Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Fiend and Frankensteins Creation free essay sample

â€Å"It’s alive! It’s alive! My monster, he is alive! † screams Henry Frankenstein, at sight of his creation’s animation. In the 1931 film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor has great ambitions towards his creation and no regrets after the success of his experiment. In the novel, however, the monster is not so warmly welcomed; his rejection sparks a flame of hatred and vengeance. In fact, the novel and film adaptation depict two completely different interpretations of Frankenstein’s monster. In the novel, the monster’s actions are justified, and he displays a want and need to love and be loved, as opposed to the blatant and arbitrary nature of the monster in the film. Also, the fiend is treated much differently by his creator in the novel than in the film. Firstly, in the novel, the monster’s violent actions are a result of his anger and desire for revenge. We will write a custom essay sample on The Fiend and Frankensteins Creation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The family who he had spied on for about a year and had come to care for so much, had deceived him, and as a result, the fiend burned down their cottage. This shows that, in frustration and anger towards the cottagers’ betrayal and lack of sympathy, the creature expresses his feelings, thereby justifying his acts. Subsequently, the monster later strangles Victor’s younger brother, William, to death in the forest near Geneva. â€Å"My papa is a syndic—he is M. Frankenstein†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim,† (131). Again, the creature is aggravated by his emotions to cause injury and death, this time, to someone close and dear to Victor. In the film, Frankenstein’s creation also perpetrates aggression. Although, these are random acts of violence that cannot be justified, as the monster has no basis on which to cause chaos. He can be compared to a raging bull, destroying anything in is his way, merely for the sake of eliminating its presence. Back to the novel side of things, the creature yet again commits further acts of violence, bringing upon the deaths of Henry and Elizabeth. This is in response to Victor’s abortion of the monster’s to-be companion. From this it can be concluded that, as opposed to the movie, where the fiend capriciously commits random acts of violence, the novel’s monster has motives on which he bases his actions upon. Secondly, the monster is much more human-like in the novel than in the film. He shows his want and need for compassion by requesting Victor to create for him a mate. In doing this, the monster also conveys his desire to escape the wretched world of villainous revenge and to become a benevolent being. â€Å"Let him [mankind] live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance,† (135). On the other hand, the film portrays the monster as one with a very basic sense of emotion and no intelligence at all. This can be seen as the monster throws Maria into the water, to decipher whether or not she is buoyant, as the flowers are. Finally, in the novel, there are two instances at which the monster attempts to interact with society; first with the villagers, then the cottagers. This shows his need for one of the basic necessities of life; a sense of belonging in the world. The novel’s monster is much more human, and, along with his ebb and flow of emotions, we are able to relate our own lives with his. Lastly, the manner in which the creature is treated by his creator is, without doubt, more outspoken in the novel. In the film, Victor is proud and quite optimistic; if not downright mad, at the completion of the monster’s biogenesis. This proves that Victor had the full intention of carrying out this experiment; a rather short-sighted act at that. On the contrary, when this is observed in the novel, Victor Frankenstein is immediately horrified at the sight of his creature when it comes to life. This means that creating the monster was something Victor immediately regretted. Also, in the film, Victor struggles to control the monster and have it demonstrate obedience, rather than avoid all contact with it, as he did in the novel. A large aspect of the monster’s character and persona, and a foundation of hatred and vengeance are developed by Victor’s rejection, an element that was entirely omitted in the movie. The viewer/reader comes across two distinct characters under the same name when watching the 1931 film adaptation and reading the novel by Mary Shelley. The monster in the novel has justification for his actions, a sort of motive that drives him to commit violent crimes. He also displays a requirement for the essential needs of human life, which include the capacity to love and belong. Lastly, the monster’s creator behaves differently towards his creation in the two mediums, producing differences in character and developmental nature. From the novel’s depiction of the monster’s different motives, actions, and emotions, the reader can develop a much deeper, more understandable connection with the monster. We are able to relate our lives with the monster, and feel his glee, as well as his gloom.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Argumentative Essay Sample on Watching TV

Argumentative Essay Sample on Watching TV Watching TV has become a bad habit among human beings. They require some kind of etiquette to educate human beings for watching TV excessively. We have lost all our old heritage to socialise to the environment. Watching TV does not involve the persons active participation. In sub-consciousness we just go on watching the subject without involving our active mind. We are also losing the social activities as well as outdoor ones which gives boosting effect on a humans mind. We should generate awareness among people about the disadvantage of watching TV. Although this great invention of science has played a major role in human life to give more comfort as well as information that a human being requires, but in my view disadvantages has also played a vital role to destroy of the old age heritage. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that outdoor activities as social ones give metal and physical satisfaction. As we are aware of the fact that our ancestors have developed a sense of vi sualising the events happening at far distant places.This has happend because human has practiced his body in such a that they can see adn visualise the thing before the events take place. But TV may not give this opportunity to develop the human mind. Watching TV has become habbit and some time we do not prefer to visit relatives and friends house and also do not prefer to be visited by them. We would like to generate the awareness in the human being to visulaise this drawback in order to avoid untoward incident to happen in futre and repent on this activity at later date. We must develop and generate a group who can devote the time to make people aware about the outcome of this activity. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on TV at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Career Advice From a Professional Stage Makeup Artist

Career Advice From a Professional Stage Makeup Artist What does it take to become a makeup artist for the theater? Well, when seeking career advice, it’s best to contact an expert. Judi Lewin has worked as a professional hair and makeup artist for over thirty-five years. We caught up with her during a film shoot to ask her some important questions about her career. Although she has been working in the movie and television industry, we asked her if she would talk about her extensive career as a makeup designer for the legitimate stage. Getting Started While living in her hometown of Toronto, Judi had a natural talent for makeup. Whether she was applying her makeup skills on herself or her friends, she had a knack for making people look their best. It wasn’t long before many of her â€Å"theater friends† requested her help. Soon, she found herself transforming the faces- and hairstyles- of actors. Her first professional experiences took place at local theaters in Toronto, with her earliest productions being community theater musicals, such as A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, and Annie. Her love for her craft motivated her to take on show after show and, after a couple of years of amateur productions, she began to work on a professional basis. Judi has since worked in such theaters as the Canadian Opera Company, the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera, and the Pasadena Playhouse. Recently, she worked as the Key Makeup Designer for the new show, Happy Days- A New Musical, which was based upon the classic hit television show. Methods After accepting a job from a director, Judi reads through the script. After reading it through, she reads it a second time and makes notes, listing the characters and paying close attention to the setting. Then, she works with the director to find out â€Å"what specifically the director wants to see.† She does everything she can to learn about the director’s vision in advance before she begins the design process. Judi explained that in smaller, lower-budgeted productions, the director’s input might be all that she requires. However, the bigger the show, the more likely producers, executives, and others will want to express their opinion- and that’s when the business of the makeup artist can really get complicated. Do Your Research Judi recommends that up-and-coming makeup designers constantly gather historical images- this means finding photographs, illustrations, and other images from any era in the past to serve as inspiration or source material. Also, try to find information and visual material from and about as many different countries and cultures as possible. By gathering these images from the internet, old books, and second-hand stores, a makeup artist will increase their knowledge of different looks, eras, and lifestyles, from â€Å"aristocracy to someone who lives in the slums.† Working with Actors It is common for actors to feel insecure- sometimes about their looks, but sometimes about their performance. Occasionally, Judi has worked with a few prima donnas, but she has a weapon against rudeness. â€Å"Kill them with kindness,† she says. â€Å"Be lovely and polite.† She also mentioned that because so much time is spent together, actors often reveal personal details to their makeup artists. Her rule about that is, â€Å"Nothing leaves the makeup room.† Career Advice According to Judi, here are two reliable ways to become a professional makeup artist: Attend a Makeup School (She recommends The Makeup Designory in Burbank, California and New York City).Intern with a professional who works in both theater and television (That way the intern will learn two very different techniques). Benefits of the Theater One of the reasons Judi loves working in live theater so much is simply because it’s alive! â€Å"In theater, things need to happen now!† Her stage experience is a sharp contrast to her film work, in which the general rule is to work on the makeup until it is perfect. During a musical, the makeup artist has a limited amount of time to get things right- this makes the experience both challenging and fun. The excitement of live theater invigorates Judi Lewin and her fellow artists.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

IP 3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IP 3 - Research Paper Example However when the cost is low then the company can comfortably employ the locals. This problem doubles with shortage of skilled manpower to manage managerial and technical positions. There is also the need to assess the local market in the foreign country. The business environment in the foreign countries are at times unfriendly with insecurity, market flooded with similar companies and poor transportation or communication networks. The other major consideration that should be done is in line with the local government, the general public in the foreign country and the policies and laws in the country. When going international, the general organizational structure of the companies has to change to carter for the expansion. Creation of offshore company locations demands for the expansion and formulation of a leadership structure to manage all the departments that are created in the process. When running a company in a foreign country, the management needs to attentively regard the opinion of the company by the local residents. Joseph B. Hunt (2011), some companies succeed by hiring home country nationals resident in the host country and who have extensive experience in that host country. Through this means, the companies ensure that whoever they employ have the best skills and knowledge on how to handle problems and make decisions for the company. It is however notable that due to some of these decisions, the residents of the host country may display some dislikes to the company. Meeting exemplary performance while, at the same time improving the relationship between the company an d the locals may as well prove difficult to the company. Conflicts with the host government policies, rules and regulations may be of great hindrance. In order to address these issues and address the company’s social responsibilities, I would recommend the company to come up with convincing projects and activities that would involve the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Ethical Behavior of Business Students at Rocky University Essay

Ethical Behavior of Business Students at Rocky University - Essay Example This, in turn has raised a critical concern, as the number of students graduating from the university will not acquire the required and appropriate expertise along with knowledge (Prenshaw & et al., 2001). Rocky University had been facing problems related to cheating activities due to which the Dean took the initiative of resolving this issue through conducting a survey. The Dean strongly believed that by conducting this survey, the existing ethical behavior of the business students belonging to the university could be evaluated. For this survey, 90 business students were selected from Rocky University so as to determine the proportion of students who were engaged in cheating while pursuing their degree course. From the survey conducted, it could be revealed that a total of 71 male students were engaged in cheating activity, while a total of 58 female students were involved in the same. The cheating activity mainly includes the practices of copying from internet photocopying others during exams and collaborating on the projects that had been already allocated to the students individually. This can be better understood with the help of the following tabular representation. From the above table, it can be identified that out of 90 business students surveyed in the university, 34 students have been engaged in practices of copying from the internet. Amongst these 34 students, it could be revealed that 18 male students were engaged in the practices of copying from internet and the remaining 16 female students had undertaken the similar practice. This provides an idea that the proportion of male students copying from the internet is more as compared to female students. As per the above depicted table, it can also be apparently observed that out of 90 students, a total of 46 students had copied in their exam, out of which 26 and 20 students were

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Contemporary Social Structures Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Social Structures Essay Define and explain the concept ‘Contemporary Social structures’ and the role of such structures and the role of such structures in regulating life and beliefs. Structures are both the medium and the outcome of the practices which constitutes social systems- Anthony Giddens (1938) in simpler terms people shape structure, but structure determines what people do. Contemporary Social structures are restraints that affect the lives all members of society. Whether we are aware of it or not, we live in societies that consist of social structures, every society has its own set of social structures such as religion, class, gender and ethnicity. We also have the social structures that interlink such as the educational political social structure as public schools, colleges and universities depend on the government for their funds. social structures are embodied in our everyday actions, thoughts and beliefs as human beings, there are effective in controlling as well as organizing the behaviour of an individual or individuals as the main purpose of a social structure is to maintain a co-operative regime for all members of society, however there are consequences for certain groups in society. Every society has its own set of contemporary social constructions for an example class; gender and ethnicity are all constraints that all societies experience. An example of a social structure is class, a class structure is found in most if not all societies, it is one of the main sources of economic inequality, certain individuals would identify there being to classes in society: the Bourgeoisie who own all the means of production and the Proletariat who are exploited by the Bourgeoisie. As mentioned above Gender is also a constraint when regarding social structures, the term ‘gender roles’ has been commonly used to describe the prescribed roles of a male and female in society. In the past females have struggled to be accepted in to the workforce, even though this has changed dramatically during recent years equal opportunities are not the same for men and women due to the social structures and the way they regulate our life and beliefs, for an example a man is given 6 weeks maternal leave as society believes it is the males role to the ‘breadwinner’ while the female receives a years maternal leave as she is seen as the ‘homemaker’ that stays home taking responsibility for the children and all the homely duties. Although this may not apply to all societies some would describe Ethnicity as playing a part on what we as individuals can achieve in life by affecting our positions in the labour market. A social structure is formed by the distribution of wealth, power and prestige. They consists of beliefs about the world and both compel and regulate our actions, as mentioned previously religion , gender and ethnicity are social structures, they are all created within society itself , each and every group share common attitudes , views, values, social norms, lifestyle and in some cases material goods. Individuals in society stay within the prescribed guidelines of the social structures they were born and socialised into, that refers to being rich or poor, male or female or being young middle aged and old. Class structure determines our life chances and is the basic structure for all modern societies. According to McGregor (1989) class is the main cause of inequality. He explains that different clas s groups begin their lives with unequal opportunities which effects the type of education an individual will receive , the social connections an individual will make and the way that individual will speak ad behave. He also argues that the class that an individual belongs to is determined by various factors such as power, family background, wealth, lifestyle, mannerisms, social interactions, and employment; he also describes class as being separated in to three different groups which are the upper class, middle class and lower class. Abercrombie (2000), states that the upper-class is distinguished from others, by their wealth and power. In contrast to the other classes the upper class only consists of a few people, the individuals included in this group are employers who own large amounts of land and others who are self-employed, have careers as managers or professionals. Wealth is distributed among the wealth in many ways such as inheritance, with wealth individuals are given the opportunity to live the life they will lead. The educational system reinforces many inequalities insuring that those of the highest class have access to better opportunities and better chances of reaching success. Memb ers of the upper class attend private school together. From sharing educational experiences the upper class learn how to interact with each other; form long lasting relationships with each other which gives them an advantage, a series of events are created meaning that when their children go to private school their lives will follow the same path. From these important contacts the upper class make simply by going to school they have formed very powerful contacts who have the potential to enhance their career prospects and greater opportunities of success in which ever career they wish to pursue. In most societies there is a clear division of labour between men and woman and in general women are always in the inferior position. Gender plays a role in the way we are treated by other members of society. We are also taught to behave in certain ways depending on whether we are male or female. Males are typically expected to feel, think and behave in a ‘masculine way’ and females in a ‘feminine’ way. Some examples of this are girls playing with dolls, preparing for when they will be mothers and boys playing with action figures, learning the male traits such as aggression and dominance. In some societies a woman is born into a certain social structure that includes a life of housework, cooking and child rearing. Women are less likely to be offered positions in the labour market in comparison to men and are unable to attain positions of power with a high income such as men do. Women are employment but in some cases will still earn a lower income than the male dominated position. Conclusion: As explained in the essay, social structures are restraints that affect that will affect all members of society. Class is a basic contributing factor of all social structures to the unequal economy and affects the life of all members of society. Those who are at the top of the economy ladder come from wealthy family backgrounds. These people benefit in many ways such as promotional opportunities and job security. Migrants with non-English speaking backgrounds have difficulty in finding quality employment however its far more difficult for the women in this group, As gender is a factor in employment opportunities, women who are from an ethnic group of the minority have the least opportunity in the labour market, the limited education and training, poor health and nutrition, lack of freedom and denied access to resources are all factors that reduce the quality of life and hinder economic efficiency and growth for women, people of diverse ethnic groups and people with poor family backgrounds. Social structures unquestionably have an impact on our lives and depending on the circumstances the impact for some is usually one that is undesirable. Society cannot be blamed for the social structures that it has created, it is a gradual process, it has taken many years to create these constraints and it will take many more to break them down. References /Bibliography Fulcher,C . J.,Scott, 2007, Sociology,3RD ed, Oxford Abercrombie, N., 2000, The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, 4TH ed, Penguin Books, London McGregor, C., 1989, `Class, in Four Dimensional Social Space, Jatenburg P.DAlton, Harper Row, Sydney Webb,W. Westergaard,H. Trobe.K Steele.L ,2008,AS SOCIOLOGY,2ND ed,Napier Press,Brentwood

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Pop Art1 :: Essays Papers, informative, pop art

Pop Art1 The birth of Pop art (short for Popular art) emerged in England between the years of 1950 and 1960, but heightened to its full potential in New York. Pop art was a form of rebellion against Abstract Expressionism. Pop artists felt that â€Å"Abstract Expressionism was an elite art, to which only a tiny class, mainly of painters and poets, could respond† (30 Compton). Pop artists also considered them pretentious and over-intense and at the same time, only selling to the greedy middle class. So, in order for the artists who were against Abstract Expressionism to dissent from that pretentious position they created Pop art. Pop art is the imagery of popular culture drawn from the cinema, television, advertising, comics and packaging to express abstract formal relationships. Furthermore, Pop artists also duplicated common mass production images such as beer bottles, soup cans, comic strips and road signs in paintings, collages, and sculptures. Others actually incorporated the objects themselves into their paintings and sculptures, and often times modifying them as well. Materials of modern technology, such as plastic, urethane foam, and acrylic paint, were also included in some of their art works. Critics did not easily accept this new and bizarre style of art. In fact, the â€Å"politically engaged critics †¦ complained that Pop art is the art of passive acceptance† and that the subject matters are wild and impassioned, â€Å"and therefore in itself a satire on American life†. (30 Compton) However, that is rarely the case, the artists may be radical but they never intend to satirize the American life.

Monday, November 11, 2019

How to shear a sheep

As the time wore on, though, I became more and more worried about one bullet point- under â€Å"Items to Bring,† was listed â€Å"A body with the strength and willingness to learn to shear sheep. Willingness, I could handle, but I wasn't so sure about strength. Our classmates, whether farmers or not, would all be bigger and stronger than me- most people are, statistically speaking. Erin had been working out with hearing specifically in mind. I'd spent the three months since January Joking about needing to start, but, of course, never did. In the morning, when Erin and I walked up to the pre-class circle of would-be- shearers, our instructor was saying something about how, used to be, they advised you take the class only If you could bench-press 120 lbs.I assuaged my horrible sense of dread by thinking of when Emily learned to shear (never mind that she was 1 5 then, and I'm 23), thinking of everyone's encouraging tweets and emails, and swearing that, If I made It through with out serious embarrassment (cutting off an ear, very day (which, of course, has yet to happen). After a few shearing demonstrations and a rehearsal of the 5 positions of shearing, there really was nothing left to do but try it ourselves. â€Å"It's Just like learning to swim,† they told us, movie goat Jump in! â€Å".We all split up into groups of four, grabbed a sheep and a pair of clippers, and got to work. To begin with, you sit the sheep up in front of you- this is first position. Starting at the breastbone (we called it the brisket! ), start shearing off the belly wool. Since this is the wool that's dirtiest, it helps to go ahead and get it out of the way. It's important to shear wide enough to make sure that you're well-set-up for farther down the road. After you take off the belly wool, you lean over further and take the wool off the legs and crotch, sort of scooping the clippers up the right leg, across, and down the left leg.The big danger here is accidentally sheari ng off a ewe's teats, so you're supposed to cover them up with your left hand (â€Å"you sure won't shear ‘me off now! â€Å"). Emily helps me navigate a tricky spot. Once the belly, crotch, and legs are clean, you rotate about 90 degrees, change into second position, and start shearing her left hind leg (I'm using the feminine pronoun cause, well, most sheep are ewes). It's also in this second step that you clear the wool off from the tail area, and, since her head is easily accessible, shear off the topknot of fleece from the top of her head. I love how much Rein's smiling in this picture. Shearing is fun!After than, you swing your legs around your sheep and into third position. You're going to move your clippers up from the brisket along the neck, and end your stroke (or â€Å"blow,† as they're called) under the left side of her chin. This is, in my opinion, the most thrilling- I mean that in both senses- part of shearing. You're â€Å"unzipping† the elect a long the underside of the neck, and it definitely looks and feels the coolest, Because (obviously) the sheep is covered in wool, you can't tell where the wool ends and the sheep begins unless you have a very exact knowledge of her specific anatomy and musculature (more on this later).It's pretty terrifying to move a pair of clippers into the unknown- rather, unknown, except for the knowledge that, if you make a mistake, you could cut your sheep's neck pretty badly. If one end of the error spectrum are nicks and cuts, then the other end of the spectrum is second cuts, which are short pieces of fleece that weren't taken off with he first pass of the clippers. Second cuts cause all sorts of problems- if incorporated into yarn, they make it weaker, and cause it to pill more quickly- and so it's important to keep them to a minimum.In fact, our instructors told us that we must not be so afraid of cutting the sheep, because, otherwise, all we'd do is make second cuts. I wasn't so good at n ot being afraid (but, still, I nicked a few sheep). After you've opened up the fleece along the neck, you keep making parallel passes with your shears- up from the chest, along the left side of the neck, ending right under the eye; up the chest, along the neck, end under the ear.This is the part when it's easiest to take off an ear, so, Just like with the teats, you're supposed to find it, get hold of it, and make sure to keep it out of harm's way. Once the left side of the neck is clear, you start working on the left shoulder. Emily showed Erin and I a bit of weight-shifting footwork that helps get the sheep's shoulder in a better position to shear. The more you know about your sheep, the easier she'll be for you to shear- and since she's covered in wool, it can sometimes be hard to tell. If you know she's fat, it'll be, as Emily says, â€Å"Easy, like shearing a beach ball.If she's skinny, you're going to have to work a little harder to navigate around the bony hips, shoulders, a nd spinal processes. Does she have two teats, or are there four (ewes sometimes have an extra vestigial set) to watch out for? If she's a pinewood sheep with Merino heritage (hello, Corm), she's going to be covered in the wrinkles and extra skin that those breeds were bred to have (more skin = more hair follicles = more wool per sheep), and you're going to have to make sure not to nick those. If she's in good health, she should shear easily.If she's doing poorly, though, the lanolin (which usually melts a bit, and helps o lubricate the clippers) won't flow so freely, and instead stays thick, like wax, and gums up your clippers. I was continually amazed at the intimacy of it, and humbled by the amount of strength and knowledge required- I don't think Vive experienced anything like it in my every single inch of every single sheep, and then use that knowledge to navigate a potentially dangerous situation (those clippers are sharp), and end up with a valuable product (7 or 8 lbs of wool per sheep).That said, it's also hot, sweaty, greasy, difficult, dirty, exhausting, poppy, smelly, frustrating, and sometimes bloody. Dragging ourselves back to the hotel after the first day, I told Erin, â€Å"If anyone ever tells me shearing like a beautiful, graceful, athletic dance between the shearer and the sheep, I'm goanna punch ‘me in the face,† and there were plenty of Jokes about, â€Å"Any Job where your read end's goat be higher than your head- that's not a good Job! † So, back to business. Once the whole left side is clear, you slide the sheep down your shin and into fourth position.A big part of learning the positions is making sure the sheep is comfortable- the more comfortable she is, the less she'll struggle and fight, and the easier it is for he both of you. It's time for what's called the long blows, which are some of the easiest parts of shearing to learn (but hardest to master). They also look really cool. You move your clippers right across the body, tail to head. You keep making blows along the back, making sure to keep the comb of your clippers right along the curve of her back, until you're one blow past her spine.After that comes fifth position: swing your right leg around, pick up your sheep, and, holding her nose between your knees, start shearing down the right side- head, neck, and shoulder- rolling the sheep up towards you as you move down her body. Once you're past the shoulder, you start making diagonal passes down the right side- you're almost done! After making those diagonal passes down the sheep's right side, all there is left to do is clear off the right leg and hindquarter. See how Erin is using her left hand to put all her weight into the sheep's right flank?That serves two purposes- 1) it straightens out the right leg, so that it's easier to shear, and 2) it tightens up the skin, so that there's less risk of it getting caught in the clippers. Honestly, there's so much skin-tightening, head-holding, ear-grabbing, leg- threatening, and teat-saving done with the non-clipper-holding-hand, you might as well say that it did all the work! Nevertheless, both Erin and I had pretty sore right 1) vibrate and 2) are dripping with motor oil and lanolin. It's not easy. But, once you've cleaned off that last leg, you're done!Emily actually took videos of both Erin and me finishing our sheep- they're up on Faceable, if you'd like to see more. And so, here I am after my first-ever sheep, grinning like a goofball. She looks like a carpet after it's been vacuumed! But the Job's not over once the sheep's shorn! In their varying levels of wholeness- nagging from the gorgeous waterfalls of wool produced by some of the experienced shearers to the utterly destroyed scragglier produced by all of us beginners- the fleeces were taken to the skirting table and sorted.As someone who erred on the side of second cuts, I felt a little guilty! Erin and I came away from the weekend physically exhausted, but ot herwise wildly enthused about shearing- not only are we planning on tagging along with Emily when she's in Virginia next, but we're also thinking of going up to Maryland for the wool pool (can you imagine seeing a whole state worth of wool, all in one place!? ), and e definitely want to go to Maryland Sheep & Wool, too (anyone have a couch or a spare bedroom for us? ).

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Discuss the idea of the film narrator/narration in relation to verbal to visual issues

I will be looking at the different notions of the ‘narrator' in relation to both verbal and visual texts then I will be discussing the importance of montage and mise-en-scene in the construction of a film, otherwise the ‘narration' of a film. I will also examine concepts of the film narrator in relation to the verbal to visual process put forward by theorists and film scholars and use examples from the texts The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley (1984), The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (1992) and Emma by Jane Austen (1816). I will also touch upon ‘focalization' within the context of the narrator. Before I discuss the concept of film narrator, I will briefly touch on the narrator of the literary text so as to realise the fundamental differences between them. In a verbal text, the narrator will fall into one of three basic types; the speaker who uses his own voice, one who assumes the voice/voices of other persons, and not speak in his own voice and one who uses a mixture of his own and other persons voices. Cuddon, 1998: 535) The distinction between the three are very important, where all are evidently still narrators, the speaker who uses his own voice or the first-person narrator is ‘active in the plot' whereby the speaker who do not use his voice, the third-person narrator is ‘outside or above the plot' yet still in the text (extra diegetic). In the verbal text, Emma, the story is told through an omniscient narrative. This narrator has the power to look into the character's psyche as well as manipulate the reader therefore their role as an objective narrator has failed; ‘Harriet certainly was not clever, but she had a sweet, docile, grateful disposition; was totally free from conceit; and only desiring to be guided by any one she looked up to. ‘ (Austen, 1816: 24). Here the narration is from the viewpoint of Emma describing Harriet's personality as she sees it. We do not know of her disposition as anything other than the way Emma prescribes. The problem here is that we get only a biased viewpoint and often you experience the author's intervention too. The third-person narrative in The English Patient is different; the storyteller stands further away from the immediate action. They do not attempt to intervene with the action other than tell it as it is presented; ‘She walks over the paved stones, grass in the cracks. He watches her black-stockinged feet, the thin brown dress. She leans over the balustrade. ‘ (Ondaatje, 1992: 32). In Wesley's The Camomile Lawn, there are constant transitions in focalizers as the novel is multi-voiced and follows the stories of several characters over many decades so the role of the narrator switches between characters often with just a space between paragraphs to separate the transitions. Still, it is easy to grasp and does not really intervene with the flow of the story. When making a movie, the two most important elements that matter are; a, everything that goes in the scene and b, the editing of the scenes. When referring to the scenes and its contents, it is known as mise-en-scene. Translated, it literally means putting-on-stage, and is ‘the arrangement of performers and properties on a stage for a theatrical production or before the camera in a film' (The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000). This term refers to the staging of the film and the director's control over what appears in the film frame: dicor, direction of the actors, lighting, camera movement, choice of lenses and so on. In order to visualise the verbal text, importance is often placed into mise-en-scene. In Emma, the period in which the drama was set was evidently emphasised through the costumes in which the characters wore. The costumes in Emma depicted each person's social status and personality, traits that were of importance in the verbal text and therefore needed to be narrated in the visual text. Another important aspect in the novel was the abode of certain characters, something else that was significant in the literary discourse. Hartfield and Randalls, the homes of the affluent in the movie were very much larger-than-life, the viewer can almost feel the grandness through the screen and in contrast, the homes of Miss Bates and the peasants Emma and Harriet visited were very humble indeed, the carefully selected interior and costumes of characters tell more than the dialogue. At the start of the film, there is an animated spinning globe on the screen that has images of the main characters from the film on them. It shows Emma and Mr Knightley placed at the top of the globe, in the middle is Mr Elton and at the bottom of the globe is Miss Bates and Miss Taylor. This style of presentation in the movie is in itself a form of narrative whereby the director has decided to, in advance, set the social statuses of the characters before the film even begins. This is because in the film, there is only a voiceover narrative from Emma herself, the third-person narration from the literary discourse that has descriptive information is removed therefore it is necessary to include elements that can help the viewer to construct the story as Emma can not know everything that is happening, she is not omniscient. Writing Emma was basically a tool for Austen to make a mockery of the social snobbery present in the early 19th century and she does this by allowing Emma, an upper-class daughter of a rich man, to let her imagination and daydreams to overcome reason, then finally admit defeat to reality. The music in the background often sounds jovial yet there is an undertone of mockery, as though her character should not be taken seriously. She is introduced in the novel as; ‘Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. ‘ (Austen, 1816: 7). In the film version, Emma herself could not have narrated this information as it would be inappropriate so therefore costume and behaviour (mise-en-scene) would have to articulate her character instead. In The English Patient, there were certain codes put into the choice of costumes, for instance, the character Katherine always dressed in the colour white, symbolic of purity, yet her character is having an adulterous affair with her husband's friend, perhaps it stressed the irony of her predicament. In the desert scenes, the expanse of barren land swamping the characters shows the loneliness that many of the characters are feeling, including Hana, Caravaggio and Kip. The use of non-vernacular music also creates the distance they are all at from their homeland. The next important aspect of filmmaking is the use of Montage. From the French for ‘assemble', the term refers to the process of cutting, assembling, arranging or editing of shots. In other words, it is ‘a method of putting shots together in such a way that dissimilar materials are juxtaposed to make a statement'. (Pennsylvania State University Website, 2002). The approach to editing was developed by Soviet filmmakers of the 1920s, notably Eisenstein. Continuity editing, or narrative montage is the assembly of shots that results in a smooth flow of narrative in an order making obvious sense in terms of time and place. This style is associated with American films of the studio era and may be referred to as classical cutting or decoupage classique. Emma displays techniques of this principle. Filmmakers of the sixties and seventies often made use of the Collision Principle for jarring transitions from cut to cut and to stress discontinuities in time and space. (Andrew J. Dudley, 1976: 42-71). This use of editing is effective for reflections of time memory, and emotional states, as seen in The English Patient and The Camomile Lawn. The English Patient relies heavily on the reflection of emotional states as Almasy is using his memory to tell us a story and therefore, the transition into his past is often smoothed along with the use of sound effects or montage to help jog his memory such as the thumping of feet on the ground immerged with the beating of drums to dissolve into an external analepsis. The concept of film narrator or narration has been theorised and analysed by many thinkers of the twentieth century. Linguistic ideologies have also been applied to the study of film and I will hereby observe those attempted by Jakob Lothe, Christian Metz and David Bordwell. Jakob Lothe argues in Narrative in Fiction and Film, An Introduction (2000) that the film narrator is ‘the superordinate ‘instance' that presents all the means of communication that film has at its disposal', that they are equated to the third-person narrator in a literary novel and act as the film maker's communicative instrument guiding the viewer's perception of the film. He illustrates his view with a diagram (1990:134-5) by Seymour Chatman (fig. 1) which shows ‘the multiplexity of the cinematic narrator', who is the sum of all these and other variables. The diagram demonstrates it is the viewer who constructs the narrative synthesis. This would link well with the views of film scholar David Bordwell who believes that film has no narrator, that the film narration is the ‘organisation of a set of cues for the construction of a story'. He sees narration as completely central in film but places importance on the viewers response, the perceived not the sender. This set of cues includes an indeterminate number of visual and auditory impressions that the viewer has to construct a story with (Lothe, 2000; 28). Christian Metz realised that film is not a ‘language' but another kind of semiotic system with ‘articulations' of its own. Cinema in relation to verbal language is not direct and is at best partial and complex. He advocated that ‘the analogy is strained at the level of appearance, for filmic signification doesn't at all look like verbal language'. Film image has a natural level of expressivity whereby the world speaks through the images in a normal or somewhat deflect way and it is up to the filmmaker to strengthen and work on these primary expressions if he wants to signify his own meaning. Andrew J. Dudley, 1976: 213-241) In The English Patient, screenwriter and director Anthony Minghella uses the power of sound to aid narration as well as Hollywood's typical narrative in relying heavily on the use of mise-en-scene. The exotic locales presented in the film really set the scene and romantic mood with which the film exudes, in a way, the viewer is almost overwhelmed by the scenery. The cinematography really speaks for itself and eliminates a lot of the narrative that was present in the novel in their attempt to set the place for the reader of the text. In The Camomile Lawn, the change in focalizers is rather subtle. In the literary text, we sense the shifts more consciously whereas with a visual narrative, the viewer is used to following different strands of plot at one go including those of several characters. As well as changes in focalizers, The Camomile Lawn also experiments with shifts in narrative time. It is debatable whether the story is set in present time with flashbacks external analepsis) or set during the war period and ‘flashing forwards'. It is suggested that the whole story was narrated from the viewpoint of Sophie even though she is not the most frequent focalizer throughout the novel but many things that happen often fall into Sophie's perspective and the consequences of other people's actions and how they affect her. In the visual narrative of The Camomile Lawn the film maker attempts to keep as much of Sophie's perspective as much as he can so as to keep in accordance to the intended author's wishes. As with all types of narration, we must consider if they are reliable or unreliable. All narrator's have an artificial authority and we as the reader or viewer ‘must accept [their information] without question if we are to grasp the story that is to follow' (Booth cited in Lothe, 2000: 25). The fundamental rule in any narrative fiction is often to believe the narrator unless the text at some point gives us a signal not to. When this is the case, the narrator becomes unreliable. In The English Patient, a reliable narrator tells the literary text and the film text is shot by an objective camera. This stays in coherence with the original and works well. In Emma, the novel is narrated in third-person but is unreliable as it is told through the perspective of the female protagonist and therefore bias. In the visual narrative, it employs a voiceover by Emma herself and therefore definitely is subjective. In The Camomile Lawn, the verbal discourse is told through a multitude of narrative levels, as well as changes in focalizers, and narrative time/space, the narrative perspective changes from first to third person continuously which is true also for the screen adaptation. In conclusion to my findings, it is true to say that the perceived authors of both verbal and visual texts cannot be compared so because it all depends on the intention of the produced effect. If a filmmaker takes a verbal narrative, he or she may or may not want to transpose all elements of the original narrative but on the other hand has something to aspire to, should they wish to take that path. With the texts I have chosen, that there are a variant of reasons as to why they have been chosen to be visual. The Camomile Lawn, was adapted for a television series therefore it had plenty of time to allow much of the original narrative to be kept in and stayed as close to the original in terms mise-en-scene too. The English Patient was transposed into a Hollywood blockbuster and therefore had no room for multiple storylines to override one another so the subplots were dropped significantly from the literary discourse and emphasis placed on one love story. Emma, on the other hand was more of a period drama with a moral story and was closely contrasted to the original in many aspects all except for the narrative perspective.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Efficient Markets Hypothesis

The Efficient Markets Hypothesis The efficient markets hypothesis has historically been one of the main cornerstones of academic finance research. Proposed by the University of Chicagos Eugene Fama in the 1960s, the general concept of the efficient markets hypothesis is that financial markets are informationally efficient- in other words, that asset prices in financial markets reflect all relevant information about an asset. One implication of this hypothesis is that, since there is no persistent mispricing of assets, it is virtually impossible to consistently predict asset prices in order to beat the market- i.e. generate returns that are higher than the overall market on average without incurring more risk than the market. The intuition behind the efficient markets hypothesis is pretty straightforward- if the market price of a stock or bond was lower than what available information would suggest it should be, investors could (and would) profit (generally via arbitrage strategies) by buying the asset. This increase in demand, however, would push up the price of the asset until it was no longer underpriced. Conversely, if the market price of a stock or bond was higher than what available information would suggest it should be, investors could (and would) profit by selling the asset (either selling the asset outright or short selling an asset that they dont own). In this case, the increase in the supply of the asset would push down the price of the asset until it was no longer overpriced. In either case, the profit motive of investors in these markets would lead to correct pricing of assets and no consistent opportunities for excess profit left on the table. Technically speaking, the efficient markets hypothesis comes in three forms. The first form, known as the weak form (or weak-form efficiency), postulates that future stock prices cannot be predicted from historical information about prices and returns. In other words, the weak form of the efficient markets hypothesis suggests that asset prices follow a random walk and that any information that could be used to predict future prices is independent of past prices. The second form, known as the semi-strong form (or semi-strong efficiency), suggests that stock prices react almost immediately to any new public information about an asset. In addition, the semi-strong form of the efficient markets hypothesis claims that markets dont overreact or underreact to new information. The third form, known as the strong form (or strong-form efficiency), states that asset prices adjust almost instantaneously not only to new public information but also to new private information. Put more simply, the weak form of the efficient markets hypothesis implies that an investor cant consistently beat the market with a model that only uses historical prices and returns as inputs, the semi-strong form of the efficient markets hypothesis implies that an investor cant consistently beat the market with a model that incorporates all publicly available information, and the strong form of the efficient markets hypothesis implies that an investor cant consistently beat the market even if his model incorporates private information about an asset. One thing to keep in mind regarding the efficient markets hypothesis is that it doesnt imply that no one ever profits from adjustments in asset prices. By the logic stated above, profits go to those investors whose actions move the assets to their correct prices. Under the assumption that different investors get to the market first in each of these cases, however, no single investor is consistently able to profit from these price adjustments. (Those investors who were able to always get in on the action first would be doing so not because asset prices were predictable but because they had an informational or execution advantage, which is not really inconsistent with the concept of market efficiency.) The empirical evidence for the efficient markets hypothesis is somewhat mixed, though the strong-form hypothesis has pretty consistently been refuted. In particular, behavioral finance researchers aim to document ways in which financial markets are inefficient and situations in which asset prices are at least partially predictable. In addition, behavioral finance researchers challenge the efficient markets hypothesis on theoretical grounds by documenting both cognitive biases that drive investors behavior away from rationality and limits to arbitrage that prevent others from taking advantage of the cognitive biases (and, by doing so, keeping markets efficient).

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Practicing Job Interviews for ESL

Practicing Job Interviews for ESL Teaching ESL or English for Specific Purposes classes almost always includes preparing students for job interviews. There are a number of resources on the site focusing on the type of language used during job interviews. This lesson focuses on helping students practice job interviews with each other while using prepared notes helping students recognize appropriate language to be used during the job interview. There are three essential parts to dealing with job interviews for students: Raising consciousness as to what expect in job interviewsHaving students carefully reflect on their own skills, strengths and weaknessesProviding pragmatic language skill guidance on appropriate language including tenses, vocational vocabulary, and standard application documents such as the resume and cover letters This practicing job interviews lesson plan helps with providing pragmatic language skills for the job interview through extensive note taking combined with appropriate tense and vocabulary review. Aim Improve job interviewing skills Activity Practicing job interviews Level intermediate to advanced Outline If you havent already done so, discuss the job interviewing process in detail with your students. Make sure to mention and / or help students understand that the job interviewing process in the United States (or another country) is probably very different than in their own native country. Discuss the differences in detail, suggest that students think of the process as a game in which rules must be followed to help them get over possible frustrations with the job interviewing process.Take a look at some standard job interviewing questions and replies. Here are some examples:How long have you been in current position? - Ive worked here for two years.When did you join XYZ Inc.? - I began work at XYZ Inc. in 2003.Why would you like to work at ABC Ltd.? - Id like to work at ABC Ltd. because Id like to use my experience in a customer service setting. etc.Ask students / work with students to review the various tenses used to answer these questions. Review the concepts of:Present perfect (co ntinuous) to speak about work experience up to the present moment Present simple to discuss current job responsibilitiesPast simple to discuss past responsibilitiesUse of conditional forms to imagine situations at work Introduce the concept using specific vocabulary to more specifically define responsibilities and capabilities (heres a great list of useful vocabulary for the resume and interview)Pass out the job interview worksheets (copy and paste into a document and print out for use in class).Ask students to complete both sections 1) as interviewer 2) as interviewee. Encourage students to focus specifically on tense usage and specific job vocabulary while completing this task.Circulate around the room helping students with the task, providing specific vocabulary, etc. Encourage students to write questions and responses beyond the cues provided on the worksheet.Give each student a number. Ask even number students to find an odd number student.Have even number students interview odd number students, asking them to refer to their worksheets when they get stuck.Have even number students team up with a different odd number student.Ask odd number students to interview even number students. This time, students should attempt to use their worksheets as seldom as possible. Discuss the practice sessions in detail.As a variation / extension, ask student interviewers to spend five minutes after each interview taking notes on strengths and weaknesses of the interview and share the notes withe the student interviewees. Job Interview Practice - Worksheet Use the following cues to write out full questions for a job interview. How long / work / present?How many / languages / speak?Strengths?Weaknesses?Past job?Current responsibilities?Education?Specific examples of responsibility at past job?Which position / want - like to have / new job?Future goals? Use the following cues to write out full responses for a job interview. Current job / schoolLast job / schoolLanguages / skillsHow long / work / current jobThree specific examples from past jobCurrent responsibilitiesStrengths / weaknesses (two for each)Why are you interested in this job?What are your future goals?Education

Saturday, November 2, 2019

How does mediation prevent, manage, and resolve international conflict Thesis

How does mediation prevent, manage, and resolve international conflict - Thesis Example to bring peace and security to different nations and diminishing the threats imposed on international security by bridging the gap between conflicting parties through mutual settlement and negotiation. Intractable international disputes have always been there with us and have been posing threats to international peace and security. More than this, they lead to continuous wars, violence and numerous deaths from time to time. International stability is always at stake owing to these conflicts that do not have a solution to them and where none of the disputants are willing to compromise to reach a settlement. It’s very difficult to find a solution to such intractable disputes since they go on for a long period with negotiations almost impossible. However, in such cases, mediation is a tool which can bring down the effect of the escalating disputes and its consequences including violence, war and deaths to a lower count. â€Å"It offers the prospect of escaping the dilemmas of intractability†. (Bercovitch 2004) Mediation is a process in which a third party neutral helps in resolving a dispute between two or more other parties. The role of the mediator is to facilitate and assist the parties in working out what the real issues of dispute are, allowing communication between them and other things that meet the interest of the parties by finding a solution to their dispute. (Honeyman, Yawanarajah, 2003) The paper finds out the different types of mediation; the role played by a mediator in bridging the gap between two parties involved in the dispute; the purpose of mediation in international conflicts; the loopholes that arise due to mediators losing humanitarian values and the ways of enhancing effectiveness of mediation. It has clearly pointed out the nations undergoing intractable disputes in the 70’s and 80’s and the number of deaths arising due to the parties not reaching any settlement. A case study of African civil wars also brings to the fore that