Bonnie and Clyde Essays

Bonnie and Clyde Essays Bonnie and Clyde Paper Bonnie and Clyde Paper At first glance Bonnie and Clyde is a story of crime involving two equal parts, but after some examination it is clear that the film is very much a story exclusively about the character of Bonnie. Clyde and other characters act as foils for Bonnie and never fully develop in the same way that she does. Bonnie evolves as the story progresses, and although she is very masculinized, her initial immaturity dissipates with her characters confusion of gender identity. The film opens with an extreme close up of Bonnie putting lipstick on her lips, a very deliberate idea of femininity. However, she is bored and aimlessly wanders around her room naked; she peers outside and sees Clyde attempting to steal her mothers car. She confronts him and ultimately she is convinced to go with him to lead a life of freedom and excitement. Her role as the woman perpetuates her fascination with Clydes reckless masculine quality but the role becomes unnecessary and extraneous after he admits that he is impotent, or not much of a lover boy. She eventually accepts her role as equal companion to Clyde in his endeavors and becomes very satisfied with such. For instance, when trouble starts to brew Clyde warns Bonnie that she aint going to have a minutes peace, to which she simply responds, You promise? Later, in her foreshadowing poem that she reads to Clyde, shes admits to her self that death is the only means by which she will be relieved of the burdens of the life of crime she has chosen. Clyde in turn becomes excited by the poem realizing how their story would become legendary with its printing; his sexual ineptness is evidently cured and all of a sudden he wants to marry Bonny in the next scene. This is the most telling scene of Bonnies transformation back to a character that wants a civilized life; she asks Clyde if he would do anything differently if they could have it all back. Bonnie is noticeably disappointed when he responds superficially and without any regard to a different lifestyle which Bonnie now longs for. Bonnie is also significantly foiled against the films other female character, Bucks wife Blanche. Bonnie is very assertive and lively whereas Blanche is reserved and polite in the scene when they meet each other. Bonnie is quick to grab Clydes gun and pose in front of the car in a very masculine way for the camera. Blanche doesnt want her picture taken at all, and when its done anyway, it is just of her and Buck with their arms around each other. By this point in the film Bonnie is at her peak of masculine quality, she is surprised and disgusted at how reserved and manner-aware Blanche seems to be. When the gang is in the cabin and the police confront them, Bonnie responds as quickly as the three men do fend themselves off from the police officers. Blanche proceeds to only scream and run away from the loud guns and, as they escape, Blanche is practically left behind until she frantically runs after the vehicle; Bonnie is clearly one of the guys, a true part of the gang and Blanche is only an afterthought even to her husband Buck. Additionally, Bonnies character is the only one in the film that is shown as having a family who she wants to be with, with the exception of Buck and Clyde. C. W. Moss foils Bonnie in the sense that his father plays a significant role in the film, but he doesnt go to him until he needs help, and it is in the best interest of the whole gang. Bonnie longs to see her mother, an indication that she may miss her old life; it may have been boring but it was also meaningful and safe. She slowly become dissatisfied with the life she hastily chose when she met Clyde. She does go home to her mother with everyone but only after trying to run away from the gang in order to do so; she has become so dissatisfied with the life that she doesnt even bother to warn Clyde of her departure, not wanting to bring the gang into her family atmosphere. Both C.W. Moss father and Bonnies mother are disapproving of their behavior, but whereas Mrs. Parker reaffirms Bonnies need for something more, old man Moss feelings of Bonnie and Clyde and their way of life only causes C. W. Moss anger and a lack of understanding. Bonnie Parker is slowly transformed from restless female to a gun shooting, money loving, masculinized character. By the end of the film it is too late for her to transform back despite wanting nothing more; she realizes that any life with Clyde would be a nomadic life of crime and must accept her fate as a gangster as she wrote about it in her own poem. Ironically, Bonnie is the only character who both wants out of the life, but also realizes that such an opportunity is an impossibility.

Geography of Ecuador - Learn Information about South Americas Ecuador

Geography of Ecuador - Learn Information about South America's Ecuador Population: 14,573,101 (July 2010 estimate)Capital: QuitoBordering Countries: Columbia and PeruLand Area: 109,483 square miles (283,561 sq km)Coastline: 1,390 miles (2,237 km)Highest Point: Chimborazo at 20,561 feet (6,267 m)Ecuador is a country located on the west coast of South America between Columbia and Peru. It is known for its position along the Earths equator and for officially controlling the Galapagos Islands which are about 620 miles (1,000 km) from Ecuadors mainland. Ecuador is also incredibly biodiverse and it has a medium-sized economy.History of EcuadorEcuador has a long history of settlement by native peoples but by the 15th century it was controlled by the Inca Empire. In 1534 however, the Spanish arrived and took the area from the Inca. Throughout the rest of the 1500s, Spain developed colonies in Ecuador and in 1563, Quito was named as an administrative district of Spain.Beginning in 1809, Ecuadorian natives began to revolt against Spain and in 1822 independence fo rces beat the Spanish army and Ecuador joined the Republic of Gran Colombia. In 1830 though, Ecuador became a separate republic. In its early years of independence and through the 19th century, Ecuador was unstable politically and it had a number of different rulers. By the late 1800s, Ecuadors economy was beginning to develop as it became an exporter of cocoa and its people began to practice agriculture along the coast.The early 1900s in Ecuador were also unstable politically and in the 1940s it had a short war with Peru that ended in 1942 with the Rio Protocol. According to the U.S. Department of State, the Rio Protocol, led to Ecuador conceding a portion of its land that was in the Amazon area to draw the borders that it currently has today. Ecuadors economy continued to grow after World War II and bananas became a large export.Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Ecuador stabilized politically and was run as a democracy but in 1997 instability returned after Abdala Bucaram (who became president in 1996) was removed from office after claims of corruption . In 1998, Jamil Mahuad was elected president but he was unpopular with the public due to economic problems. On January 21, 2000, a junta took place and Vice President Gustavo Noboa took control.Despite some of Noboas positive policies, political stability did not return to Ecuador until 2007 with the election of Rafael Correa. In October 2008, a new constitution went into effect and several policies of reform were enacted shortly thereafter.Government of EcuadorToday Ecuadors government is considered a republic. It has an executive branch with a chief of state and a head of government - both of which are filled by the president. Ecuador also has a unicameral National Assembly of 124 seats that makes up its legislative branch and a judicial branch composed of the National Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court.Economics and Land Use in EcuadorEcuador currently has a medium-sized economy that is based mainly on its petroleum resources and agricultural products. These products in clude bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, tapioca, plantains, sugarcane, cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products, balsa wood, fish and shrimp. In addition to petroleum, Ecuadors other industrial products include food processing, textiles, wood products and various chemicals manufacturing.Geography, Climate and Biodiversity of EcuadorEcuador is unique in its geography because it is located on the Earths equator. Its capital Quito is located only 15 miles (25 km) from a latitude of 0Ëš. Ecuador has a varied topography which includes coastal plains, central highlands and a flat eastern jungle. In addition, Ecuador has an area called Region Insular which contains the Galapagos Islands.In addition to its unique geography, Ecuador is known as being highly biodiverse and according to Conservation International it is one of the worlds most biodiverse countries. This is because it owns the Galapagos Islands as well as portions of the Amazon Rainforest. According to Wikipedia, Ecuador has 15% of the worlds known bird species, 16,000 species of plants, 106 endemic reptiles and 138 amphibians. The Galapagos also have a number of uni que endemic species and is where Charles Darwin developed his Theory of Evolution. It should be noted that a large portion of Ecuadors high mountains are volcanic. The countrys highest point, Mount Chimborazo is a stratovolcano and because of the Earths shape, it is considered as the point on the Earth that is farthest from its center at an elevation of 6,310 m.Ecuadors climate is considered humid subtropical in the rainforest areas and along its coast. The rest however is dependent on altitude. Quitos, with an elevation of 9,350 feet (2,850 m), average July high temperature is 66ËšF (19ËšC) and its January average low is 49ËšF (9.4ËšC) however, these high and low temperatures are the average highs and lows for each month of the year due to its location near the Equator.To learn more about Ecuador, visit the Geography and Maps section on Ecuador on this website.References Central Intelligence Agency. (29 September 2010). CIA - The World Factbook - Ecuador. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ec.htmlInfoplease.com. (n.d.). Ecuador: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107479.htmlUnited States Department of State. (24 May 2010). Ecuador. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35761.htmWikipedia.com. (15 October 2010). Ecuador - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuador