Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender Essay Example for Free

Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender Essay The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender is crime novel about contemporary Australian life, written with all the ambiguity and moral sophistication of most â€Å"who dun-nits . It looks like crime, and sounds like crime, and sells like crime, but it’s Literature! Its Opening is a subversion of the genre a reversal of expectation as we are duped into believing this is your typical male private eye (P. I. ). The role reversal a female in a traditional male dominated field; women can do everything men can do challenges the stereotypes of traditional crime fiction. Purpose: (themes, concerns, issues main ideas.) 1. To create a sense of place — Sydney. Marele Day had spent four years travelling the world and when she came back to Sydney recognised its special charm and atmosphere. She became determined to write a book about it and its special appeal. a) Find references to Sydney, favourable and unfavourable. * what aspects are emphasized? * In totality how does Day present Sydney? * what are the links with the past? * what is meant by the â€Å"facade of Sydney’? 2. Corruption and suspicion vs probity and trust. 3. Effect of technology — have we become dehumanised? Will technology take over from humans? * What is the relationship between humanity and technology? 4. Isolation — Most of the characters are isolated in one way or another. * Find as many examples of isolation as possible. * What overall comment is made about isolation? * Is there a connection between it and technology? II. TECHNIQUE 1. Day uses a lot of the technique of modern day films especially the â€Å"black and white† scenes on Harry Lavender. How is he portrayed? He is very detached and aloof. We the audience get to see and hear what Claudia is not privy to. Are these extracts from the book Mark Bannister was writing? 2. Comment on Claudia Valentine’s PhrasingÃ'Ž Claudia speaks in the manner of a hard-boiled worldly wise Private Investigator (P. I. ). slick, glib, swaggering, at times sassy (cheeky) and sometimes tongue in cheek. â€Å"Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse† (22) â€Å"I was changing cars more often than I changed my underwear† (101) â€Å"But it’s one â€Å"It’ll be dead end if you don’t. Now move† (162) Word Play Double entendre (meaning) â€Å"It must have been a plant. † â€Å"A lavender plant. † (126) â€Å"Terminal illness† (6, 17, 20, â€Å"Alter, (141 â€Å"curse, cursor (143 heart ( 55, â€Å"waiting for the developers to give them a new lease of life, or maybe just a new lease. † (69) Humour â€Å"wit† â€Å"I wait for bald men to pass by and ash on their heads (23) one of the former and two of the latter, and the former is former† her reply to Steve regarding her marital status. ( 27) â€Å"You put it away, Otto, you don’t know where it’s been. † â€Å"That’s the trouble,† he moaned, it hasn’t been anywhere lately. (53) social commentary â€Å"Divorced? † â€Å"Isn’t everyone? † (27) â€Å"I had made a mistake getting into a car with a law-abiding policeman† â€Å"You young folk are always in a hurry,† she said managing a smile. (45) â€Å"pollution and syringes (54), women (54), fast food (68)Ã'Ž

Blue Swimming Crabs :: Fishermen, Malaysia, Bardawil Lagoon

Blue swimming crabs are an important source of income for fishermen in the Malaysia, also known as ‘ketam bunga’ or ‘ketam renjong’ in the name of the local. The high price and increased demands in among community will cause the over-exploitation in production of blue swimming crabs. In 2003, total landings for P. pelagicus were approximately 175,000 tons and decrease to 165,000 tons in 2004 (FAO Fish Stat, 2009). This decline from over-exploitation has an impact in some Asian countries (Ikhwanuddin et al., 2005). In Malaysia, statistics from Department of Fisheries (DOF) shows that the landings of P. pelagicus is 3514 tons in 2007 and increase to 4427 tonnes in 2008 but the landings is decrease in 2009 with 3057 tones. These declines total the crabs fishing at territorial water in Malaysia as an early marker of deficiency will the crabs in the future because of the increasing the catch and the damage of coastal environments, the amount of P. pelagicus is ra pidly decreased. However, P. pelagicus cultured are important from the beginning of the last decade because of high demand for live crabs and crabs products in the export market. Due to their fast growth rates to market size (Josileen and Menon, 2005) and relative ease of hatchery production (Walker, 2006), the aquaculture interest of this species is growing. Blue swimming crabs are of high value and quality, a profitable export markets in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan by Australian producers (Stevens, 1997) Now day, P. pelagicus are cultured for the production of the lucrative soft-shell crab market on recirculation and lined pond systems in Australia (O'Neill, 2003 and Walker, 2006). Blue Swimming crabs are not only popular in Malaysia but another country a lot of crabs caught along the Coast of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania (Chande and Mgaya, 2004), Bardawil Lagoon of Northern Sinai in Egypt (Abdel Razak et al., 2006), Park Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in India, the West Coast of South Australia in Australia (Dixon et al., 2008) and at Southern Trang Province of Thailand (Sawusdee and Songrak, 2009). An estimate of blue swimming crabs caught in the waters around southern Australia from 2007 to 2008 was 669 tonnes valued at $ 5,740,000 by Knight and Tsolos (2009). Blue swimming crab landings in India increased from 20,000 to 48,380 tons at 30 percent for years 1977 to 2005 (Samuel et al.

Moral Quandary of Race Essay

In his book, â€Å"I am not a Racist, But†¦The Moral Quandary of Race,† Lawrence A. Blum, a professor of Philosophy and Liberal Arts, ventures into unrecognized and little known aspects of racism. His definition and analysis of racism and its implications, projects the vastness of the subject, which had generally been regarded as just a white attitude. Blum describes racism as antipathy towards individuals of a racialized group, stemming from â€Å"inferiorization† or the idea that the group is inferior in relation to other groups. Blum considers a person to be a racist only when he intentionally makes racist comments or jokes, driven by racial antipathy. He feels that the moral significance of the term ‘racism’ seems to be losing its value, as it is being overused or too commonly used. Today, in practical life, any direct or indirect references which affect feelings of racial groups are considered racist. This not only dilutes the very meaning of racism but also weakens its power of ethical condemnation. The word ‘racism’ and its related terminology needs to be more clear, due to its relevance in personal racism, racist, racist beliefs at various levels. The author feels the term ‘racism’ is being more used out of context, like black students intending to sit with other black students for lunch or white teacher being uncomfortable talking with the black parents, which are all regarded as racism. The book also emphasizes the need to report race-based statistical data with greater care and concern as they influence individual perceptions. The statistical differences among the views of racial groups must be projected without any overracialization (p35). Overstating the differences of such views would only reinforce A book review 3 an individual’s racist opinion and close them to persuading arguments or rational conversation. Opposing the general notion that racial groups have a common agenda with regard to their group, Blum emphasizes the need to recognize the existence of internal diversity within social groups. Racial groups with a sizable population cannot have a single opinion or viewpoint. Several factors including age, gender, religion, culture etc. influence the formation of a viewpoint of an individual (p55). Blum therefore attributes it to misrecognition or inadequate recognition rising from ignorance, when any single viewpoint is attributed to an entire race. Although Blum feels that whites should not forget their relevance and association with racism, he adds that racism is not confined only to the whites. For instance Chinese, Japanese, and blacks too exhibit racist attitude to other colored people and whites. The belief of their racial superiority is developed by colored people, which makes them regard other groups inferior (p33). In this book, Blum indicates our hypersensitivity to the word ‘racism’ and suggests that racist insensitivity and subconscious racial intolerance are indeed acts, which need to be eliminated, but need not be tagged as ‘racist’. Blum is of the opinion that racial prejudice is an unavoidable consequence of cultural diversity. Our view and way of life today is associated with racist ideologies, which we have inherited. The concept of race had developed from the sixteenth century, A book view 4 reaching its peak in the late nineteenth century. History holds the key for our present interpretation on human diversity in terms of similarity, differences and superiority among races (p109). Blum explores the idea of doing away with the concept of race, but warns that it should be only after all associated wrongdoings are fully addressed. The book covers all vital aspects of racism including its history and, what we actually mean and think of race. It incorporates much useful information on the topic, carefully thought and reasoned, illustrated by suitable examples. â€Å"I am not a Racist, But†¦The Moral Quandary of Race† is indeed an important book not only to scholars but also to the common man in quest of understanding racism.

All Quiet On The Western Front, By Erich Maria Remarque

In regards to war, famous pacifist revolutionary, Mohandas Gandhi, had suggested that wars are instigated for reasonable intentions, but the short-lived outcome is not worth war’s deplorable and irreversible effects. A historical example supporting Gandhi’s belief is World War I, which was fought between the Central Powers and Allies and infamous for its devastating repercussions and savage warfare that occurred from 1914 to 1918. In his historical fiction novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque describes the traumatic and deadly war conditions of WWI from the perspective of a German soldier named Paul Baumer, who provides readers with firsthand insight on war’s atrocious nature. Nonetheless, war’s violence did not deter nations and soldiers from partaking in World War I for nationalistic and social elevation reasons, in spite of its inevitable detriments to human mentality and nature, as well as its substantial economic damages on nati ons. Prior to and during World War I, nations and soldiers were compelled to join the war to gain nationalistic pride and elevation of social status, as both parties desired to gain superiority over others. To begin, nationalism is defined as having pride and loyalty toward one’s culture, ethnicity, and subsequently, one’s country. Historian John Keegan noted the development of a nationalistic feud in Europe that began with Germany, who resented Britain and France for having colonized a vast amount of territories. InShow MoreRelatedAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1714 Words   |  7 PagesAll Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque is a narrative describing World War I from a German soldier s perspective. The story is narrated by Paul Baà ¼mer and predominantly revolves around the experiences of him and his comrades Kemmerich, Katczinsky, Kropp, Mà ¼ller, and Leer. The novel begins with Paul Baà ¼mer and his friends in a che erful mood as extra rations are being allocated to them due to the missing soldiers. During this event, Baà ¼mer introduces and describes the variousRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1469 Words   |  6 Pagesjoy and happiness in life. Through the experiences that the soldiers encounter, their humanity is compromised. Thus, as war strips soldiers of their innocence, they start to become disconnected from themselves and others. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque illustrates the negative effects war has on a soldier’s humanity, through his use of Paul’s books and the potato pancakes by revealing the soldiers loss of emotion that causes them to become detached from society. Through theseRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front, By Erich Maria Remarque732 Words   |  3 Pageshistory, war between man has been nearly inevitable. The impact of war has always been devastating on all aspects. However, loss in war is mostly se en within the loss of land, wealth and the numbers of lives lost. There are few accounts of the true losses felt from war, the loss felt by the survivors and the true cost of human life. In the excerpt from All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, illustrates the impact on human life and question what the cost of human life was impacted. WhileRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque800 Words   |  3 Pages All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was the war novel that changed what ‘war novel’ meant. No longer would war be a fantasy for the growing generation, but a real-life death trap. World War I came with many innovations to warfare: machine guns, poison gases, trench-style warfare. While these technologies were supposed to improve warfare, it made war longer with more casualties. In All Quiet on the Western Front war is not looked up to, it is looked down upon from the perspectiveRead MoreAll Quiet On The Weste rn Front By Erich Maria Remarque2100 Words   |  9 Pagesthoughts, feelings and experiences. All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque, which takes World War I as background, is the great war novel which talks about the German soldiers extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the hopeless of these soldiers about the â€Å"future† – the time the war would have ended. All Quiet on the Western Front is narrated by Paul Bà ¤umer, a twenty-years-old German soldier who fights in the French front in World War I. Paul and his classmatesRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1292 Words   |  6 PagesGermany flourished on the nationalism in the early 1900’s of its people. Ready to encounter an attack at any moment and any time. People forget the decision of war until they are in the flame of its fire. In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque explains his experience of the war in World War 1 through a character Paul Bumer. Bumer was a kind and sensitive man. Back in school he used to write poets. Pual’s Bumer teacher brainwashed him and other students who where his classmatesRead MoreAll Quiet And The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1249 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superï ¬ cial, I believe we are lost† (Remarque 123). World War I is a tragic event that occurred in 1914 to 1918. Paul Baumer and the rest of the soldiers in the novel of â€Å"All Quiet in the Western Front† by Erich Maria Remarque are lost; they are broken from the fist World War, they don’t know anything aside from War, and they have lost their innocence during the years of maturation. When the young men heardRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1482 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a tale about a group of young gentlemen in Germany who decide to join the army, and fight in World War I for their country. The boys become interested in fighting for their country after their schoolmaster informs them about the importance of this war. With much excitement, the young men have high expectations of what they want the war to be like. Throughout the course of the novel, the attitudes and opinions of the boys chan ge asRead MoreAll Is Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1051 Words   |  5 PagesNathan Brown Quarter 2 Book Report American History My second quarter book was called â€Å"All is Quiet on the Western Front† by Erich Maria Remarque. This book as about a man named, Paul Baumer who is fighting for Germany in World War 1. He and a bunch of his friends from high school join an army voluntarily. They heard their teacher (Kantorek) in class giving patriotic speeches. After joining the army, Paul and his friends soon come to a conclusion that joining the army was not what they thought itRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1222 Words   |  5 PagesSelf-Learning Lessons There is no doubt that when war occurs, every single human being is affected by it even if it is just a little. In the novel, â€Å"All Quiet on the Western Front† written by Erich Maria Remarque, a group of teenage men, who also appear to by classmates, are in the German army of World War I because they have chosen to leave their adolescence at home and school for grown up work at the army. Throughout this fictional novel, they face many challenges that result in them not seeing