Eugene Onegin Comparison free essay sample

The transformation from a novel in verse to an opera Although written in the early 1800s, Eugene Onegin, a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin, is still regarded as one of the most influential and beautifully written pieces of work to this day. As it shifted cultural norms, opened new discussions, gave way to new forms of writing, and introduced novel approaches that envisioned life in a different light, Eugene Onegin was revolutionary. With its central theme revolving around the conflict between dreams and reality, the novel in verse caught the attention of readers all over the world, with over thirteen translations written. As well, other artists have adapted the work and interpreted it through their own art forms, including a ballet by John Cranko in 1965, and the famous opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which opened in 1879. Tchaikovsky’s interpretation in particular gathered much success and worldwide recognition, arguably more than that of Pushkin’s novel. We will write a custom essay sample on Eugene Onegin Comparison or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While the characters and the storyline are mainly preserved, Pushkin’s main characters – Lensky, Onegin, and Tatyana – become more multi-dimensional and relatable in Tchaikovsky’s opera. Because he was an artist in the romanticism era, Tchaikovsky adds his own inspiration to the novel when changing it to an opera, creating many noticeable distinctions between the two. Compared to the novel in verse, the operatic version of Eugene Onegin has various deviations due to Tchaikovsky’s romanticism and character bias, which include changes in the duel scene, the increased favouritism of certain characters by Tchaikovsky, and the absence of a narrator. Throughout the course of Pushkin’s novel in verse, there are four main parts of the storyline that grab the attention of the reader and create the plot. One of the four scenes is a duel between Onegin and his best friend Vladimir Lensky, after Lensky caught Onegin flirting shamelessly with his fiancee. This scene was considerably altered between both artworks, as there was a very strong difference in the portrayal of Onegin’s guilt in the novel and in the opera. In Pushkin’s novel Onegin is very remorseful and heartbroken after killing his best friend. The narrator notes: Deluged with instant cold, Onegin hastens to the youth, Looks, calls him†¦ vainly: He is no more. The youthful bard Has met with an untimely end! †¦ In the ache of the heart’s remorse, His hand squeezing the pistol, At Lensky Eugene looks. â€Å"well, what – he’s dead,† pronounced the neighbor [Zaretsky] Dead! With this dreadful interjection Smitten, Onegin with a shudder Walks hence and calls his men. In this piece, it is evident that Onegin is deeply conflicted with the crime he had committed. Dealing with the death of his friend, Onegin leaves town to find peace of mind. In the opera, however, Tchaikovsky leaves little time for Onegin’s mourning. In the novel, Zaretsky, a friend of Lensky who attended the duel, is the first to speak after the fight finishes. Contrary to the novel, instead of Zaretsky being the first to speak of the death, it is Onegin who brusquely asks â€Å"Is he dead? In most stagings of this opera, Onegin simply walks to Lenksy’s body as if to double-check his passing. As scholar Julia Torgovitskaya states, â€Å"Because in an opera it would be difficult to convey a considerable length of time passing [i. e. for Onegin to mourn Lensky’s death], Tchaikovsky allows the scene to end right after Lensky has fallen. † The result of this change of scene from the novel to the opera is highly profound. In Pushkin’s story, readers are able to sympathize with Onegin in understanding his regret. Readers turn to Onegin and Tatyana’s communion as the happy ending they yearn for in the face of Lenksy’s tragic death. In the opera, on the other hand, the audience begins to demonize Onegin, and there is a negative incline and desire for Onegin and Tatyana to be together. This single scene, being different between the two art forms, changes the entire mood of the story and the attitudes the audience would have towards its characters. The changes of certain scenes also come from Tchaikovsky’s bias towards specific characters, which result in a different presentation of their personalities on stage. Tchaikovsky, being an advocate of romanticism, presents the characters of Tatyana and Lensky in a more compassionate and sensitive manner. The opera differs from the novel as certain characters are viewed in a much stronger light, and their prominence has shifted. For instance, the character of Tatyana, a young, shy but passionate woman, was highly recognized and loved by Tchaikovsky. Due to this, the letter scene, where Tatyana spends an entire night writing and confessing her love for Onegin, was more emphasized and intimate, leaving the audience touched by Tatyana’s courageousness. With the addition of music, this scene was the longest and most complex solo section of the opera, further establishing the deep bond Tchaikovsky had for the character of Tatyana. After working on the writing of the letter scene, Tchaikovsky wrote â€Å"Being completely immersed in composition, I so thoroughly identified myself with the image of Tatyana that she became for me like a living person, together with everything that surrounded her. I loved Tatyana, and was furiously indignant with Onegin who seemed to me a cold, heartless fop. † With this magnetism, there was a shift in directive depiction between the main characters. It is important to note that in this opera, much of Pushkin’s text is cut out due to length (for it takes longer to sing a verse than utter written words or phrases), but the scenes with Tatyana and Lensky remained largely unchanged. For example, the night before the duel, Lensky writes to his wife a love letter pouring his heart out, knowing he is to die the next day. In the opera, Tchaikovsky has Lensky sing the contents of this letter in a heartfelt aria. Although it is very moving and beautiful, it is very far from Pushkin’s character of Lensky. In Pushkin’s work, instead of praising Lensky for his poetic nature and optimism, the narrator indicates that his romantic idealism stands as the result of his lack of world experience and naivete: He did his best to hold back the cynical comments that came to his lips, reflecting to himself, ‘It’s stupid for me to spoil his momentary bliss – it’ll vanish soon enough without my help. Meanwhile let him live on the belief that the world’s a perfect place. Youth is a kind of fever, and we must forgive the young their fire and their delirium. Although the narrator in Pushkin’s novel ridiculed this youthful euphoria, Tchaikovsky encourages and emphasizes the tenderness radiating from Lenksy. Thus, there is a considerable amount of romanticism added to both plot and character in Tchaikovsky’s opera in comparison to Pushkin’s novel. Finally, the most controversial deviation of the opera from the novel in verse is the absence of a narrator. This results in a critical difference between the two art forms, as the narrator’s input, digressions and lessons are not present in the opera, thereby changing the story’s defining attributes. In the novel, the narrator serves many roles, one being a voice of sarcasm and ridicule towards the characters, showing them the irony in which they live their lives. When reading the novel, readers were unsure of whether to be sympathetic to some characters, for it was possible that the narrator would interrupt with sarcasm or mockery revealing that the characters were undeserving of compassion. In the opera, the role of the narrator is removed, resulting in a more straightforward version of Pushkin’s tale, where the characters clearly either deserve sympathy in their troubles or do not. In the novel, there was no need for characters to introduce themselves, due to the presence of a narrator, but in the opera, there are characters that have to introduce themselves to the audience. This happens, for instance, in the dueling scene (scene 5) where Zaretsky introduces himself: I am a pedant where the class duel is concerned, And I am naturally methodical. I do not allow a man to be stretched out Any old way†¦ In this scene, Zaretsky has to speak of himself to Onegin before the duel, explaining who he is and why he is there. This is completely different from the novel, where the narrator explains everything without awkward dialogue: Zaretsky, once a reprobate, Gambler-in-chief, an intimate And sage of inns, a philanderer; Kind and sober, now, instead, Father of many, still unwed†¦ Many scholars, such as Richard Taruskin, argue that in this opera, â€Å"the music, quite simply, is the narrator. From the very first sung notes†¦ the music acts as a very busy and detached mediator of situations and feelings. † This can be seen through the different musical pieces that play for each character, which in turn contribute to the audience’s interpretation of the character. For instance, Tatyana received the most colourful and lyrically driven music, while Onegin sings less memorable lines with simpler orchestral accompaniment. Although, one should note that the musical accompaniment of the characters’ actions are also biased, as the music that plays is the music that reflects how Tchaikovsky views them. Tchaikovsky, in one way, creates a new narrator by deciding how the characters will appeal to the audience, using music as his tool. For example, Tchaikovsky views Onegin as incapable of having genuine feelings, and so the music attributed to him is less inspired than that attributed to Lensky. In addition, the narrator in Pushkin’s novel constantly interrupts the progression of the novel, which creates a storyline where two things occur simultaneously. In the opera this effect is achieved in a less destructive manner, because as novelists must arrange things in a sequential order, â€Å"musicians can simultaneously present and comment without recourse to digression. † When an event or conversation is happening on its own, it can be accompanied by music that tells a different story; consequently, two conversations can take place at the same time. The music plays, in this way, a role similar to a narrator, as it feeds information to the reader as events unfold, and gives insight on the situations through melodic remedies. Therefore, in the transition from novel in verse to opera, Tchaikovsky dropped the character of the narrator, and used music as a tool of explaining the story. In conclusion, the conversion of Eugene Onegin from a novel in verse to an opera includes many various deviations from the overall plot and character emphasis in the story. With Tchaikovsky’s affinity and bond with the characters of Tatyana and Lensky, he portrays Onegin as demonic and insignificant. With this affinity, he manipulates the original storyline with romanticism to fool the audience into sympathizing with Tatyana and Lensky, whereas Pushkin’s narrator is notorious for ridiculed them. Furthermore, Tchaikovsky takes advantage of the absence of a narrator, and uses music’s capacity for emotional influence to further implement his bias for Tatyana, Lensky and Onegin. The narrator in Pushkin’s novel serves as a source of information to provide the readers with context concerning the setting, characters and story line where as Tchaikovsky uses character dialogue to provide such information. Overall the changes between Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin and Tchaikovsky’s operatic telling of the story were controversial but allowed for two different expressions of the same story. These deviations can be attributed to Tchaikovsky’s affinity for romanticism and his preference for Tatyanna and Lensky in comparison to his strong dislike for Onegin. Nevertheless, both versions of Eugene Onegin are still regarded as powerful pieces of artwork. Despite their differences, however, both tales leaves their audiences craving for answers to their questions: what happens next? Bibliography Brown, David. Tchaikovsky, The Crisis Years, W. W Norton; New York and London, 1983 Debreczeny, Paul. Social Functions of Literature: Alexander Pushkin and Russian Culture. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1997. Doran, Molly. The Transformation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin into Tchaikovsky’s Opera. Bowling Green State University, Ohio. 2012. Eugene Onegin. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. 2013. lt; http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Eugene_Onegingt;. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. Eugene Onegin. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1990. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by A. S. Kline. Eugene Onegin. 2009. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin amp; Other Stories, Wordsworth Editions Limited; London, 2005 Taruskin, Richard. Defining Russia Musically. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1997. Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyitch. Eugene Onegin in full score. Dover Publications, Inc. : New York, 1997. Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyitch. Eugene Onegin. Decca Recording with Royal Opera House; Coven Garen. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time: An Analysis of the Meanin and Effect of Major Themes in Pushkin’s Novel In Verse, Tchaikovsky’s Opera, and Other Adaptations of the Work and Their Relevance to Today’s World. Tuft’s University. 2009. [ 1 ]. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 5 [ 2 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin Other Stories, Wordsworth Editions Limited; London, 2005, page XXXVI [ 3 ]. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 5 [ 4 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. Eugene Onegin, 241, [Chapter 6, Part XXXI]. [ 5 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. Eugene Onegin. 43. [Chapter 6, Part XXXV]. [ 6 ]. Torgovitskaya, J. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 27 [ 7 ]. Doran, Molly. The Transformation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin into Tchaikovsky’s Opera, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 2012, page 23 [ 8 ]. Doran, Molly. The Transformation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin into Tchaikovsky’s Opera, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 2012, page 43 [ 9 ]. Quoted in David Brown, Tchaikovsky, The Crisis Years, W. W Norton; New York and London, 1983, 143 [ 10 ]. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 24 [ 11 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin Other Stories, Wordsworth Editions Limited; London, 2005, page 25(10-15) [ 12 ]. Tchaikovsky, P. Decca recording of Eugene Onegin, Royal Opera House, Coven Garden, scene 5 [ 13 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin, translated by A. S. Kline, 2009, 128 [Chapter 6, stanza 4] [ 14 ]. Taruskin, Richard. Defining Russia Musically, Princeton University Press; Princeton, 1997, 53-54 [ 15 ]. Taruskin, Richard. Defining Russia Musically, Princeton University Press; Princeton, 1997, 54

Fredrick Douglass1 essays

Fredrick Douglass1 essays The brutality that slaves endured form their masters and from the institution of slavery caused slaves to be denied their god given rights. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass has the ability to show the psychological battle between the white slave holders and their black slaves, which is shown by Douglass own intellectual struggles against his white slave holders. I will focus my attention on how education allowed Douglass to understand how slavery was wrong, and how the Americans saw the blacks as not equal, and only suitable for slave work. I will also contrast how Douglass view was very similar to that of the women in antebellum America, and the role that Christianity played in his life as a slave and then as a free man. The novel clearly displays the childrens animalistic behavior when they were not regularly allowanced. Douglass says, Our food was coarse corn meal boiled, which was called mush. It was put into a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush; some with oyster-shells, others with pieces of shingle, some with naked hands, and none with spoons. He that ate fastest got most; he that was strongest secured the best place; and few left the trough satisfied" (Douglass 41-42). This clearly describes how children where treated like animals and their inability to act in the manner of a normal educated child. Slave children were denied many luxuries that other children took for granted. The knowledge of their birthdays was one of these luxuries. Douglass states, "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larg er part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I ...

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Universal Child Care Tax Benefit Reform in Canada Assignment

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Global Warming as a Global Issue of Concern

Global Warming as a Global Issue of Concern CONTROVERSIES OF GLOBAL WARMING TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION GLOBAL WARMING AS A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN CONTROVERSIES OF GLOBAL WARMING ISSUE EXPLANATION OF THE CONTROVERSIES PRESENTED CONCLUSION REFERENCES INTRODUCTION As a global environmental issue of concern, controversies have been presented for and against global warming. Such controversies have stemmed from its causes as well as effects. This is because since the first international awareness of the problem that took place in 1992 during a United Nations (UN) Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, several opinions have continued to grow concerning the genesis of this problem as well as the potential effects posed on the planet. Such international meeting saw an intellectual exchange among the many delegates concerning the best approaches that can be used in dealing with the causes and effects of global warming. However, this problem is still a controversial one among many environmentalists around the world. Therefore, this essay analyzes the various controversies presented by different articles and authors concerning global warming, its main drivers, and seriousness of the issue as well as claimed consequences. GLOBAL WARMING AS A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN As a global environmental concern, global warming has had several impacts especially for both the biodiversity and the climatic conditions of the planet (Elkins and Simmonds, et al., 2010). This is because current trends have shown that it affects flora and fauna as a result of the increase in the amount of the anthropogenic gases that are accumulated in the atmosphere such as neon- surface air. As a result, this leads to the melting of the ice caps, rise in the sea levels and other climatic changes. Hence global warming represents a major threat especially to the fundamental life forms of living things on the earth. Back, Russ, Liu, Inoue, Zhang and Otto-Bliesner (2013) contends that global warming leads to the increase in the rate of water evaporation into the atmosphere. This is of great concern owing to the fact that water is life and without it, no life can be realized. This is further compounded by the fact that the water vapor is in itself is a greenhouse gas that exacerbates the problem leading to warming of the atmosphere. As such, this increase in the water vapor can further be compounded by the excessive use of the fossil fuels and through land use changes. Burning of fossil fuels contributes to the addition of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in the sense that such fuels produces anthropogenic gases such as CFCs, methane and nitrous oxide which are responsible for the global warming. In addition, deforestation, explosive population growth, technological advancement, growing urbanization, and industrial expansion are some of the factors that account for the increases in these gas es in the atmosphere. However, it is projected that the rate of the rise will continued if this global issue of concern is not nipped in the bud. Among other major causes, deforestation is argued to be the main causes of the increases in the global warming (Liss, 2012). This is because trees play a major role in the global carbon cycle since they are considered as one of the largest land-based carbon mechanism that helps in the removal of excessive carbon dioxide from the air. Due to this, deforestation has been considered as the second principle cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide contributing for 25 per cent of all the carbon emissions in the atmosphere especially through burning and cutting of trees. For instance, estimates are that over 5500 acres of rainforest are destroyed daily leading to a rise in the global carbon dioxide level which is approximated to be 0.4 per cent each year. The long effects of such changes are inclusive of the melting of the glaciers, increased intensity and frequency as well as the changes in rainfall patterns. According to Liss (2012), imbalances that are created between various life forms on earth makes global warming a controversial issue of global concern. Such imbalances are showing through signs in the form of increased occurrences of cyclones, landslides, tsunami, flood, drought among others. As a result, the increases in the rise of the aforementioned disasters on this planet threaten different life forms. For instance, due to the extreme weather patterns, this can lead to increased effects of malnutrition, airborne as well as water-borne diseases, starvation and extinction of the flora and fauna. CONTROVERSIES OF GLOBAL WARMING ISSUE For the purpose of discussion of the controversies presented in the global warming issue, this essay will analyze four news articles from different media sources. Such controversies will run from the works of the two main authors as presented in the four news articles. As such, the two notable environmentalists who discuss and analyze this issue are J.R. McNeill and Bjorn Lomborg. McNeill’s arguments have been contained in the news article, Something New under the Sun: an Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World whereas Lomborg discusses it in, The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World. Other two news articles that will be discussed are the Forecasting the consequences of climate driven shifts in human behavior on cetaceans. and â€Å"States Adapting to Climate Change. Environmental Forum.† The central theme in McNeills article is revolving around the fact that environmental problem like global warming comprises some of the byproducts of the modernization as well as development (Cho, Martens, Kim Rodrigue, 2011). As such, he is of the belief that humans have impacted our planet more deeply in the twentieth century than we did in all previous history combined.† Hence the irony in this debate according to McNeill is the fact that some of the same factors that have helped humankind to develop such as economic prosperity as well as technological advancement, are inherent the real causes of the serious environmental problems such as global warming. Consequently, McNeill makes an argument that global warming with no exception from other environmental problems, cannot be dealt with in an effective manner without necessarily having to involve the technological advancements (Dos Santos, 2012). Moreover, McNeill puts it clearly by stating that if global warming consists a serious environmental problem, then the equation will be revised in the direction of a stronger role for the environment. Paradoxically, if humanity is to escape projected environmental crises, then technology, which helped bring them on, will be asked to lead us out. Therefore, McNeill sees technology to be the only solution in dealing with the problem of global warming that can minimize the negative consequences especially of this environmental dilemma that runs rampant across the globe. On the other hand, the rhetoric of global warming has been presented by Lomborg and his argument lies in the premise that global warming together with the other environmental problems, is a mere exaggeration especially from the media specialists, scientists and politicians (Long, Xie, Zheng Liu, 2014). According to him, global warming is a less serious and severe threat as opposed to the weight that is accorded to it in media and among the scientists. As such, Lomborg believes that inaccuracy of studies and predictions that have been made by complicated computer software consist the causes of the fears among the scientists concerning this issue. This is evident through his statement, â€Å"the limitations of computer modeling, the unrealistic nature of basic assumptions made about future technological change and political value judgments have distorted the scenarios being presented to the public.† In addition, Schuldt, Konrath and Schwarz (2011) argue that Lomborg raises many doubts in regard to greenhouse gas emissions considered as the real cause global warming. His main thesis of argument is that greenhouse gas emissions cannot have any impact on the world temperatures. His argument is that even specialized scientists cannot make accurate predictions of the future climate primarily because the climate system is much complex. On the basis of this argument, Lomborg makes a conclusion that global warming is unlikely to be a devastating issue. As such, this raises an important question regarding to whether the temperature change leads to catastrophic consequences. Although in all the environmentalists in the four articles raise valuable claims about the issue of global warming, independent review of the news articles have indicated that McNeill is quite reasonable in his warning and realistic. The point of departure that makes this to be an issue of controversy is the fact that Lomborg’s argues against global warming being a real environmental problem. EXPLANATION OF THE CONTROVERSIES PRESENTED An analytical review of both the environmentalists’ arguments in all the four news articles in regard to global warming brings out the controversies that are presented for and against global warming debate. According to Sharpe (2012), McNeill makes valid as well as reasonable argument in comparison to Lomborg because McNeil bases his argument on the historical backgrounds making references too many past examples in proof of his assumption especially about the relationship that exists between the global warming and economic activities. For instance, McNeil makes a reference to the New Caledonia’s nickel production that took place in 1920s as well as its negative impact especially on the environment, air and weather. According to him, the production of nickel through mining activities led to the pouring of the smoke as well as dangerous gases that were released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, McNeill also refers Londons notorious fog in 1950s as a result of coal mining that caused death of many thousands of people (Sharpe, 2012). This makes McNeill’s argument to have a proof that global warming is not necessarily a very recent environmental problem but as a result of accumulated economic activities of the past century that have paved the way especially for the complication of this problem. Accordingly, in the controversies of global warming debate, McNeill has raised a very strong as well as valid argument as he reviews the information in the recent past in sending the message that the current global warming should be seen as a severe environmental problem that is deeply rooted in the past actions of humankind. The strength and credibility to McNeil’s warnings on the impacts of global warming environmental problem is refereed to authenticated cases especially from the past. Contrary to McNeil’s strong and supported argument, Lomborg’s assumptions are weak and invalid (Schuldt, Konrath Schwarz, 2011). This is because Lomborg does not make any much insight as regards his argument that global warming is not an environmental problem because of the less severity it has in practical in comparison to the predictions made by the scientists and environmentalists. For instance, Lomborg refutes scientific assumptions about the global warming by mentioning that the greenhouse gases does not comprise the only cause of global warming and that there are other factors such as solar energy that may impact global warming. However, this makes his argument to be an invalid one because it has no logical basis due to the fact that existence of many causes of global warming does not refute the fact that it is not a severe environmental problem with many destructive effects especially on life on the earth. Hence Lomborg does not trust technological advancements through computer modeling that allow scientist to make predictions concerning the environment. According to him, he has a belief that scientific predictions are not accurate to make certain real seriousness as well as severity of such environmental phenomena. In these controversies, Lomborg uses ‘doubt’ technique in developing his arguments in his manipulation of global warming being an environmental problem (Dos Santos, 2012). As such, his arguments have received a lot of responses from many experts as well as environmentalists. For instance, Sharon Begley, an environment expert is of the idea that Lomborg’s argument is based on bad logic especially through Lomborg’s argument that people should not to fear global warming because there is high number of deaths resulting from the ‘cold’ weather as opposed to death as a result of the ‘warm’ weather. Begley is right in his refutation of Lomborg’s argument because this means that regardless of the fact that the death toll from the warm weather is slightly less in comparison with cold weather, and then this still remains a problem that calls for a confrontation in order to minimize deaths from the global warming (Anthony and Maynard, p.1802). As such Begley noted that, â€Å"according to a 2006 study, 850,000 deaths from cold will be averted in a warmer world, not the 1.4 million, as Lomborg says.† This makes it an effective strategy in raising an argument especially against severity of global warming and scientists should make an exploration of all possible means in fighting this global problem. Another response to Lomborg’s discussion is that he deals with the issue of global warming from an economic point of view (Cho, Martens, Kim Rodrigue, 2011). This is because lives of people should be seen as being much worthier in comparison with whatever cost is needed especially to in fighting global is warming. In this regard, the problem of global warming â€Å"is approached as an economist would approach it, asking whether the benefits of intervention would exceed the costs.† This is illustrated from his attempt to convince audience with a cost-benefit argument concerning global warming. For instance, Lomborg cites William Nordhaus, a well-known economist in his defense that â€Å"the cost of implementing Kyoto would exceed the total projected cost of global warming† hence this is not a sound argument in dealing with global warming especially from an economic point of view because it is a matter of life and death issues. Liss (2012) claims that one way of refuting Lomborg’s argument is that if global warming problem had not been serious the way Lomborg assumed, concerns of many countries as well as environmental organizations would not have been raised especially through the meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and in Kyoto in 1997 to assess individual countries’ efforts in minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. These meeting involved studies conducted by highly reputable scientists as well as professional experts that led to a conclusion that global warming is a an environmental problem caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The findings of the meetings enumerated the ice melting as well as depletion of sea shores as some of the serious consequences of global warming. Accordingly, McNeill gives a more reasonable account than that given by Lomborg because the former respects and trusts scientific facts and predictions due to his full confidence in the technological tools as well as computer sof tware that are used in predicting ill consequences of the global warming. Therefore, global warming still remains an environmental problem that needs confrontation adequately. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the foregoing controversies of global warming debate illustrates that global warming is a very serious environmental problem with destructive negative consequences like ozone depletion and an increase in temperatures as presented by McNeil’s strong and supported argument. Hence global warming should be fought adequately due to the data, statistics, and scientifically-based predictions that such a threat is real. REFERENCES Elkins, A and Simmonds, et al. (2010). Forecasting the consequences of climate driven shifts in human behavior on cetaceans. Marine Policy 34(5): 943-954. Back, L., Russ, K., Liu, Z., Inoue, K., Zhang, J., Otto-Bliesner, B. (2013). Global Hydrological Cycle Response to Rapid and Slow Global Warming. Journal Of Climate, 26(22), 8781-8786. Liss, B. (2012). States Adapting to Climate Change. Environmental Forum, 29(1), 10. Cho, C., Martens, M., Kim, H., Rodrigue, M. (2011). Astroturfing Global Warming: It Isnt Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(4), 571-587. Dos Santos, M. O. (2012). Investigating consumer knowledge of global warming based on Rogers knowledge stage of the innovation decision process. International Journal Of Consumer Studies, 36(4), 385-393. Long, S., Xie, S., Zheng, X., Liu, Q. (2014). Fast and Slow Responses to Global Warming: Sea Surface Temperature and Precipitation Patterns. Journal Of Climate, 27(1), 285-299. Schuldt, J. P., Konrath, S. H., Schwarz, N. (2011). â€Å"Global warming† or â€Å"climate change†?. Public Opinion Quarterly, 75(1), 115-124. Sharpe, M. (2012). Will We Stop Global Warming Before It Kills Us? Challenge (05775132), 55(5), 123-124. Urpelainen, J. (2012). Global Warming, Irreversibility, and Uncertainty: A Political Analysis. Global Environmental Politics, 12(4), 68-85.

Prohibition of Flag Desecration is Unconstitutional :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Prohibition of Flag Desecration is Unconstitutional When people fix their eyes upon the fifty white stars and thirteen red and white stripes, they perceive not only a nation’s flag, but a symbol that represents freedom and unity. America, the country of opportunity and liberty, is built on a democracy regulated by the Bill of Rights. If this flag represents the land of the free, then why does Congress continue to disregard the First Amendment and attempt to pry a right out of American citizens’ hands? After Texas v. Johnson in 1989, when the Supreme Court opposed the new flag burning amendment, the state statutes banning flag desecration also were struck down. Since then, Congress has tried to pass The Flag Desecration Amendment in 1990, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2003. The Flag Desecration Amendment states that â€Å"The Congress and the states shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.† This amendment is considered unconstitutional because it limits how citizens express themselves and their ideas. According to Professor Robert Justin Goldstein, only forty-five incidents of desecration have been recorded over 200 years since our flag was adopted. Our flag is in no immediate danger, and many people support it by displaying it on cars, buildings, and homes. In fact, the majority of the burnings represent issues or policies of the government, and not hatred towards the country. For example, in 1970, protestors burned flags to rage against imperialistic foreign policies and the Vietnam War. Although the desecration of our nation’s symbol is disheartening, protecting our Bill of Rights should be Congress’s top priority. Since the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791, none of the original articles have been altered. The First Amendment clearly states that Congress cannot establish a law that interferes with the freedom of speech, the freedom of press, or the freedom to assemble a protest.