Symbols and Images in Short Stories free essay sample

Lucas Culliton Character Development Through The Use of Symbols and Images John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums and James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues are two stories that contain many symbols and images and it is through these symbols and images that we learn about Elisa and Sonny and how they change over the course of the story. Both characters undergo significant changes that leave the reader question ing what they have read at some points. Symbols and images employed in Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums and Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues reflects the transformations of Elisa and Sonny both emotionally and physically throughout the story and are present to enhance our understanding of both characters and the overall point the author is trying to make. The supporting arguments will demonstrate how symbols such as the chrysanthemums, the Salinas Valley, heroin and the cup of trembling reflect the transformations of Sonny and Elisa. We will write a custom essay sample on Symbols and Images in Short Stories or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The beginning of The Chrysanthemums has a rather sad and depressing opening few paragraphs and it begins with â€Å"The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot. †(Steinbeck 1) This is the first description of the setting of the story and it is also the first symbol the reader comes across in the story.The Salinas Valley is used to show how Elisa is â€Å"trapped† in a fairly boring life of gardening . The story was written in a time when women were not considered equal to men and the way Steinbeck describes Elisa being â€Å"lean and strong† and â€Å"blocked and heavy† gives the reader the impression that Elisa has characteristics that are more common for men to have. After reading the opening page the reader has the impression that Elisa is capable of much more but is trapped in this life of gardening because she is a woman.As the story progresses and after Elisa has her encounter with the tinker, the reader begins to see a more emotional side of Elisa as Steinbeck writes about her being more women-like. Near the end of the story Steinbeck writes â€Å"She put on her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. † (Steinbeck 8) For the first time we see a very lady like side to Elisa and on her way to dinner with her husband the river road is described to show a â€Å"t hin band of sunshine. In contrast to the beginning when the valley was described as a â€Å"closed pot† the reader now begins to think there is a happier ending for Elisa as she transitions from a very bland life, trapped in the garden, to a happier life where she is dressed her best and is emotionally happier. We also see a change in her emotions at the end when she begins to cry. This demonstrates how she has changed both physically and emotionally after her encounter with the tinker. In Sonny’s Blues the heroin Sonny uses is an example of how he is trapped in a life of darkness just like Elisa is trapped in her situation.Baldwin uses the narrator to describe Sonny’s life on heroin by writing: All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness, and in which they now, vindictively, dreamed, at once more together than they were at any other time, and more alone. (Baldwin 1) This establishes a darkness for the majority of the story that is present until Sonny performs on stage at the end of the story. Sonny is stuck in a life of drugs and is in a very bad position.Throughout the story we see that the narrator is trying to help Sonny and free him from the life of darkness. When reading the story, the reader has the impression that the only way Sonny will transition from darkness to light is through music. Before Sonny plays on stage at the end of the story the narrator says â€Å"Here, I was in Sonny’s world. Or, rather: his kingdom. Here, it was not even a question that his veins bore royal blood† (Baldwin 17) This is said by the narrator when Sonny is in the nightclub and he is about to perform.It gives the reader the impression that Sonny is right in his element and it serves as a sign of hope for Sonny that he is going to get over his addiction to heroin. In the end, Sonny did play well and because of his love for music he made the transition from darkness to a much happier state of mind. Sonny is released from a life of addiction and can begin a much happier and fulfilling life. Turning back to The Chrysanthemums, another very important symbol is the chrysanthemum flower. The Chrysanthemums are very closely related to Elisa and how she lives her life.

The concept of public policy

The concept of public policy Introduction The concept of public policy is very critical and sensitive since it affects a majority of people who are ruled under the policies made. It entails the process taken by the government in addressing an issue that affects the public and the intentions of the government in taking the actions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The concept of public policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It can also be said to be the result of the government’s actions towards deciding on who gets what and who does not after some considerations. It comprises major components like regulations, laws, actions and decisions aimed at controlling a certain behavior or solving a problem that is either caused by or affects the public. Public opinion on the other hand is a set of people’s views and attitudes towards a specific topic or issue that affect them. It usually affects the process of public policy making as it tak es into consideration the public interests. This piece of work gives a critique of the article; Information Effects in Collective Preferences by Althaus looking into how the author tackles the topic and his efforts in making us understand the relationship between public opinion and public policy. The author starts of by showing us how information is essential in decision making especially in shaping public opinion which to a great extent affects the process of public policy since the public are a major element in the public policy making process thorough their various opinions. It is evident that uneven distribution of political information among the society members leads to different public opinions by the members as they have different levels of knowledge concerning the specific topic or problem and therefore the public policies that are made based on the collected opinions from the public are usually not complete as they do not comprehensively represent the public. This shows tha t the process of public policy making could only be effective if knowledge about particular issues of concern were evenly distributed among the citizens as this would make them make appropriate and informed decisions based on facts and the government would hence take effective actions and solve the public’s problems.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Public opinion is therefore influenced by information effect which is the information’s impact in shaping collective opinion as a result of low levels and uneven social distribution of knowledge regarding politics in the society. Political knowledge enhance proper decision making in regard to political issues as the informed citizens are able to understand the major components involved in public policy making for instance the policy itself, the participants or actors and the problems at stake. Although we can argue that being politically informed enhance the individual’s and collective opinion, some studies for instance in cognitive psychology also show that even the people who are poorly informed an political matters can make opinions that are in line with their political inclinations by relying on some political figures and other sources for instance online processing and other information shortcuts without necessarily having the specific factual knowledge. Aggregation of the opinions made by both the well informed and ill informed citizens will also allow coming up with an appropriate conclusion. This disputes the fact that the correct and meaningful collective opinion could only be attained if all the citizens were well informed. All in all information among the citizens influences their opinions by affecting the interaction between those collecting the data and those giving the responses for instance the poorly informed citizens who are usually the Blacks, the poor and women tend t o give vague response as compared to the knowledgeable audience leading to poor presentation of the public’s preferences as opposed to those from the knowledgeable citizens who are mostly, the Whites, the rich and men whose views tend to be greatly considered. The opinions of the well informed people also tend to be of high quality in terms of being consistent with the political predisposition regarding the particular problem in question. Public opinion and public policy are directly dependent on each other since public policy formulation and implementation is based on the public’s opinion about the particular topic or problem and it is usually made in response to a specific problem or issue facing the public with an aim of solving it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The concept of public policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The citizens’ provision of information on the topic is usually usefu l in the policy formulation and implementation process as it brings forward their beliefs, attitudes which in the long run influence the cause and effects processes and what the government is likely to undertake and the expected outcomes of the actions taken. It is however difficult to determine how information or knowledge in the political field would affect an individual’s or group’s preference in regard to what is best for them. The political interests of the informed people may either be subjective or objective and in some instances they may not reflect what the public may prefer in relation to a particular issue. The knowledgeable citizens tend to be in a good position to argue or respond to different situations based on the knowledge they have previously acquired. They also have a certain degree of confidence due to their prior experience and can hence easily understand complex political issues and happenings that surround them as compared to the ill informed cit izens. The measure of how information affects preferences and opinions among citizens can be attained through taking of constant variables in the society in both the enlightened and the ill informed citizens in the community for instance education, age, race, religious affiliation, marital status, gender, region, financial status, type of community, region, parental status, partisanship, and occupation among others and presenting the same questions to them and then evaluating the responses. The author however recognizes that a political party affiliation is an essential element since it is also a relatively constant characteristic of the citizens and a major determinant of the citizen’s responses to political issues as it acts as a basis for the citizen’s responses and a shortcut as opposed to factual knowledge they would have concerning the topic of discussion. Although the author tries to tackle this issues comprehensively through application of various theories, mod els and methods and also by taking into consideration what has been said by other authors in regard to the same topic , it is still difficult to completely determine the exact influence of information on political interests and preferences among the enlightened and the ill informed citizens as the results from the conducted surveys are often almost the same since there are other determinants apart from information or knowledge exhibited by the respondents.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To understand the concept of the influence public opinion on public policy formulation and implementation, the author gives us an example on how information can affect people’s attitudes toward spousal notification law. The example tries to show how information can shape an individual’s or group’s collective preference. The question posed to the respondents is; ‘‘would you favor or oppose a law in your state that would require a married woman to notify her husband before she can have an abortion? ’’1 The responses were obtained and the logit coefficients evaluated and it is noted that the differences in the responses attained is relatively very low. The models used can however not perfectly represent individual opinions but can generally show the differences between those groups that are for the law and those that are against its enactment. The model also shows the effects of information or knowledge on an issue on policy preferences am ong various groups. From the above named question, two thirds of the respondents seemed to support the spousal notification law while a third was against it. The well informed citizens seem to be divided on the issue as 48% of them supported it and 52% opposed it and hence the problem lies in the unequal distribution of political knowledge among citizens. Men were more informed as compared to women because even after full provision of political knowledge, their responses did change much as compared to that of women. This shows that the difference in information available to both men and women affects the results obtained in opinion surveys and hence leads to inefficient public policy making by the governments as they base they actions on the opinion polls gathered. Different topics attract different public opinions according to how best the citizens are informed or interested in them for example issues of social, fiscal, and security wellbeing among others. A change in information o r knowledge on an issue also leads to changes in collective preferences as the people are subject to change their opinions with change in information. The deviation however varies depending on other elements for instance the Whites, the rich and men are less likely to change their opinions much as compared to the Blacks, the poor and women who are more susceptible to change of opinion due to prior lack of knowledge. This can be seen when taking varying responses of the citizens on different issues for instance foreign policy issues, fiscal issues, operative issues and social policy issues. Generally, fully informed citizens tend to give divided opinions on policies like foreign policy, they are more concerned on social and fiscal concepts and policies and more conservative on operative issues that take place around them. Correcting for information unevenness can however lead to notable shifts in individual and collective opinions. The authors argues that the only way out in understa nding collective preferences could be the balancing of political knowledge among the society members which will counter the low levels and uneven social distribution of information on politics and political issues. He also states that information level in an individual or group affects collective opinion greater that previous studies have shown. It is also clear that different levels of information brings about change in responses and therefore collective preferences of various people could change either with a less or great magnitude if everyone was equally informed in various aspects of concern in the political field. The author argues the topic in a very comprehensive manner by looking into various studies that have been done regarding the effects of information or knowledge among the citizens and its role in shaping their opinions which in the long run affects the public policy making process and the actions taken by the government in regard to the problems faced by the citizens . He then gives lots of models and informative examples from which the reader can draw his or her own conclusions and there after gives his point of view with specific reasons for making the decisions. From the information given by the author in his article, Information Effects in Collective Preferences, it is evident that the public is a very essential component or determinant in the process of public policy formulation and implementation. This is because the public opinions are used by the government and other bodies involved in the policy making process for instance legislative bodies, leadership, bureaucracy, interest groups, political parties and the justice system in decision making. Public policies are made out of the public’s interest which is expressed through public opinion. However, public opinion can sometimes be decisive and not representative of the reality for instance when the respondents that are contacted during the survey are not representative of the total community in terms of size and aggregate composition or characteristics. Knowledge of the people on the particular issue also affects the opinions given as people tend to give vague information when they are not conversant with the political issue while those who are well enlightened tend to give meaningful responses that are in line with the government’s expectations. In most cases the responses from the well informed citizens are usually used as the basis in making public policies hence their needs end up being catered for at the expense of those that are not well informed. This shows that the policies formulated and implemented by the government are usually not representative of all citizen’s views as they are not based on everybody’s opinion as it should be the case. Public opinion usually has limited influence on public policy since in most cases there are usually no clear public preferences for one policy over others as the citizens are not given the opti ons of choosing among policies that are available. The policy makers also do not necessarily follow the public preferences due to lack of adequate relevant information. This is because most people have no distinct preferences on most issues especially political related and in the few cases where preferences have been established, public opinion is usually much divided to a point where the bodies involved in public policy making cannot base their actions on it. For instance in the example on passage of the notification law of the spouse on abortion given earlier, the public seemed much divided and the government may be left with the final decision hence public opinion is overruled. In some instances the government may make advantage of a situation and go per its preference as opposed to the public preference as it has powers over the general public. The government may come up with an idea regarding a policy and persuade the public to support it for example through campaigns. This is a way of molding the public opinion where different bodies and institutions involved in public policy making process affect the public’s decisions on various aspects. Incases where the public opinion is well known and the preferences seem to be well defined, the policy makers may also not go in accordance to them for various reasons for example if the preferences are deemed to be based on ignorance on the issue, when it is not for the well being of the majority in the society or when the policy to be passed is susceptible to change completely in the event of enactment of an alternative policy in future. Although public policy is sometimes in line with public opinion, this is not an adequate justification that public opinion determines the actions taken in the public policy making policy. The public policy makers mostly make a generalization since they can gauge what the public would prefer and at the end of it all, they end up coming up with policies that are in favor with th e public preferences even without their consultation. It is however clear that public opinion and public policy are strongly related. Although public opinion is expected to be the basis of public policy in determining its formulation and implementation, it does not work out this way. In few instances, the public opinion matches with the policy makers preferences and hence it is adopted but in most case, it opposes the policy makers’ preferences and it is therefore ignored. This shows that despite the public being given a chance to voice their views and ideas the final decision lies in the public policy makers especially the government since the public has no power to force the government to act in a certain way. Bibliography Althaus, L. Scott. â€Å"Information Effects in Collective Preferences.† American Political Science Review. Vol. 92, No.3. 1998. Footnotes 1 Scott, L. Althaus. â€Å"Information Effects in Collective Preferences.† American Political Science Review. Vol. 92, No.3. 1998.

Alices Adventures in Wonderland Study Questions

'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' Study Questions Alice in Wonderland (Alices Adventures in Wonderland) is a famous and beloved childrens classic by Lewis Carroll. You may find these questions useful for book club discussions, Â  to help you with your studies, or to help with any discussion of the book. Questions for Study and Discussion What is significant about the title?What are the conflicts in Alice in Wonderland? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional)?How does Lewis Carroll reveal character in Alice in Wonderland?What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?What are some symbols in Alice in Wonderland? How do they relate to the plot and characters?Is Alice consistent in her actions? Is she a fully developed character? How? Why?Does Alice change and/or develop as a human being?How does Alice relate to other characters in the book?Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters persons you would want to meet?Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why?What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?How does the past figure into the novel?How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?How does Carroll use poetry in this novel? Why?Would you recommend thi s novel to a friend?

Individual Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Case Analysis - Essay Example Ireland is a manufacturing base with low costs for the manufacturing of US enterprises. The policy towards FDI became more selective in the 1970s which encouraged flow of investments in the production of goods that are produced through modern technology (Ruane & Buckley, 2006, 4-5). Body In the decade of 1990-2000, the country witnessed massive economic transformation. The growth in GDP took the rising curve and fiscal surplus became the norm. The resurgence of the economy earned a great deal of worldwide attention. The experts opined the policies relating to collective bargaining and reforms in the education sector along with exchange rate reforms contributed in the resurgence. But some regarded FDI as the factor that is responsible. The performance of the country was primarily driven by the foreign owned firms serving the EU market. The high performance of the small firms nullified the poor performance of the indigenous sector. Many experts believed that the rising costs along with shortages in labor supply which act as the barrier to competitiveness of the country. The real wages seemed to increase faster than the productivity and reduce the incentive from FDI. Two acts were introduced by the Valera government namely the Finance Act of 1932 and the Control of Manufactures Act of 1932 (Baccaro & Simoni, 7-8). The economic stagnation in 1950 demanded changes in economic regulations. In order to boost the economy, several laws were passed. The country in collaboration with the IMF the World Bank relaxed the restrictions on the control of Manufactures Act. In 1958, there was a shift from protectionism to free trade regime and the government encouraged foreign investments through concessions in tax and incentive grants. The tariff got lowered in the period between 1962 and 1964. In spite of the turbulence faced by the country in 1970s the FDI continued to grow. Industrial development Authority believed that the agency led foreign investment strategy had done litt le to lift the economy. The success witnessed by some sectors did not trickle down to the rest of the economy. The linkage between the foreign investors and local industries was limited. The initiatives to promote foreign investment were not fruitful (Velde, 6). The support provided to the foreign firms particularly operating in the electronics sector was excessive. The MNCs were not blamed for the failure of the strategies as the suppliers lacked the required technical expertise. The IDA holds the mismanagement from the part of the government and is responsible for the situation particularly during the times of high inflation rates. Excessive government spending as well as high rates of unemployment took toll from the economy. The need for resurgence was felt from all sectors and the government took advantage of the situation and forged to create social partnerships across political and social sectors. The IDA took the initiative to promote labor industries of Ireland. A policy of advertising campaign was followed. The emphasis was shifted from tax and financial incentives to building up an educated workforce. The resultant was immigration of new firms into the country. The importance of Ireland among the EU was soon felt. Direct transfers were made into the country through the Single European Act. Funds for development of infrastructure and

Feminist Perspectives on Prostitution as an Illegal Contract Essay

Feminist Perspectives on Prostitution as an Illegal Contract - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that contracts for an illegal purpose will not be enforced by the courts. In the UK, prostitution per se, is not illegal. However, many activities associated with prostitution such as kerb crawling, solicitation, living of earnings from prostitution, operating a brothel and advertising prostitution services are all illegal. Nevertheless, at common law, contracts purporting to support or encourage a sexually immoral act will be regarded as illegal and thus deemed illegal contracts. Prostitution is regarded as the promotion of sexual immorality and as such, any contract involving prostitution is regarded as an illegal contract. The liberal feminist or contractarian perception of prostitution argues that absent the use of force, prostitution is a legitimate economic choice for women and thus should be treated as any other contract of service or employment. Radical feminist theorists however, argue that prostitution involves selling one’ s body and is not simply the â€Å"use of the human body† but also the â€Å"sexual use of a woman’s body†. Radical feminist theory is consistent with the perceptions that prostitution is immoral and thus contracts involving prostitution would be illegal. Liberal feminist theory dismisses the immoral characterization of unforced prostitution and argues that prostitutes should be accorded the protection of the law via the law of contract and in particular service or employment contracts.... minism, an argument can be made in support of illegalizing contracts involving prostitutes in cases where the prostitute is forced into prostitution or is a minor. However, women who voluntarily turn to prostitution, may not see themselves as forced into the trade and will not likely see themselves as victims. From the perspective of radical feminists, prostitution represents the â€Å"subordination†, â€Å"degradation† and â€Å"victimisation† of women by men.10 Radical feminists argue that prostitution by definition is an act of violence. In this regard, there is no such thing as â€Å"voluntary prostitution†, because it invariably involves some form of force, â€Å"even if the worker is unaware of it†.11 Radical feminist Susan G. Cole characterizes prostitution as institutionalised male dominance and likens it to institutionalised slavery and dominance by the White race. In institutionalised slavery Blacks were hurt and via institutionalised pros titutions women are hurt.12 Radical feminist Andrea Dworkin argues that prostitution cannot be understood by reference to the exercise of individual choice. According to Dworkin, prostitution together with rape â€Å"negates self-determination and choice for women†.13 In general, radical feminists argue that prostitution is an inherently harmful institution for women on three specific grounds. Firstly, prostitution involves purchasing a service that involves the degradation of the women offering the service. Secondly, prostitution itself relies on the perpetuation of inequality in terms of social and economic statuses and power between the prostitute and her client. Finally, prostitution â€Å"contributes to the perpetuation of the inequalities† underlying the â€Å"practice†.14 With respect to the first ground that prostitution

The Compact Theory Essay Example for Free

The Compact Theory Essay Compact theory Regarding the Constitution of the United States of America, the compact theory holds that the nation was formed through a compact agreed upon by all the states, and that the federal government is consequently a creation of the states. Consequently, states should be the final arbiters over whether the federal government had overstepped the limits of its authority as set forth in the compact. Contract theory studies how economic actors can and do construct contractual arrangements, generally in the presence of asymmetric information Kansas–Nebraska Act 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opened new lands, repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and allowed settlers in those territories to determine if they would allow slavery within their boundaries. Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery Border Ruffian elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U. S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858. Trent Affair was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War Battle of Antietam 1862 fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. Battle of Gettysburg 1863 on June 24, 1863, General Robert E. Lee led his Confederate Army across the Potomac River and headed towards Pennsylvania. Appomattox Court house is a courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles (5 km) northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill home of the original Old Appomattox Court House. Robert Edward Lee (General Lee) was a career United States Army officer and combat engineer. Ulysses S. Grant (General Grant was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877) as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry -was an attempt by white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave evolt by seizing a United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia in 1859. Thirteenth Amendment – was to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. Homestead Act- is one of two United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to up to 160 acres of undeveloped federal land outside the original Thirteen Colonies. Morrill Land-Grant Acts- was a United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890. Compromise of 1850 was an intricate package of five bills, passed in September 1850, defusing a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North that arose following the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). Uncle Toms Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868 as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote on that citizens race, color, or previous condition of servitude (i. e. , slavery). It was ratified on February 3, 1870. Reconstruction Era has two uses; the first covers the entire nation in the period 1865–1877 following the Civil War; the second one, used in this article, covers the transformation of the Southern United States from 1863 to 1877, with the reconstruction of state and society in the former Confederacy. The Black Codes were laws passed on the state and local level in the United States to limit the basic human rights and civil liberties of blacks. Jim Crow laws- were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. Ku Klux Klan is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism.

Amistad Essays -- essays research papers

Amistad I have watched the â€Å"Amistad† directed by Steven Spielberg, written by David Franzoni, presented by Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Mathew McConaughey, David Paymer, Pete Postlethwaite, and Stellan Skarsgard. It was rented from Hollywood Video to complete the assignment. â€Å"Who we are, is who we were†, states attorney Baldwin, the persuading point reaching into the hearts of the jurors. Telling a story about the intriguing life and life lost of the Mende people. Their ending up in America and the tragedy and violent cruel torture they endured not only on ‘La Amistad†, but also the treatment they received here in America. Who were these people? Why was it such an issue on whose â€Å"property† they were? The time was around 1854, and the progression toward the Civil War had begun. Stephen Spielberg’s film â€Å"Amistad† is an illustrative tale of history inevitable course. On the surface, Spielberg relates the journey of Cinque’s and his people to the America. In a larger sense, however, he contrasts a story of passage to America with its simple values and way of life to the arrival of an even more savage life and ideas of the civilization from Africa, a story of greater historical significance. The characters are not extensively developed; instead, they are simply presented, even understated at a point. Spielberg’s intent is to draw vivid characterizations and to create objects and characters as symbols with larger meanings. Power and autho...