Exposing Social, Economic and Historical Realities Through Marxism

Exposing Social, Economic and Historical Realities through Marxism Karl Marx was a theorist of the Realism period, this time period brought a revealing of the truth and great change with a shift toward more democratic governments. Marx concerned himself with realistic issues that carried over in literature even though he was not a literary critic. Many writers during this time wrote realistically, writing stories that represented their own lives with minor changes or of their surroundings. Both, D. H.Lawrence, author of â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† and William Faulkner, author of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, are products of their time with accurately representing their social, economic and historical realities of alienation through their works. The Realism period brought a severe separation between the three social classes; the aristocracy did not commonly form relationships between the proletariat and bourgeoisie unless it consisted of work and the same goes for relation ships between the proletariat and bourgeoisie classes.Often times even people within the same class did not socialize because their cold and lackluster surroundings reflected onto their social relationships. Elizabeth Bates from â€Å"Odour of the Chrysanthemums† did not socialize with the other miners wives and mothers and even her husband because she was a product of her surroundings, â€Å"the fields were dreary and forsaken, and in the marshy strip that led to the whimsy, a reedy pit-pond, the fowls had already abandoned their run among the alders†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 51).One would think that with surroundings like this socialization with others would make it more bearable but it has the opposite effect, making the only incentive to go outside either for Walter to provide for the family, go to the bar which would make Elizabeth resent Walter or for Elizabeth to meet John or Annie on their way home from school. Emily Grierson in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† represents the opposing spectrum; Emily is from an Old South aristocracy but is also socially alienated from her surroundings.The change the Realism period brings for Emily is a more modern outlook for society, Emily comes from an old fashioned way of doings things that the younger generation looks forward to changing and because she is one of the few that represent and participate in old southern traditions she further alienates herself from her town while everything but her and her house change, â€Å"only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps—an eye-sore among eyesores† (pg. 86).Emily can be understood as deeming her surroundings lackluster compared to her vivacious and lively southern traditions that she has worked to keep alive even though the town is moving forward without her, â€Å"when the next generation, with its more modern ideas , became mayors and alderman, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction† (pg. 86), Emily will only suffer more from lack of socialization because no middle ground can be sought where she is not willing to change and where the younger generation will only become more modernized.Elizabeth Bates and Emily Grierson are accurately portrayed by D. H. Lawrence and William Faulkner’s realization of social hardships faced during the realism period that alienated people from society. Money is the single most distinctive factor in the hierarchy of classes and the Realism period made the effort to reveal the injustices of poverty and slavery that society was forced to deal with during this time. The economic injustices during this time made the separation of classes even greater with the rich becoming richer and the poor hitting a new low.Elizabeth Bates represents the proletariat class and represents the extremity of some working class families by relocating so Walter can better provide for their family in â€Å"Odour of Chrys anthemums†. Economically, the alienation between her and Walter stems from the fact that he works long hours in the mine and then chooses to spend his earnings at the local bar,† he was merely drinking over there at the ‘Prince of Wales’ (pg. 56).While Walter works Elizabeth’s very limited past times include sewing and making clothes for their children, â€Å"he was dressed in trousers and waistcoat of cloth that was too thick and hard for the size of garments. They were evidently cut down from a man’s clothes (pg. 51), the Bates family is already alienated by being a part of the working class but Elizabeth alienates herself further when their money tight situation is stressed when the family cannot provide new clothes for their children but Walter is blowing money at the bar. A Rose for Emily† offers a different outlook on the economic issues surrounding inequality, Emily coming from the aristocracy class owns a Negro slave named Tobe, this is not uncommon in the Old South but considered unethical as the realism period reveals socio-economic injustices. Already alienated because of Emily’s southern traditions, owning a slave in a town where there are a majority of bourgeoisie and proletariat families who did not own slaves, makes the town feel as though she is using her wealth for the wrong reason.Granted there is no indication that Emily treats Tobe inhumanely he is still used as a servant, â€Å"†¦Tobe! The Negro appeared. Show these gentlemen out† (pg. 87) and often ran errands for her â€Å"†¦and the only sign of life about the place was the Negro man—a young man then—going in and out with a market basket† (pg. 88). Given two very different views on the economic injustices of this time shows, regardless of class, the alienation in this period is prominent due to the financial situations of families and differing of classes.Both, â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† were written in the Realism period, where writers wanted to accurately portray everyday life and the historical background behind each story brings understanding to the alienation and struggles of each character. The historical background behind â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† consists of a time where coal was the leading energy source and the men that became coal miners normally came from a long family line of previous coal miners.The areas in which the coal mines were located were often wastelands which had no other purpose than to retrieve coal from and reflected the lives of the people who worked in them who led uneventful and unrewarding lives. The social and economic alienation of the Bates family stems from being financially unstable. Oddly enough, in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† Emily Grierson’s social and economic alienations are rooted in the exact opposite reason of the Bates family, because she belongs to the aristocracy class.Emily lives in the Old South in the time where many of the old southern traditions are dying out and many people of her age have already passed. Emily is unwilling to change with the new order of the younger generations which socially alienates her and manages to hold onto her wealth in a town where few aristocrats live making her the minority. Historically, the background during the Realism time period offers more understanding for â€Å"Odor of Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and why their alienation is caused by the same yet different social and economic issues.Karl Marx revolutionized literature in a way he could have never imagined; by wanting to study the historical view and notion of class struggle he created realism in literature. William Faulkner and D. H. Lawrence capitalized on this and became famous writers of their time; both â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† were the outputs of their author’ s time period. Both authors represented the social, economic and historical realities of their main characters that experienced alienation from society and even members in their own families and portrayed everyday life during the Realism period.

Purity of Good and Evil in Ender’s Game Essay

The basis of human nature and the way we interact with one another and ourselves throughout our lives is deeply connected with the idea of good and evil in the human speciescut? This reoccurring theme is seen in all religion, mythology, and modern day stories which all have the constant moral compass of straying from evil and relating to the good through actions and emotions. While it is believed by many that people’s actions shape their internal identity, is that really the case? Ender’s game raises this question with Peter symbolizing evil and portrays ultimate actions of good and Ender symbolizing good while portraying the actions of evil. With the toying of the readers perception of the stereotypical good and evil, Card proves in his writing that emotions, especially remorse, is the factor in which separates good and evil and that the pure form of the two cannot be found in our species’ nature. Throughout Ender’s Game, Ender has a constant internal battle between the wrong that he is forced to do and the good that he naturally contains. Like his sister, he is inherently good, but because he is a genius and ultimately more that of an outcast, he is put in situations where his actions of killing are portrayed of that of Peter. Ender is shown going through three main cycles of violent behavior where he first is an outcast and is tormented by them, then faced with a life death situation, he has no choice but to fight full heartedly. The cycles are Enders fight with Stilson, his fight with Bonso, and his ultimate battle with the Buggers. In each cycle, Ender is unaware that he may and ultimately does kill his opposite. The fact that he is not aware of his doings until the end of the book and is ultimately referred to as â€Å"The Xenocide† His tittle sp is that of what the reader early on saw as Peter’s fate, not Enders, showing Card’s switch on the roles and actions of the good and evil roles within the book. Peter’s emotional development throughout the book does not change or get any less of that than evil, but Peter ultimately does good, showing the other half of Card’s skewing of the roles of pure good and evil. The character of Peter is introduced as a bully that has a main agenda of torturing Ender out of the jealousy that Ender has been chosen by command. After Ender leaves for command school, Peter is shown as a standard sociopath, with the torturing and killing of innocent animals; an early sign that is commonly linked to crime and murder in the child of study’s later life. While the reader would have guessed that Peter would be the one responsible for a genocide instead of Ender, somehow Peter falls into becoming a Great ruler of the Land. Although that is the case, Card doesn’t let the characters actions fool the reader, for Peter is still more on the evil side due to the fact that his sole reason for coming to power is a selfish yearning for control and power. Although both Peter and Ender fulfill their seemingly opposite destinies, they are very much different from one another, because they both remain true to their first intentions. Ender has taken on the role of Peter’s foretold destiny, Card does not show Ender as that of a mass murderer for he did not commit Genocide with no remorse to follow. He was unaware of the Genocide at the time he was committing it, for if he did, he would not have been able to go through with it. â€Å" Of course we tricked you into it. That’s the whole point..It had to be a trick or you couldn’t have done it†¦ We had to have a commander with so much empathy that he would think like the buggers, understand them and anticipate them. So much compassion that he could win the love of his underlings and work with them like a perfect machine, as perfect as the buggers. But somebody with that much compassion cold never be the killer we needed. Could never go into battle willing to win at all costs. If you know, you couldn’t do it. If you were the kind of person who would do it, even if you knew, you could never have understood the buggers well enough†(p.298), a quote said by Graff when explaining to Ender why they tricked him into defeating the Buggers in war. Ender shows compassion and love for his enemies and never fails to feel remorse after the confrontations. Through his cycles mentioned earlier, he never knew he killed anybody until after they were all completed, for if he knew, he would have never been able to fight again and would have been haunted by the fact that he had become as Brutal as Peter. â€Å"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.† (p. 238) Ender reveals this to Valentine during their visit on land. Card shows that while Peter gets joy out of hurting and may have no real understanding of love, Ender is tortured by the doings unto his enemy for he falls in love with his enemies nature and finds them fascinating. The fact that Ender at the end of the novel goes back and fixes his wrong by repopulating the buggers is another example of his compassion. If there is any thought in the readers mind that Ender is in any way truly violent deep within, they are altered due to this action of reaching out to save the buggers. Card uses Valentine and the adults in the book as a standard to base Peter and Ender off of. Valentine is representative of the majority of human race, the majority that is between good and evil. While the human race is predominantly good, they can easily be swayed into doing things, often feeling remorse, just as Valentine feels when she is helping Peter. While visiting Ender on his leave, Valentine describes her self. â€Å"Two Faces of the same coin. And am I the metal in between.† (p. 236) She holds the two opposites together by being their common ground. The adults in the novel, while mainly absent from both Peter and Ender’s lives, are neither good nor evil for they are complex beings. Card’s use of Children is present because they are simplistic in their good and evil with not much to get in the way and disguise their true agenda. Cards separation between Ender and Peter’s actions from their true intentions shows that he believes that human intentions cannot be that of a pure form of simply the two ends of good and evil. They are skewed throughout lives with factors leading and morphing an individuals take on their internal emotion and what they do with it. While Ender and Peter were close to being the polar ends to our society’s obsession with good and evil, they prove that even the blank primal slate of children is molded. It proves that superheroes are truly immortal because it is impossible for a human to be that of a perfect being, doing no evil what so ever, and that humans are prone to making mistakes. Its how an individual deals with a mistake separates the good from bad.

Integrated Conservation Development Projects Essay

Integrated Conservation Development Projects (ICDP) look into how the socio-economic goals of a people may be achieved without compromising the ecological balance of the environment. At the same time, ICDP, more importantly, is directed at using socio-economic investments to keep the biodiversity intact despite the influx of human activities. ICDPs require an assessment of the dynamics of the project area so as to be able to determine the appropriate approach and the needed intervention, and monitoring and evaluation in the target community. The following are experiences of the implementation of some ICDPs: English Title: Conservation and development projects in the Brazilian Amazon: lessons from the community initiative program in Rondonia. Personal Authors: Browder, J. O. Author Affiliation: Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. Document Title: Environmental Management, 2002 (Vol. 29) (No. 6) 750-762 Publisher: Springer-Verlag NewYork Inc. Abstract: This ICDP takes on community-based conservation and development as a foundation of sustainable economic development. Although there is a growing debate on the effectiveness and replicability of ICDPs, the central elements of the concept of integrated conservation and development are examined through a description of the Community Initiative Program (CIP), a pilot program of the Rondonia Natural Resources Management project in the western Brazilian Amazon state of Rondonia. The CIP apply the principles of ICDP to the regional scale in different communities at the same time. Conservation impacts of the program and lessons learned are presented here. Author: Asian Development Bank Year: 1998 Paper Title: Central Sulawesi Integrated Area Development and Conservation Project Abstract: This ICDP focuses on Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi Integrated Development Conservation Project. The goals of the Project are poverty reduction and sustainable development achieved through acceleration and sustained growth of the agricultural sector. It also has a policy component that aims to develop a policy framework and institutional reform measures to increase agricultural productivity. The expected outputs and outcomes of the Project are hoped to bring about socio-economic as well as environmental benefits. The benefits shall have a positive impact on both the poor and the indigenous cultural communities in the area. Author: The World Bank Documents & Reports Year: 2007 Paper Title: Request for the secretary of state’s approval to designate Bolong Fenyo as Gunjar community wildlife reserve Journal Title: Gambia – Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Management Project Volume: 2 of 2 Abstract: Gambia’s critical ecological areas may be protected with The Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity (ICAM) project. A number of expected project impacts and mitigation measures may regulate activities through the establishment of resource utilization zones within the core park area and buffer zones but these are aimed to obtain positive effects and impact both in the short-term and in the long run. A new set of rules will also have to be drafted by the DPWM and the communities so that permitted activities especially in the reserve area such as fishing and oystering may be agreed upon. Other alternative options are being explored in view of the limitations presented. References Cab Abstracts. (2007). Conservation and development projects in the Brazilian Amazon: lessons from the community initiative program in Rondonia. Retrieved October 8, 2007, from Cab Abstracts Web site: https://www.adb.org/

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Literature Review - Essay Example After a thorough review of primary and secondary sources, their investigation revealed a difference between the decisions of budget cutback and information technology. Cost effectiveness was found to be an important criterion for making the decisions of budget cutback. These decisions took lesser time to be made and were quite volatile in their nature i.e. may alter with time. Here, number of participants was not affected by the content of decision. Contrary to this, cost effectiveness was found unimportant in the decisions of information technology, time consumed in decision making was longer and once made, decisions were generally permanent. This tells that the content of decision can have a great impact on the significance of various criteria, time consumed in the decision making process and the stability of decision. This finding contradicts the conventional understanding that cultivates in the minds of people regarding the factors that affect the process of decision making. In t he conventional understanding, the process of decision making is only controlled by the contingencies originating in the environment and the organization. 2. In his research, Nutt (2005) compared the decision making in the public sector with that in the private sector with the help of an experiment. To achieve this, decision making in a business company was compared with that in a governmental agency that was supported with tax. Practices and preferences of mid level managers were captured with the simulation in the public and private sectors. Managers involved in the study were required by simulation to estimate the risks and opportunities of acquiring budgets for the two sectors. In order to design the budget that would be sufficient for an organization functioning in a public and private sector, a cognitive culture was used which placed emphasis on the estimation and bargaining. A controversial and otherwise amount of budget was used for both the cases. Results of their research suggested that managers in public sector make use of networking and bargaining while those in the private sector make use of estimation and assumption. These results were consistent with the hypothesis that public sector managers prefer group decision making whereas private sector managers believe in individualistic capabilities. The research concluded that managers go for budgets that suit their individualistic cognitive style. The difference in the support of budget decisions in the public and private sector managers essentially speaks of the work culture that dwells in the two types of settings. Most works in public sector are done through networking and bargaining, whereas in the private sector, one has to rely on one’s ability and assessment to make the rational decisions. 3. In his research, Al Yahya (2008) studied an integrative multiple links model among three traits, namely the sharing of power-influence in making the decisions, work-related outcomes (WRO) and cultur e of Saudi Arabian organizations belonging to the public sector. These conceptual associations have not been explored much in the public sector organizations conventionally. Traits of competence as knowledge, ability and skill are used effectively in the participative practices as shown by the model of structural equation. This influences individuals’ thoughts about WRO that include but are not limited to

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts Essay

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts - Essay Example When America appeared to disregard even a consensus on the matter, EU came out with a view that, 'the European Union does not support a war on Iraq without the backing of the United Nations' (Reuters, 2003). A team of weapon inspectors was on a 'fact finding mission in Iraq', but America appeared to eager to strike and was in no mood to wait for their report. On the other hand the European Union together with governments from other parts of the world wanted to have a firm proof for punishing Iraq. After the 9/11 attacks, US appeared desperate to take on the terror outfits. Iraq and Afghanistan were the first in the firing line. UK, an important partner of EU, having good relations with US as well, formed the backbone of support for US policies. The official stand of European Union on the other hand was to start off the attacks after debating the issue and seeking a sanction from UN. But the moot point is, to what extent the European diplomacy was in action. The Maastricht Treaty of 1 992 was instrumental in coming out with a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) for the European Union (Bruter, 1999). This implied that the 'Union' will have a unanimous opinion about an issue. But the factual position has been somewhat different. The CFSP appeared in some common declarations only and not on issues involving diplomatic rows. It is worthwhile here to mention that the European Union and CFSP appeared to provide a semblance of unanimity on paper, but on the surface, the interests of nations forming part of the union forces them to take different stand on a range of issues. Anderson (2001) lists out factors like, lack of participation or concern by the Member States; perceived competition between the Commission and the Member States; inconsistent Member State positions; and slowness as the reasons for the EU not being able to come out with effective and unanimous stands. The Iraq war happened to be one such issue on which the EU could not come out with a strong and unanimous view. The official statement from EU on Iraq is that1, "The EU is committed to working with Iraq and international partners in order to bring about a secure, stable, unified, democratic and prosperous Iraq." But the actual implementation of this commitment is yet to be seen. While on a visit to Greece after the war started in Iraq, the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan also called upon the EU leaders to come out with a common stand on the issue of Iraq (Barringer and Bruni, 2003). Once the war on Iraq was declared by the US and allied forces, on the basis of 'concrete proof', it appeared irreversible. But as days went by, it was all too apparent that the 'proof' that were being used as an alibi for initiating the attacks were nowhere visible on the surface. Even the so-called 'weapons of mass-destructions' were nowhere to be seen. This resulted in protests in UK and USA against the excesses being committed in Iraq. Today, even after executing Saddam Husain and thousands of deaths the WMDs are still proving to be illusionary. On the other hand the war has become a trap for US and allied forces; now they are finding it difficult to come out of it. Realising the differences in opinions of world leaders in general, UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan said, "No issue has so divided the world since the end of the Cold

UK Film Industry in 2007 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK Film Industry in 2007 - Essay Example 2. Weaknesses - Funding is the most pressing problem in production. Most companies rely on public funding which is very limited. Distribution as a means to cover costs and acquire profit is not significantly considered. What happens is, initially, rights are often pre-sold in order to get the film made resulting to no proportionate rewards for the producers in the event of a success (Is There a British Film Industry). Thus, UK films may be a success at the box office, but little of the revenue reaches the producer and the net profit is too minimal to re-invest into another production (UK Film Industry Structure). Continuing the cycle is very difficult 3. Opportunities - The opportunity to become the second largest producer of films, after the U.S. is open for the UK Film Industry to take on as a challenge. The chance is there primarily because of the talent pool or the expertise, the technology or the facilities, the English language, the worldwide economic positioning of the country and the inward investment prospects for the Industry. 4. Threats - Film Piracy takes away earnings of producers which hinders production of more movies. Another threat is not keeping up with the Global Market. Policies on Global Distribution to generate funds for production should be highlighted. Otherwise, the Industry will not be able to keep up with other Film Industries. B. The Exhibition Sector 1. Strengths - Exhibition Facilities are ample and technology used is of high caliber. There are currently over 2,000 cinema screens in the UK as compared with 1,800 in Japan but 4,500 in France (UK Film Industry Structure). 2. Weaknesses - This sector is not getting enough support and encouragement from the government and the public sectors. The role of distribution and exhibition has been given insufficient attention in that there have been times when more interest and a wider availability of British films were more evident in the major cities of other countries, like Paris, than in Britain (Harvey and Dickinson). 3. Opportunities - To gain economic viability, Cinemas need not be biased in favor of foreign films particularly U.S. films, but instead maintain a balance of locally made and foreign films to be shown. This could be realized by more media exposure of locally made films, public education, and government support through incentives. 4. Threats - Film Piracy is again a major threat to the exhibition sector because it lessens theatre or cinema attendance, thus affecting company earnings. Another threat is the total dependence of this sector to foreign movies. If efforts are not made to support the showing of locally made films in cinemas, it could eventually lead to a domination of foreign films and a loss of a national identity in the film industry. Analysis There is no doubt that the Film Industry has a great impact on the UK economy. A 2005 Oxford Economic Forecasting Report on the economic contribution of the UK film industry showed that the UK Film Industry in 2004 directly employed 31,000 people and supported a total of 97,500 jobs, contributed 3.1 billion to UK GDP and around 850 million to the Exchequer, put in 800 million to the UK economy via the boost to tourism, and added over 300 million to the turnover of the video/DVD retail and rental

The Role of the Principal Officer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Role of the Principal Officer - Essay Example The position of Principal Officer has an expanding role through the implementation of shared service, NOMIS, the Phoenix Program, and contestability. These programs not only demand a greater accountability of our resources, but also allows us a vision of where we fit in the organisation. Ultimately it can reach beyond human resource management and allow us to see the Service as the single entity it has become by tying us together through technology. The Principal Officer has many responsibilities and obligations under NOMS. We have a primary obligation to offer the prisoners a safe and healthy environment while encouraging skills programs. We likewise have a duty to provide our employees with a safe workplace and the tools they need to accomplish their job. We're bound by our mission to provide the public with the assurance that released prisoners will make an easy transition back into the community. We additionally need to commit to assuring that prisoners will not re-offend. Our obligation extends to other departments such as health and safety, police, probation and court systems. We need to interact with these agencies to provide them with timely and accurate information and offer plans and proposals in a continuing effort to improve our service. We have a responsibility to the Service to follow policies and procedures and insure fiscal efficiency. The effective Principal Officer will be able to balance these responsibilities as they compete for time and resources. The competent Principal Officer must be a good listener. To facilitate change it is necessary to evaluate how the changes are affecting the people that work for you and with you. Employee feedback is a valuable tool to gain knowledge of what we are doing right or what we are doing wrong. Employees need to feel free to comment and offer suggestions or criticism in an open environment. A well placed trust in the workforce and a view of the staff as trained professionals who are motivated to do an outstanding job will insure open communication with the Principal Officer. Motivating our employees is a many sided endeavour. We first listen and then we take action as deemed appropriate. We need to be proactive in the areas of fairness and respect. Regular meetings with employees to insure that they have an in depth understanding of frequently changing policies will allow workers to perform their jobs with confidence. Encouraging diversity is a way to bring in new ideas and methods and is critical to our continued improvement. Timely and adequate assessment of job performance is also crucial to keeping employees striving to succeed and excel. People need to be recognised for their outstanding efforts and rewarded accordingly. Along with recognition and rewards, we need to offer our employees a clear career path with focused career goals. This helps the employees remain involved with their work and offers them a reason to excel and the motivation to meet our organisational objectives. This will not only aid in retention of our quality employees, but will also attract a higher quality workforce. By providing clear career objectives we will produce a climate that can offer improved performance and greater dedication. As important as it is to interact with other agencies, the Principal Officer also must interact with their employees and involve them in the day to day operation of the system.

Government 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government 2 - Assignment Example They are called standing panels for they handle specific subjects e.g. Agriculture or Armed Services. Woodrow Wilson was right since when the committees of Congress are on, all members are involved in giving full attention to a specific issue and this carries the highest chance of giving better result. The majority party manages to control all the committees of the house by having more numbers in the house and in the committees. The party does so as to ensure that the party fulfils the goals it had for the administration. The policies that are practice by the United States include: treaties and alliances, the United Nations, nuclear weapons testing international trade, the defense budget and also foreign economic and military aid. The right of legation has always been respected as diplomats act as the proxies of their countries and respecting and ensuring their welfare maintains the important relations that exist between nations. This country will never be fully protected from terrorism as America hoses most of these terrorists who have infiltrated the country. However, if more vigilance and surveillance is done, terrorists might be kept at

How people are managed and how they lead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

How people are managed and how they lead - Essay Example Four of the eight principles are: Congruence not Incongruence, Descriptive not Evaluative, Problem not Person Oriented and Specific not Global. Explain the meaning of the concepts and using ideas from your own experience give examples of their meaning. 3 3. Read the case study and discuss the issues, in terms of supportive communication which it raises. 4 Portfolio Assignment 2 1. House, R.J. in his ‘Path Goal Theory of Leadership’ and Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K.H. in their ‘Situational Leadership Theory’ offer two contingency models of leadership. Discuss, with reference to these two models of leadership the basis upon how leaders engage with their staff to help them improve their performance and gain commitment. 6 2. Discuss the nature and components of transformational leadership. How does transformational leadership differ from the behavioural models of leadership, such as Tannenbaum, R. and Schmidt’s, ‘Continuum Model’ and Contingen cy models of leadership such as the ‘House’ and ‘Hersey-Blanchard’ models discussed above. 7 Portfolio Assignment 3 1. Analysis of the case study 9 2. Research suggests that adults do not follow a well developed set of principles when they make decisions. Discuss how leaders might reflect on  the appropriateness of a decision  in terms of ethical considerations. Give examples to support your answer. 10 Portfolio Assignment 4 1. Resistance to organisational change, particularly when the change is ‘soft’ in nature, can stem from the individual or from the organisation. Discuss the nature of, and explore the reasons why, change is often resisted. 12 2. From a management perspective how can this resistance be overcome? 13 References 14 Bibliography 17 Portfolio Assignment 1 Whetten and Cameron (2011, p261) citing Bowman (1964) write that, â€Å"Surveys have consistently shown that the ability to effectively communicate face to face is the char acteristic judged by managers to be the most critical in determining promotability†. 1. One way to improve communication is through ‘Supportive Communication†. Discuss what Whetten and Cameron mean when they define this concept of communication. Why do they consider it so important? The term ‘supportive communication’ as used in the book of Whetten and Cameron aims to highlight two characteristics of communication: the potentials of communication to help towards the achievement of the goal set and the freedom provided to both parties in order to state their views (Whetten and Cameron 2011). Supportive communication is a mode of communication that can be quite important in certain organizational events, such as interviews (Whetten and Cameron 2011). Indeed, an interview between a candidate and the employer would have more chances to lead to the development of a successful cooperation if both parties were allowed to show their concerns and their percepti ons in regard to the issues discussed during the interview (Whetten and Cameron 2011). In other words, for Whetten and Cameron supportive communication can be used for enhancing cooperation and trust in the workplace. No other mode of communication, apart from supportive communication, offers to both parties the chance to feel equal, a condition that can be quite crucial in certain cases; for example, using supportive communication an interviewer can identify the actual willingness of the interviewee to work as a member of a group (Whetten and Came

The Green Light in The Great Gatsby Essay Essay Example for Free

The Green Light in The Great Gatsby Essay Essay Key Factors * 1920’s America â€Å"the Jazz era† – America had a soaring economy – Set in the summer of 1922. * Wealth, class, social status, love, materialism and the decline of theâ€Å"American Dream† (caused by a dizzy rise in the stock markets after WW1) are all major themes * Narrated through the eyes of character Nick Carraway – educated at Yale, moves to New York from Minnesota – presumably searching for success i.e. the American Dream * The storyline is very similar to Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s own life events. * Prohibition of alcohol in America (1920-1933) meant that bootlegging/rum-running was big business. This was how Gatsby made his fortune. * Every character appears to be something they’re not. * Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure * As Fitzgerald saw it (and as Nick explains in Chapter 9), the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. Essay Question Analysis Explore the ways in which Fitzgerald presents contrast between the characters of Daisy and Myrtle in The Great Gatsby? Daisy Buchanan: Her name symbolises a flower: White on the outside and yellow on this inside, this is in keeping with Fitzgerald’s use of colours/symbolism. Although white may be used throughout the novel to symbolise purity, innocence and honesty, could it be that white could mean blank, void, empty? * â€Å"The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain† * â€Å"Her voice is full of money† couldnt be over-dreamed Metaphor * â€Å"Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean towards her, an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming† * â€Å"She dressed in white, and had a little white roadster† – â€Å"white girlhood† * It makes me sad because Ive never seen such such beautiful shirts before. – Materialism * Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols weig hing down their own white dresses against the singing breeze of the fans. * I hope shell be a  foolthats the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool You see, I think everythings terrible anyhow And I know. Ive been everywhere and seen everything and done everything. – Materialism If her daughter is a fool, then shell never get hurt. Shell never realize that she married for money and status instead of real love, that her husband is having an affair right under her nose, that everyone sees her as silly, stupid, naive, and pitiful. If shes a fool, shell never have an opinion that can be dismissed by the men in her life, and shell never care about anything except dresses and flowers and all the pretty things in life. Shell be pretty enough to find a husband who can support her financially, and dumb enough never to realize how tragic life actually is. * Nicks second cousin, once removed. * â€Å"The most popular young girl in Louisville† * Daughter â€Å"Pammy† is rarely seen throughout the book. Though when company is over she is beckoned to perform an act. Much like Daisy. Daisy’s Location and descriptions * East Egg, Long Island, New York. – home to â€Å"old money†, wealthy aristocracy, tradition, old ideals and ideas * Comes from a wealthy family in Louisville, Kentucky * The significance of East Egg and West Egg is the social divide between new money and old money. Daisy and Tom Buchanan are old money (their families have been rich for many generations) and so they live on East Egg island. Gatsby and Nick are new money (theyve earned it themselves or their parents earned it through work) so they live on West Egg island. It also represents the ideas of living in the past and present. East Egg represents how Daisy and Tom both live with old world ideals and ideas, and refusing to move on into the west where new things await. West Egg represents how Gatsby and Nick are living in the present and they try to move out of the past life and ideals. They are able to look to the future instead of being held back in the past. They are unafraid to try new things. NICKS QUOTE ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM â€Å"the green light, the orgiastic future  that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but thats no mattertomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. And one fine morning So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. TOM AND DAISY QUOTE – â€Å"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made.† Myrtle Wilson – Much like Daisy, Myrtle also symbolises a plant, however, Myrtle (translated from old English) means evergreen shrub, which is a very common plant. This is a valley of ashesa fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight. He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. Hes so dumb he doesnt know hes alive. I married him because I thought he was a gentlemanI thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasnt fit to lick my shoe. Colors Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory Sometimes we sound like art snobs when we talk about The Great Gatsby (Look at the use of green! Such marvelous blues, and so forth). Honestly, it seems like there’s a little too much color stuff going on here to be coincidental. Yellow and Gold: Money, Money, Money. Oh, and Death. First off, we’ve got yellows and golds, which we’re thinking has something to  do with†¦gold (in the cash money sense). Why gold and not green? Because we’re talking about the real stuff, the authentic, traditional, old money – not these new-fangled dollar bills. So you’ve got your yellow cocktail music playing at Gatsby’s party where the turkeys are bewitched to dark gold and Jordan and Nick sit with two girls in yellow. It seems clear, then, that Gatsby is using these parties to try to fit in with the old money crowd. And it doesn’t stop there; when Gatsby is finally going to see Daisy again at Nick’s house, he wears a gold tie. Nick later mentions the pale gold odor of kiss-me-at-the-gate, which may seem weird (since last we checked, colors didn’t have a smell) until we remember Nick’s description of New York as a wish out of non-olfactory money. Odor then is associated with gold, and non-odor with money. The difference? Perhaps the same distinction as Daisy’s upper class world and Gatsby’s new-found wealth. While Gatsby buys a yellow car to further promote his facade, he’s really not fooling anyone. Lastly, we’ve got Daisy, who is only called the golden girl once Gatsby realizes that her voice, her main feature, is full of money. Yellow is not just the color of money, but also of destruction. Yellow is the color of the car that runs down Myrtle. The glasses of Eckleburg, looking over the wasteland of America, are yellow. This dual symbolism clearly associates money with destruction; the ash heaps are the filthy result of the decadent lifestyle led by the rich. White: Innocence and Femininity. Maybe. While we’re looking at cars, notice that Daisy’s car (back before she was married) was white. So are her clothes, the rooms of her house, and about half the adjectives used to describe her (her white neck, white girlhood, the king’s daughter high in a white palace). Everyone likes to say that white in The Great Gatsby means innocence, probably because 1) that’s easy to say and 2) everyone else is saying it. But come on – Daisy is hardly the picture of girlish innocence. At the end of the novel, she is described as selfish, careless, and destructive. Does this make the point that even the purest characters in Gatsby have been corrupted? Did Daisy start off all innocent and fall along the way, or was there no such purity to begin with? Or, in some way, does Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom allow her to keep her innocence? We’ll keep thinking about that one.  Blue: This One’s Up For Grabs Then there’s the color blue, which we think represents Gatsby’s illusions his deeply romantic dreams of unreality. We did notice that the color blue is present around Gatsby more so than any other character. His gardens are blue, his chauffeur wears blue, the water separating him from Daisy is his blue lawn, mingled with the blue smoke of brittle leaves in his yard. His transformation into Jay Gatsby is sparked by Cody, who buys him, among other things, a blue coat. Before you tie this up under one simple label, keep in mind that the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are also blue, and so is Tom’s car. If blue represents illusions and alternatives to reality, God may be seen as a non-existent dream. As for Tom’s car†¦well, you can field that one. Grey and a General Lack of Color: Lifelessness (no surprise there) Then there is the lack of color presented in the grey ash heaps. If the ash heaps are associated with lifelessness and barrenness, and grey is associated with the ash heaps, anyone described as grey is going to be connected to barren lifelessness. Our main contender is Wilson: When anyone spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable colorless way. Wilson’s face is ashen. His eyes are described as pale and glazed. It is then no coincidence that Wilson is the bearer of lifelessness, killing Gatsby among yellow leaved trees, which we already decided had something to do with destruction. Green: Life, Vitality, The Future, Exploration Last one. We’re thinking green = plants and trees and stuff, so life and springtime and other happy things. Do we see this in The Great Gatsby? The most noticeable image is that green light we seem to see over and over. You know, the green light of the orgastic future that we stretch our hands towards, etc. etc. We can definitely see green as being hopeful, as being the future, as being vitality and freshness. Right before these famous last lines, Nick also describes the fresh, green breast of the new world, the new world being this land as Nick imagines it existed hundreds of years before. The new world might be green, but when Nick imagines Gatsby’s future without Daisy, he sees a new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously aboutlike that ashen fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees. Nick  struggles to define what the future really means, especially as he faces the new decade before him (the dreaded thirties). Is he driving on toward grey, ashen death through the twilight, or reaching out for a bright, fresh green future across the water?

Fairy Tales And Culture Industry Media Essay

Fairy Tales And Culture Industry Media Essay The western fairy tales have basically undergone three major stages of transitions: the oral form; the literary form and finally the digital form. Originally, fairy tales in the western civilization are oral folk tale of magic which serve to express lower classes wishes to satisfy their needs and wants. (Jack, ) Toward the end of 17th century, printing press adapted oral tales into a new literary genre. The rationalization of fairy tales, due to intervention of gatekeepers in blocking fantasy fairy tales while publishing those stresses christian morality, has hindered creativity. At the same time, increased production of new tales for amusement illustrates Adornos culture industry which mars cultural heritage and imagination for increased production and profits. Then came to the era of digital form, one of the most successful genres of fairy tales, during World War II and Great Depression. Widespread misery brought in the idea of producing fairy-tale films to make money from peoples longing for happiness.(Jack, ) Standards were based in the first place on consumers needs, and for that reason were accepted with so little resistance. The result is the circle of manipulation and retroactive need in which the unity of the system grows even stronger. (Adorno Horkheimer, 1976) Fairy tales have been commodified and influenced by proliferation of adaptations for films. Today, fairy tales become a form of entertainment, embracing the concept of marketing and advertising. The change is in line with two main roles of culture industry: to create profits and to stimulate economic changes. Case study: Walt Disney Company The fairy-tale film industry Walt Disney, the ever successful model of fairy-tale film industry, is said to keep fairy tales alive through films and theme parks. Bringing us back to the standard structure of western fairy tales as shown in the classic stories like The Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty: the white princess who soon gets into trouble and rescued by Prince Charming, followed by an inheritant end of the story: and they lived happily ever after, we realize that the idea of pseudo-individualization in Disneys early films may be true. This maybe strategy to reduce quality uncertainty as well as risk of trying to be innovative and to assure profitability by providing consumers something they familiar to or previously successful storylines. However, realizing the fact that consumers are no longer as passive and uncritical as what Adorno critiqued, Disney fast to adapt to the ever-demanding consumers by moving in suprising and interesting ways instead of imitating or reproducing what had been done before. Modernisation has contributed to a switch-over in power to the consumers. Disney gives birth to its first black princess, Tiana, in its recent animated fairy-tale film The Princess and the Frog inspired by old tale The Frog Prince. Everyone knows the story in which a princess finds true love by kissing a frog that magically turns into her handsome prince. Tiana still kisses a frog but the result is quite different. Besides trying to surprise its audiences with a fresh twist in the mix of humour, thrills and melody, Disney also moved away from its usual macho genre by protraying a strong and independent girl who is so determined in pursuing her dreams instead of waiting to be rescued as other princesses. By using familiar characters and title, Disney tends to appear to the public with a simple, immediate and easily recognizable identity which helps to reduce the uncertainty and to attract consumers while manifesting the differences from the original story based on their similarities. Since film is considered an experiential commodity that quality isnt accessible prior consumption, successful branding becomes essential as it is emotionally rewarding to consumers and financially rewarding for the business. What Disney differentiates itself from other competitors is making people happy. In order to compete more effectively, besides using advanced technology to stand out among competitors, Disney also relies on advertising to lure consumers to watch its movie which again reflects self-renewal nature of culture industry of creating artificial needs through advertising and satisfying those needs through consumers consumption. Cult of stars and famous creators are also used to convince the consumers of the films quality by their celebrity status in the field. Windowing is not new to Disney. Disney has expanded its line from VCDs, DVDs to Blu-ray in recent years as part of efforts in extending the life-cycle of its films by moving to smaller theaters. Due to the rising cost of production and high risk of failure, Disney has a wide repertoire of cultural goods under it as part of risk management. As one of the worlds largest conglomerates, Disney dominates in various media business encompassing movies, music, publising, TV and theme parks. As Negus (1999) stated, Culture produces an industry. Corporate culture impacts the workers and the cultural products they produce thus affect the economic profits. As one of the worlds best company to work in, Disney has always been promoting a vibrant culture that allows risk taking and innovation. It also promotes positive and inclusive ideas about families, passion and dedication among its employees. As in other service business, the quality of service can make or break Disney. In order to keep up with consumers ever-more-demanding expectations, quality and service are built into all the training programs taught by Disney University. Benchmarks are set to measure employees quality or service. This illustrates the manipulation of emotional labour as workers are increasingly being expected to display certain emotions but to suppress others in order to provide quality services. Although workers are not passive and may react or fight back, in most cases, they tend to comply to the corporate norms as job market is very competitive. New Trends in Disney Fairy-tale Film Industry: Threats Opportunities Digital Piracy- As in other industry, piracy is not a new issue facing Disney. But the advent of file sharing system and availability of free films on the Internet further undermine the industry. Copyright protection becomes tougher as users can always develop new methods to bypass. With the advent of downloading technology, consumers are able to access to free movies just within hours after their release in theaters. Since then, consumers dont perceive a need to pay more for cinema tickets for just once and even more expensive homevideos. In addition, fairy-tale films lack of the special effects that underlying the difference between the enjoyment of the movie at the cinema or at the home is of the factors as well. Therefore, Disneys emphasizing on 3D fairy-tale films production may be part of strategies to revive the cinema as the priviledged place for film experience and high quality entertainment. Competition TV 130 With new features such as streaming Internet movies and 3D capabilities added to the digital TVs, Disney is fighting a sadder trend. Sony, Panasonic and Samsung have continually come out with new digital TVs with Internet hook-ups that can grab Flickr photos and directly link to sources such as Netflix and YouTube videos and news stories through a broadband connection. In addition, Dell and HP also sell computers with HDMI outputs that can be hooked up directly to a TV. This is especially convenient for those working people who are too busy to catch movies in cinema. It is predicted that more valued-priced TVs with Internet connection will be born in the future. Watching films online with big-screen TV will also become a mainstream and big wave in the industry. Digitalization Digitalization becomes a landmark development in Disneys evolution of home entertainment. Recognizing the pervasiveness of digital consumption especially among young audiences, Disney comes to embrace digitalization to expand its market and gain access to new revenue resources while meeting consumers demands. Recently, Walt Disney Corporation released KeyChest, a new technology that enables films distribution using computers and cell phone rather than DVDs and TVs. To compete more effectively, Disney provides value and above that provided by free films such as easy storage, higher quality, virus and legal threat protection, and acccess in multiple form and locations. KeyChest is also intended to be a multie-corporate venture as consumers wont have much of a variety to choose from if only Disney is involved. Digitalization which is more cost effective than physical one expose Disney to a larger audience. Digital medium like the Internet can serve as a new platform for its established practice of windowing . In addition, being able to grasp the opportunity of digital distribution, it is believed that Disney can better control and fight against digital piracy since it ultimately has control over consumption of the content. Nevertheless, the digitalization movement may seem to widen digital divide as some people have very limited or no access to digital and information technology at all. The high performance at box office of Disneys films indicates that consumers are still willing to pay more for good movies. While computer screen maynot where consumers want to access their films, the industry also need to cater to those consumers who like to own a physical product. By applying value-based pricing policy, consumers can watch the films in the price that matches their values, thus expanding Disneys market and increasing economic profits. It is predicted that the digital distribution of films will expand significantly and transform Disneys film from a product to a service in the recent future. Taking lessons from the music industry, the digitalisation is a great opportunity to sustain well in global market. Tie-ins and Spin-off: Selling of disneys products Disneys brand is recognized through the characters marketed in their films and mechandise. Merchandising comes with a long history, but the packages grow larger and even larger today. Fairy-tale films, especially those gain popularity, have always been the center-piece of a package with all other accessories like book, food, toys and clothes. Disney increases its productions shelf life and extracts money by generating peoples interest and enjoyment on it and though the succession of new audience-generations. Merchandising which starts even before the release of the film, is able to enhance the value of a movie that performs badly at the box office. By creating cute and appealing characters targeted mainly at children, Disney seeks to entice children who are more vulnerable to such appeals by satisfying artificial needs it creates. Since consumers tend to attribute their own value to the goods, resulting in almost worship of cultural goods. The fanatical consumption of the latest release of The Princess and the Frog wide array of merchandises is a testament to this. In addition, some tactics such as strategic positioning of outlets are used to increase consumers inclination to consume even though they never intend to do so. This brings us to realize what Bryaman (2004) called Disneyization, a process of creating variety and differences and removing of basic needs to entice consumers into consumption beyond necessity. As mentioned, consumers are not passive but most of the time, we are still unconsicously falling into the trap of consumerism. Nowadays, Disneys tie-ins to fast food restaurants seems to be a norm and results in what we call hybrid consumption. By giving consumers the merchandises they want either for free or at a lower price through fast food consumption, the fast food industry increases its patronage whereas Disney gains constant publicity for its existing or forthcoming films and makes profits from the process while keeping Disney in peoples mind. According to Disneys vice-president of marketing at Buena Vista UK, These movies are very expensive to make and release and these tie-ins get us exposure we couldnt afford to buy. Globalization disneyfication Over the years, Disney has been expanding its business in a coordinated manner to almost every corner of the planet. Robertson argued that the production and promotion of goods and services on a global scale requires close, ongoing sensitivity to cultural differences in local circumstances. Its roaring success can be attributed to its transformation into a truly global enterprise and transculturation by taking account into cultural differences while maintaining cultural authenticity American culture. In order to ensure its films dont look so different as to allienate the nonwestern audiences, Disney always seeks to modify its products to fit consumers tastes in each market around the world. Therefore, local managers are rendered more power and accountability to increase the globalization of Disneys products by ensuring the products are locally relevant to the consumers, leading to more strategic distribution and marketing planning. The company also transforms the mode of presentation to which the non-western audiences can respond such as different language subtitles in the films. In China, for exa mple, products are localized to appeal to Chinese consumers. As globalization is no longer one way homogenous cultural flow from the West to the East but multiple processes that spreads heterogenous global culture through enrichment by variety and diversity of local cultures, Disney starts to absorb and extend its narrative repertoire to include more or less distinct cultures and non-western characters in films such as Aladdin (Middle East), The Lion King (Africa) and Mulan (china). From the production perspective, the extension may be seen as marketing gimmick aimed at capturing more diverse audiences and thus expands its service coverage into international markets when it acquires more markets in these cultures. Besides catering to the needs of global audiences, Disney also creates a sense of cultural autheticity in globalizing its local cultural products. In The Princess and the Frog, there is dialectical tension between particularism and universalism. In order to capture cultural autheticity of New Orleans, one the oldest cities in America, distinctly American sound such as Jazz and gospel is used in the film. By universalising the culture to the other side of the world, Disney came out with a natural love story blended with advernturous storytelling, offbeat comedy, captivating characters built on universal longing for happiness. The fateful kiss between Tiana and the frog from different world and social status brings them on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous. The intricate love story and characters flaws give consumers a sense of realistic. Disney also took advantage of feminism and wove it in the film to attract audiences, especially females, by protraying a strong and i ndependent girl who has motivating desire in pursuing her dreams. As in reality, it is no longer a love at first sight but a couple who really dont like each other at first sight fall for each other after spending time together. Tiana doesnt know how to appreciate live whereas Prince Naveen is spoiled and irresponsible. A prince that really influences a heroin, he teaches Tiana how to appreciate her life. Their flaws reflects the reality which consumers can identify. Showing family love. who then facing problems of expressing love openly. The most striking fea ture is the female protagonist, Tiana. took advantage of a feminist touch to attract Asian audiences, esp women. Focuses on a tough women and wove the feminism into the film. true love can really thriump, to strive for an ending where everyone lives happile ever after. Tiana has her own motivating desire, motivations and decisions that drive her and make her interested and sympathetic. In fact, the film impressed the global audiences not really because of its uniqueness and exotics, but it pertains to their lives and cultures. Tiana is appealing as the female consumers can identify themselves with her and even want to cheer her on. The producer maintains a global-local perspective, exploiting the particularity of local culture on the one hand and universalizing it for the world on the other. By fusing the fairy tale, advernture, music and comedy together, the film is reproduced and presented in a new style to the global audiences. The fairy tale genre, the use of English language, the setting of New Orleans, the American music and so on served to bring forth a strong sense of cultural authenticity. In a nutshell, besides the ability to adapt to transculturation, the budding success of technology investment, the growing conglomeration to mobilize resources and pursue opportunities more effectively, and the elevated status of English as a global language all together provide a favourable environment for the globalization of Disneys fairy-tale films. Conclusion Disney continues to sustain our dreams despite the cruelty of reality. It is Disneys ability to make people happy captivates a large audiences over the globe, thus it would be better with innovation without changing the happy ending that audiences emotionally attached to. Through various strategic management and its fast adaptation to threats and firm grasp of opportunities, Disney is coping well in going globalization. In fact, Disneys fairy-tale films do leave more or less some impacts on its audiences. Some love Disney as it make them feel like kids again, while some may think Disney brainwashes the audiences by adding subliminal messages in its films and gives girls delusion that Prince Charming is going to knock on their door one day.

Surrealism in Art and Photography

Surrealism in Art and Photography A fundamental problem for fine art photographers is to distinguish themselves from this morras of photographic folklore, somehow to separate themselves from all these common men who know how to make pictures with cameras, and to convince us all that what they do is special. (Christopherson, 1974) The aim of this rationale is to situate my professional practice within the historical and theoretical contexts explored during my university studies. This essay will deal with establishing the fact that fashion photography does not have to be just about fashion by emphasizing the art in my pieces and consequently creating fine art photography. The first part of this analysis will examine the nature of photography which has become the medium of my practice. Second part consists of consequent research on fashion photography and sequent analysis and discussion. In order to link it with art, the background of Surrealism will be briefly outlined. The final analysis will consider key features of my practice. Can be a  fashion photography considered as a  true art form? What theories, quotations or articles are in agreement with this subject matter? What are characteristics of art photography? Research has shown that photography was born in eighteen thirty nine and is regarded as everyday medium that communicates concept visually. Roland Barthes (1980) defined photograph as aid which help us to be informed about the world. Furthermore, one should not forget the Susan Sontags theory take pictures as you travel what suggests that collecting the photographs means collecting the world. (Susan Sonntag, 1977) Charles Baudelaire (1859) suggests that photography depict the stupidity of masses, whereas P.H. Emerson claimed that photography was an independent and potentially great art from capable of expressing thoughts and emotions beyond the scope of the other and older art forms. (P.H. Emerson, 1975) In agreement with Emerson, this contemporary medium embodies the way of expressing ideas, expressing myself within my practice. Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art . (Ansell Adams, 1952) The question whether photography can be considered as an art has been discussed especially in sixties and seventies. It has been found out that in nineteen sixty eight was born the relationship between photography and art. In a Grundergs opinion, it has all started when photographers regarded photography as an art form and simultaneously artists have accepted camera in their practice. (Grundberg, 1987) On the one hand, there were artists who thought that camera is repressing imagination. On the other hand, some of them believe photograph is purely metaphoric. In agreement with the second statement, it has been found out that photographs symbolize the metaphor for artists experience. In other words, it serves the purpose of visualizing artists ideas. In a view of these facts, it is quite likely that if the art is about self-expression than the photograph which is used for expressing emotions, ideas or attitudes, must be regarded as an art form. The first person in history who wrote about photography as art was P.H. Emerson , British photographer and writer. He preferred aesthetic and emotional side of the image rather than the subject. Perhaps we should point out the fact that between nineteen seventy and nineteen ninety photographs has been equipollent with other contemporary arts. Which art movement has affected the development of a photograph and is also significant within my practice? It has been Surrealism, art movement that came into being in nineteen twenty four in Paris with leader Andre Breton. It may be true that surrealist group was the most controversial but on the other hand their expressions were positive and optimistic. To explore the voice of their inner selves, they focus on imagination, mysticism, dreams and mediation. This unreal art movement and photograph as a medium of realism seem to be totally different. Man Ray, American artist who has been considered as representative surrealist photographer had been interested in photography because of personal development. His theory which suggests that photography emphasizes visual sphere between forms is could be in agreement with considering photography as art form. He has also contributed by invention of photographic technique of solarisation. Although it may be true that Surrealism has had impact on a photograph, the most crucial point made so far is that it has significantly inspirited the development and nature of fashion photography. It would be unfair not to mention the fact that Man Rays surreal photographs breathed new life into fashion photography. What is the nature of fashion photography and what is its connection with art? History of fash ion is connected with photos by Baron Adolph de Meyer who published them in nineteen nine for magazine Vogue; however the relationship between art and fashion is recognized from renaissance. Anne Hollander (1994) claimed that fashion is art because it is capable of creating complete figural images psychologically real and modern. She also states that as artists turn to fashion, cloth designer turn to the fine art in order to explore the connection between fine and applied art, a sense of pure form and a sense of design to use. In a book entitled  ´Fashion Theory ´, Rosetta Brookes makes the point that You could say a painting is designed to go on the wall, but if it was made as fresco, where it was part of the wall, would you say it was not art because it was practical? (Rosetta Brookes, 1992) The question whether fashion can be consider as art is questionable and criticised, however these arguments seem to confirm that idea. Fashion does not have to be something people wear, fa shion is also an image. (Viktor and Rolf, 1999) Some critics suggest that fashion photography is just about depicting garments or models without any context behind it. It is questionable whether all kinds of fashion photographs are the same, or if there are artists whose images are portraying art with strong artistic context behind it. In this case it is important to highlight and analyse work of surrealist fashion photographers and related theories of critics. Rosetta Brookes (1992) has stated that fashion photographers have to capture the moment where the real world reproduced itself. She wrote on fashion photographer Helmut Newton that his fashion images are embodied in the dualism o the world itself. Judith Clarke (1998) discussed work of surrealist fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld who obviously removed fashion photograph from commercial form to its origins art. To support mentioned arguments it is worth stating that Metaphor and meaning of fashion were at the heart of surrealist visual language. (Richard Martin, 1987) It has also been found out that fashion represents for surrealist escape from ordinary to extraordinary. The radical change within fashion photography happened when Adolf de Meyer add shimmer into his images which embodied artistic photographs. This approach has removed the presentation of garment. Consequently it has evoked expressing of emotions. Martin Mukacsi (1933), Hungarian photographer who has transformed the course of fashion photograph when he blurred his photograph. The aim of photograph was to influence woman and let her apply it on her life. According to Roland Barthes (1983), three fashion styles exist. While the first one is objective, second one is more romantic with dream-like elements. The last one is represented as caricature. In agreement with Barthes, all of these specific fashion styles signified unreal. On reflection, it seems more accurate to say that there are lots of facts and theories underpinning the subject matter. The fact, that photograph is medium appro priate for expressing ideas and that for artists influenced by surrealism it embodies the escape from reality, is important statement not only for the subject matter but also for my professional practice. What are the features of Surrealism and other key aspects which are essential within the context of my work? The first thing that needs to be said is work of surrealists consist of dream-like elements. Additionally, the lecture on psychoanalysis let me to research Sigmund Freud and subsequently his book Interpretation of Dreams. In this book he suggests that all dreams derive from our experience and that is the reason why they are reproduced in our dreams. He is also describing the connection between content of dreams and waking life where he suggests that waking thoughts appear in dreams only when they are pushed to one side by thinking activity of the day. (Sigmund Freud, 1913) It is important to add that elements of dream-like representations are abounding in paintings of David Schell. Within my practice, there has been noticeable interest in interpretation of dreams in general. To illustrate this point, here are some examples of dream quotations that have inspirited my creating. There is nothing like a dream to create the future. (Victor Hugo, 1802-1885) To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream: not only plan, but also believe. (Anatole France, 1884-1924) You may say Im a dreamer, but Im not the only one, I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one. (John Lennon, 1940-1980) Another characteristic feature of surrealistic movement is unreal fantasy world. At this point is necessary to emphasize the influence of theorist Jean Baudrillard and his book called Simulacra and Simulations. Basically, he negates the reality as we usually understand it and suggest that world we live in have been replaced by simulations of the real-a copy world. According to Baudrillard, the false reality of Disneyland is presented as imaginary to make people believe all surroundings are real. The best example to understand the theory is watching the news on television of two people having an accident. He states that experience of the man and woman who were directly involved with the affair are the only ones to experience the reality and to anyone else it is just simulation. (Jean Baudrillard, 1981) Inspirited by his theory, the subject of my work is to create the hyper real world for viewers while acting in my photograph experiencing the real world. In other words, the subject of my work which may not be noticeable is to take the viewer beyond reality. The argument being put forward here is similar to quote of Bert P. Krages (2005) Knowing abut your subject is useful even if that knowledge does not seem to relate directly to the visual aspects of what you are trying to photograph. It worth stating at this point that there is another aspect of my work emerging. It is a well-known fact that the woman as an object has been representing by many artists, especially surrealist s and fashion photographers. Women embodied muse for artists as Man Ray or Edgar Degas. Research has shown that Edgar Degas was French impressionist who is celebrated as the master of drawing the human figure in motion. His favourite theme was women who were captured in their activities. Man Ray also found his motivation in women and is best-known for his avant-garde photography. His images provide the viewer far more differences than similarities of original model. Besides these artists it is essential to mention the influence of lecture called Human Body in Painting and Photograph where this subject has been discussed and analysed. After two years of creating, this subject matter within my practice has been transformed into performance. Performance art came into being in nineteen sixty in United States and has been representing visual artists. By nineteen seventy it was already acknowledged as global term and regarded as art. There is plenty of performance artists therefore it is compulsory to focus on artist with the greatest impact. It has been Marina Abramovic who is regarded as grandmother of performance and also Jemima Stehli who creates self-portraits by using a mirror. However, the most influential artist in addition to this topic is Cindy Sherman. Her personality has had important impact on photography as well as on my own self-directed practice. Her personality is celebrated as one of the most influential and respected American photographers in the twentieth century. Using designer cloths she was trying to point out contemporary problems of modern age and investigate ideas and images of female in media, society and nature of the conception of art. Andrew Sargus Klein (2006) claimed that Sherman endeavour to erase the notion of the voyeuristic photographer- instead, the observer is the viewer. Although some critics believe that her images are just self-portraits, however her quotation is in disagreement with this statement I am trying to make other people recognize something of themselves rather than me. (Cindy Sherman, 1982) Patty Chang (2000) states that performance art and photography are opposites, but both define a non-ordinary space by establishing parameters on it- a space that depends on the observer to make it come alive. To conclude this part, it is myself performing in my photographs. The aim is not to present myself, but to present my ideas through photographic medium. The performance feature provides me the sense of freedom in what I do and what I want to depict. It symbolizes the pure pleasure of playing, acting by using my body as non-commercial silhouette. The purpose of the performance element is to express myself, my ideas and be the one who is manipulating the viewer and who is trying to communicate with audience. However, influenced by Cindy Shermans thinking, the endeavour of my work is not to recognize something about myself, but to let people discover something about them. Not only has performance art originated in nineteen sixty, but also Psychedelic art. It is undeniable that hallucinations, illusions and imagination illustrate key features of surrealists. Edmund Critchley (1987) suggests that hallucinations are obvious in psychical illnesses but can also be experienced by normal people and became source of inspiration for art. It is generally known that Salvador Dali, the most surrealist from other surrealists, has applied in his art making hallucinatory features what caused the fact that his art was difficult to understand. Not only hallucinatory features are important for my practice, but also illusions and imagination. According to Edmund Critchely (1987) illusions, the conscious and unconscious of the form of stimuli provide much of unexpected in art. An alternative approach might be quotation of Sigmund Freud (1927) Illusions commented themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces. Apart from hallucinations and illusions, imagination is also important within the subject matter and my practice. It is a well-known fact that surrealists style uses visual imagery from subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical compre hensibility. An alternative explanation might be that they have rather used their imagination. We would even go so far as to say that Albert Einsteins (1879-1955) quotation Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere- in other words, imagination is more important than knowledge- is in agreement with this argument. To sum up information stated above, the purpose of using hallucinatory feature and illusions is simple- the aim is to offer a pleasure to viewer and experience something scrupulously honest. As mentioned above, psychedelic art came into being in nineteen sixty and represents attitudes of underground sub-culture. Steven Heller (2010) claimed that psychedelic art â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦was language used as a code for a revolutionary generation. The features of this art are mainly bright vivid colours and surreal sense which have been manifested within art, fashion and music. The most essential fact contextualizing my practice is using contrasting beautiful colou rs for purpose of transporting the viewer into fantasy world. In addition to colours, colour theory and specific psychological meaning of single colour. It has been found out that colour is sensed by eye, however the perception of it takes place in mind and it serves sense of illusion and distance. By using different shades and tones at different images, the purpose of the colour is to evoke emotion while looking at piece of work. Therefore I agree with quotation of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Colours, like features, follow the changes of the emotions. Which other features are significant for surrealistic creating? In addition to illusion, it has been found out that many surrealist but also fashion photographers have used mirrors or mirror effects in order to mystify the viewer. My early influence originated from pieces of Gilbert and George, contemporary controversial artists. The effect of mirroring is result of digital manipulation of the image. Works of the most contemporary fashi on photographer, David LaChapelle has astonished me because of undetectable manipulation. He is also applying surreal feature and narrative within his creating. However, the digital manipulation is not the only aspect within existing process of my works. Firstly, there is a need of finding a place which seems appropriate and first of all, interesting. Most of the time, damaged and messy localities are investigating in order to use their complex composition when creating unreal world and transforming them into fantasy landscape. Important fact to highlight is that the place is never staged; however it is always in its natural-found condition. Secondly, the appropriate dress, accessories, entire appearance, pose and mood have to be chosen. Finally, there is another aspect of composing the eventual shoot and also managing the right angels and camera settings. With the help of tripod or an assistant is the picture taken and consequently edited. Although the picture is taken, it is not t he end of a process at all. Certainly, it can be said that my work is process based. The other side of the coin is, however, that it can also be argued that it is based on digital manipulation of an image. Nevertheless, the manipulation consists of changing colours slightly and sometimes it consists of the use of mirror effect. These arguments suggest that the work is processed based where the digital manipulation of image is becoming a part of the process.

Separation Anxiety and Attachment in Infants and Toddlers Essay

Introduction Susie’s mother opened the door to let Molly, Susie’s babysitter, inside. Ten-month old Susie seemed happy to see Molly. Susie then observed her mother put her jacket on and Susie’s face turned from smiling to sad as she realized that her mother was going out. Molly had sat for Susie many times in the past month, and Susie had never reacted like this before. When Susie’s mother returned home, the sitter told her that Susie had cried until she knew that her mother had left and then they had a nice time playing with toys until she heard her mother’s key in the door. Then Susie began crying once again. At a certain age infants begin to resist the unfamiliar and are very vocal in expressing their feelings (Brazelton, 1992). Sometimes this causes parents to hesitate leaving their child with someone unfamiliar to this child even if the parents know them well. It’s hard to leave when their young child is crying for them. They want him/her to be well taken care of and happy when they are not together. From birth to about six months old, an infant doesnÂ’t seem to mind staying with an unfamiliar person (Brazelton, 1992), although the infant is able to distinguish his mother from other people (Slater, et al, 1998). As the infant gets a little older, at about eight to ten months, he/she begins to cry when his caregiver is not his mother or father; and again between eighteen and twenty-four months, when the infant finds out he/she has some control over what happens (Schuster, 1980). Separation anxiety could, and often does, make parents feel guilty for leaving their child and might make them wonder if they are causing their child undue stress. Separation anxiety has been studied for many years beginning with documenta... ...ts. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Harrison, L. J. and Ungerer, J. A., (2002). Maternal Employment and Infant-Mother Attachment Security at 12 Months Postpartum. Developmental Psychology, Vol. 38, No. 5, 758-773. Karen, R., (1998). Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love. New York: Oxford Press. Rutter, M., (1972). Maternal Deprivation, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, LTD. Schuster, C. S., and Ashburn, S. S., (1980). The Process of Human Development: A Holistic Approach. Boston: Little, Brown and Company Inc. Slater, A., and Muir, D., (1998). The Blackwell Reader in Developmental Psychology. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd. Weger Jr., H. and Polcar, L. E., (2002). Attachment Style and Person-Centered Comforting. Western Journal of Communication, 66(1) (Winter 2002), 84-103.

Motion Picture History Essay examples -- essays research papers

Before World War I, films were being made mostly European countries and in Japan. When the war interrupted European filmmaking, however, the American film industry began to dominate the world market. In the years between 1917 and 1927 the silent film reached the peak of its development. United States had the largest film industry and American films dominated the international market. Germany and Japan still had some movie industries but mostly left to domestic. Many nations found film production as a matter of importance to national culture, sometimes by limiting on film imports. D. W. Griffith transformed early day of domestic production to an era of Hollywood’s worldwide dominance. Major companies that dominated Hollywood were Fox, Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, Columbia, and United Artists. One of the famous MGM movies was a silent version of Ben Her. Hollywood films became increasingly expensive to make as productions became more spectacular, and the stars demanded enormous salaries. As Hollywood and film industries elsewhere produced hundreds of films each year, certain standardized forms took precedence over individual creative inspiration. Movies adopted categories, known as genres, from earlier arts and popular entertainment. These included comedy, the Western, mystery, horror, romance, melodrama, and the war story. More and more large cinemas were built, and the major producers expanded their distributing systems and bought entire chains of theaters. Major studios attempted to produce a picture a week. A typical film show consisted of a feature starring big-name players, a short comedy, and a newsreel. The 1922 film Nanook of the North, directed by the American Robert Flaherty, is often credited as the first great achievement of documentary film. Most of the films made during this period reflected the fast pace and materialistic concerns of the nation's prosperous "flapper" era. While settings and costumes were often elaborate, film stories were often shallow. Most people went to the "movies" to see film stars, and it was often the star who saved a poor film from being a total failure. Some stars, seeking freedom from the mass-production methods of large studios, banded together to form distributing companies to market films they made in their own studios. United Artists, formed in 1919 by Griffith, Chaplin, Douglas Fa... ...eras and stages. Movement in most of the early sound films appeared static, because cameras had to be enclosed in soundproof boxes that were difficult to move. Eventually cameras with noiseless gears were developed; microphones were put on booms, or poles, which could be extended as needed. Early cameras used a number of different speeds for exposing frames, but by the advent of sound film in the late 1920s the standard had become 24 frames per second. The sound revolution ended the careers of many silent-film performers whose voices did not record well, but it also brought new performers to the screen who had stage experience in speaking roles. Playwrights who knew how to write dramatic dialogue were hired to replace silent-screen scenario writers, and many plays were filmed for the screen because they provided ready-made dialogue. With the coming of sound, film animation increased popularity. Walt Disney made the first animated cartoon with synchronized sound, Steamboat Willie in 1928, which was the third film to feature the popular Mickey Mouse character. The Great Depression of 1929 did a little to affect Hollywood but ironically increased the efficiency of films production.

How to Make Enchiladas (Informative Speech)

In a couple of hours it will be time for dinner. If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably stand in the middle of the kitchen or stare at the fridge aimlessly, thinking about what you can come up with tonight. When looking for a delicious, quick and easy dinner†¦ I have a solution for you. Make Enchiladas! They only take about an hour and a half to make, and are something the whole family will enjoy. I’ll tell you how to make Easy Enchiladas and you decide if it makes you hungry or not. Before cooking anything it is always best to wash your hands and any countertops or cutting boards that you will place food on.Some quick preparation that can be done before starting; is thawing out the chicken ahead of time to make cooking time shorter, shred cheese if needed but I like to use the pre shredded cheese, open the Enchilada sauce cans, and pre heat your oven to about 350. All the supplies you will need are pretty inexpensive. My recipe makes about twenty enchi ladas. The food items you will need are: 5 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 cans of La Victoria enchilada sauce, one bag of any medium cheddar cheese (about 8 cups if shredding by hand) and twenty corn tortillas.Utensils needed are a big pot to boil the chicken in, a strainer, two bowls (one big and one small), can opener, big spoon, and a baking pan to fit the enchiladas in. Once you have all the supplies and prep done, now you are ready to start making the enchilada filling. First you will want to fill your big pot about three quarters of the way full with water and bring it to a boil. When the water starts to boil you can add the chicken breast. Be careful because the pot and water are extremely hot and may splash back up at you.You will want to let the chicken boil for about fourty-five minutes to one hour. I check if the chicken is cooked all the way through by cutting a breast in half and making sure there is no pink in the meat. When the chicken is done, you will want to strain the water from the chicken (being cautious again from the steam coming off the chicken and out of the pot, VERY HOT! I have burned myself many times straining chicken. ) Let your chicken cool down for about fifteen minutes to make it easier to handle. Once it’s cool to touch, you can then hand shred it.Basically just take a piece and start pulling it a part into bite size strands. Put it in a big bowl and add one and a third of cans of the Enchilada sauce to your chicken and mix. Your filling is now done. Next you will want to wrap twenty corn tortillas in a cloth and microwave for two to two and a half minutes (just until they are soft). You can now put the rest of the leftover enchilada sauce into the small bowl for tortilla dipping. Dip a tortilla into the sauce and make sure it has a good amount all over. This is done to give the tortillas that enchilada kick.Set your tortilla down in the baking pan and put a spoon full of the Enchilada filling on top along with a pinch of cheese. Roll up the enchilada as you would a taco or a burrito. Repeat dipping, adding chicken and cheese, and rolling of enchiladas; placing the enchiladas side by side, until the whole baking pan is full. Now for the best part! Add as much cheese to the top of the enchiladas as you’d like. (I usually add a smaller layer over the whole thing). Crank your oven up to 375-400 and put the enchiladas (uncovered) in.Watch them carefully because some cheese melts faster than others. Leave them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Just depending on when the cheese starts to melt or turn golden brown. You can now take your enchiladas out and let them cool down because they should be pretty hot. Serve them to your family and watch them enjoy. This is a quick and easy recipe that I have adapted from my grandmas recipe, to make it an Easy enchilada dinner. I hope that you now will go home and try making them yourself, their pretty good! Thank you for your time.

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility by Emma Thompson she creates a vivid and dramatic film by conveying the original author’s intent. Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 British drama film directed by Ang Lee. The screenplay by Emma Thompson is based on the 1811 novel of the same name by Jane Austen. The actors develop their characters and had an amazing performance. Throughout the movie Michael Coulter took advantage of the use of cinematic techniques. Also in the film included a lot of thematic ideas that depicted in some way the era and conventions in order to maintain certain thematic ideas.Through the use of character portrayal, visual imagery, and thematic ideas the film writer creates a successful movie. The actors develop their characters and had an amazing performance. All characters played an excellent dramatic role and each of them stood out as individuals. Barbara Shulgasser of the San Francisco Examiner states, â€Å"Thompson creates a world so believable in its absurd rigidity th at we feel we have known these characters all our lives. † She brings the characters alive through the diction she is presented to the viewers.In the film each character has a role and each character plays that role and that helps to get the author’s character across to the audience. Throughout the movie Michael Coulter took advantage of the use of cinematic techniques. Jenny Beaven and John Bright develop setting, costuming and make-up to help give viewers a visual story as well as auditory. Jack Kroll opined, â€Å"As writer and actress, Thompson has all right Austen rhythms and filmmaker Ang Lee orchestrates with sensitivity and style.The screen teems and brilliant costumes and crackles with dialogue that turns English into verbal Mozart. † Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works and is one of the most enduringly popular classical composers. For the movie to be compared to one of the most popular cla ssical composer show the hard work and dedication to a great performance. Through the use of pantomime and action characters creates an interesting environment and develop the different themes.Also in the film included a lot of thematic ideas that depicted in some way the era and conventions in order to maintain certain thematic ideas. Usually when two individuals have a mutual connection fate will combine the soul mates together; that theme is related to the film because of the beginning to the end the results were unpredictable. Barbara Shulgasser of the San Francisco Examiner enthused, â€Å"The movie is so intelligently wrought, and so full of good spirit that even those who have behaved badly are at the end given the chance to seem human and pained by their own weaknesses.At the end of the movie everyone was married; they experience both romance and heartbreak. In conclusion through the use of character portrayal, visual imagery, and thematic ideas the film writer creates a su ccessful movie. The characters help to promote the movie through great performances. The cinematic technique was used creatively and helps dramatically disclose the story. Thematically the information is presented in someway about the era and conventions in order to maintain certain thematic ideas.

Moral Decline in Society Essay

â€Å"Freedom without morality inevitably becomes merely the liberty to perpetuate evil.† The topic I will be presenting on is: â€Å"Family is responsible for the general moral decline in society†. Do any of you know what a ‘moral’ is? The Collins English dictionary defines a moral as the difference between right and wrong or good and bad. What about the word ‘decline’? It simply means a decrease. Thus, a moral decline is a decrease in the difference between knowing what is right and wrong or good and bad. Children learn moral values mainly within their families, and mainly by relying on parents as role models. When families are unstable, when parents are absent, emotionally distant, or pre-occupied, or whenever parents themselves are immoral, the learning of moral values by children is greatly slowed down. For example, what if you grew up in a family where you were forced to sell drugs at an early age? What would you grow up to do, sell drugs? Consider a family who spends time together by going on family outings, and enjoy the quality time that is being spent. During these times, parents may instill in children the proper moral values that would allow them to grow up to be proper adults. With the attack of advertising and the organized entertainment industry, and often sex and violence- saturated popular culture they are driving, childhood is no longer the relatively protected period that it has been in recent times. Children are thrust into an adult culture at an early age, just as they once were in the older era. If a child doesn’t have a strong emotional attachment to a parent, the effectiveness of the parent as a teacher and moral guide is greatly reduced†¦.