Monday, September 30, 2019
Limitations of Machines Essay
What is 9,999,999 times 9,999,999? You would not be able to enter that in your calculator, because your calculator has limitations on what it can accomplish, as do all machines. A machine must have boundaries. If these boundaries were ever breached machine could become alive. From the wise mouth of Elbert Hubbard, ââ¬Å"One machine can do the work of fifty men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.â⬠A machine will never exceed the potential of an outstanding individual. No matter how complex or advanced the technology it will never best a genuine- unique man. The use of machines has and should always be tools. Once the machine becomes more useful than the creator it stops being a tool and thus breaks it s natural limits. This has never happened before because machines lack a specific trait that every living thing has. That trait, the undeniable ability is called a free will. Without free will even us humans would never be able to surpass are limits. The choices you can make are what separates you from a living being and machine. It is because they stay chained to one path is the reason why a machineââ¬â¢s abilities will never exceed a humanââ¬â¢s potential. Think about why machines were first built. Itââ¬â¢s not because they were needed, rather it is because they were convenient. Technology was created to quickly do the average manââ¬â¢s work. You cannot build a machine that does your normal job without first knowing how accomplish it without the use of a machine. This proves machines were built out of curiosity, rather than out of necessity. The earliest machines were built to function to a certain limit. Without that restraint machines would cease to be exactly what they are. A machine is a tool that can execute at an almost perfect accuracy. Machines only accomplish this feet, because they operate within their own area or limitations. A machine without limitations will not function affectively and accurately. It will cease to be, and its identity of a machine will dissipate. Scientists have pondered making a machine without boundaries or restrictions. They wish to build something like humans called, ââ¬Å"Artificial intelligence.â⬠It will have feelings and free will. It will be able to make unreasonable decisions based on instinct, but its instinct could lead it to making the wrong choices. Some fear if artificial intelligence was ever created, mankind would fall. Technology should never pass a certain extremity, because we would lose the sight of those extraordinary men. When thinking back about what Elbert Hubbard said, I strongly believe machines were built to share the abilities of those unique extraordinary men. Machines are built to answer what has already been solved by man. They are built to make life less difficult throughout day. The machine is meant to be as useful as the inventor created it to be. No more no less, because a machine without limits is it really a machine.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Media Influence on Stereotypes
What you see is not always what you get In a society highly influenced by the media, stereotypes are used sometimes in a comedic way. In Harold and Kumar go to White Castle one of the main themes the movie is poking fun at is how stereotypes affect the lives of the two main characters one being of Korean decent and the other Indian. The movie opens introducing the first character Harold. The audience sees that he is an Asian male working in a cubicle for a banking company.The scene turns to Haroldââ¬â¢s co-workers who are both white in an office that is nicer and bigger to that of Harold, discussing how they are going to have fun and party for the weekend when one of them has much work to do, so one of them suggests having someone else do it. The scene gives the impression that the two white co-workers are the main characters of the movie as the introductory scene shows primarily the two co-workers and have the most dialogue in the brief intro; however, later the audience will not ice that they are not seen again until the end of the movie.What this scene is shown to do is to make humor out of a normalized stereotype of the Asian American group. As this scene will be analyzed, the normalized stereotypes of Asians in society is highly recognizable in American culture and media, as it negatively privileges the Asian group while obscuring Americans insecurity of their own part in society. In todayââ¬â¢s world most people are born with an identity already established for them. Generalized perceptions or a stereotype of a single group has instigated prejudice.With cultural representations already determined by the outside world, many strive to break such representations in order to form their own identity and not what was given to them. It has increasingly more difficult for one to break such representation due to factors in society normalizing these representations with the use of the media. The media has become a powerful tool in promoting such representation of groups. Stereotypes surround the whole world we live in and are unavoidable.No matter what we do, depending on our personality, attire, or even our hairstyle everyone fits into some sort of stereotype even by a little. The definition of a stereotype is a standardized conception or idea of a group of people (Hurst). Even though most stereotypes arenââ¬â¢t true there is a reason why they exist and continue to thrive. Stereotypes have flourished continually as the world has become more and more globalized. Especially in the United States one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.As stereotypes exist they have consequently affected the way that a particular individual or group lives in society. One particular representation that will be analyzed is the stereotypes of Asians in popular media, the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle and along with my own personal experiences being in the group within Asian Stereotypes will be used to assess the topic. Back at the beginning of this paper an introductory scene was described of the film Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Even though the scene is only about a few minutes many representations can be noted.The scene implements key normalized stereotypes seen in the public eye. The particular stereotype of Asian group has been connected to the term ââ¬Å"Model Minorityâ⬠which applies positive traits as a stereotype. The traits include qualities such as being hardworking, intelligent, studious, productive, and also inoffensive people. Also known to increase their social status through merit. The biggest opposition to the view is that it exaggerates the success of Asians. This false empowerment given by the stereotype covers up true problems that are faced by the Asian community.The belief that Asians are harder workers and thus leading to higher earning jobs has led to a more difficult level of climbing the work ladder into higher wage jobs, otherwise known as the glass ceiling phenomen a: The definition ââ¬Å"The Glass Ceilingâ⬠refers to an invisible barrier that limits the level to which a woman or another member of a demographic minority can advance within the hierarchy in an organization. It often is a barrier that confronts Ethnic Americans in addition to women when trying to reach upper management levels in many companies (Hester, 2007)Corresponding to the glass ceiling phenomena, the model minority stereotype has been believed to been the cause that Asians must acquire more education and work more hours than their white counterparts to earn the same amount of money. We will go back to the same scene mentioned at the beginning and continue. The scene described before shows Harold the Korean descendent character working tenaciously in his cubicle filling out forms and papers and he is then approached by the two co-workers mentioned earlier that were contemplating how they are going to party over the weekend when they have work to do.Afterwards it shows the two co-workers giving Harold a pile of their papers and folders then persuading Harold to do the work for them with Harold then unenthusiastically accepting the task. Afterwards the scene shows the two co-workers in this short dialogue Co-worker 1: ââ¬Å"Wow! That was amazing; I canââ¬â¢t believe how easy that wasâ⬠Co-worker 2: ââ¬Å"Dude, how do you think I get all my shit done? Those Asian guys just love crunching numbers. You probably just made his weekend. (Both leave laughing)Then the camera pans over to Harold as he shouts ââ¬Å"Fuck! â⬠The co-workers connect the traits of the stereotype to what they just did and sarcastically believe they did Harold a favor. What can be shown here in relation to the model minority stereotype is that Harold now has to do more work than is required of him for his white counterparts. However doing this extra work will not earn him more money or any merit while his white counterpart will be doing less work and receiving the same credit as Harold is.The dialogue shows that the co-workers jokingly believe they are doing Harold a favor due to his traits which allows him to do such tasks; however, the ending of the scene shows Harold shouting ââ¬Å"Fuck! â⬠which can be seen as epitomizing reaction of Asians frustrations towards how this stereotype has affected them. The scene shows rebellion towards the label of the model minority. This shows that even though the model minority label credits Asians with strong qualities in the end negatively affects them.What does the scene show about the white co-workers? The scene shows the co-workers of Harold irresponsibly passing off their work for someone else to do. This characteristic shows laziness in the white co-workers. This part of the scene was a way to laugh at both Harold and also the two white co-workers. Why was this funny? The thing is that itââ¬â¢s sometimes true that these kinds of situations occur that is where the audience connects the humo r in the situation. The scene reveals an abnormal of how Americans are usually viewed.Americans have been known to be hard workers through fighting for freedom through the revolution to rising to one of the most powerful countries of the 20th century. Time goes on being on top, strong qualities can be seen to be fading away. The polarity is seen as Harold the Korean is hard working while the white co-workers are not. In the scene the white co-workers are laughing away semi-sadistically as they leave the building after taking advantage of their Asian co-worker. The significance of this is that the laughing disguises the white co-workers insecurity of their own work ethic is not as strong.Using the model minority stereotype has in a way been used to exploit as shown in the scene with the white co-workers using the stereotype to use Harold as a work horse. Even though the two white co-workers canââ¬â¢t represent Americans it can represent a whole different stereotype to be uncovered America has had a history in dealing with Asians in the past. Around the 19th century a term known as the ââ¬Å"Yellow Perilâ⬠developed as a fear to the increasing number of Asians would immigrate to the United States and would fill the country with foreign culture, speech, and even take away jobs from Americans.The fear that the hard working Asians would take away Americanââ¬â¢s position in the working world, a satire to the response of that fear is shown in the scene as it shows Harold has been used as a crutch to hold up the co-workers in power. In Amitava Kumarââ¬â¢s Language, a violent example is seen when Kumar describes the murder of Vincent Chin who was murdered by two white autoworkers in Detroit. During so he was called a ââ¬Å"Japâ⬠and told ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s because of you motherfuckers that weââ¬â¢re out of work. â⬠(p. 05, Critical Encounters With Text). Chin was murdered due to his ethnic identity which in some correlation was believed to p ut those auto workers out of work. Chin was murdered because in the view of the autoworkers was that he was somehow associated with the ethnic group that had replaced them. It could be that the people who replaced them were more efficient, harder working, or demanded lower wages. Whatever it was, they did not confront the face they themselves had anything to do with the fact they were out of work.Which is something that has become a problem in society is that people blame each other and do not choose to confront how they could have caused a certain event. The model minority stereotype has also affected my life personally being of Korean decent. Being part of the model minority stereotypes has caused to build expectations since we are expected to live up to our peers which fall into that category. In elementary school, I remember asking my teachers for help and noticed some reluctance in doing so. Then I saw my teachers helping other students seeming more inclined to help.This situat ion made it seem to me that I had to work a little harder than my peers in school. In high school, some teachers took personal offence if it seemed as I underperformed on an assignment believing I wasnââ¬â¢t trying or was being lazy. Even though if I tried hard and didnââ¬â¢t do well it was disappointing to see teachers lose faith due to a misinterpretation. All of these things were built upon the general assumptions brought on by the model minority stereotype, has made it so it was abnormal to not follow the trend of such a view.Assumptions are natural impulses that most cannot avoid to do. As human beings no matter what we see, there is some sort of impression that most of us come towards even without knowing the person. Some of these assumptions are guided from varying reasons including friends, family, face, hair, ethnicity, attire, gender, and the media. We analyzed how a particular scene in the film Harold and Kumar go to White Castle exemplifies a generalized assumption . Also a brief personal account on how the stereotype has affected me.Stereotypes create unfairness as it classifies groups based on assumptions. Awareness of the consequences of stereotypes will help the problems associated with it. Stereotypes will continue to die down as long as the world is becoming more and more globalized. So therefore groups and cultures in America will become more connected with each other as time goes on causing familiarity, bringing down assumptions on a group and with this the concept, true equal opportunity will continue to become stronger.Works Cited Jon Hurwitz, Danny Leiner, Hayden Schlossberg . Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. (2001) â⬠¢ Amitava Kumar. ââ¬Å"Language,â⬠by, reprinted from Passport Photos by permission of University of California Press. (2000) â⬠¢ Hurst, Charles E. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences. 6. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc, 2007 â⬠¢ Ruth Hester, published May 21, 2007 http://www. associ atedcontent. com/article/248276/the_glass_ceiling_and_its_effect_on. html? cat=3 â⬠¢ Amy Kashiwabara, 1996 http://www. lib. berkeley. edu/MRC/Amydoc. html
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Synopsis of Don Giavonni Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Synopsis of Don Giavonni - Essay Example Because she is terrified, Anna screams to alert his father who immediately responds, but is unfortunately killed by the masked Giovanni. The murder of her lovely father compels Anna to entice his fiancà © Ottavio to look for the murderer and avenge on him. Anna, alongside her fiancà © launches a revenge mission on the unknown killer (Ponte 62). While looking for the killer outside Giovanniââ¬â¢s palace, Anna disguises herself and sings a love song as she pretends to be lamenting over her fiancà © who has abandoned her. Unknown to him that he is been looked for, Giovanni ignorantly starts seducing Anna. On seeing this, Leporello cautions Anna that Giovanni should not flirt with him because he is a very promiscuous man who has conquered 1,003 women in Spain, 640 ladies in Italy, 91 women in Turkey and 100 women in France. So, he is not worth her time. As the story unfolds, Giovanni continues with his seduction activities when he decides to flirt and snatches Masettoââ¬â¢s newly wed wife Zerlina and threaten to kill him should he attempt to take her back. This was a very unfair activity that not only inflicted pain on the poor Masetto, but enabled Anna to realize that it was actually Giovanni who had killed her father. In Act Two, the audience is introduced to Giovanni who continues with his seduction and attempts to cajole Elviraââ¬â¢s maid. When attacked by Maseto and his friends, he manages to out do them, takes away their weapons and beats them up. However, as fate would have it, his victory would not last forever. While disguising himself as Leporello, at the graveyard, so as to seduce one of his girlfriends, a statue appears and threatens him (Rushton 27). Although he is quite sure that he would not see the next day, Giovanni defies the order of repenting his sins when attacked by the supernatural statue that eventually manages to kill him in the company of a chorus of
Friday, September 27, 2019
Theory of demand Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Theory of demand - Term Paper Example As the price of goods and services rise, the quantity demand by consumers goes down. Siddiqui (35) further describes demand as that effective desire which can be satisfied meaning that desires are simply imaginations. It is required that the demand commodity should be available at a certain place, time, and price. Demand must satisfy the following requirements; desire for the specific commodity; sufficient resources to purchase the desired commodity; willingness to spend the resources; and the availability of the commodity. In addition, demand can also be used to measure or predict the quantity of commodities and services which the buyers would be motivated to buy in a market at a given time and at a given place. The changes in the price of the commodities that are related to that which a consumer uses affects the market demand for it and an example of this would be the price of margarine (which the consumer does not normally use) is much lower than the price of butter. Inevitably, the consumer will decide to go for the cheaper product although their preference lies with the more expensive one. The demand for certain commodities may also be affected by the changes of the income of potential buyers, for example, if the income of a buyer is reduced, then he will opt to purchase cheaper commodities in line with his diminished income; but if the income is increased, then the buyerââ¬â¢s demand for the same product at higher prices will increase significantly. The future expectations of buyers almost alw ays have a tendency of influencing the market demand of a product and this is usually displayed by considering the income security of potential buyers. If a potential buyer is confident in his belief that his future income will be stable, the he is more likely to spend more in buying both the commodities that he needs and wants. If however his future income is very insecure,
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Victimology and Alternatives to the Traditional Justice System Essay
Victimology and Alternatives to the Traditional Justice System - Essay Example And these values would soon drastically increase if nothing would be done about it (Raspberry, 2003). The current justice system is basically grounded on retributive values wherein justice determines the crime or violation, then enjoins the victim, offender and the community to reach solutions of "repair, reconciliation and assurance" (Zehr, 1990;Walker, 2000). Anthropologist Ruth Benedict states that the emphasis of using shame or guilt to control social activities could be a way of categorizing cultures. Some Asian cultures like China and Japan are considered shame cultures in contrast to European and modern American cultures like the US which is said to be "guilt-based." To illustrate, traditional Japanese and Ancient Greek society put more importance to the social consequences of "getting caught" than the feelings of guilt of the offender ("Shame," 2006). The violation of shared opinions and expected behaviors causing the feeling of shame has proved to be efficient in guiding society's behavior. Shame is used against relational aggression and is considered effective in marriage, family and church settings. Also, it is used in the workplace as a form of covert social control ("Shame," 2006). Shame is considered as a pillar of punishment. ... This overwhelming feeling could prevent a person from ever committing the same offense. Thus, on these premises, shaming is believed to be helpful in crime prevention ("Shame," 2006). Victimology Victimology is a multi-disciplinary field covering sociology, psychology, criminal justice, law and advocacy, which identifies and explains how certain factors such as lifestyle affect the incidence of a crime. To cite an example, a "streetwalker" prostitute is very vulnerable to various risks of attacks. There is high incidence of violent crime which often is unresolved involving these people. Victimology then, in this case, may study the social background, legal status of prostitutes, living conditions and risk factors among others ("Victimology," 2006). This provides a better understanding of why crimes are committed and particularly puts some responsibility on the victim rather than simply pointing the blame to the offender. Crime is influenced by a lot of factors and the science of victimology impart the idea that a crime committed doesn't entirely revolve around the offender and his/her motives but may also be triggered by the victim. Restorative Justice Due to incompetence of the current justice system, restorative justice which began evolving around 15 years ago is seen as one alternative (Walker, 2000). The concept, which is presently recognized in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, is coupled with different practices like conferencing, sentencing circles and victim-offender mediation scheme. The repair of the harm caused by the crime may be achieved by holding moderated meetings with the victims, offenders and other parties affected. This practice can be used in the justice system as a
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Recreation and Leisure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Recreation and Leisure - Essay Example The main reason that has led to these changes is change in economy and technology with time. During times of excellent economic growth, people had more cash to spend in leisure while hard economic times are characterized by increased working time and reduced leisure time. Additionally, the working environment has changed enabling people to participate in work and leisure activities in the same context. This is common particularly for businesspersons who can be in a business trip and mange to create some time in between for recreation purposes. This paper is a description of how the changing socio-economic conditions and major cultural developments, has affected the relationship between work and leisure. The paper will focus on how work and leisure have been evolving in Western societies from the medieval times until the present. Our oldest ancestors, the hunter and gathers, had no clear distinction between work and leisure. The two activities accompanied each other with no specific time set for work or leisure. The two activities we blended irrespective of the fact that there was some minimal understanding of what work or leisure was. However, the terms work and leisure were non-existent and even though people engaged in activities we now consider as leisure, the early people did not have specified activities to engage in for relaxation purposes. The distinction between the two has evolved greatly over time such that work and leisure are completely distinguishable in the contemporary western society. Amongst the Greeks, activities such as farming that we now consider as work was considered as some sort of religious activities that was a sacred undertaking1. In the medieval period, there was great separation in the roles played by men from those played by females. However, there was no clear distinction between work and leisure. Activities such as dancing,
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Password and hacking under the privcy issues Research Paper
Password and hacking under the privcy issues - Research Paper Example Hackers view the peopleââ¬â¢s privacy as an unknown intriguing matter, which has to be conquered. The hacking methods have kept up with the development of the various technologies meant to protect the privacy of the users and they have managed to violate them and gain access to oneââ¬â¢s personal information. A proof of their rapid development is that, according to the FBIââ¬â¢s National Computer Crimes Squad, 85 to 97 percent of computer intrusions are not detected. Moreover, only 19 % of the attacks are reported.1 Installing password for online accounts is one of these methods; in fact, it is the most popular one. No matter the nature of the accounts, whether it is an account in a social network, or an email account, installing passwords to it is the best that one can do in order to protect his/her account from uninvited curious ââ¬Å"guestsâ⬠. The objective of this paper is to analyze how violating oneââ¬â¢s account by cracking its password is regarded from the privacy ethical point of view. The paper shall present the legislative acts that tend to legally protect personal information from hackers and their practical application in the real life. The paper is divided into two chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to the history of hacking and its development. It will also describe the most common methods of password violation and the hackersââ¬â¢ point of view on this matter, under the privacy issues. The next chapter will describe the acts that are meant to protect personal information and guarantee oneââ¬â¢s privacy and their efficiency in application. Some popular law cases connected to password hacking will be described and analyzed. Most of us associate the activity of ââ¬Å"hackingâ⬠with illegal conduct, infringements and law violations. Of course, a hacker for us represents a law disobedient person, some kind of a rebel that instead of living his life normally chooses to spend days and nights in front of a computer and break into
Monday, September 23, 2019
IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
IT - Essay Example In order to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act it was decided to ensure that any data which might uniquely identify any patient would not be part of the study. The section of the form, which contained the patient's name, was used only for cross-referencing the accuracy of the data auto generated from the PAS. This was undertaken by a research student employed for the duration of the study. This detachable section was then shredded and discarded. The choice of variables reflects those used by the Royal College of Radiologists in its Re-audit of Radiotherapy Waiting Times 2003 report. It also ties in with the major audit undertaken by the Department annually. This will enable us to cross-reference and to align the data with a view to making recommendations for necessary improvements in the service. Data on overall waiting times will feed into the Department's annual report and incremental improvements in service. Waiting times by gender is part of a larger study into inequalities of access to the service. The Department wishes to identify whether there is any disparity and if so to determine cause, and remove it promptly. Limit to list - the Diagnosis, Dosage, Waiting List Status and Gender fields were limited to the prescribed coded choices. This method was chosen to further protect patient confidentiality in the event that the privacy of the data was compromised. 60 pat Data Verification Most of the data used in the survey was auto-generated from the PAS. Data was double checked against the PAS by the Research Assistant. Results 60 patients were treated during the study period. Compliance with completing and returning the forms was 100%. This accuracy was determined by cross-referencing the number of expected and completed treatments with the number of forms returned. The following findings were explicit from the dataset: There was no immediately apparent correlation between gender and wait time. The average weight time for all treatment types exceeded the good practice 30 minutes. There was no immediately apparent correlation between waiting list status and the amount of time patients spent in the department. Conclusions Implications for Patient care The less time patients spend in the Department, the more able the Department will be able to address some of the
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Nineteen Eighty-four and People Essay Example for Free
Nineteen Eighty-four and People Essay Imagine living in a world where politics are everything and all forms of individuality and personal identities are shattered. A world where everybody is stripped of their rights to talk, act, think, or even form their own opinions, simply because they do not agree with the governmentââ¬â¢s beliefs. These aspects are just a few of the examples of things dictators would have control over in a totalitarianism form of government. Aggressive leaders such as Hitler and Joseph Stalin are examples of such dictators. They used their power for terror and murder, and their motive is simply to maximize their own personal power. George Orwell had witnessed World War II, the fall of Hitler and Stalinââ¬â¢s dictatorships, and the fatal outcomes that have come from these governments. To warn future generations of the harsh effects of totalitarianism governments, he wrote the book Nineteen Eighty-Four. Published in 1946, Nineteen Eighty-Four describes life in a totalitarianism form of government, following the main character, Winston Smith, as he takes risks in discovering how he believes life should truly be. Literary critic Irving Howe states, ââ¬Å"Were it possible, in the world of 1984, to show human character in anything resembling genuine freedom it would not be the world of 1984â⬠(62). In Orwellââ¬â¢s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government uses its power to suppress individuality among the people. To begin, the author shows how the government abolishes individuality through the use of mind control. First of all, the creation of Newspeak restricts the individual from saying things that he/she wishes to say. More specifically, the task of the Partyââ¬â¢s philologists is to regulate the vocabulary and language of Oceania to ultimately be able to control the actions and behaviors of the people. Literary critic Stephen Ingle argues, ââ¬Å"The more vocabulary contracts, the more the Party will be able to control behaviorâ⬠(124). Since the Party has complete control over how the people can talk and what they are allowed to say, they ultimately have the power to control how they act. Through Newspeak, thoughtcrime will become impossible due to the fact that there will be no terms in which to express it. Furthermore, the Party asserts its control over the mind through doublethink. To begin, doublethink is an example of a thought process in which one simultaneously holds two contradictory beliefs while accepting both of them. For example, while in the Ministry of Love, Oââ¬â¢Brien uses doublethink to make Winston believe that he can float. Winston says, ââ¬Å"If he thinks he floats off the floor and I simultaneously think I see him do it, then it happensâ⬠(Orwell 278). Oââ¬â¢Brien cannot float, however through the use of doublethink Winston can say that it does happen. Moreover, the Party also uses thoughtcrime to regulate the peopleââ¬â¢s thoughts, speech, actions, and feelings towards the government. The Thought Police use psychology and surveillance such as hidden telescreens to discover cases of thoughtcrime and misbehavior. For instance, a telescreen hidden behind a picture on the wall in Winston and Juliaââ¬â¢s secret hideout is the reason they are caught in their illegal love affair. Winston describes, ââ¬Å"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: Thoughtcrime IS deathâ⬠(Orwell 27). Winston is saying that death is definite if one thinks badly about the government or disapproves of the governmentââ¬â¢s actions. Thus, due to telescreens, people are forced to keep an expression of optimism at all times; because any other emotion will be considered treason (Ingle 127). Consequently, individuality among the people is destroyed through mind control. In addition to mind control, Orwell also illustrates how the government strips the people of their personal identities though their control over reality. To begin, the party uses its power over Oceaniaââ¬â¢s history to eliminate all records of the past in order to create a future entirely dedicated to politics. Winston states, ââ¬Å"History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right. I know, of course, that the past is falsified, but it would never be possible for me to prove itâ⬠(Orwell 155). The Party has complete control over the history of Oceania, and they choose to delete any and all traces of the past, such as memories. Additionally, the Party uses their control over memories to minimize individuality in the people of Oceania. More specifically, the Party seeks to control the memory of the people because without memory, they cannot remember the past. They remove all documents and records of the past through their memory holes. It is oneââ¬â¢s memories that keep the past existing and that shape their lives (Ingle 123). The Party succeeds in abolishing the past by restricting the memories of the people. Moreover, the government reduces individuality with their perceptions of logic. In Oceania, whatever the Party says is correct is correct. If one does not agree with what the Party says, he/she is considered insane; a flaw in the system. To explain, when Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love, they torture him-physically and emotionally to make him accept the logic of the Party. Powerful party member Oââ¬â¢Brien explains to Winston that their logic is correct, regardless of what Winston knows is right. Oââ¬â¢Brien implores, ââ¬Å"Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become saneâ⬠(Orwell 207). Oââ¬â¢Brien is saying that the government has the ability to alter aspects of their lives that Winston knows are the real thing; however he has no choice but to accept them. He is considered ââ¬Å"insaneâ⬠because he knows what is right and what is wrong and is hesitant to believe that the Partyââ¬â¢s logic is true. Noted critic Stephen Ingle implies, ââ¬Å"Winston conjectures that in the end the Party would declare that two plus two made five and the individual would be required to believe itâ⬠(122). In the future, there will be no other types of logic other that what the Party deems to be true. Thus, the government uses its power to control all aspects of reality for the people of Oceania. Equally important to mind control and reality, Orwell also shows how the governmentââ¬â¢s control over the peopleââ¬â¢s emotions suppresses their individuality. To begin, the Party extinguishes all forms of pure love among the people. More specifically, if two people wish to get married, they must be approved. If they wish to marry out of love and affection, they will be denied. In the eyes of the Party, marriage must be handled like business-only to produce offspring that will be loyal to them. Winston implores, ââ¬Å"But you could not have pure love or pure lust nowadays. No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatredâ⬠(Orwell 105). Every aspect of the peopleââ¬â¢s lives in Oceania is robotic and systematic, there are no true emotions. Similarly to the Partyââ¬â¢s control over love, they also control sex between the people. To explain, the Party believes that there should not be any pleasure from sex; it should only be used in order to reproduce. The people who are faithful to the party transform their sexual energy into political hysteria (Howe 65). All of their energy goes towards the Two Minutes Hate and their hatred for Big Brother in order to bring some form of unity amongst them. Furthermore, the Party also uses emotional torture to abolish individuality. To justify, when Winston is in the Ministry of Love, he endures not only physical torture but psychological torture as well. He says, ââ¬Å"In the end the nagging voices broke him down more completely than the boats and fists of the guardsâ⬠(Orwell 200). The emotional torture from the questioning Winston undergoes wears him down and makes him into a mouth that simply utters what he believes they want to hear. The questioners transform him into something that is not even human anymore- merely just a robot. Literary expert Stephen Ingle argues that ââ¬Å"the right and capacity to form oneââ¬â¢s own judgment on external eventsâ⬠¦a full emotional life, a private world into which one could retire: those were the bastions of identity which Winston Smith sought to defendâ⬠(127). Winston is the last individual with knowledge of things outside of what the Party believes to be moral, and eventually he is stripped from that title and made into one of the other brain-washed citizens of Oceania. Consequently, the Party uses emotional torture to suppress individuality among the people. Hence, the government in Orwellââ¬â¢s Nineteen Eighty-Four has been proven to use their power to strip the citizens of their individuality. For instance, the Party uses their control to take over the minds of the people and restrict what they can/cannot say or do. Also, they have the power to control all records of the past, memories, and the logic they have placed in their society. If that is not enough, the Party also controls their emotions, regulates sex, and forces emotional torture among them to force their logic into their brains. Orwell is ââ¬Å"trying to present the kind of world in which individuality has become obsolete and personality a crimeâ⬠(Howe 62). Ultimately, if a society allows a dictatorship in which one person or a group of people have all the power over the citizens, the society will transform into an individualized group of robots.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Personal Ethics Statement Essay Example for Free
Personal Ethics Statement Essay My personal ethical viewpoint has become clearer after coming down to the final days of class. I have learned a lot in this past nine weeks. I havenââ¬â¢t developed any blind spots in being ethical in certain situations, but some people do have blind spots and they do not even realize it. My ethical lens reflects on my core values which are extremely respectful in every way, I always take the time to ask myself questions to evaluate if it is unethical or not. I would have to say my strengths are always considering everyone elseââ¬â¢s feelings and their outlook on what they believe in when coming down to proper ethics. I always take the time to think, if I say a certain thing will this affect someone else in a negative way, I am always respectful even if it is hard to do. My weakness is that sometimes I let my feelings get in the way if someone makes an unethical comment, these tend to always offend me. I feel as if I can explain proper ethics to this said person and show them how using proper ethics has a great deal of benefits. I also trust reasonable systems to solve most problems instead of trying to do it myself. My values include my family, friends, my job, and using proper ethics when it comes to important situations. My behaviors are always carefully thought out with the up most respect when coming into view with using proper ethics. How might you use your personal ethics to determine a course of action? The way I would use my personal ethics to determine a course of action is first, I would try to weigh out the positive and negatives of any situation. Mainly on what is the right thing to do, could I live with the guilt in making a decision that is unethical? I always think what if it was me, is this decision going to affect someone elseââ¬â¢s feelings? Will this be something that affects someone elseââ¬â¢s outlook on my ethics? I always use my ethics to determine the right decision, not the one that has a negative outcome.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Parent Teacher Behavior
Parent Teacher Behavior The correlation of a good parent and teacher relationship Parents and teachers constitute two of the most important information sources of young childrens social skills. However, Parents and teachers often are very influential adults in childrens lives, and thus they can provide important perspectives and information concerning childrens behavior. Parents are unique compared to other adults in that they often have observed their childrens behavior across time and across diverse situations. It declared that parents often are aware of subtleties in their childrens behavior and are able to observe them in different contexts, and, therefore, they should be included in the assessment of their children. Inclusion of mothers, fathers, and teachers as assessors allows for comparisons regarding their agreement about childrens behavior across situations with consideration of physical location as well as with sensitivity to differential behavioral values. (Mouly, 2000) In research it has been found that teachers benefit from involvement with parents. Teachers who had high involvement with parents indicated that they were more proficient in instructional and professional activities, devoted more time to instruction, and maintained better parent relationships than did teachers who had little contact with parents. As a result of these reciprocal benefits of parent-teacher relationships, others have encouraged the use of home school collaboration programs to help modify childrens academic and social behavior in school. (Slavin, 2005) Parents play an important role in an exceptional childs life and must inform teachers of their special conditions since no two children are alike. (Mouly, 2000) Teachers can be very helpful in supporting a childs treatment once parents inform them about the disorder. Parents can provide information to the teachers and school personnel about their childs medication or other special needs. From here, teachers can provide parents with occasional progress reports. Even if a child is not active at school, teachers should be informed that treatment can improve the childs ability to learn. However, misunderstandings between student, parent and teacher are common, but can be lessened with early communication between parent and teacher. The first contact between parent and teacher should be made before problems arise with the student. Parents can get involved in school activities in many ways, they can assist teachers with class once a week, volunteer to talk to the class on a particular topic, help with field trips or donate supplies for special events or projects. Some techniques that have effectively been used when working with parents of exceptional students are as follows, effective use of home liaisons, teachers who go on visits with home liaisons to enhance communication between school and parents, treating the parents with respect, encouraging their continued assistance with their childs education, and complimenting them on participation in their childs education. Some other suggestions for improvements that could be made are, training parents specifically in their roles in Individual Education Plans and School Evaluation Teams; obtaining through interviews and observations, viewpoints and feelings of parents; communication through media forms (announcements about appropriate meetings); guest speakers for parent meetings who would give in depth training concerning parental rights, early intervention, and transition plans; all teachers should be required to make personal contact with parents even if there is no apparent intervention neede d, this will keep the door of communication open; activities taught at school that would have a parent participation component included at home. It is very important that teachers help the parents of exceptional children to learn their rights. (OCD, 2005) Some of these parents dont know them at all and some only know bits and pieces that seem misconstrued. Teachers are required to have the parents sign their parental rights at all the meetings with the Diagnostician that would be concerning the childs education. It would be helpful for the parents to know and understand what they are signing for them to feel more comfortable. Most parents are kind of scared to sign things that they are unsure about, and then they are tense and unable to really make the best decisions about their child. (Slavin, 2005) In conclusion, I feel that working with parents of exceptional students will cause a mix of emotions. You are required to be on your toes at all times and they expect you to know everything, but as long as you treat them with respect and follow the simple guidelines from this paper, you shouldnt have a problem. You just have to keep in mind that you are teaching their pride and joy exceptionalities and all. References Mouly, G. (2000). Psychology for effective teaching. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. OCD Resource Center, (n.d.). Child adolescent ocd. Retrieved Mar. 20, 2005. Slavin, B. (2000). Learners with exceptionalities. Ford, D. (1996, Aug 05). Good parent-teacher relationship benefits children. College ofAgriculture and Home Economics, Retrieved Mar 20, 2005 Jones, D. (1997, Mar ), Working with navajo parents of exceptional children. Communication is the key. Retrieved Mar. 20, 2005, from Children, Youth and Family Establishing a parent-teacher relationship. (1998).
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Jesse Jackson vs. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :: American History Racism Essays
Jesse Jackson vs. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are three ways to feel towards racism: accept it, hate it or be neutral. However, according to Jesse Jackson in his essay ââ¬Å"Jets of Water Blast Civil Rights Demonstratorsâ⬠and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his ââ¬Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jailâ⬠there are only two feelings, for it or against it. They both use the acts of oppression in Birmingham to instigate their feelings. The disparity, though, is that Dr. King experienced the oppressive acts first hand, while Jackson gains passion on the incidents from pictures. Jackson and King share a similar side of extreme anti-segregation, but differ in the way acts of oppression affect them and in their views of who holds the power to control these acts. Pictures to Jesse Jackson are more than just images on a page. In his essay Jackson refers to a picture where innocent kids are being hosed down because of their race. Jackson believes pictures like these made people want to fight back. He feels this particular picture ââ¬Å"made the determination of the African-Americans publicâ⬠(Jackson 333). The other result of the picture was it left no middle area. There was no place for neutrality on the matter and as a result two positions remained: support of segregation or disapproval of it. Jackson goes on to mention the general importance of pictures. He generalizes that pictures are more powerful than words because they ââ¬Å"live in oneââ¬â¢s memoryâ⬠(334). The picture of the hosed children is why Jackson feels so strongly against separation. This photograph gives him the passion to speak, and when he speaks, he speaks pictures. Dr. King on the other hand finds experience creates passion and determination a gainst segregation. He speaks with emotion in his letter, giving a whole paragraph of detailed reasons why he and others feel the way they do. King mentions that it is easy for those who have not suffered from ââ¬Å"the stinging darts of segregationâ⬠to take an inactive role in stopping segregation. King experiences its harshness and cruelties and wishes to take an active role: ââ¬Å"When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and your fathers at willâ⬠¦then you will understand why we find it difficult to waitâ⬠(King).
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Depression: A Mental Health Condition Essay -- mental and emotional he
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health related situations and events that impact a community (McKenzie, Pinger, & Kotecki, 2008). A common state that impacts a community is depression. Depression is a mental health condition that affects people of all ages. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (2011), depression is described by a state of sadness and hopelessness. Some symptoms of depression include no interest in daily activities, fatigue, inability to perform daily tasks, loss of appetite, and thoughts of suicide (CDC, 2011). There are two main forms of depression. The two types are dysthymia and major depression (CDC, 2011). Dysthymia is a type of depressive disorder that usually continues up to two years. This type of depression is of "low-grade mood impairment" which does not have a severe and long-lasting impairment on an individual's moods (CDC, 2011, para. 5). The population that is most affected by dysthymia are children and adolescents. Many who suffer from dysthymia can develop a more serious form of depression, which is major depression (CDC, 2011). The symptoms related to major depression include restlessness, difficulty concentrating on daily activities, feeling of helplessness, decreased energy, attempts and thoughts of suicide. The most serious consequence of major depression is suicide (CDC, 2011; NIMH, 2011). As stated by the CDC, "depression poses a substantial burden globally-" (CDC, 2011, para. 2). Friends and family of a person suffering from depression are also affected. Relationships amongst an individual and their supported networks diminishes as the individual suffering from depression withdraws from society and becomes isolated (CDC, 2011, para. 2... ...ental Health. (2011). Depression. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/health/publications/depression/index.shtml National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Depression in children and adolescents [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-in-children-and-adolescents/index.shtml Riolo, S. A., Nguyen, T. A., Greden, J. F., & King, C. A. (2005). Prevalence of depression by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national health and nutrition examination survey III. American Journal of Public Health, 95(6), 998-1000. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (2011). Depression. (NIH publication no. 11-3561). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/index.shtml
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Racism in Brazil
Introduction Racial disparity and discrimination is not a new concept to any nation. In fact, many were built on the back of slave labor, whether the slaves were indigenous peoples or imported bodies. While many nations have undertaken measures to overcome racial disparity, others have encouraged racial democracy. Brazil, a modern and industrialized nation, suffers from racial discrimination based on their position in the world economy and built on the Ideology of the past.History Brazier's history is rife with racism and slavery, dating back to Its discovery by Pedro Allover Cabal In 1500. Brazil was originally settled with the Intention of harvesting Broadloom. However, over time the profits from that were supplanted by sugar, Brazil became the leading producer of sugar In the Atlantic world. The production of all these exports meant cheap labor was needed. During this time, the Portuguese were sending between 4,000 and 5,000 slaves per year to Brazil from Angola and West Africa: b y the 18th century, one million slaves had been imported (117).The continually shifting landscape meant that Brazier's exports continued to shift. By the time the 1 9th century came around, Brazier's major export was coffee as sugar reduction had shifted to the Caribbean Islands. The continued influx of European slaves and citizens resulted in an uneven population. European labor was generally more skilled and slowly began to overtake slave labor. Around this same time, the abolition of slavery happened in 1888, resulting in a decline in the slave population.By 1888, it was estimated that only a half-million people were slaves, compared to the one-and-a-half million slaves in 1872 (117). This is in part due to the fact that the coffee production process became more and more elaborate, requiring those with pesticides skills to take over. Coffee production soon fell into the hands of a wave of European immigrants, not freed slaves (122). The slaves that were freed often became vagrant s, homeless, Jobless and penniless (Roach, ââ¬Å"Analysis: Brazier's ââ¬Ëracial democracyâ⬠). The history of Brazil continues to inform the current day Brazil.The current day population of Brazil tops 160 million, with about half of that being black. Yet, the black population is nearly absent from all levels of power, meaning ââ¬Å"government, congress, senate, the Judiciary, the higher ranks of the civil service and he armed forcesâ⬠(Roach, ââ¬Å"Analysis: Brazier's ââ¬Ëracial democracyâ⬠). In 1999, the Minority Rights Group International reported that ââ¬Å"black and mixed race Brazilian still have higher Infant mortality rates, fewer years of schooling, higher rates of unemployment, and earn less for the same work.Black men are more likely to be shot or arrested as crime suspects, and when found guilty, get longer sentencesâ⬠(Roach, ââ¬Å"Analysis: Brazier's ââ¬Ëracial democracyâ⬠). Racism Persists There are many theories as to why racism continues to persist In modern day Brazil. One thing to look at Is their placement wealth the greater world economy. 22). When the Portuguese settled Brazil, they created a line of trade that focused on Portuguese and the plantation owners became very wealthy, all at the expense of the nearly three million black and mulatto slaves.A truly capitalist world is one that where each countries worth is weighed in terms of their strengths (military, trade, financial, production) and what they can contribute. A superpower such as the United States is naturally more diverse, which means that tolerance and racism are not tolerated as easily in modern day society. Core countries are those that have the retreat strengths and the peripheral countries are the ones that are expendable. Phillips says ââ¬Å"the peripheral countries were exploited by the core, and ââ¬Ësemi peripheral' countries were exploited by the core and exploited peripheral countries.The relations between these three geopoli tical units are ones built on inequality' (122). Phillips goes on to say that ââ¬Å"similar to the inequality that can be seen in a class system within a country, this template is now spread around the globe to view inequality on a world scaleâ⬠(122). In other words, Brazil is treated with discrimination based on their trade abilities and overall contribution. This has trickled down so that individuals are also being treated with the same discrimination.It is also important to note that ââ¬Å"racism is fundamentally rooted in processors class structures, historically shifting modes of production, distribution, and consumption, and increasingly, in the unequal exchanges that tie local political economies to the global processes of capitalismâ⬠(Phillips 122). Brazier's history of racial prejudice and discrimination has established a mode of living and ideology that persists to this day. It would be too easy to blame slavery on the world economy, but it is safe to say tha t he capitalist world economy has helped perpetuate racial prejudice and discrimination.Slavery existed long before profit was exchanged for labor. As Brazil has grown, ââ¬Å"the means to social mobility after emancipation was closely guarded by the Brazilian white ruling class, who allowed for a pool of relatively less expensive labor consisting mainly of Brazilian natives and other European immigrantsâ⬠(122). The influx of cheap European labor resulted in the black and mulatto population being pushed aside. After Brazil abolished slavery, the ex-slaves were left with two hoicks: work under the same conditions as when they were slaves or Join the masses of unemployed (Phillips 122).They had additional challenges; they were competing with native Brazilian and European immigrants for a limited number of jobs where the new economic order was wage labor (122). Racism played a major role after the emancipation of the slaves as many of the ex-slaves were discriminated against in t he free Job market. While the shift has been to the detriment of blacks and mulattos, racism has not helped the white population of Brazil (123). Despite the racism running rampant, there is no black movement in Brazil. There is seemingly no racial tension or conflict.Blacks that live in Salvador, who make up 80% of the population, say they feel safer in that environment than they do in the US (Roach, ââ¬Å"Analysis: Brazier's ââ¬Ëracial democracy'). It is speculated that this is because appearances matter more in Brazil than heritage. In the US, one drop of black ancestry means you are black, while in Brazil, if you appear white, you are perceived as white (Roach, ââ¬Å"Analysis: Brazier's ââ¬Ëracial democracy'). It can also be noted that the US has a history of violent racism where oppressed populations were treated harshly. Those past grievances have not been forgotten, and in some cases, not forgiven freedom.It would seem as though the US operates under a shadow of racis m, attempting to sweep it under the rug and pretend that equality is real. Brazil does not operate under such false pretenses. Racism is alive and acknowledged. As of the 2010 census, 51% of Brazil identifies itself as black or brown. The government estimates that the income of white Brazilian is more than double that of black or brown Brazilian and that blacks are at a distinct disadvantage in relation to education and access to healthcare (ââ¬Å"Brazilian 2010 Census Highlights Racism Problemâ⬠). The racial divide in Brazil is based on a social pyramid.Many will argue that the black community is poor because class, not race, stratifies their society. However, there are many that would disagree. According to Mario Theodore, an activist for social equality believes that ââ¬Å"slavery legacy of injustice and inequality can only be reversed by affirmative action policies, of the kind found in the United Statesâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). Yet, it i s also fair to note that in the US, there are many of different races that are in positions of great power and that social class is often dictated by wealth.The history of the US supports the advancement of the white race, but progress is showing that race is beginning to take a backseat to skill set and overall acumen. In Brazil, the race line is well drawn. Most of those in the public eye, such as TV news anchors, doctors, dentists, fashion models, and lawyers are all white. The majority of black and mulatto's are working in the ââ¬Å"blue collarâ⬠trade, often deemed the unskilled labor pool. The salary disparity is even more telling. By 2011, the average black or brown worker was earning of what the average white worker made (ââ¬Å"Brazilian 2010 Census Highlights Racism Problemâ⬠).Statistics do not differentiate between gender, only race, though it can be assumed that the same problem occurs between gender lines. Affirmative Action Brazil, once considered a ââ¬Å"r acial democracy' is fighting hard to shed that moniker. Racial democracy, in relation to Brazil, is defined as the thought that compared to other nations; racism was actually very minimal in Brazil (Tells, ââ¬Å"Discrimination and Affirmative Action in Brazilâ⬠). However, today, most Brazilian concur that Brazil is victim to racial prejudice and discrimination.Blacks and mulattos are the major cities of widespread police violence and often earn half the income of their white counterparts. In addition, television and advertising portray Brazilian society as one that is almost entirely white (Tells, ââ¬Å"Discrimination and Affirmative Action in Brazilâ⬠). This is because the working class and elite are almost entirely white, so the melting pot of races exists only in the working class and poor. According to Antonio Riser's, a sociologist, ââ¬Å"It's clear that racism exists in the US. It's clear that racism exists in Brazil.But they are different kinds of racismâ⬠( ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). He continues to argue that the racism itself is nefarious and veiled, unlike the racism that used to run rampant in the US. In Brazil, there was never a UK Klux Klan or enforced segregation or even a ban on interracial marriage (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). Affirmative action is often put into place to attempt to create a racially diverse atmosphere. Most often this is in correlation to the workplace where employers do not discriminate based on race, gender, or religious affiliation.In Brazil, the new affirmative action can be most notably seen in the university setting. By 2008 almost 50% of Brazilian universities have a race-based affirmative action attend a university, students were required to pass a standardized test. Now, leading universities are mandated to allow a fixed percentage of nonwhite students to attend. In addition, they have quotas for indigenous peoples and for the disabled (Tells, ââ¬Å"Dis crimination and Affirmative Action in Brazilâ⬠). Even though affirmative action was put in place to help, it is not without controversy.Those that oppose the policies include ââ¬Å"much of the media, private school students, their parents and the schools themselves, scholars and artists who alee the racial democracy ideal and even black students who believe in meritocracy' (Tells, ââ¬Å"Discrimination and Affirmative Action in Brazilâ⬠). They maintain that affirmative action does nothing to further racial equality; instead, it merely promotes racial equality without any substance. In addition, many academics are fighting against affirmative action in schools and campaigning against quotas.They argue that enforcing affirmative action is, in itself, inherently an act of racism. It divides people into arbitrary color categories; a feat, which is not as easy as it seems nice much of Brazil, is a country of mixed race (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). They a lso argue that it undermines the equality of the admissions process, even though in the past, nepotism and whom you know have been the quickest routes to advancement (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠).Despite these arguments, studies have shown that many of the ââ¬Å"quotaâ⬠students are performing academically as well or better than their white counterparts. This can be attributed to the fact that many of those white students were admitted because they had the means and money to prepare for the entrance exam (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). The next target is the labor market, a place where affirmative action could show positive benefits. In the United States, only 12% of the population is black, yet we have a black president, numerous black politicians and millionaires.In contrast, Brazil has a limited number of black people in positions of power. Because of this, some private sector companies are making racial diversity a requirement in th eir recruiting process (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). But again, the same problem occurs that showed up in the university setting. Just because a person is off different race does not mean they are qualified for the Job at hand. It often follows that work production and quality decline because employers are hiring based on color, not skill level.Unlike the US, affirmative action in Brazil is being done in a very Brazilian way. There is little to no government interference or enforcement. Universities and private companies are making their own policies. The Supreme Court is involved, but is slow to act in hopes that society will figure out their own issues (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). Society is moving fast though. Businesses and advertisers are now targeting black populations, but changing the minds of the consumer sector is n easy task compared to changing the mindset of racism ingrained after years and years of overt racism.Many Brazilia n assume that blacks and browns belong on the bottom of the social ladder, making the push for proactive change difficult (ââ¬Å"Race in Brazil: Affirming a Divideâ⬠). Solution? In order for Brazil to pull down the racial divide and move beyond racial democracy, the boundaries between black and white need to be weakened. There is but despite this, the racial division is not nearly as rigid as they are in the US. An interesting note is that most Brazilian perceive their culture to be an example how ace and culture can coexist peacefully.Despite this somewhat astonishing claim, it is still believed that 90% of the white population is prejudiced against the black and mulatto population. However, their idea of racism differs greatly from person to person so it is difficult to Judge what this really means. In a recent event in Brazil, a six-year-old boy was kicked out of a pizza polar supposedly for the color of his skin. According to the restaurant manager, he mistook the young bo y as a local street boy. The boys parents have since then filed a complaint with the local police department ND are also considering taking legal actions.This story launched a huge race-debate in Brazil (Phillips ââ¬Å"Does Brazil Have a Race Problemâ⬠). While stories like this continue to gain traction, it is hard to figure out where Brazil goes from here. Affirmative action plans seem like a step in the right direction, but that will not be enough to change 500 years in ingrained behavior. Brazil will need a complete economic and social shift if it wishes to eradicate racism. If the US is a learning curve, Brazil has a lot of work to do, and so does the US when it comes down to reality. ConclusionMany people around the world see Brazil as a country full of racial diversity where racism Just simply does not exist, where as others claims Brazil suffers from invisible racism where blacks earn less, live less, and are educated less. Although blacks make up for most of the popula tion in Brazil they are still grossly under-represented in higher education, media, and politics. The continued racial divide will only be removed when government and individuals work together to not only acknowledge the problem, but find a way to move above and beyond racism and look at the individual for the value, not their skin color.
Monday, September 16, 2019
History of Aluminum Essay
Aluminum as a metal came to its existence only 200 years ago. However, Dmitry Eskin noted that almost 2000 years ago, Pleny the Elder ââ¬Å"mentions a strange, light, and silvery metal in his Historia Naturalis which might indicate that aluminum may have been discovered accidentally and then forgottenâ⬠(Eskin 2008, p. 1). Citing the work of Pleny the Elder, Eskin puts it: ââ¬Å"One day a gold smith in Rome was allowed to show the Emperor Tiberius a dinner plate of a new metal. The plate was very light, and almost as bright as silver. The goldsmith told the Emperor that he had made the metal from plain clay. He also assured the Emperor that only he, himself, and the gods knew how to produce these metal from clay. The emperor felt immediately, however, that all his treasures of gold and silver would decline in value if people started to produce this bright metal of clay. Therefore, instead of giving the goldsmith the regard expected, he ordered him to be beheadedâ⬠(p. 1). The existence of this young metal was established by an Englishman H.à Davy in 1808 which he called ââ¬Å"aluminium,â⬠but this name was later changed to Aluminum (USA). Thus, both aluminium (U. K. ) and aluminum continues to be use to call this metal. Nevertheless, it was not until 1825 that pure aluminum was extracted by the Dane N. C. Oerested, though actually, he was only able to produce tiny amounts. Eskin pointed out that between 1827 and 1845, the German F. Wohler ââ¬Å"developed the first process to produce aluminum powder by reacting potassium with anhydrous aluminum chlorideâ⬠(p. ). It was also Wohler who determined some physical properties of aluminum such as its density which according to Eskin, ââ¬Å"appeared to be the most remarkable characteristic of the new metalâ⬠(p. 1). Citing the description of Jules Verne about this newly discovered metal in his ââ¬Å"From the Earth to the Moonâ⬠in 1865, Verne wrote: ââ¬Å"This valuable metal possesses the whiteness of silver, the indestructibility of gold, the tenacity of iron, the fusibility of copper, the lightness of glass. It is easily wrought, is very widely distributed, forming the base of most rocks, is three times lighter than iron, and seems to have been created for the purpose of furnishing us with the material for our projectileâ⬠(p. 2) By 1854, a French chemist by the name of Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville improved the method used by Wohler which facilitated the aluminum commercial production that resulted to the dropping of price from approximately $1200 per kilogram in 1852 to just about forty dollars per kilogram in 1859. But aluminumââ¬â¢s price remained costly for voluminous use. Not long when Charles Martin Hall discovered an inexpensive method for the aluminum production. Mary Bellis noted that extracting pure aluminum was not easy as it is never found free in nature. This difficulty made aluminum a precious metal during this period, but with Martin hallââ¬â¢s invention of aluminum processor which was patented in 1888 had made aluminum processing easy that brought aluminum price down to an even lower at eighteen cents a pound (Bellis, Mary). According to the American society for metals, aluminum is the most ââ¬Å"abundant metal in the earthââ¬â¢s crustâ⬠(ASM, ASM International Handbook Committee 1990, p. 35) was a development of this century. It derives its name from the Latin alumen meaning bitterness. The ASM International stated that aluminum was first exhibited in 1855, but it was difficult to obtain during this period that it was more expensive than gold. During this time, companies producing aluminum had difficulty attracting buyers due to its high cost at $2 a pound. It was only after one manufacturer discovered, it made good, inexpensive tea kettles that the price declined at cents a pound, and by the 1900 it was down to 32 cents per pound (p. 35). Production of aluminum however, was low until World War II, but in 1963, the aluminum industry which was undreamed of during the 1900, employed 35, 970 people in 951 plants with payroll of $221, 567,000. Thus in the first seven months of 1968 alone, more than 412,000 Mg (450 tons) of aluminum were cast in the United States. John Gilbert Kaufman and Elwin L. Rooy pointed out that the first important market for aluminum were the castings following the commercialization of the Hall-Heroult electrolytic reduction process (p. 1). Kaufman and Rooy stressed that at first application were merely ââ¬Å"limited to curiosities such as house numbers, hand mirrors, combs, brushes, tie clamps, and decorative lamp housings that emphasized the light weight, silvery finish, and novelty of the new metalâ⬠(p. 1). Furthermore, Kaufman and Rooy cited that cast aluminum cookware was invented and was a welcome alternative to cast iron and brass pots, pans, and kettles (p. ). As the production of aluminum increases, its cost steadily declined, and by the end of the 19th century, ââ¬Å"important engineering application became economically viableâ⬠(p. 1). From this point onward, the use of aluminum in some industry features prominently. Kaufman and Rooy stated that the use of aluminum played important role electrification. Aluminum was well suited to the electrification demand of a low-density, corrosion resistant, and high-conductivity wire and cable. Aluminum was also suited to transmission towers and cast installation hardware, and was also in demand to automotive pioneers who ââ¬Å"sought innovative materials and product forms to differentiate the performance and appearance of their productsâ⬠(Kaufman & Rooy, p. 1). More importantly, Kaufman and Rooy noted that when the Wright Brothers succeeded in powerful flight, engine and other parts in cast aluminum ââ¬Å"represented the beginning of a close collaboration with what would become the aviation industryâ⬠(p. 1). The earliest design rules for aluminum structures according to Randolph Kissell and Robert L.à Ferry were developed at Alcoa around 1930 and were used ââ¬Å"to design the aluminum deck and floor beams installed on the Smithfield street Bridge in Pittsburg in 1933 (Ferry 2002, p. 217). After the publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers of an article entitled ââ¬Å"Specification for Structures of a Moderate Strength Aluminum Alloy of High Resistance to Corrosionâ⬠in 1952 and similar other publications in 1956, major aluminum producers led by Alcoa as the number aluminum producer, followed by Reynolds and Kaiser began to developed structural design books for their product (Kissel & Ferry, p. 17). From this point on, aluminum has become important components of the construction manual series which included the following: Section 1: Specifications for aluminum structures; section 1A: Commentary on Specifications for Aluminum Structure; section 2 Illustrative Examples of Designs; Section 3: Engineering Data for Aluminum Structures; and, section 5: Specification for Aluminum Sheet Metal Work in Building Construction (p. 18). From its humble beginnings, the use of aluminum has evolve from simple curiosities such as house numbers, combs, pins, and other small items made from aluminum, to become an important material in almost business industries from automotive to aero space industry, to construction industry. Below is a classification table for aluminum which characterizes its description and its properties.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Soron Case
1. In this case, it is estimated that there are 9 million residential pools in the U. S. The average length of pool usage is 5 months, from May to September, with less people swimming in cold weather from October to April. The majority of chemicals are used during these warm months, but only 25% of these people use chemicals and clarifiers regularly. That being said there are only around 2,250,000 pools that use clarifiers regularly (9,000,000*. 25). From this number, it can be concluded that the maximum reasonable marketing revenue for residential pools is roughly $52,309,152 (39. 06*2,250,000*. 25*14. 8/25) based on the manufacturer price of Coracle. Coracle's main competitors, Keystone Chemical, Jackson Laboratories, and Kymera each possess 15%-20% of the market share, leaving 40%-55% of the market share to Coracle and other smaller competitors. If you factor in Coracle's three main competitors along with the many other smaller-scale suppliers, it can be suggested that roughly 15% of the market share is what Coracle needs to address. It can then be concluded that the addressable market size for Coracle is around $7,846,373 (. 15*52,309,152). I would conclude from the above analysis that the first year goal of $1. million in sales is reasonable for Coracle. If you divide the addressable market size of $7,846,373 by 5 (5 months of average pool usage), it comes to around $1. 57 million, only slightly higher than the target $1. 5 million. 2. One of the reasons Soren Chemical is struggling to sell Coracle is because it is new to developing a brand and relatively inexperienced with marketing to wholesalers, retailers, pool services and consumers. This inexperience has led to miscommunication in its marketing channels, causing only 30% of consumers who inquired about Coracle to actually receive the information regarding the product.Also 70% of consumers stated that Coracle was not even offered by their distributers. These issues clearly point to the fact that Soren Chemical's inexperience is affecting sales and preventing it from communicating the benefits of Coracle to the consumer. Also the distribution channel structure Soren has to go through might also have a negative effect on sales. The distributor and retailer demand a 30% and 15% gross margin, increasing Soren's price from $14. 88 per unit to $25 per unit. Consumers find this inconvenient and expensive. 3.In order to determine the highest price Soren can set for Coracle along with how Coracle can be priced relative to consumers, the actual worth to end-users must be considered. One way to estimate the worth to end-users would be to calculate the annual EVC of Coracle. This can be done by using the annual cost of a substitute as the reference value and adding it to the differentiation value of the two products. One substitute, ClearBlu, has an annual cost of $56. 25, the reference value. Coracle reduces the need for chlorine, treatments, and enzymes, and for pool owners and reduces th eir annual chemical cost by 20%-30%, for an average of 25%.ClearBlu reduces the annual cost of chemicals for pool owners by 15%, making the increase in savings by using Coracle 10%. The annual chemical cost excluding clarifiers is $300. Thus the annual EVC of Coracle is $56. 25+. 1*300=$86. 25. 4. Coracle should initially adopt a push strategy because it is a new brand and possesses low brand loyalty and awareness. A push strategy would create awareness among consumers and expose the product to them. A push strategy would also encourage distributors to stock their shelves with the product.According to the study, only 25% of consumers use clarifiers regularly and understand their benefits. This displays a low involvement in the purchasing decision of consumers and further proves that push strategy would be more beneficial for Coracle. Conversely, Coracle could also adopt a pull strategy and focus more time and money on communicating the value of the product to the consumer. This woul d be done through advertisements and raising brand awareness. However, such an expenditure would be costly and time consuming, making a push strategy appear to be more efficient.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Analysis of ââ¬ÅMusic and Lyricsââ¬Â Essay
ââ¬Å"Music and Lyricsâ⬠revolved around the relationship that was formed between Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), former 80s pop star, and Sophia Fisher (Drew Barrymore), Alexââ¬â¢s plant keeper and a copywriter for her familyââ¬â¢s weight loss center. More than anything else, Alex was portrayed as a washed-up 80s pop star who had nothing left in his career but a bunch of country fair and amusement park performances definitive of a ââ¬Å"nostalgia circuitâ⬠as well as a few high school reunions here and there (Moviefone 2007). He had another chance to becoming somebody in the music industry as pop diva Cora Corman commissioned him to write and record a duet with her (Moviefone 2007). This was under the pretense that he was going to write and compose a hit song for her in just a few days. This posed a problem for him because he had not actually composed anything for years and he found it hard to work with anyone else except for Colin, his former band mate from their group ââ¬Å"Pop. â⬠Colin was the one who got famous out of all the members of ââ¬Å"Pop. â⬠Sophie Fisher enters the scene as Alexââ¬â¢s substitute plant-keeper whom he recognized to have a natural flair for writing witty lyrics. He discovered her fear of committing to write again after a traumatic relationship with former professor and famous novelist Sloan Cates (Moviefone 2007). However, discovering that they had real chemistry writing the songs and off the job, they finally gave themselves the chance at love and success they way they never thought they deserved (Moviefone 2007). Protagonist Conflict They say that a movie is only as good as its storyââ¬â¢s problem, because the stronger the conflict, the more chance that would be generated into the energy of the movieââ¬â¢s screenplay (Whitcomb 2002). The moment the conflict appears that would be the time wherein the story has really begun until then that would be parts that are considered setup, background and exposition (Whitcomb 2002). Basically, the ââ¬Å"Conflict is the heart of the story in a very real sense; itââ¬â¢s what keeps it pumping, makes the blood race through its veins, and brings it to lifeâ⬠(Whitcomb 2002, p. 56). External Conflict began upon Alexââ¬â¢s realization that he was really an established has-been, although his reaction to this may be more of an internal conflict, how the world saw him served as an external one. Following the premise above, the story of this movie actually started when he was presented to be part of the show called ââ¬Å"Battle of the Has-Beens. â⬠The format of this show actually presented him in a comical light wherein people get to see the people who were stars before and are not stars anymore, thus the term ââ¬Å"has-beenâ⬠because they had been stars. If this announcement to world was not embarrassing enough, stars of the past had to battle it out in the boxing ring for another chance to perform before the audience. The show was not only demeaning; it portrays them as pathetic stars that missed the limelight so badly that they had to go through some great lengths of boxing with each other. It symbolized Alexââ¬â¢s stature in the industry, as a washed up pop singer. After such interview with the producers, Alex was faced with other realities such as show cancellation. He was given another realization how society found him replaceable and disposable. He show at Knots berry was cancelled, even as he considered it one of the biggest gigs he had since the fall of his stardom. It was this realization of publicââ¬â¢s perception that made Cora Corman, famous but eccentric pop star during that time, and her offer to Alex to compose a song for her an appealing deal. However, with this offer came high stakes because Cora had given Alex merely enough time to compose and to write the lyrics of a song for her in just a couple of days. When the dilemma of writing a song was addressed because of the presence of Sophie, another external conflict broke out as they found out how Cora wanted to do the song. Her treatment of the song was different from the sweet and witty love song Sophie and Alex initially had in mind. It was turned into something erotic and sexual more than being romantic. Sophie was appalled by it because she felt it was a destruction of the creative integrity of their work. During that time, she tried her hardest to fight against succumbing to what Cora wanted to do with the song. Being a first-time lyricist to work in the music industry, she appeared naive enough to put more pressure of Alex about changing the song back to how it was supposed to be. The final external conflict was the pressure for Alex to give in to the new treatment of the song, no matter how, farfetched it was from his original composition, only to have another chance to redeem him in the pop industry. On the other hand, the external conflict for Sophie was with this professor, Sloan Cates. He has been the one who had written about her in his novel and poked fun of everything she felt insecure about. The presence of the novel Sally Michaels has also brought Sophie shame, the same way Alex felt shame as his career also went down the drain. The mere arrogance of Sloan after Sophie and Alex confronted him, caused also much pain and shame for Sophie realizing that she still could not talk up to him after all those time. Internal The news that he was being considered in the ââ¬Å"Battle of Has-beensâ⬠was acceptable to Alex in the surface. But upon knowing that instead of performing, he was, asked to go there to box it out for a final song, and then it dawned on him just how low his career has gotten. Although, he would be the first one to admit he was a ââ¬Å"has-beenâ⬠there were certain areas in the film wherein he would feel the shame of it, like the high school reunion he performed at when he pulled a hip muscle and the time at the carnival wherein he did not want to do his last song anymore before Sophie encouraged him to do so. His battle with accepting his fate as a ââ¬Å"has-beenâ⬠was one thing, but there was also his fear of composing again and writing lyrics. The breakup of the band ââ¬Å"Popâ⬠for him was more devastating for him than he would than he would let people see. He tried to come up with his own solo album after the band broke up but he struggled to keep his pride after that was a flop. He also struggled internally with what he was going to do about the changes in the song. He wondered if he was going to walk away from the project like Sophie did or was he about to give up Sophie, a woman who had brought inspiration back to his life. Sophie had a lot of internal conflicts as well. She had to be forced to write the lyrics for Alexââ¬â¢s project because of how she struggled with Sloanââ¬â¢s fictional novel that was based on her life. She refused to write for him knowing she was not good enough. She did not acknowledge how she did not feel that way before the incident with Sloanââ¬â¢s novel that actually destroyed a part of who she was. She felt she was not good enough because of how her former professor had treated her, calling her a mimic and someone who without following the styles of her contemporary writers would have no creative genius of her own. She struggled to find her own creative self-worth after that. She also struggled when Cora had a different idea she had in mind about the treatment of ââ¬Å"A Way Back into Love,â⬠the song she and Alex created. She refused to get on with the project if it was like that. However, she felt Alexââ¬â¢s despair of seeing this as his last chance in the industry. She was torn between that and how she was furious about Alexââ¬â¢s inability to stand up for the integrity of their work. She was torn because she had feelings for Alex as well. Moral Component Much of the moral component found in the film laid in the fact that Alex and Sophie struggled to maintain the creative integrity of their work. It showed a ââ¬Å"behind-the-scenesâ⬠peak into the pressures of the business. It showcased how a work that is entirely different would make into something erotic and sensual in order to appeal to the public. Sophie was so appalled by this change in the song because the erotic version took away what the song actually stood for. She did not want Alex to make a comeback that did not reflect who he was. She wanted him to make one that actually displayed his sensitive and honest side. Both of them knew that the revised version of the song did nothing of that sort; nevertheless, Alex went ahead with it. Although, there was a falling away that took place between them, in the end, Alex did the right thing of maintaining the songââ¬â¢s original composition. He even got the chance to write a song of his own for Sophie as well. Another component laid in the fact that Alex stood up for Sophie when she could not do so for herself against Sloan. Their experience together had taught them much more than writing a new song but being able to see themselves for the worth that they had as people and as artists. It showed how even if in the past, they had been turned down and their talents did not seem good enough, it should not have defined them as people the way they allowed it to happen. It showed how other people, like music critics or famous novelists, cannot have that much power on them that they are constricted artistically. It is only when they had let go of baggage from the past and used all their pain to fuel their creativity that they were able to complete the song. Mise en Scene Mise-en-scene literally means ââ¬Å"put the sceneâ⬠in French and was a term used in theater (Kolker 2005). When used in film, it points towards the totality of the composition of the shot (Kolker 2005). It refers to the ââ¬Å"framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and general visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the compositionâ⬠(Kolker 2005). It is also the ââ¬Å"articulation of cinematic spaceâ⬠wherein space was used to help tell the story (Kolker 2005). The principle of cutting also falls under mise-en-scene as it determines what goes on in that particular space (Kolker 2005). In the movie ââ¬Å"Music and Lyrics,â⬠the shots followed a basic flow. It flowed from one scene to another. It did not have anything fancy or dramatic. It served as a basic canvas that reserved much of its charms to the actors and own presence on the screen. However, a lot of the shots were similar to music videos as the movie revolved around the music industry of the 80s and the present. The movie opened with a ââ¬Å"Popâ⬠music video that represented the 80s and soon showed a music video Cora Corman was shooting that represented popular music in the 21st century. When it came to framing, there were a few instances wherein they would be held at quite close or tighter shots to focus on the actors. The framing was basic shots to let the actorââ¬â¢s witty banter to shine more than anything else. Everything was kept to a minimal so as not to serve as a distraction as this film was mostly about the comedic script and the charm of the actors. There were also instances wherein the shot began from the television screen that overcomes the whole shot and there was a similar one that had an entire magazine cover of Cora taking up the whole shot. Such were done to establish how the movie had a pop theme and that such symbolisms represented the music industry, through MTV shows and teen magazines. There were also instances wherein they used old techniques like the shot panning from the wall to the actors or the frame actually panned through the fixtures of the apartment like the column inside the apartment. It was reminiscent of the old shots they use for movies that give it the old feel to it. The camera, the lenses, the lighting instruments and other tools are used photographically to create the feel, and to fulfill the vision of how the film should look like (LoBrutto 2002). In this case, the lighting of the film reflected the mood of the characters. There had been instances wherein Alex was not feeling very confident about himself wherein there was less light available on the screen. This can also be attributed to the street scene wherein it was dark outside. However, it was noticed again when he and Sophie were stuck on the lyrics of the song wherein it was also dark. There was also noticeable parts wherein the nice moments Alex had with Sophie were represented by soft bright lights that was reflected the warmth of Sophieââ¬â¢s persona. She always seemed like there was some glow to her every time she was in the scene. The light also played an important factor in terms of marking time. Since they only had a few days to finish the song, it showed how when it was dark again or morning again another day has passed by and they were closer to the deadline. It showed how they stayed up, pulling an all-nighter to finish the song. There were exaggerated lights used in the ââ¬Å"Popâ⬠music video as they way they did it in the 80s. It was in comparison with the more modern lights Cora had in the shooting of her music video. They were also red lights in Coraââ¬â¢s dressing room area that established her eastern inclinations. Cinematic tools do not only include skills in cinematography, sound and production design, it also includes editing (LoBrutto 2002). The editing for this movie was simple using cut-to-cut transitions that are widely used for television and movies to avoid distraction from other kinds of transitions. The production design includes the physical environment of the movie that would be constituted by the sets, the location (LoBrutto 2002). It also includes the costume designs as well as the hair and makeup required for the shot. This film called for a particular set design because of its reference to the music of the 80s. Since Alex was a member of the 80s pop band, ââ¬Å"Pop,â⬠there was a necessity to create the set of a 80s music video. The look was cheesy and over-the-top; they way they used to do it with red backgrounds and checkered black and white ones. Their costumes were also of the way they used to dress that was more on femininity of tuxedos they were wearing. Such outrageous costumes went together with the eye shadow and eyeliners that were descriptive of the style in that music generation. It was held in comparison to the modern style of music videos with Coraââ¬â¢s video. It showed more skin and the sex appeal was different as it was more erotic than the bubblegum love songs the ââ¬Å"Popâ⬠band had. Not that the context of Coraââ¬â¢s songs were deeper, they just presented pop in a more sexual manner. There were already dancers that backed her up and much use of the smoke machine. The other sets included Alexââ¬â¢s apartment that played a part in the story as Sophie wanted to move around the furniture in her hopes to get lyrics out of it. The major pieces of furniture that was important in telling the stories were the grand piano, the large couch chair and the plants that Sophie was drowning. A notable set that was created for this movie was the enormous Buddha on the stage designed for Coraââ¬â¢s concert. It was such an incredulous set that intentionally desperately tried to incorporate Coraââ¬â¢s Buddhist influence with her music even if it was not so relevant. Sound was a very important factor to this film because a large percentage of it was about musical performances. Most of the sound design for this film relied on staying true to the 80s theme with the songs that were used for this film like Pop Goes my Heart and the songs that it was contrasted to with Coraââ¬â¢s sensual songs like Welcome to Booty town. Another area of sound was the piano Alex played as he tried to compose the song. It also included his jiving ââ¬Å"jeopardyâ⬠tune that he used to pressure Sophie finish the songs. Part of the greatest charms of the movie, was the part wherein Alex and Sophie recorded the demo for Cora in Alexââ¬â¢s own mini-studio in his apartment. Narrative The personalities of the characters were essential in the narrative of the movie. Alex was dryly straightforward yet witty. Sophie talked too much and was paranoid yet naive at the same time. The other characters like Rhonda, Sophieââ¬â¢s sister was the strong one in her household but she was also an Alex-fanatic. Ray, Alexââ¬â¢s manager, was ever supportive of him. Cora was an epitome of a pop icon of todayââ¬â¢s time; beautiful, eccentric and sensual. Each of the characters represented something the moviegoers could relate and empathize with (Tan 1996). Their little flaws and quirks were what made them charming because the viewers can see a part of themselves or somebody else in them. It makes them relatable to the audience (Tan 1996). The viewers were drawn because of Sophie and Alex exchanged their witty banters and has come to the point of liking each other despite their own oddities. Audience could find the narrative relatable because it spoke of a generation that most of them have undergone or are in. Most of it involved, a generated of music videos. Even if, most were not former pop stars, interests were still aroused because of their interest in the music industry and social cognition of what was going on with the movie with what they know happen in reality (Tan 1996). Most of all, the narrative worked because of the presence of music. Something most people can relate to and most people are interested in. There was an excellent metaphor that the actors have used in terms of using music and lyrics in reference to relationships. It also serves as a theme for the movie itself. When Alex referred said it was just lyrics. Sophie argued that lyrics were important as well. She referred to melody as meeting someone for the first time and the physical attraction that came with it; it was related to sex in a relationship. On the other hand, once the couples get to know each other that turn into the lyrics wherein their story actually unfolds and reveals who they were. The combination of sex and the knowledge of each other was what make the relationship magical. Lyrics A Way Back into Love was the song Cora wanted Alex to compose. Listening to the lyrics actually summarizes much of the emotions and the thoughts that went on between Alex and Sophie, as well as the things each of them had been through in the past. The ââ¬Å"cloud above my bedâ⬠symbolized how long they prevented themselves from moving on because of the fear they had due to past rejections. The following verses reflected exactly that saying ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve been lonely for so long, trapped in the past, I just canââ¬â¢t seem to move on! â⬠It can be just a love song about past heartbreaks but it reflected the struggles Alex and Sophie had in the past about their careers. It also showed that the ââ¬Å"someone to shed some lightâ⬠was the person they found in each other. The chorus and other verses about dreams being kept in a box reflected their hope to find the joy that they had lost in the past. The song Alex composed by himself had similar charms to A Way Back into Love, he sang Donââ¬â¢t Write Me Off at Coraââ¬â¢s concert. It basically spilled everything he felt about his life saying ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m happy to live my so-called fallen gloriesâ⬠and how he felt about Sophie with charismatic antics like ââ¬Å"itââ¬â¢s not just my furniture youââ¬â¢ve rearrangedâ⬠and ââ¬Å"now I need you despite the fact that youââ¬â¢ve killed all my plants. â⬠References Kolker, R. (2005). Film, form and culture. United States: McGraw-Hill. Also retrieved on November 29, 2007, from http://userpages. umbc. edu/~landon/Local_Information_Files/Mise-en-Scene. htm. LoBrutto, V. (2002). The filmmakerââ¬â¢s guide to production design. New York: Allworth Press. ââ¬Å"Music and lyrics. â⬠(2007) Moviefone. Retrieved on November 29, 2007 from http://movies. aol. com/movie/music-and-lyrics/25137/synopsis. Tan, E. (1996). Emotion and the structure of narrative film: Film as an emotion machine. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Whitcomb, C. (2002). The writerââ¬â¢s guide to writing your screenplay: How to write great screenplays for movies and television. Canada: Kalmbach Publishing Co.
Friday, September 13, 2019
A history of American sexuality Essay Example for Free
A history of American sexuality Essay American (136) , Sexuality (5) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? There is little to dispute the notion that rebellious movements only originate as a need, not as a result of human nature. It would indeed be appropriate to view the various cultures of resistance that have developed over the ages in light of this ideology; every era saw a different need and hence developed and shaped itself through their individualââ¬â¢s sexual meaning (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 228). They embody a change in attitude of youngsters regarding suppressed sexual inclinations considered inappropriate by the general public or believed to be counterproductive. Stemming from as early as the 17th century, the progress of freedom of sexuality has mostly been a mosaic, finding roots in differences of race gender and class. However, recent times have allowed that progress to be catalogued in discernable text which can be reviewed to gain insight into the perception of sexuality as has been generally associated with the past; historians such as Jeffrey Weeks, Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman provide some valuable control points to make those judgments. First era: 1600 to 1780 The institution of marriage, the historical perspective of which was recently been subjected to criticism, has been under scrutiny lately simply because historical data does not correspond with the stereotypes of a traditional marriage (Coontz 13). In simple words, people who believed that the sanctity of marriage centuries ago was protected because of love between partners have lately been disproven. From 1600 to 1780, marriage was vastly regarded as a tool designed squarely as a reproductive mechanism and for the promotion of labor sources, increasing the family ties and the creation of a new generation (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 14). Since work was primarily agricultural back in those days, there was a need to increase labor within the family which was directly reflected in sexuality being confined to the institution of marriage, which in turn was designated for procreation (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 16-17). Such was the kinship and family system. During this era, there was a distinct lack of the element of love and social stigma prohibited acts of premarital intercourse and even falling in love as a pretext for marriage. Amongst the general society though, there were mixed thoughts within Protestants and Native American Indians (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 108). They formulated resistant sexualities to the norms. While the Protestants encouraged sexual pleasures within the marriage and allowed public, though limited, displays of affection, anything outside this institution was invalidated and scorned upon (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 4). There are evidences of regulation in the many punishments awarded to those who breached these standardized concepts of sexualities, and acts of adultery, premarital intercourse, homosexuality, and fornication were considered crimes, commission of which not only resulted in penalties but drew contempt at the hands of the public at large. These were very evidently governed by legal implications, enforced not only by the church (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 51) but also the state and society in unison. Such sexual criminals thus became outcast, leading to non-uniformity of sexualities. Amongst these, the prime suspects were Native American Indians, who allowed pre-marital intercourse and considered homosexuality acceptable. Moreover, marriage was not restricted to just one partner. Polygamy became just as common, suggesting that the sexual behavior was more a matter of the culture and social acceptance than human nature. As Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman point out, the Chesapeake colonies where men outnumbered women due to the presence of a big number of migrants, men could choose to have sex with women simply to derive pleasure and not as instigation to marriage (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 14-17). The political system in the middle of the 17th century harbored the use of slaves, and those created their own sexual regimes. The southern areas saw a rise in inter-racial sexual ordeals, giving presence to another distinct system of regulating sexualities. The forms of political control that dominated throughout the 17th century, namely the church, state and the local community began losing their footing by the middle of the 18th century to late 18th century. This was partly due to the rise in commercialization and trade, since community presence was losing ground to a larger form of individualism, which institutionalized marriage as an expression of romance. Thus, the original sexual meanings relating to family ties and procreation governed by the sexual politics of the church, state and the local community were being superseded by the culture of resistance that encouraged romance as the central focus of marriage (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 95). Second era: 1870-1980 A new era of sexual preferences was emerging in the late 19th century. The prevailing mood was that of a heightened sense of pre-marital and within-marriage sexual intimacy, defined as ââ¬Å"Victorianâ⬠(Peiss 206), with individuality as the central focus, allowing for sexual endeavors to extend beyond marriage and include previously scorned ideologies such as same sex sexualities. The aura was becoming increasingly liberal, as the presence of seemingly immoral exercises such as pornography, and brothel management undermined the societal values (Peiss 238). Attention was drawn towards them by a new breed of post 1880 conservatives. This movement concentrated squarely on declaring every form of seemingly impure sexuality such as adultery, commercialization of sex in terms of pornography, fornication and even eroticization within marriage as immoral and as plagues to society. Sexual meaning, while decidedly liberal in those days, employing extensive use of contraception and experimental living with partners, was met with sexual regulation tactics by the state, governed by the enforcement of legislations. The sexual politics included the passing of Anti-prostitution (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 150, 209, 213) and anti-pornography laws facilitating the resistance that Protestants had also partnered in. This, while curbing public vulgarities to some extent, could not come in the way of the growing consumerism that the industrial wave brought with it. With concentration on individual choice, commercial sex grew, in sync with the empowerment of women both at the workplace and within the family, leading to even more equality amongst the sexes (Coontz 208). In the culture that ensued, the sexual meaning took a very liberal turn with empowerment of the individual being the centerpiece, thus enabling homosexual tendencies to thrive, along with the encouragement of romance and eroticism becoming increasingly desirable. The post 1920s was regarded as an era of sexual reform, post Victorian sexual era so to speak, a time when the concept of marriage was drifting from the originally conceived ââ¬Å"traditionalâ⬠meanings to those based on deriving sexual pleasures simultaneously with the need to reproduce. The sexual meaning, thus, in the context of Dââ¬â¢emilioââ¬â¢s and Freedmanââ¬â¢s philosophies (1997), combined those two to place emphasis on the fulfillment and satisfaction of oneââ¬â¢s self with respect to the institution of marriage, rather than be forced to adhere to it in order to meet social demands of labor and reproduction. The freedom of choice was highlighted amongst the youth and non-heterosexual endeavors as well as pre-marital sexualities became gradually acceptable. The depiction of sex for commercial use picked up pace as well (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 327), and liberalism both within marriage and outside it grew. The routine depiction of sexual images to the public became frequent, suggesting that sexual choice and independence was what the society wanted. It was in these times that strides were made for gender equality as well, as men slowly edged towards ceasing to become the dominant sexual partners and women began sharing high posts with men in the workplace. Third Era: Post 1980 to present day The major cultural resistance shift was next experienced in the 1970s, with the advent of the liberal homosexual regimes and the urge to pursue sexual freedom by the likes of Hugh Hefner, bringing to light demands to acknowledge premarital sexual endeavors as a right. This, of course, was contrary to the norm of the day, which was still largely heterosexual. More sexual politics brought Left-wing views to the forefront, arguing especially in favor of the gay liberation movement and feminism (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 322-323). During the 70s and 80s, this phenomenon gripped the economically thriving youth of the day, affecting the counterculture in so much as shredding the traditional norms associated with marriage and family in favor of a single sexual life. The right-wings continued to advocate against the sexual deviancies of pre-marital intimacy, commercial utilities of sex, eroticism, etc and much of the debate in the 80s thus surrounded the use of contraceptives, illegitimacy, the spread of HIV and Herpes, rising divorce rates etc. This state of moral panic was superseded by the feminist culture of resistance, which in turn strengthened the position of women who placed emphasis on choice. Employing Margaret Sangerââ¬â¢s voice of reason (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 243-244), the phenomena of birth control enabled women to pursue sexualities undisturbed, serving to ultimately enable gays and lesbians to exchange vows and raise children (Peiss 484). Conclusion To the present day, sexual meanings have been age dependant and cultures of resistance have shaped the way sexual regulations were governed by sexual politics. As stipulated by Weeks, Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman, all three need to be considered in unison to understand the changing mechanisms of sexualities over a given period (Dââ¬â¢emilio and Freedman 377), but it can easily be inferred that those cultures had a strong part to play in the liberation of sexualities and the deviation of the essence of the institution of marriage, from its traditional stance as a means of reproduction to one purely used to attain sexual fulfillment through love . Works Cited Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, A history: How Love Conquered Marriage . Penguin Books, 2005. Dââ¬â¢emilio, John and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press , 1997. Peiss, Kathy. Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality: Documents and Essays . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. A history of American sexuality. (2016, Aug 15).
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