Essay --

The importance of cultural context within any type of text is essential in order to elucidate a distinct argument. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a novella starring the experiences of an ivory trader in Central Africa named Charles Marlow, various themes of racism and human cruelty are discussed in relation to its contextual features. The film â€Å"Apocalypse Now† by Francis Ford Coppola adapts this idea of implementing a correlation between its central ideas to a specific cultural context as well. The central research question this extended essay focuses on is how do different features used in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and the film version of "Apocalypse Now" by Francis Ford Coppola help criticize imperialism? In Heart of Darkness and â€Å"Apocalypse Now,† the struggle between the barbaric nature of the natives and the oppressive nature of Imperialism is questioned through the use of characterization of various factors. Before Kurtz, the main antagonist in both texts, is even introduced in either the novella or the film, details are revealed about him through Marlow and Willard, the protagonists of the two texts. The gruesome nature of imperialism is revealed through Marlow and Willard journey through the jungles. The inhumane state in which the slaves are illustrated opens Marlow’s eyes to the cruelty of slavery. Similarly, Willard witnesses the torture the locals experience on a daily basis, such as the way they are treated. The journeys of both protagonists project the overall negativity associated with imperialism, which helps the audience in understanding the soldiers’ psychological states before Kurtz makes an appearance. Although Colonel Kurtz is the antagonist in both texts, he is admired by the two protagonists,... ...h is not restrained by social conventions, Imperialism attempts to justify its savagery. The very fact Imperialists claim to be ‘fighting to the sanity of the world’ demonstrates the corrosive effects it has not only in a confined area, but also to neighboring cultures. By delving deeper into the characters’ subconscious and the true nature of Western Imperialism, the absurdity of what really is considered â€Å"true evil† is questioned by both Conrad and Coppola. Despite the fact colonization in various parts of the world officially ended in the 60’s, different systems of indirect rule were put in place because of continued interest in some parts. Both Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and â€Å"Apocalypse Now† by Francis Ford Coppola are aware of this continued, albeit unfortunate practice, and represents the futility of expecting the eradication of imperialistic values.

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 22

Micha She looks terrified as hell, her eyes round, and her body is trembling as she says, â€Å"I love you.† My smile breaks through. â€Å"I know you do. I have ever since the day on the bridge.† She looks confused so I explain further. â€Å"When you tried to leave, I caught up with you and took you up to our spot by the lake to calm you down. When you did, you told me that you loved me.† Her lips part. â€Å"I did†¦ why didn't you tell me?† â€Å"Because I wanted you to tell me again,† I say. â€Å"When you were a little less out of it. Took you long enough, by the way.† Her lips expand to a smile and I can't help but kiss her. My body rolls onto her on its own accord, even though it hurts like hell to use my arm to keep my weight off her. She trails her fingers up my back as her legs fall to the side, giving me permission to press up closer to her. It's what we've been doing every night for the last few days, almost reaching the end, but not quite. Suddenly, she jerks back and I blink my eyes open. â€Å"What's wrong?† Biting on her lip, she sits up and I lean back, giving her room as she slips her shirt and bra off and throws them on the floor. Locks of her auburn hair fall across her chest. Grinning, I move my lips for hers again, but she shakes her head and stands up on the bed, slipping her shorts and panties off and discarding them on the floor. I've seen her naked a couple of times over the week – and once when we were sixteen and she left her curtain open – but each time gets my adrenaline pumping. She kneels down in front of me and kisses me passionately, her nipples brushing against my chest. Her body is shaking in a way that means she's nervous. â€Å"Make love to me,† she whispers against my lips. I've been dreaming about those words leaving her lips since I was sixteen. â€Å"Are you sure?† She nods with a sparkle in her eyes. â€Å"Yeah, I'm sure.† I wait a few seconds longer to give her time to back out if she needs to. She remains silent and reaches for my shirt, helping me pull it over my head so I don't have to lift up my arm. Her fingers run across my tattoo, lyrics I wrote about her, although I don't think she knows it. Then her hands find the button on my jeans and she unfastens it. Deciding to help her out, I peel my jeans and boxers off. Grabbing a condom from my wallet, I lie her down and situate between her legs. â€Å"Are you sure you're sure?† I check again. Her auburn hair is spread across the pillow and the light above our heads reflects in her green eyes as she nods. â€Å"Micha, I'm more certain about this than I am about anything else in my life.† Suddenly, I get a little nervous. This is the first time I've ever been with someone I've cared about and it's going to be different. Mentally preparing myself, I slide into her slowly so I don't hurt her. Her legs promptly constrict around my hips and she squeezes her eyes shut. I give her a minute, letting her breathe through the pain. When she opens her eyes again, I push into her further. Her head tips back as she forces air in through her nose. I start rocking in and out of her. The pained expression slowly turns to ecstasy and her eyes gloss over. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Ella At first it hurts – more than I anticipated. I'm wondering what the big deal about sex is, when he starts rocking in and out of me, pushing in further and filling me with him. The pain eases away and all that's left is hunger. I secure my legs around his hips and open up to him as his lips cover mine. He kisses me fervently and I start coming undone, releasing all control of my body and mind. I let my head fall back as he sucks and nips on my neck and down to my breasts, before returning his lips to mine. Our skin covers in sweat as his movements become harder, thrusting deeper inside me. I scream out his name as a fire inflames within me and everything comes apart. Moments later, his movements become jerkier and then he stills. His head is tipped down and his warm breath caresses my neck. He places a kiss on my collar bone, then on my lips, finally looking at me and smoothing my hair back from my damp forehead. â€Å"I love you,† he whispers with a content expression. I smile at him as he carefully slips out of me. Then he holds me in his arms and we drift off to sleep, relaxed and satisfied. *** I wake up to Micha sitting on the bed in his boxers, playing his guitar, the tune â€Å"Behind Blue Eyes† by The Who. He's got his head tipped down as his fingers pluck away. Sitting up, I rub the tiredness out of my eyes while holding the sheet up to cover my chest. â€Å"Why are you playing your sad song?† I ask. He keeps singing, shutting his eyes, really getting into it. â€Å"It's not my sad song anymore.† His fingers keep playing. I tuck my legs under me and kneel up in front of him. â€Å"Since when?† â€Å"Since the night you opened up to me,† he says. â€Å"And it was playing over and over again. From now on, every time I hear this song, I'm going to think of you.† I shut my eyes and listen to him play a little longer, letting his beautiful voice flow over my skin. When he stops playing, I open them back up right as he yanks the sheet away from me. I scream and then laugh as he lays me back down and enfolds his body over mine. I kiss him passionately, giving extra attention to the ring in his lip. â€Å"I have to tell you something,† he says when I free his lip ring from my teeth. The sound in his voice makes me uneasy. â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighs and rakes his fingers through his hair. â€Å"I think I'm going to go on the road with Naomi and her band.† I sit up, shocked, and nearly bump foreheads with him. â€Å"Did she ask you to join?† â€Å"Yeah, a few weeks ago, but I told her I had to think about it.† He rolls to the side, bringing me with him and hitching my leg over his hip so I'm opened up and vulnerable to him. â€Å"I think this is something I have to do, otherwise I'll regret it for the rest of my life.† My mind is racing, but I force my voice to sound even. â€Å"When are you leaving?† He traces my cheekbone with his finger. â€Å"In a couple of days.† Shutting my eyes, I talk myself through it. I know I have to let him go because regrets do nothing but eat away on the inside. It's still hard, though. I force a small smile as I open my eyes. â€Å"Will you visit me in Vegas?† â€Å"Every single moment I get,† he says and seals his lips to mine. â€Å"I promise.†

Mosquito Control With Birds and Other Natural Predators

When the topic of  mosquito control is discussed, thrown into the mix is usually a fervent argument for installing purple martin houses and bat houses. Stores that cater to bird enthusiasts often tout the purple martin houses as the best solution for keeping your yard mosquito free. Bats, which may not be the most beloved of mammals, are defended with the claim that they consume hundreds of mosquitoes per hour. The truth of the matter is that neither purple martins nor bats provide any significant measure of mosquito control. While both eat mosquitoes, the insect makes up a very tiny portion of their diets. Other animals might have an upper hand on mosquito control, particularly in the fish, other insect, and amphibian classes. Mosquito Munchies For bats and birds, mosquitoes are more like a passing snack. Multiple studies of wild bats have consistently shown that mosquitoes consist of less than 1 percent of their diet. In purple martins, the percentage of mosquitoes in their diet is slightly higher—about 3 percent, at most. The reason is simple. The payoff is small. A bird or a bat that feeds on insects must invest considerable energy in flying around and must catch the bugs in mid-air. Birds and bats are usually seeking the biggest caloric bang for their buck. Given the choice between a mosquito morsel, a hardy beetle, or a mouthful of moth, the mosquito hardly makes the top-10 list. An Efficient Mosquito Natural Predator Gambusia affinis, also known as the mosquitofish, is an American fish that is utilized by some mosquito control districts across the country as a very effective predator of mosquito larvae. As far as natural predators go, the mosquitofish is by far the most efficient natural predator of mosquitoes. The mosquitofish is a voracious predator. In certain studies, mosquitofish have been shown to consume up to 167 percent of their body weight in invertebrate prey, including mosquito larvae, per day. Mosquitofish, as well as small predatory fish such as guppies, can be quite useful in the reduction of mosquito larvae given the right conditions. Other Mosquito Consumers The closely related  dragonflies and damselflies  are natural predators of mosquitoes but do not consume enough mosquitoes to cause a significant impact on the wild mosquito population. Dragonflies are often referred to as mosquito hawks for an unsubstantiated claim of being able to kill thousands of mosquitoes. One thing that does make the dragonfly a better predator than most is that, in the aquatic larval stage, one of their food sources is mosquito larvae. Dragonfly larvae can sometimes live up to six years in this stage. During this phase of life, dragonflies do the most damage to mosquito populations. Frogs, toads, and their young tadpoles are often touted as excellent for mosquito control. In reality, while they do consume their fair share, it is not enough to seriously put a dent in vast mosquito populations. When frogs and toads do consume mosquitoes, it is usually after they have transformed from tadpole to adult.