of Theoretical Concepts In this section, the operationalization of the theoretical concepts will be discussed. To answer the question What are the motivations of dark tourists? The case of the house of J. Fritzl in Amstetten, I will conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews  [1]  with visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten. This implies that a topic list will be made, consisting of topics that will be addressed in the interview. However, the order in which the topics will be discussed is not fixed and if necessary, the interviewer will probe for more information and adapt to new themes that are brought up by the interviewees. Furthermore, the interviewer can adapt to the level of comprehension of the respondents. The questions will be open, which means that no answer categories will be made (t Hart, Boeije and Hox, 2007: 274, 275; Gilbert, 2001: 123, 124). Several topics that will be addressed in the interview are outlined. First of all, it is important to include demographic factors of the v isitors, such as age, the country the interviewee lives in and the highest obtained level of education (primary school or less, secondary school, intermediate vocational training, higher vocational training, college or post graduate). Furthermore, the gender of the respondent will be noted during the interview. These demographic factors are included, because they are important background variables and might affect the motivations people have to visit the house of Fritzl. Other topics that will be included will focus upon the motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten. It will be asked what attracted the visitors to visit Amstetten and what their primary reason is for visiting this town. I will seek to explore whether visitors come specifically for the house or if they have other motives or more than one reason to visit this town. Then, I will focus on the topic of why people visit the house of Fritzl. Although, similar answers to the research on dark tourist motivations described above maybe found, such as entertainment, curiosity, remembrance of the victims and cruelties that took place, emotional involvement, historical importance of the site or its fame, unexpected answers also need to be taken into account. Furthermore, it is essential to go in-depth into the answers and ask for further elaboration if necessary. Additionally, it needs to be explored whether visitors have multiple motivations to visit the house of Fritzl. Seeking to understand motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl, demands for adapting to possible unexpected answers and the skills to react to this situation adequately. Furthermore, the role of the media will be addressed. Central themes will be, whether visitors are familiar with and interested in the Fritzl-affaire, if they have followed the case in the news, documentaries or on the internet. This will seek to explore whether media attention to the Fritzl-affaire affects the tourists in their motivation to visit the house. Next, I will focus upon if the visitors have previously visited other dark locations, where cruelties have taken place. It will be interesting to find out if there is a relationship between visiting the house of Fritzl and other dark locations and if we are dealing with tourists that have an interest in visiting dark sites in general. Plan for Data Collection For this research, the visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten are the objects of study. Hence, it is necessary to come into contact with these visitors. For this research I choose to use qualitative semi-standardized interviews to answer the research question. Qualitative methods are used when a certain research topic is relatively new and unexplored. Furthermore, qualitative methods offer the possibility to go more in-depth into specific aspects of a certain phenomenon. Baarda, de Goede and van der Meer-Middelburg (1996) argue that qualitative interviews are a suitable method when ideas, motivations, opinions and experiences need to be investigated. Since this research seeks to explore the motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten, it fits this description (t Hart et al. 2007: 253; Baarda et al. 1996: 18-20). I choose to use semi-structured, one-to-one interviews. This implies that topics will be formulated and addressed in the interview. Besides demographic questions, specific questions, answer categories or the order of the questions will not be fixed in advance. This gives the interviewer the opportunity to probe for more information if necessary or reflexively respond to new themes that might be brought up. This reflexive approach is essential, since motivations of dark tourists is relatively unexplored, especially in regard to locations comparable to the house of Fritzl. This may result in unexpected answers to be brought up. When standardized methods are used, this will not be possible. One-to-one interviews are used, because the interviewees will not be influenced by the opinions of others and may give them the feeling to speak more openly about their motivation(s). Furthermore, confidentiality and anonymity of the data will be guaranteed (Baarda et al., 1996: 18-24, 26-28; t Hart et al. 2007: 254, 261, 262, 267; Gilbert, 2001: 123-129). To interview the research participants of this research it is necessary to go to Amstetten, w hich is roughly a nine hour drive from Rotterdam. I will spend three days around the house of Fritzl and I will approach the visitors that come by. I will ask them if they are willing to participate in this research. This research requires purposive sampling, because I assume that only a small group of visitors of the house of Fritzl is accessible in these three days and this group will be likely to represent the visitors as a whole. Furthermore, using a probability sample is often unrealistic for small-scale or qualitative research (Gilbert, 2001: 62). The duration of the interview will be approximately twenty minutes and the amount of interviewees will depend on the willingness to participate. The aim will be to conduct ten to twenty interviews. Furthermore, the interviews will be recorded. Gilbert (2001) argues that recording is recommendable, especially when conducting non-standardized or semi-structured interviews. This, because this type of carrying out interviews requires an active participation of the interviewer within the conversation. By recording the interview, the data wont be lost and in contrast to making notes it wont obstruct or slow down the dialogue. It also signals that the responses of the respondents are taking seriously. Of course, the use of recording will be explained to the interviewees and their approval will be asked. Directly after the interview, notes will be made about the setting, the interview and the interviewee which can be used to recall the context of the particular interview (t Hart et al. 2007: 268-270; Gilbert, 2001: 61-63, 135-137). Plan for Data Analysis When the data is collected, the analysis of the data will begin. First of all, the recorded interviews will be verbatim transcribed. I choose to write down everything that is said, because then data wont get lost that might be of significance when the research progresses. Although, transcribing everything is time-consuming and labor-intensive, the low quantity of interviews makes it possible to do so. Furthermore, transcribing the data allows you to get familiar with the data and it helps facilitating thoughts and ideas about possible connections and underlying themes. Before analyzing, the transcripts will be checked by listening to the recordings once more and by carefully reading the written text. The demographic characteristics of the respondents will be shown on the first page of the transcripts. After this, I will offer the transcript to the respondents, so that accuracy can be checked and comments can be made. This improves reliability and validity of the answers (Gilbert, 200 1: 134-137). The transcripts will be read repeatedly with the aim to identify underlying themes and connections. By comparing and contrasting fragments within interviews and between interviews, fragments with an underlying connection will be categorized and labeled. Furthermore, it will show whether the earlier described motivations are found in the transcripts, or if new themes will be discovered. Similarities and dissimilarities between different respondents may emerge and might relate to their demographic characteristics. Eventually, the codified themes will be linked and compared to draw a full picture of the motivations of visitors of the house of Fritzl in Amstetten and answer the research question (Gilbert, 2001: 137, 138; t Hart et al. 2007: 176, 277). Discussion Gilbert (2008) describes six properties that a research question should have. The research question should be interesting, relevant, concise, answerable, feasible and ethical. For this research it is necessary to address two of these properties more in-depth, which are the feasibility of this research and its ethical dimensions. The research question, What are the motivations of dark tourists? The case of the house of J. Fritzl in Amstetten, is feasible to the extent that it can be answered within a relatively short period of time and with relatively low costs. Furthermore, the research participants are accessible. However, the search for visitors of the house of Fritzl might show difficulties. For this research I will spend three days around the house of Fritzl and approach the tourists that will visit the house. However, it is possible that on these particular days there will be no visitors at all. Consequently, finding research participants might be time-consuming and unpleasant ( Gilbert, 2008: 48). According to Gilbert (2008), it is of importance to take into account the ethical dimensions of a research question. While no specific approval is needed from institutions to conduct this research, this research involves a certain sensitivity. The reason for this, is that this study focuses upon an affair where people suffered and were mistreated. Therefore, this affair is sensitive to victims or relatives of these victims. Furthermore, this case might be sensitive to the neighboring residents or the whole community of Amstetten. Spending three days in front of the house of Fritzl to gather the research participants might be offensive to the residents. For example, they might be upset or feel that their privacy is violated. Consequently, it is necessary to work with discretion. Eventual publication of this research also involves ethical implications. Publication might cause harm to the different parties involved (Gilbert, 2008: 48, 49; Gilbert, 2001: 49-53). A la st brief comment I would like to make is about the weaknesses of Literature Baarda, D.B., de Goede, M.P.M. van der Meer-Middelburg, A.G.E. 1996. Basisboek Open Interviewen. Groningen: Stenfert Kroese. Gilbert, N. 2001. Researching Social Life (2nd edition). London: Sage Publications. Gilbert, N. 2008. Researching Social Life (3d edition). London: Sage Publications. t Hart, H., Boeije, H. Hox, J. 2007. Onderzoeksmethoden. Amsterdam: Boom onderwijs. Kozak, M. 2003. Comparative analysis of tourist motivations by nationality and destinations. Tourism Management 23, 221-232. Lennon, J.J. Foley, M. 2000. Dark Tourism: The Attraction of Death and Disaster. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Logan, W. Reeves, K. 2009. Places of Pain and Shame: Dealing with Difficult Heritage. USA/Canada: Routledge. Niemelà ¤, T. 2010. Motivation Factors in Dark Tourism: Case: House of Terror. https://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/14984/Niemela_Titta.pdf?sequence=3 6 October 2010 Poria, Y., Reichel, A. Biran, A. 2006. Heritage Site Perceptions and Motivations to Visit. Journal of Travel Research 44, 318-326. Rojek, C. 1993. Ways of Escape: Modern Transformations in Leisure and Travel. London: The MacMillian Press. Sharpley, R. 2009. Shedding Light on Dark Tourism: An Introduction. In: R. Sharpley P.R. Stone. The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Bristol: Channel View Publications, 3-22. Stone, P.R. 2006. A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions. Tourism 54 (2), 145-160. Stone, P.R. 2009. Dark Tourism: Morality and New Moral Spaces. In: R. Sharpley P.R. Stone. The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Bristol: Channel View Publications, 56-74. Yull, S.M. 2003. Dark Tourism: Understanding Visitor Motivation at Sites of Death and Disaster. http://etd.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/89/YUILL-THESIS.pdf?sequence=1. 7 October 2010 Websites HLN, 2010 http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/960/Buitenland/article/detail/314386/2008/06/16/Toeristen-op-de-foto-voor-horrorkelder.dhtml 6 October 2010 HLN, 2010 http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/1901/reisnieuws/article/detail/269697/2008/05/08/Ramptoerisme-bij-Oostenrijks-gruwelhuis.dhtml 6 October 2010 Wikipedia, 2010 http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl-incestzaak 6 October 2010

Causes of the Decline in Voter Turnout

Causes of the Decline in Voter Turnout â€Å"What explains the decline in voter turnout in most democracies in the last few decades? In your answer, consider one or two explanations that you consider most important and empirical evidence supporting or rejecting them†. According to Dalton (1988) â€Å"citizen involvement in the political process is essential for democracy to be viable and meaningful†. They suggest that â€Å"limited political involvement is a sign of weakness because it is only through dialogue and participation that societal goals are defined and achieved in a democracy. Voting, though it requires little initiative and cooperation with others, is the most visible and widespread form of citizen involvement†[1]. Over the past three decades, voter turnout in the UK and other democratic countries has decreased significantly, I will discuss what I consider to be two of the most important explanations for the decline in voter turnout across various democratic countries. These being political disengagement and dissatisfaction and the reduction in the value of voting. I have chosen these due to the fact there is significant empirical evidence supporting both explanations, as will be explored below. The first part of this ess ay will explain some statistics regarding the levels of voter turnout, following this, I will discuss the idea that political disengagement and dissatisfaction could be considered one of the most significant contributors to the decline in voter turnout and how the depleting value of the vote can cause people to refrain from voting altogether. A democratic country is defined as being a country in which â€Å"all eligible citizens have the right to participate in the political system, either directly or indirectly when it comes to making the decisions that will affect them†[2]. The decline in voter turnout throughout democratic countries in the last few decades is fast becoming a problem due to the fact democracy depends on voter participation. The decline in voter turnout can be noted in the UK where voter turnout reduced from 75.3% in 1987 to 68.7% in 2017, suffering substantial dips throughout this period, as was found in 2001 in which voter turnout dropped to 59.4%. Figure 1. A line graph showing the decline in general election turnout since 1945. Taken from: Ukpolitical.info. Voter turnout at UK general elections 1945 – 2017 | UK Political Info. [online] Available at: http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout45.htm. The same thing can be seen in other democratic countries. For example, voter turnout in the US during Mid-Term Elections has decreased from 60.89% of registered voters voting and 41.07% of voting age voters voting in 1986 to 54.16% of registered voters voting and 39.51% of voting age voters voting in 2014. The same cannot be said for Presidential elections, where we see an increase from 76.98%/56.28% voting in 1988 and 78.76%/60.52% voting in 2016. However, the most recent statistics do show a decline from 2004 onwards. One possible explanation for this could be the voters feel as though a Presidential election is more important, it gains more media coverage and affects the whole country. Therefore, it would be useful to consider some of the reasons for this selective decline in voter turnout. Figure 2: Levels of voter turnout in US midterm elections from 1982 to 2014. Taken from: Sos.wa.gov. [online] Available at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voter-participation.aspx Figure 3: Levels of voter turnout in US presidential elections from 1980 to 2016. Taken from: Sos.wa.gov. [online] Available at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voter-participation.aspx. The first of my proposed explanations for the decline in voter turnout is the public’s political disengagement and dissatisfaction. Before I continue, it is important to distinguish between voter apathy and voter alienation in order to determine whether there is a decline in voter turnout due to an increased laziness throughout the public or due to the public feeling as though they can no longer relate to their politicians, my first point of discussion focusses on the latter. Crewe et al (1992) suggested that apathy indicates a lack personal responsibility, a â€Å"passivity, and indifference for political affairs. It denotes the absence of a feeling of personal obligation to participate. However, voter alienation implies an active rejection of the political system†. The alienation the public are feeling when it comes to politics was found by Dr. Ruth Fox to stem from the fact that the parties we have to choose from are â€Å"all the same, the politicians are all the same, they are not like us†[3]. This could mean that the public can no longer identify with the candidates they are voting for. Politicians have become so detached from the average person, that the public cannot find any logical reason to want to vote them into power and consequently, do not vote at all. This could be considered one of the most crucial factors to contribute to a declining voter turnout because the aim of an elected Government is to represent the public’s views in Parliament to ensure that the decisions made, and laws created, benefit the country in the most inclusive way possible. Therefore, when the public feel as though they are not being accurately represented in Parliament they can feel alienated which in turn, promotes disinterest and a feeling of disengagement among the public with regard to politics. The British Academy stated that â€Å"British society has become, for the most part, disengaged with politics†¦In the case of British voters, it is important to understand the scale and depth of their disenchantment†. This can be considered important because if we can engage the public in politics through their MPs and other representatives, this would subsequently improve voter turnout. The second of my proposed explanations for declining levels of voter turnout is the idea that the public no longer places any value in voting, believing that their votes will not make a difference. The House of Commons Political and Constitutional Committee found this especially â€Å"when the member of the public lived in an area in which there was a safe seat, that is, where the party of the elected representative was unlikely to change[4]†. The value of voting can be considered an important explanation for the decline in voter turnout because if the public does not feel as if their vote will make a difference, or produce the outcome they prefer, they will be less inclined to even try. It was suggested by Ioannis Kolovos and Phil Harris that voters â€Å"weigh up the costs and benefits of their actions, meaning that the public will turn up to vote when they consider that the benefits of such an action outweigh the costs[5]†. An example of how the public have been made to feel disengaged with politics can be seen in the last election in which the Green Party and UKIP had significant support, resulting in a considerable number of votes. Under a different political system, these parties would have won 85 seats. Unfortunately, for the people that voted for them, the Green Party and UKIP only gained 1 seat each. Therefore, it appears that when people see that a significant percentage of the electorate are completely ignored due to the current political system, they give up on voting entirely due to the fact they think that their votes will not make a difference leading them to believe that the act of voting had little benefits. This could explain the decline in voter turnout in most democracies in the last few decades. There are many factors that can explain the decline in voter turnout in most democracies over the last few decades. In this essay, I have focused on and provided empirical evidence for what I believe to be two of the most important; political disengagement and dissatisfaction and the reduction in the value of voting. The need for politics to be more inclusive and for the public to feel as though they can relate to their representatives would considerably help the rates of voter turnout as they would feel as though their vote means something and would contribute to an outcome that would benefit themselves as well as others. They would also feel more involved in the political process which, in turn would allow them to restore the value of their vote because as the public begins to feel more engaged and satisfied with their representative in Parliament, they would place a value on their vote as they would know that it could potentially make a difference. REFERENCES: 1) Anon, (2018). [online] Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228215776_What_Affects_Voter_Turnout [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]. 2) Crewe, I 1992, Changing votes and unchanging voters, Electoral Studies, 11, 4, p. 335-345, Scopus ®, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 January 2018 3) Dalton, Russell J., Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies, 5th edition (Washington DC: CQ Press, 2008), p. 37. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, â€Å"Voter Turnout Database†, International IDEA website. 4) E-International Relations. (2018). Why is Turnout at Elections Declining Across the Democratic World? [online] Available at http://www.e-ir.info/2012/09/27/why-is-turnout-at-elections-declining-across-the-democratic-world/ [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]. 5) Hooghe, M, & Kern, A. 2017, The tipping point between stability and decline: Trends in voter turnout, 1950-1980-2012, European Political Science, 16, 4, p. 535-552, Scopus ®, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 December 2017. 6) Kolovos, I. and Harris, P. (n.d.). Voter Apathy in British Elections: Causes and Remedies. pp.2-3. 7) Kolovos, I. and Harris, P. (n.d.). Voter Apathy in British Elections: Causes and Remedies. Pp.3. 8) Lop.parl.ca. (2018). Democracy Defined | Our Country, Our Parliament. [online] Available at: https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/Education/ourcountryourparliament/html_booklet/democracy-defined-e.html [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]. 9) Publications.parliament.uk. (2014). [online] Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/232/232.pdf [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018]. 10) Sos.wa.gov. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voter-participation.aspx [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018]. 11) Southwell, PL 2008, THE EFFECT OF POLITICAL ALIENATION ON VOTER TURNOUT, 1964-2000, Journal Of Political & Military Sociology, 36, 1, pp. 131-145, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 January 2018. (http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=13872f22-38b9-460a-bd0c-4953cc4c2455%40pdc-v-sessmgr01) 12) Stuart, C. (2016). Why is the turnout for UK elections so low?. [online] Quora. Available at: https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-turnout-for-UK-elections-so-low [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018]. 13) Ukpolitical.info. (2018). Voter turnout at UK general elections 1945 – 2017 | UK Political Info. [online] Available at: http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout45.htm [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018]. ONLINE SOURCES Reasons for low voter engagement: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/232/23205.htm Written evidence submitted by Tim Knight (VUK 69) http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/political-and-constitutional-reform-committee/voter-engagement-in-the-uk/written/8287.html Written evidence submitted by 38 Degrees (VUK 50) http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/political-and-constitutional-reform-committee/voter-engagement-in-the-uk/written/7510.html Written evidence submitted by Ian Sheppard (VUK 51) http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/political-and-constitutional-reform-committee/voter-engagement-in-the-uk/written/7575.html Written evidence submitted by Michael Yates (VUK 53): â€Å"Why does the UK experience low voter engagement† http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/political-and-constitutional-reform-committee/voter-engagement-in-the-uk/written/7880.html Written evidence submitted by David H Smith (VUK 59): Reasons for and impact of low voter engagement. http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/political-and-constitutional-reform-committee/voter-engagement-in-the-uk/written/7970.html [1] Voter Apathy in British elections: Causes and Remedies, pg2-3 [2] Democracy Defined | Our Country, Our Parliament. [3] House of Commons Political and Constitutional Committee: Voter engagement in the UK (2014-15) S3, Pg. 7 [4] Written evidence from 38 Degrees [VUK 50], Ian Sheppard [VUK 51], Michael Yates [VUK 53], David H Smith [VUK 59], Tim Knight [VUK 69], [5] Voter apathy in British elections: Causes and Remedies

Schindler?s List Essay -- essays research papers

The once almost forgotten Hitler Jews are brought back to life by Schindler’s List. The movie opens quietly with a pre-war Polish Jewish family lighting candles and saying prayers on Friday night. The family disappears, and eventually, the candles burn out. The scene switches to a man carefully dressing, stuffing his hand with money and carefully pinning a Nazi pin to his lapel. He is a shadowy figure, paying his way to get a fine table at a fancy restaurant in Krakow, and catching the eye of some Nazi officers. His name is Oscar Schindler and he is just a business man making contacts and buying influence. Soon his wining and dining pays off, as he acquires a manufacturing plant that produces pots and pans for the Nazi Army. Oscar really didn’t have any clue what was going on as far as the situation with the Jews and the Nazi Army. Reality struck him when his workers were being taken away from his ghettos and placed in concentration camps. Jews, who worked for free were his main source of labor. Actually, what the Jews are getting in return is even more valuable than money. Freedom. He is freeing them from being destroyed. Once Schindler recognizes this tragedy, he puts his on life in danger to save all of the Jews that he can. He is so generous that people ask him to let people work in the factory so they will live. He does so. He has a heart but he also does it for his personal gain. At first, he just opens the factory to gain money. In the end, we see him spending all o...

Connecting Babylon Revisited, My Life, and the Life of F. Scott Fitzger

      It is no wonder, that when students read literature, some are confused about the meaning of the story or poem, know little, if anything at all, about the author, and have trouble memorizing important points. This is not only because of the limited time allowed, but because the student fails to associate new knowledge with old knowledge. Making a personal connection is important whether the instructor recommends it or not. Attention should be given to both the technical points of the writing and the author's biography. Take, for example, F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited." At first glance, the story wasn't that hard to understand, so it was a good opportunity to study a piece of 20th century American literature in a deeper way.      "Babylon Revisited" is often credited for being one of Fitzgerald's greatest short stories. As Professor Jackson Bryer states on a web site interview, "[It combines] Fitzgerald's human themes of loss with a background of the social times in which they take place. ...Paris in the Twenties. ...[These aspects] give them a resonance (the personal story played within a larger picture) which many of Fitzgerald's other stories lack" (1). Bryer also feels that "FSF should be remembered and valued most for the 'how' of his fiction rather than the 'what' of it, namely his style is what makes him exceptional, not his subject matter. ...he does have the ability to capture feeling and emotion brilliantly as well. Gatsby's frustration, Charlie Wale's exasperation, ... these are palpably present to readers."    Composed in 1931 and published in 1935, "Babylon Revisited" is "the s... ... in Minnesota: His Homes and Haunts. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1978.    McMichael, George. Anthology of American Literature / Volume II: Realism to the Present. (6th ed.). New Jersey : Prentice Hall, Inc., 1997.    Miller, Larry. "Pioneer Planet Fitzgerald Tour." 1996. http://www.special.pioneerplanet.com/archive/fitzgerald/tour.htm. 21 May 1998.    Murphy, Gary and William C. Slattery. "The Flawed Text of 'Babylon Revisited': A Challenge to Editors, a Warning to Readers." Studies in Short Fiction 18.3(1981):315-318.    Page, Dave and John Koblas. F. Scott Fitzgerald in Minnesota: Toward the Summit. St. Cloud: North Start Press of St. Cloud, 1996.    Shain, Charles E. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." University of Minnesota pamphlets on American Writers 15, 1961.

The Grand Canyon Railway

One interesting feature of the southwestern United States is the area known as the â€Å"Four Comers. † the only place in the United States where four slates meet at one point. Within the 130,000 square miles of the Colorado Plateau in this region lie many wonders of nature. The plateau contains eight national parks, twenty national monuments, as well as numerous other nationally designated areas and huge tracts of national forests. This wealth of natural features and the cultures of the various Native American tribes in the region have made the area an important destination for tourists, especially those interested in natural history and culture. The â€Å"crown jewel† for this region is generally considered to be the Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This wonder of nature is 190 miles long, one mile deep, and between 4 and 18 miles wide. The Grand Canyon covers 1. 900 square miles of the Colorado Plateau and is home to 1,000 species of plants 250 species of birds and 70 species of animals. A number of Native American tribes are found in the region of the Grand Canyon, including the Hualapai, Hopi. Navajo and Havasupai (who live on the floor of a side canyon) The principal attraction to visitors is the sheer size and beauty of the canyon itself. The walls of the Grand Canyon are made up of many layers of rock, with widely varying textures, colors, and hues. This panorama of nature changes by the season, weather, and time of day. Generally, the morning and late afternoon offer the most striking views for visitors to the canyon. The South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park (Grand Canyon NP) is open year-round, whereas the North Rim (also in the park) is closed in winter. In the summer months, Grand Canyon NP becomes quite crowded with visitors and motor vehicles. Consideration is being given by the National Park Service to ban vehicles from the park and move visitors around the park by shuffle buses. Williams, Arizona, serves as one important â€Å"jumping off† point for visitors traveling to Grand Canyon NP, with the South Rim of the canyon only fifty-nine miles north of the town. Williams is closely identified with travel to the canyon and has even registered the trademark â€Å"The Gateway to the Grand Canyon,† which no others may use. At an elevation of 6,800 feet, Williams, by itself, has many attractions in the town and surrounding area such as lakes for swimming and fishing, horseback iding, and a downtown listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The surrounding Kaibab National Forest in the vicinity of Williams offers opportunities for camping, fishing, and hiking for both visitors and resident alike. The town has for many years been an important transportation hub for both rail and highway. Williams is closely identified with Route 66, also known as the â€Å"Mother Road,† that connected Chicago, Illinois and Santa Monica, California, long before the interstate highway system was developed. Williams has the last stretch of the original Route 66 bypassed by the interstate system (in this case, 1-40). Even before highways became highly developed, Williams has served as a railroad terminal (since 1882) for the forerunners of the Atchison, Topeka, & the Santa Fe Railroad (Santa Fe) the latter continues to serve the town today with freight-only service. The most popular way for visitors to get from cither Williams or Flagstaff (thirty-two miles to the east) to Grand Canyon NP is by motor vehicle, although the pending restrictions on vehicles might be expected to change this somewhat. An attractive alternative for some visitors is to travel between Williams and the Grand Canyon by rail. The Grand Canyon Railway (GCRy) offers this option with one round-trip per day. This rail service, which operates purely as a tourist railroad, began operations in September 1989 and has provided daily service since that day (except for December 24 and 25). Historically, rail service on this line began much earlier but passenger service was abandoned in the 1960s due to economic pressures from the automobile. Freight service from the Santa Fe was abandoned in 1974, with no work performed on the track between Williams and the Grand Canyon until 1989. The work to get the GCRy running was monumental, because all engines and passenger cars had to be acquired and completely rebuilt. In addition, the depot at Williams and the adjoining Fray Marcos Hotel were in need of substantial refurbishing. In the depot, operating offices, ticket offices, a waiting room, and souvenir shop are found. All of this work was accomplished in a span of seven months to be ready for the September 1989 opening. Today, the GCRy provides an interesting and nostalgic way for visitors to travel to the canyon. During the summer months, daily round-trip rail service is provided by steam locomotive, and in the winter diesel locomotives are used due to the severity of weather conditions. For all service, passengers travel in railcars that date from 1923 and are reconditioned to approximate that time period. Departure from Williams is at 9:30 A. M. and arrival at Grand Canyon NP is at 11:45 A. M. , in the center of the park's historic district at the 1910 Grand Canyon Depot. The train departs from the Grand Canyon at 3:15 P. M. and arrives back in Williams at 5:30 P. M. No smoking is allowed on the train in â€Å"any of the railcars. Reservations can be made by calling a toll-free number, 1-800-THE TRAIN. Information about the train ride, but not reservations, is available on the railroad's website, wvw. thetrain. com. Different classes of serviceareoffered to travelers, depending on the fare paid and the car in which a passenger rides. The basic coach service is priced â€Å"at $49. 50 per adult and $19. 50 per child. Snacks are available for purchase; Diet Coke and Coke are complimentary in this class, with the latter served in GCRy keepsake bottles. Club Class, which includes the availability of alcoholic beverages and complimentary coffee and pastries in the morning, is priced at an additional $14. 50. The Coconino Main Class provides recliner chairs, a full continental breakfast, appetizers and champagne in the afternoon and the availability of alcoholic beverages for an additional $49. 50 per person. Coconino Dome Class represents a further upgrade. The service level is the same as Coconino Main Class, but passengers ride in an upper level enclosed dome which provides unsurpassed views of the surrounding landscape. The highest class of service, Chief Class, is provided in a railcar with an open-air rear platform; complimentary continental breakfast, coffee, tea, and juice are provided in the morning and champagne and appetizers in the afternoon. This class of service is priced at an additional $64. 50 per person. For all classes, the entrance fee to Grand Canyon NP is an additional charge. Oilier services are also available from the GCRy for additional charges. Continental breakfast is served in the terminal for $5. 95 per person until the train departs. Narrated motorcoach tours of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon are available from the Fred Harvey Transportation Company (the concessionaire for Grand Canyon NP) of varying lengths, some of which include lunch. Packages are available which may include one or two nights at the Fray Marcos Hotel in Williams and one night at a hotel in Grand Ganyon NP. During the ride from/to Williams many natural and man-made venues can be seen. There is formal narration for some of these venues and a printed guide is available for purchase, which describes these sights and provides a history of the GCRy. Interestingly only a very limited view of the Grand Ganyon is available from the train just as it arrives at and departs from the park. In Coach Class, each railcar has an attendant who serves beverages (Coke and Diet Coke), goes around with snacks for sale, and engages in conversations with the passengers. During the summer, many of these attendants are college students on break from their studies. The Grand Canyon Railway uses costumed performers in a number of different ways to simulate an earlier time period. Before the train departs from Williams, performers stage an â€Å"Old West† gunfight, just as was found some 100 years ago, Performers also move among the railcars: often singing songs of the â€Å"Old West, during the trip to the Grand Canyon. Passengers are encouraged to sing along with the performers. All of the performers are costumed in the' type of dress found at the â€Å"turn-of-the-century. † On the return trip, the activities are slightly different. A group of performers stage a train robbery, just as was found during earlier times in the southwestern United States. Passengers are included in portions of the action, but none are actually robbed. Eventually, the sheriff captures the train robbers and takes them away to be put in jail. Passengers, especially younger children, enjoy this activity, which makes the trip back to Williams seem much shorter than it actually is. The other activity that some engage in is to take a nap, because many are fired due to their activities at the high altitude and in the low humidity of the Colorado Plateau. A recent survey conducted by the GCRy found that many passengers rate their train trip experience as excellent. Perhaps just as important, these passengers say that they would recommend the GCRy trip to friends. Additionally, the most satisfied passengers were likely to return again. Passenger satisfaction derives from the varied experiences received during the round-trip ride and the Grand Canyon itself wish the latter experience not under control of the GCRy but rather the National Park Service. ?This case was prepared by Dr. Fredrick M. Collision and is intended for classroom use. The situations portrayed here do not imply either effective or ineffective management on the pun of the Grand Canyon Railway. The cast: was written based on published materials of the railroad, the National Park Service, the, Williams-Grand Canyon News and the author's personal experience.

Was Mandela a Freedom Fighter or Terroist?

Was Mandela a freedom fighter or a terrorist? Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in the Eastern Cape of South Africa (Williams and Hermann, 2012). After hearing the stories of his ancestor’s bravery, he was inspired and he dreamed of making his own impact to his people for freedom. (Venter, 2012). I believe that Nelson Mandela was a freedom fighter and not a terrorist. Sometimes the definitions of those two words may get mixed up and it is quite hard to identify the difference between the two, especially in this case.A terrorist deliberately targets the lives of innocent people for political reasons whereas a freedom fighter takes part in a violent struggle to achieve freedom, they do not aim at the lives of the public. If you were to look at the two definitions, I believe that Nelson Mandela should be classified as a freedom fighter as he did not target the lives of people; he fought for the freedom of the people of South Africa. In 1944 he joined the African National C ongress (A political party made to unite all African people and give everyone equal human rights) (Unwembi, 2011) and was the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the rebellious part of ANC.Even though Umkhonto we Sizwe set up a series of attacks, they were fighting for equal rights and freedom against apartheid as apartheid had dived South Africa into races and eventually had given the ‘White South Africa’ control over the whole of South Africa. They also made new laws to create segregation. (Brain, 2011) Umkhonto we Sizwe said â€Å"The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa.We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom. † This quote shows that they were fighting for freedom; they had sacrificed everything, knowing the consequences that could occur they still fought for the rights f or their people. Bibliography – Unwembi (2011) African National Congress, URL: http://www. anc. org. za/show. php? id=172 Accessed: 18/11/12 -Marshall Brain(2011) August 5: Mandela Was Arrested, URL: http://history. howstuffworks. com/african-history/nelson-mandela. htm Accessed: 18/11/12 By Becky Jones