Reserch method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reserch method - Essay Example The domain of internet mass media systems has only recently been recognised but it is without a doubt a prolific form of mass media in its own right. While mass media has affected other aspects of modern life, there is little deniability that mass media has had an overwhelming effect on contemporary politics. This is all the more true for nations that pursue the path of democracy since the average citizen is an important part of the democratic structure. The opinion of the ordinary person in a democratic system makes all the difference between success and failure in regards to political issues. It has been argued that the mass media tends to bear an overbearing influence on the modern man in a democratic system so that the democratic process is biased. On the other hand, it has been advocated that mass media outlets only have the power to present people with the issues to think about while people decide on the issues themselves. The American Presidential race for example has come und er scrutiny time and again for it being tilted to favour one faction or the other due to overarching mass media influences. These mass media influences are chosen by a handful of mass media organisers who tend to exert sizable influence on the overall political process. This is only possible due to the very nature of the mass media structure that provides limited input exposure to the common man. Mass media gurus and bosses get to choose what is shown and what is not. Arguably, this should tend to subside with the introduction of more free mass media outlets such as the internet. Previous mass media streams whether print, broadcast or digital have been controlled exclusively by the mass media bureaucracy due to the inherent design of the overall process. However, the internet is highly differentiated from all of these mass media streams given that it is as accessible to the common person as it is to mass media gurus. The average person can simply go ahead and publish his views as he sees fit which was not possible under the conventional mass media regime given the limitations on what material to publish. This would also tend to indicate that the mass media in the form of the internet is free from the influence of overarching political structures. Hence, it could be assumed that the internet would serve as a means of liberation for the mass media that has been in the clutches of organisational structures for decades. The recent uprising in the Middle East sponsored by internet mass media especially social networking media has exposed a new dimension to mass media and politics. Mass media has been shown to be linked to political change without any remaining doubts since the Arab domino effect was able to remove three deeply entrenched dictatorial regimes. These regimes namely Ben Ali in Tunisia, Hosseni Mubarak in Egypt and Muammar Kaddafi in Libya had overwhelming control of mass media outlets except for the internet. Throughout the entire conflict, none of the se dictators were able to subject the internet mass media machine to their wishes. Consequently, internet mass media was used to disseminate information and to rally support against these political machinations. It could be inferred from these changes that the internet mass media has independence and potential for open and fair change. However, neither before nor after the Arab uprisings was internet mass med

Persian mythology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Persian mythology - Research Paper Example He was the favorite hero of King Kaykaus, a magnificent warrior and prominent character of Persian mythology stories. Perhaps the most famous amongst such stories was the story of Rostam and Sohrab (Firdawsi & Clinton, 1996). Apart from being one of the most well-loved and moving tales which history has passed on, it was also thematically mentioned in the best-seller â€Å"The Kite Runner† written by Khalid Hosenni (Ferdowsi, 2011). Summary This tale revolves around the main themes of family ties, betrayal, pride, and loss. It starts when Rostam, restless for an outing, takes his horse Raksh out for a game of hunting. Once his game ended, he decided to take a rest his eyes near a pasture. However, while he was asleep, seven knights of Turan, a nearby land, came across the horse and kidnapped it. It fought and resisted but was outnumbered and led away. Rostam, upon waking up and discovering his trusty steed gone, was dismayed and embarked upon a search to find his horse. Follow ing Raksh’s tracks on the ground, Rostam reached the land of Turan, where he met the King of Samengan and told him of his search. The king promised to help with the search and offered Rostam a place to stay meanwhile. During his stay at the king’s palace, Rostam met the king’s young daughter Tahmina during his stay, and married her. However, shortly after the marriage, his horse was found and he left for his own land. Before going, he gave his wife a clasp of his, to pass on his own child once he or she was born. Nine months later, Tahmina gave birth to Rostam’s son, whom she named Sohrab (Ferdowsi, 2011). This child proved to be like his father from a very young age, and soon grew up to be the finest warrior in the land. He soon figured that his origins were not purely of the land he lived in, and approached his mother to ask her about his father. She told him about Rostam and showed Sohrab the clasp that Rostam had left for him. After this, it became a large ambition for Sohrab to meet his father. Later on, Sohrab and Rostam met in battle. Neither of them knew who the other was, since they had not met before. However, Sohrab had a suspicion that this man, so equally matched in battle skills as Sohrab, could be his father (Ferdowsi, 2011). Thus, he enquired before starting the fight, whether his opponent for Rostam. Rostam, not wishing to daunt the young warrior, lied and said that he was not Rostam. This greatly disappointed Sohrab, who proceeded with the fight with all his might. Sohrab came close to defeating Rostam, but Rostam deceived him into thinking that it was a battle etiquette for the person almost winning to give his opponent another chance to win. This way, Rostam received another chance to battle, and this time came close to defeating Sohrab. When Sohrab realized that his death was near, he became saddened and revealed to his opponent that he was Sohrab, son of Rostam, and was now dying without having fulfilled his bi ggest wish of seeing his father’s face. Upon hearing this, Rostam was deeply heartbroken, as he realized that he had just taken his own son’s life. The rest of the tale consisted of failed attempts to save Sohrab’s life, and his mother finding out about his demise and eventually dying of grief after a year (Ferdowsi, 2011). Explanations of this Myth This myth may have several different symbolic meanings, expressed through the personalities of the characters, their decisions in life or the lives they chose to live. One possible explanation is that