Volcano Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Volcano - Essay Example Hot clouds and glowing lava advanced 1 km. down the Genol River. Inhabitants in Muntilan saw the ash fall over surrounding areas. Merapi is considered as the most active of the 130 active volcanoes of Indonesia. Twelve major eruptions have killed thousands. People of Indonesia look at Merapi with awe, wonder and reverence and every year a priest makes the ascent to the top of the mountain to make the prescribed offering. For the last two weeks Merapi volcano has been spewing thick black smoke and the scientists say that a full scale eruption is soon on the cards. The full name of this mountain is Gunung Merapi, meaning Fiery Mountain. It is situated overlooking the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta. Eruptions are a regular feature with Merapi, one of the most active volcanos in the world. Small eruptions take place every 2-3 years, bigger ones at the interval of 10-15 years and the real big ones with tremendous destructive capacity, once in 50-60 years. The eruption of 1006 was so devastating that an entire Hindu Kingdom was destroyed. In 1930, about 1300 people were killed. The 1994 eruption was comparatively less destructive and it claimed 64 lives. Local people consider this volcano as very sacred. They also firmly believe that a supernatural Kingdom exists on the top of Merapi. Merapi is located in the zone called a â€Å"Ring of Fire,† in the Pacific Ocean. When at peace, Merapi is just like a friend to the people and to the tourists who are fond of hiking and climbing. But nothing could be predicted about this wonder of nature. Suddenly you can see the volcanic ash spew and then glowing lava ooze down on all its sides. As it intensifies, the sight of large plume of smoke billowing from it is not only amazing but terrifying! Notwithstanding its fearsome activities, people around the mountain love and respect Merapi and many cultivate crops quite close to the cone section. On November 22, 1994, Merapi shook and was in for a major bout of

Analyze the football motif in The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick Essay

Analyze the football motif in The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick - Essay Example The novel, The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick written by Peter Handke is about a former goalkeeper of a football team and his life, after he is ejected from a game for foul play. As discussed above, author Handke has used football as an important motif to reveal intricate aspects of the central character, Josef Bloch as well as the whole story. The author shows how Bloch’s life mirrors the game of football, and also how his life exhibits moments similar to the ones, which will be undergone by a goalkeeper during the match, especially when the ball is about to be shot into the goal post. The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick was originally written in German and is the first of Handke’s novels to be translated and published in English. As Josef Bloch indulges in foul play and gets sent off from the game, he starts facing various repercussions, which shows how the game of football plays a crucial role in changing his life. These repercussions does no t happen due to some external forces, it was carried out by Bloch himself as a form of self-destruction without any valid motive, including the murder of a female cashier. â€Å"The self-destruction of a soccer goalie turned construction worker who wanders aimlessly around a stifling Austrian border town after pursuing and then murdering, almost unthinkingly, a female movie cashier.†1 Apart from how the game of football diverts the life of Bloch in a different and at the same time problematic direction, the motif of football is aptly used to denote the isolated existence of Bloch. That is, throughout the novel, Bloch seems to live in a secluded manner, without maximally living with his family and friends. This existence of Bloch can be correlated through a goalkeeper, who will be far away from the main action, standing and operating in an isolated manner. In any football game, the role of goalkeeper will be mainly under the bars of the goalpost, without directly involving the mselves in the match play. On the same lines, Bloch led an isolated existence away from the actions, only coming into the picture due to his own actions. Even his firing from the job did not evoke any reactions from his colleagues and also he lived in the city where he had no friends. As he read the newspaper and saw the classified sections featuring advertisements for materialistic things, he further felt his isolated survival. Quite strikingly, he was the first one to come out of the football stadium even before the final whistle goes off, as he did not want to be in the midst of a large crowd. Being a goalkeeper of a better known club, he might have played in front of large crowds and could have even enjoyed performing in front of those huge crowds. In addition, a football fan (even if he/she is not a football player) will be in the stadium till the final whistle is blown and could even extend their stay watching all the post-match celebrations and other activities. However, in B loch’s case, he does not felt comfortable with the huge crowds and had no interest and enthusiasm to watch a full game. His eviction from a game and the resultant depression made him prefer isolation, and prevented him from merging with the crowd and enjoying game. Handke portrayed him as a goalie, who is isolated from the frantic activities that were taking place around him. Thus, the motif of football and a how goalkeeper will operate in an isolated manner in a football match can be clearly seen in the actions and the characteristics of Bloch. There are