Comparing the Movies A Time to Kill, by John Grisham and To Kill a Mock

The movie based on John Grisham's A Time to Kill is a Hollywoodized, modern-day version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both movies employ many of the same themes and plot elements; but the former movie is one-dimensional and predictable while the latter is innovative and purposeful. The movie version of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic film, whereas John Grisham?s adapted novel is merely another example of the money making efforts of Hollywood. Some of the movies' more prominent themes are the same. Both focus on the family, particularly the role of the father. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Attacus, who is based on the father of author Harper Lee, is an upstanding parent. Not only is he an excellent role model for his children, but he takes time to talk to his children. He respects them as growing individuals, allowing them to call him Attacus, and explains important issues rather than discounting them. Jake cherishes his daughter more than ever when he compares her hypothetically to his client?s victimized daughter Tonya. The power of the family institution is reiterated when Carl takes revenge upon the offenders who raped Tonya. These ties drive an otherwise socially conforming man into violating the sanctity of human life in cold blood without regret. Another motivation that inspires his action is the personal degradation he must have experienced as a black man in a racist community that includes backwoods deviants, who look down upon the blacks in the community. Hate crimes appear in both movies, including hate-fueled riots, attempted lynchings, and the reappearance of the Ku Klux Klan. Other manifestations of racism were realized as well, such as injustice in the court system and the school system, where, in both movies, the protagonists? children are continually taunted for being the progeny of a ?nigger lover.? The classic figure of the hero is at the forefront of the plot in each movie. Both lawyers put their lives on the line for the liberty of a client without expecting compensation. Attacus does so because he believes in justice and knows it?s the right thing to do, whereas Jake simply empathizes with his client, especially by projecting his daughter into Tonya?s experience. Either way, these men sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, a defining characteristic of heroes. Attacus especially is... ...e intriguing. Most modern movies fail to explore issues that are controversial or simply thought-provoking. Racism was a very serious problem in the South when To Kill a Mockingbird was written. Many people tried to ignore or forget about this problem rather than face it, but the book boldly confronts it and provokes the viewer to do the same. Since A Time to Kill came out after society as a whole stopped tolerating racism for the most part, this issue is almost a clichà ©, certainly no longer eye-opening. The closest this movie comes to an interesting thought is when Carl tells Jake in prison that they cannot be friends because Jake looks at him and sees a black man, rather than just a man. This is an interesting aspect of racism which asserts that as long as whites view blacks as the other, they can never connect on the same level. Unfortunately, this idea is left completely undeveloped. Jake does bring it up at the end, but only to tell Carl that he was totally wrong about him. A Time to Kill does have a few intense and touching scenes, but in the end it is only another money-making cheap entertainment movie, whereas To Kill a Mockingbird is an immortal classic.

East Is East Movie Review

This movie tells us the story of a Pakistani migrant who experiments troubles finding a compromise between his integration and keeping his roots. Indeed, we understand his will to impose his family a strict Pakistani culture at the very beginning of the movie, when he pushes his eldest son in an arranged marriage. His family is obviously reluctant to his conservative vision, which leads the whole family to stand up against the father when he tries to organize arranged marriages for two of his other sons.Hence, we are being presented successively two different facets of this character. On the one hand, a narrow-minded and over-conservative person, which makes him a brutal husband (the climax of this movie might be when he beats his wife, which marks a real turning point for the relations among the family) and an oppressive father. The realisator managed to create a complex character around who the movie is articulated. As a matter of fact, his presence is tangible throughout the movie , even among the scenes which are shot through the children's point of view.With hindsight, this movie is about a man torn between his desire of integration (we might note his pride when he talks about his owning a business) and the fear of losing his roots. We eventually feel that he just wishes the best for his family, which is why he imposes his vision of life. Though, we might see a part of egoism in his acts, as the strict way he is raising his kids is also a way for him to compensate the distance with his own country .The numerous points of view proposed give texture to this movie, and animates the underlying issues; it comes to say the cultural and generational clash. Even though the subject is quite serious and sad, the realisator succeeded in making this movie lively, and rather optimistic. Many scenes are very dramatic and include a lot of humour. Furthermore, it offers a progressive outlook through the  « happy ending  » and the evolution of points of view from one ge neration to an other (Ernest's tolerance Vs it's grand-father's intolerance).Finally, we might also think of the scene when Sajid gets his hood ripped off to represent the father's openness to his family's expectations. Indeed, in a previous scene shot from Sajid's point of view, the hood gives a very narrow and vaginal-shaped view angle. Therefore, this scene might be applied to his father, the loss of the hood symbolising both the loss of his blinkers and the cut of his umbilical cordon. Thus, it suggests the birth of a brand new man and the entrance in a new era for his family.

The United Nations Convention Of Combat Desertification

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was ratified in 1996. It is a multilateral agreement which was made to address desertification. Desertification is defined as â€Å"the land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, generally known as ‘drylands’ †. Many African states believed their sustainable development was being obstructed due to issues such as poverty, and food insecurity and were not being given necessary attention by the international political community . The need for an international convention was based on the argument that although the effects of desertification are often felt locally, it could not be ignored that globally contributed changes such as climate change and changes in soil and†¦show more content†¦The goals are quantifiable; however, the degree to which they produce measurability is still weak. Land desertification could be analyzed against other factors such as geology, and human action . In addition the use of GIC and various soil indicators and food production can be used to quantify the improvement of desertification. The use of GDP as well as the Human Development Index can be used to measure the improvements of poverty and education. Identification and Description of Challenges One of the greatest difficulties that arises when dealing with an environmental issue such as desertification on an international scale is the fact that its affects are not geographically universal. For instance, regions of Africa and Asia are highly susceptible to land degradation and its affects are often only apparent at the local level. As such, during early debates concerning desertification there was much reluctance coming from developed countries to recognize it as a global concern. Many developed countries, especially within Europe, argued that land degradation was a local problem that results from the â€Å"cumulative