Pregnancy and Juno Essay Example for Free

Pregnancy and Juno Essay The protagonist of the film is 16-year-old, Juno MacGuff. Juno has to face the dilemmas of an unexpected pregnancy. She finds what seems to be the perfect adoption couple, but when her adoption plans take a turn for disaster, Juno must dig herself out of her sticky situation and do what’s best for her baby. At the start of the film, Juno decides to have unprotected sex with her close friend, Paulie Bleeker. Her choice to have un-protected sex is a choice she hasn’t taken into a whole lot of consideration, consequently leading Juno to becoming pregnant. The mise-en-scene at the start of the film shows us how Juno now feels about her pregnancy. Juno stands across from the armchair Bleeker and she had sex on, while a voice over says, ‘It started with a chair. ’ The armchair seems much larger than Juno even though they are about the same size. The chair represents Juno’s sudden pregnancy, something dominant, something overwhelming her. Juno looks small in comparison to the chair, showing us that she feels small, insignificant and weak. New Zealand has a shocking teen pregnancy rate, with 3,800 babies born to teens throughout the country every year. Teenagers who have sex without using protection may not expect to end up with a pregnancy, because they naively believe that the chances of a pregnancy are too slim for it to happen to them. When a teen becomes pregnant they can be left in a position of helplessness because they were never prepared to deal with a baby. This is the consequence of not being careful enough and not protecting yourself when aving sex, something that Juno has to deal with. Juno plans to quickly get rid of the baby by arranging an abortion. Juno goes to the clinic where she meets a Soo-Chin, fellow classmate, who is holding an anti abortion sign in the clinic car park. Soo-Chin tells Juno that her baby is well alive inside of her, and has even grown fingernails. Juno finds this interesting, but continues into the clinic. She waits for her appointment inside, but as she is waiting, the reality t hat her baby is in-fact alive inside her scares Juno into canceling her abortion. This is shown by the added foley sound effect of people’s fingernails inside the clinic. As Juno waits she hears the sounds of people’s fingernails drumming, filing and scratching reminding her that her own baby already has fingernails. The sound of the fingernails starts to resemble a pulse, making Juno feel uncomfortable and nervous, causing her to run out of the clinic. Juno later arranges a closed adoption instead of an abortion. Many pregnant teens who choose not to abort do so because they do not want to cause pain to the baby living inside of them. This choice means that they have to carry on with the pregnancy at their tender age. They later keep the baby or adopt out likewise to Juno. Juno chooses a couple, Mark and Vanessa, who seem like the perfect parents for Juno’s child, and so Juno arranges a closed adoption. But nearing the end of Juno’s pregnancy, she discovers that Mark plans on leaving Vanessa, throwing all of Juno’s adoption plans away. Juno becomes distraught; but even without Mark in the picture, Juno realizes that Vanessa is dedicated enough to love and care for the baby. This is shown to us by the technique of the bird’s-eye view, when Juno and her friend are at the mall, and spot Vanessa. Juno looks down at her from above, almost as if she was assessing her, and sees that Vanessa naturally has a way with children. Juno writes a note to Vanessa saying that she is still up for the adoption if Vanessa is too. We see that the carefully thought out choice that Juno makes turns out positively, as Vanessa gets the child that she’s always wanted, and Juno’s life settles again. The use of set shows us that the dilemma has concluded, as we see a rocking chair, with a voiceover that says ‘It ended with a chair. ’ Vanessa’s room is cluttered and her clothing is very casual, showing that she has finally let go of her proper, uptight self. The mise-en-scene of the very final scene also shows us that Juno’s choice resulted well, as Juno and Bleeker are seated opposite each other. They are in complete symmetry and are of equal size, showing us that they are both in harmony and all is well. Adoption is a process growing in popularity in today’s society. It can be very convenient for both sides of the adoption. People who desperately want their own children and cannot have any can adopt someone else’s child, giving the child a nurturing home that the child probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. The biological parent of the adopted child is probably unable to provide a nurturing home for the child, or not at an age where parenting is an option. So the choice of adoption becomes convenient for them, knowing that their child will go to someone else who will love them and will be able to take very good care of them. Many techniques help build up the important idea that all of our actions will have consequences. We see that sometimes, spontaneous choices can lead to unexpected, negative results, such as Juno’s pregnancy. We see that sometimes, our gut feeling or instinct can change our choices, like when Juno decides not to abort her baby. Juno also shows us that choices that are thought out will usually turn out for the better, an example we see from the ending of the film. Because the teen pregnancy rate in New Zealand is one of the highest in the world, Juno is an easily relatable film for teenagers in our country, who may even learn a thing or two from watching Juno’s situation play out before us. This is why the film Juno is such a successful and charming watch. Great – apart from a couple of inaccuracies and a suggestion or two that I have made in-text, this is definitely working towards Excellence level.

Eagle Poem Essay -- Literary Analysis

â€Å"Explication† In the poem by Joy Harjo called â€Å"Eagle Poem,† Harjo talks about prayer and life and how they revolve around mother-nature. She suggests that while being one with nature, we feel we are in a place in which we haven’t imagined and the things in which we would love to do in that magnificent and calming place. After one reads the poem, he/she enjoys the lyrical type of it. This is because â€Å"Eagle Poem† sticks to one idea and extends it throughout the entire poem. For instance, it talks about prayer, nature, and animals from start to finish. In the first three lines of the poem, Harjo talks about opening oneself up to nature where you feel yourself. She does this by connecting the human body to the sky, earth, sun, and moon. The next six lines talk about the concepts and aspects during prayer and how you are in a whole other place. In these first nine lines, Harjo uses repetition with prayer and shows parallelism with the peacefulness nature and prayer can bring to oneself. Harjo also uses similes in lines ten and twenty two. She compares the circle of life to that of the eagle as well as the eagle to an angle. Joy Harjo did a tremendous job in explaining to the reader that one can relax oneself through prayer and nature. We can all relate to the idea of allowing ourselves into places not yet imagined and feeling at peace. She connects the idea of peacefulness with nature and prayer in a well thought language that allows her to still connect herself to her Native American ancestry. Harjos metaphors and images of nature and prayer are effective in getting her point across as well as making a deeper connection with her Muskogee Creek heritage. Before reading this poem, one might not be too intrigued by its title, but ... ...t really catch the readers’ attention. Although she wasn’t writing in the major eras, she did write in the era where the style of writing was changing. This allowed her to be able to write freely and truly express herself through her words and illusions. Works Cited "Characteristics of Modern Poetry - Poetry - Questions & Answers." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. . "Eagle Poem." Poetry Out Loud. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. . "HARJO, JOY (1951- )." Oklahoma State University - Library - Home. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Joy Harjo: The Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. .

Jackal Reaction Paper

In â€Å"Moral Mazes†, Robert Jackal explores the elements of bureaucracy and its influencing prevailing form in the American work environment in the different organizational levels of hierarchy. Upon reading this businesses best seller, I was very skeptical about Jackal’s research and ideas. Jackal’s study, scrutinizing only a handful of large and mid-sized companies, gave me the impression of lack of breadth. However, the meticulous and depth of the study of each of these organizations truly gave me a great sense of credulousness.Although I believe that not all the companies behave the way Jackal portrays his selected companies, they do illustrate common aspects that I can observe in real corporations and in my own work place. This reaction paper will explore specific areas of â€Å"Moral Mazes† that illustrate organizational culture in American businesses and how bureaucratic organizational structure maps out moral consciousness that relate directly to my personal and professional life. These specific areas of discussion include: inner circles and connections; decentralization and accountability; team player versus self-promotion; and finally, image and public illusion.Jackall introduces Max Weber’s description of the Protestant ethic as to the set of beliefs and binding social rules that guide the methodical, rational subjection of human impulse and desire to God’s will through â€Å"restless, continuous, systematic work in a worldly calling† (Jackall, 2010, p. 6). Furthermore, Jackall presents Weber’s Prussian model of bureaucracy, which is objective, close to detail, standardized, impersonal and separates the offices from persons (Jackall, 2010, p. 10).I agree with Jackall that these two terms, Protestant ethic and the Prussian model of bureaucracy, are idealistic systems in which any kind organization would run efficiently and smoothly. The reason why I support these ideas is because I believe hard work, like the Protestant ethic preaches, can lead someone towards success. Moreover, with Weber’s Prussian model of bureaucracy, processes would be fair and objective. Unfortunately, I also believe that these are not the sole ingredients to succeed. Protestant ethics eventually lead people to accumulate wealth, which then sparked a domino effect towards bureaucracy.Jackall describes patrimonial bureaucracy, which was the organizational form of kings and princes, as personal loyalty being the norm, not loyalty to an office (Jackall, 2010, p. 11). However, modern American organizations are administrated as a hybrid between the pure form of bureaucracy and the patrimonial bureaucracy (Jackall, 2010, p. 11). This leads me into my first point of inner circles and connections. Even Jackall himself ironically channeled through bureaucratic elevators through the core of his study that was the basis of this book.Originally, Jackall was rejected by thirty six different corporations th at did not want to be ethically studied and gave suspicious excuses like they were going through â€Å"transitional phases† and that there were no tangible organizational benefits to be gained from a study of managerial ethics. Talking to the right people however, Jackall was â€Å"vouched for† and was able to penetrate several high ranked executives in the few companies that he meticulously studied as well as gained the trust of many managers that gave him great insight upon ethical issues within their organizations.Jackall illustrates this â€Å"if you know people, you’ll go to places† idea once again in Chapter 2 with the example of Weft Corporation’s new CEO who staffed all key positions with people form his inner circles as well as with people who served under him in the Army during World War II (Jackal, 2010 p. 35). I agree with Jackall that connections can lead you to places because I have a friend that got a very prestigious managerial posi tion in a big insurance company in Canada where his uncle is currently CEO.When CEO’s have power it is said to be a centralized business, however, decentralization creates a more efficient spectrum in the business side of the organization. As Jackall states, decentralization pushes down responsibilities and decisions as far down the organizational line as possible (Jackall, 2010, p. 18). In a decentralized structure, it gives top executives to take credit for positive outcomes and wash their hands when there are failures by pushing down details along with responsibilities and decisions. This was the case with Enron and the top executives playing dumb when everyone was trying to point fingers.For example, Kenneth Lay, former CEO and chairman of Enron, genuinely believed and accepted that he did not know anything about the Enron scandals and procedures. This is an example of lack of accountability and how pushing down details allows superiors to get off the hook. Another import ant consequence that pushing down of details create is the fact that middle managers, who know the details, become the â€Å"point men† or â€Å"fall guys† when things go wrong (Jackal, 2010, p. 22). This lack of accountability is truly disturbing and unfair.In my old job at a stainless steel company where I worked in the marketing department, a coworker got blamed for missing a deadline that was not clearly stated by her manager. She almost ended up losing her job and, instead of being accountable for the mistake, her manager blamed her for not paying close attention to her instructions. My next point of discussion involves the relationship between being a â€Å"team player† and the concept of â€Å"every man for himself†. Like Jackall states that, in order to get ahead, one must be a team player. Jackall uses an analogy where a football team is the organization.For example, the quarter back is the boss and a player is anyone who has a stake in and is in volved in a decision, etc. I only partially agree with Jackall’s view where being a team player will get you ahead because in some way one must play as a team and cooperate with one another in order to reach similar goals. However, I lean more towards Jackall’s cynical and somber reality of individuality and self-promotion. I believe that one can get ahead by how he presents himself and how well he sells himself. Like Jackall explains, one sells oneself and will differentiate from others with the right style (Jackall, 2010, p. 0). I recently got an internship with Northwestern Mutual. They are currently ranked in the top ten internship programs in the country. I personally do not have a stacked up resume or anything like that, but I sold myself very well in the initial interview, presented myself even better and left them with a memorable first impression. In order to leave a lasting and impressive self-brand one must â€Å"dress for success†. Like Jackall descr ibes, bureaucracies not only rationalize work, buy they rationalize people’s public face (Jackall, 2010, p. 49). I could not agree more with Jackall on this idea.I believe that image and professionalism separates the dominating and strong from the weak. Even if it is a facade, external appearances are critical. This part of the â€Å"mask† that Jackall mentions throughout this book. In relation to image Jackall mentions public perception or illusion in one of his interviews: â€Å"The whole thing becomes a complicated game of maintaining the public perception, the illusion really, that I’m on the move† (Jackall, 2010, p. 47). I believe that task oriented skills will only get you so far, but it is the perception that you have on others what is truly going to propel you.Concluding this paper, I want to remark the importance of networking, connections and relationships one nurtures throughout one’s personal and professional career. One never knows whi ch will become an important stepping-stone towards a successful and happy career. In relation to decentralizing organizations, it is easy for top executives to wash their hands when something goes wrong. Being accountable not only shows character, it is also the right thing to do. Moreover, balancing both factors of â€Å"team player† and â€Å"self-promotion† not only will one have a strong equilibrium but will also maintain the right tools to get ahead successfully.Finally, wearing that â€Å"mask† and portraying the illusion to maintain a strong image is a dependable skill worth polishing and implementing. I originally thought of Moral Mazes as a difficult read due to the sophisticated and eloquent language used by Jackall, but I quickly caught into it, especially re-reading certain sections after our class discussions. It really surprised me how people’s perceptions differ throughout the different situational and moral dilemmas. Even though it is fina ncially difficult to achieve, it would be interesting to read a large-scale study version of Moral Mazes.

Historical Report on Race - 756 Words

The force of migration was unique in American history. In the mid 1500s, European mariners started bringing colored Africans to America as slaves. The Africans were brought over by ship where 1 out of every 5 captives died by time the ship got to the Atlantic seacoast. The slaves were chained below docks in very cramped spaces while they were being transported. When they reached America they were auctioned off to owners who used them primarily as plantation workers. Slave owners had the right to harshly punish them and break up families by selling off family members. Slavery was a tough time for African Americans but more so a significant event in the American history. Around the 17th and 18th centuries is when some blacks started†¦show more content†¦The Ku Klux Klan was known for terrorizing African Americans by lynching’s and the burning of homes, school, and churches. The departure of Northern troops in 1877 made the white power structure return once again to the South. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified which prohibited slavery but The Jim Crow Laws were then developed, segregating blacks for white society. Blacks were not able to vote, use the same bathrooms, go to the same schools, or live in the same neighborhoods as Whites. The everyday life of African Americans was constantly threatened still in the South. With all the foolery going on in the South, many Blacks started to migrate to the North due to the increase in demand for industrial workers thanks to World War I. African Americans lives improved drastically in the North, as they were able to have things the South didn’t allow. There was also discrimination in the North but not as much as what the South offered. Black urban culture became to blossom and what is known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was the gathering of black artists and philosophers. People like Larry Hughes, Marcus Garvey, Louis Armstrong, and man ot her people were all part of the Harlem Renaissance. The Depression is what really brought together Whites and Blacks for the first time. Farmers’ unions in the SouthShow MoreRelatedHistorical Report on Race Essay1342 Words   |  6 PagesIndividual Historical Report on Race Search the Internet for groups and organizations promoting racial equality to help you complete this assignment.    Using the information from the text and your web search:    Identify one racial group from the list below:    †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   African American †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Asian American †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Middle Eastern American †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hispanic American/Latino †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Native American    Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper from one of the perspectives below:    †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ARead MoreHistorical Report on Race Eth/125 Essay904 Words   |  4 PagesHistorical Report on Race Jim, it was great to hear from you after so many years of us not getting in touch with each other. 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