Saturday, January 25, 2020

Film: 2001 :: Papers

Film: 2001 2001 is a masterpiece of cinema that still influences film makers nearly thirty years after it was made -- but what does it actually mean? Therein lies the enigma. Of course, 2001 is open to many interpretations and probably even Kubrick couldn't provide the "correct" one. The film is very different from the book; Kubrick reduced the original script to its bare essentials making the actors part of the narrative , but not telling the narrative through the script. making it a lesser part of the hole experience. Where there is speaking it is almost always symbolic The first words spoken signal the decay of human language to empty phrases: "Here you are, sir. Main level, please." The opening of 2001 is the Dawn of Man sequence which dovetails neatly with end of Dr. Strangelove: "We'll meet again, some sunny day " First image in the film is of a rising Sun Obviously, Kubrick pondered deeply the astonishing reality, that idea that man was smart enough to blow up the earth, but not smart enough to stop that from happening (kubric)(man doesn't want to nail himself, but he does). How could such a phenomenon occur? With such strong symbolic events and imagery in the opening seen it is hard to see them all as individual events, kubric uses these to tell the narrative of the story. The Sun is not just light, but heat (a desert). Making the Sun not necessarily good, the Sun is usually seen as positive in relation to dark, but not in a desert. This makes the sun a negative, with the use of water as a positive. The leopard killing the zebra Is a key element to the opening scene representing the behaviour of man the Zebra is a coexistence of black and white? Good an bad together just like man, making the leopard the destruction of man kind maybe symbolising the bomb. To echo the directors words ,QUOTE "you're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film" but

Thursday, January 16, 2020

War and Witchcraft

The War of Religion also known as the Huguenots War lasted for about forty years (1562-1592). This war was mainly between the Huguenots and the Catholics of France. Within France a Feudal Rebellion took place between the church, nobles, courts, guilds, towns and provinces; all of which rebelled against the King. A traditional saying â€Å"Une foi, un loi, un roi (one faith, one law, one King)† (Newman, 2004) indicates how society, state and religion are all bound within the people's minds. Although religion was the main reason behind the wars, it also was definitely not the only reason. Social and Cultural Issues Religion affects society in many areas and in such a profound way. It also shapes the moral standards of those individuals in which influences policy makers decisions (Gale Group, 2007). For some societies, sharing a religion makes for a powerful bond socially. However, when these people with different religions try to live with others of different faiths, this can lead to conflict as well war (Gale Group, 2007). The social consensus in Europe for over a millennium was formed through religion. The essential view to order was one faith or how else would have society been held together (Newman, 2004). Because without the right faith, pleasing God and upholding natural order, disaster was to follow. As well, innovation was also trouble; leaving things the way they were is how they should be and any new ideas could lead to anarchy and ruin (Newman, 2004). So, during this period no one would dare admit that they were an innovator (Newman, 2004). In addition, the Renaissance was thought as rediscovering a much purer period in their history and Reformation was made not to feel new but a return to the true religion of Christianity (Newman, 2004). Women in the West For many centuries women were classified as unequal to that of man and considered property. They could hold their own power in a private sphere because a public sphere was for the men only, which had to do with politics, law and markets (Cooper, 2007). Women's private spheres consisted of mother's, family, wives and their households (Cooper, 2007). However, if a woman became a widow she becomes the sole responsibility to her own lands and was granted extensive legal rights and could be received in the public sphere with the exception of sanctioned authority (Cooper, 2007). The Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Discovery and the Age of Information brought about many changes for women. Women became teachers, writers, artist and knights. However, women in small numbers started as early as the Medieval period. But, during the fifteenth century to the eighteenth century, saw an increase in the number of women in the arts. These women often struggled for public support and were not always accepted by the trade. Men placed restrictions on the type of art they could do, including not being able to use a live nude model. The women who choose to write, became influential when their works were allowed to be published; they wrote books on love, romance and war as well politics. As well, women began to see their own power and beauty as something to be shared and appreciated. The women writers of early periods wrote about poetry and the beauty of women as opposed to the period of the War of Religion in which women began writing their political views and their rights as women and as equals to men. For example, Moderata Fonte (1515-1582) also known as Modesta Pozza wrote a book named The Worth of Women (Sunshine For Women, 2001). Political Issues The Wars of Religion in France were between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, mostly Huguenots who fought for control of their rights as Protestants and political influences. The majority of Catholic France instigated the war against the Protestants however, the most well known was the Bartholomew's Day Massacre on August 24, 1572. On this day Paris Catholics raised arms against visiting and local Calvinist, which resulted in the death of more than 3,000 Calvinist. Because the war expanded for forty years, in between that time there was also a period of peace (Butler, 2007). However, history identifies seven wars during this period with short periods of peace in between them, which has caused confusion in French history (Butler, 2007). In addition, it is well known that religion was the biggest reason for the wars however other factors such as; the noble factions fighting amongst themselves, old feudal provinces lead revolts, which added and exposed the French State's weaknesses (Butler, 2007). As well, foreign intervention by Spain and England added to the turmoil and violence. Finally, France was lead by a very weak monarch in which allowed these forces to tear apart the country (Butler, 2007). Number One Social Problem of the 17th Century The seventeenth century saw many political, social and cultural changes. With the decline of wars, plagues and economic depression; it also brought about the hunt for witches. Witchcraft trials were considered a common place between 1580 and 1650 that lead to almost 100,000 trials. Additionally, this lead to widespread panic of mass hysteria. The majority of witches tortured and executed by burning at the sake were women and in Calvinist areas (Big Site of History, 2010). Historians are not agreed on why an outbreak of witch persecutions would occur in one place rather than another—in Scotland and New England, in Switzerland and France—except to say that where popular magic was commonplace, so was the fear of witches. Trials also usually followed a period of fear about the future and concern over apparent changes in ordered and stable conditions. Nor were the educated spared—indeed, they were often in the lead when a community sought out a witch. (Big Site of History, 2010) Conclusion Although religion was a major factor behind the wars, it was not the only reason because of noble factions fighting amongst themselves, old feudal provinces lead revolts to weaken the French and foreign intervention by Spain and England added to the mix of turmoil and destruction and a weak French monarch allowed all these factors to tear apart the country. Europe for over a millennium had one view; one faith and without it disaster is sure to follow. Women's influence on the west was substantial, in fact they became more aware of their influence in the private and public sphere and lastly, society was plagued not by disease but by witchcraft during the seventeenth century and even though magic was commonplace, witches brought fear and widespread mass hysteria. Although the reasons for the outbreak are unknown, more than 100,000 trials and executions were performed on a vast majority of women and in Calvinist areas.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

General Mills Case Analysis - 1454 Words

1. Key Strategic Issues General Mills was one of the Big Three companies that focused on diversification of consumer goods on cereal division, restaurant chains and packaged consumer foods. The cereal industry was profitable and had been one of the most concentrated industries, and the big Three companies had a dominant position in this industry. However, although the high profitability attracted fewer entry company due to the high entry barrier restrained by the joint monopoly of the Big Three, they were facing the threat of private label companies which grew fast in market share of sales and volume. Therefore, what is the General Mills strategy to increase revenue and deal with the threat of private labels? This is a critical issue†¦show more content†¦Therefore, it is necessary for companies to preempt and influence rivals. On the other hand, real option theory also applies. The exogenous factors like customers’ health preference on organic or high-quality cereals could influence the deci sion making of companies. Hence, companies should continue learning and adapting customers’ preferences. Overall, the game theoretic strategy surpasses the real option theory in this industry because the uncertainty in the cereal industry is low and controllable. Furthermore, the industry structural forces of barriers to entry together with rivalry have a strong influence among the competing firms. In the cereal industry, the market structure is oligopoly, there are a few big firms set up significant entry and exit barriers. As consumers become more experienced and price conscious, and the identical production process which makes the products become more standardized, the new sources of differentiation of cereal were required and the pricing competition become intensified. Besides, the cereal industry was attractive and profitable. 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Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Strategic Change in Government Based on Organization...

Strategic Change in Government Based on Organization Hierarchy The literature supports the position that there should be a relationship between the structure and organization change. This study was undertaken to determine how different organization roles, hierarchy, and sizes affect planned strategic change. A survey instrument was administered to top federal government agency leadership to assess change in their organization. The intention is to draw common relationships between organization change and specific categories or sizes of organizations. Role of Change Business strategy and structure have always been related. Organizational change involves innovation, process improvement, and organizational redesign (Galbraith†¦show more content†¦Nutt and Backoff, (1992, p. 112) explain that some types of public organizations that can control change and other types that cannot easily control change. Professional agencies such as the IRS and FBI have considerable prerogative to act in a prescribed arena and have a protected budget. Political agencies, such as the State Department, have high control over their actions and may have legislation to protect it. Thus, change may be in the hands of parties outside of the agency. In examining change, Lewin identified three phases of the change process - unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. This involves getting people ready for the change, providing new patterns of behavior, integrating the behavior into the individual permanently. Tushman and Romanelli (1985) noted that â€Å"only executive leadership has the position and potential to initiate and implement strategic change†. There are four levels of change in people: knowledge, attitude, behavioral, organizational change (Hersey and Blancherd, 1993). This research focuses on the organizational or group performance changes. 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Monday, December 23, 2019

The Value of Kindness in Bhakti According to Vyasa’s The...

Vyasa’s The Bhagavad Gita, written between 300 B.C.E. and 300 C.E., is regarded as the eternal message of spiritual wisdom from ancient India. Lord Krishna discusses with Arjuna the types of discipline that men should possess, particularly devotion, or bhakti. The purpose of this essay is to show that Krishna’s teaching of bhakti in The Bhagavad Gita entails that one should exhibit kind behavior at all times. Kindness is necessary in the practice of bhakti, and those who devote their utmost faith to Krishna will be granted religious salvation, as shown in the Seventh and Twelfth Teachings. The Bhagavad Gita has also found its place in Hindu culture, and Krishna’s teaching of bhakti influenced Indian society as a whole. In the Seventh Teaching of The Bhagavad Gita, Krishna goes more in-depth on discipline as was discussed in his previous teachings. Krishna explains to Arjuna that devotion, or bhakti, is a discipline that â€Å"involves the performance of discipli ned action (karma)† (Vyasa, 157). Bhakti entails action done for the greater good, which leads to salvation in the end because of one’s compassion. Compassion is kindness to all living beings especially when they are in distress, and those who exhibit compassion are thus qualified to attain association with the Supreme Lord and his devotees. Vyasa’s emphasis on the â€Å"disciplined man of knowledge† is significant in that he is a rare being who is â€Å"set apart by his singular devotion [to Krishna]† (75). This emphasis signifies

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Okonkw’s Insecurity Free Essays

There are a lot of factors in a person’s life that contribute to their feeling of insecurity. Certain events might cause that, mostly it tends to be childhood events. Men usually try to hide their insecure feelings by making sure they appear strong and masculine while deep down they could be very weak. We will write a custom essay sample on Okonkw’s Insecurity or any similar topic only for you Order Now A person feeling insecure is normal but insecurity taking over a person might result in his downfall. That’s what happened to Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo’s obsession with what others think of him started from an early age, which would drive him to be insecure. Okonkwo’s father is the reason for Okonkwo’s insecurity. His dad being viewed as a nothing would make Okonkwo wants to be viewed as everything his father wasn’t. Okonkwo’s first priority is to maintain his masculinity in front of people, which would lead him to success at first. But, later on he would be so afraid to look weak, that he breaks a lot of tribal rules just to keep his image intact. Okonkwo starts breaking the rules by beating his youngest wife Ojiugo during the week of peace because she left the hut without cooking dinner. He later one does another fatal error that would start leading to his fall down, he kills the boy which called him father although the clan’s leader and the authorities told him not to. Okonkwo loved Ikemfuna but he still killed him because he resembles any feelings with femininity and for him any sign of femininity is being weak. Feeling weak inside, Okonkwo would do actions to make people feel down. Insecure people insult others because they think that, by making someone else down; it will make them feel better about themselves. That’s exactly what Okonkwo does when he tells Sugo – a man without titles- â€Å"This meeting is for men,† who implies that he is not a man, but actually a woman, who is a weak creature in Okonkwo’s view. The reason why Okonkwo specifically attacked Sugo by implying that he is a woman is because insecure people attack the things they are most afraid of. Another reason why he constantly criticizes people is because, deep down, he feels inferior. This particularly shows when his wife, Ekwefi, says â€Å"guns that never shot†. He immediately translates that as a critique of his masculinity. As a result, he starts beating her, thinking that this will prove his masculinity, while it totally shows the opposite. It actually makes him seem weaker. Okonkwo hides all his emotions under a mask because he associates any form of emotion, such as compassion and love, to being feminine. Okonkwo tries to hide his emotions from his daughter Ezinma. Although she is his favorite child, he refuses to show her any kind of emotion, supposedly, to maintain his masculinity. Another example of how Okonkwo tries to hide how he feels is when he kills his â€Å"son† Ikemefuna. Upon killing him, Okonkwo feels too much pain inside of him that he thinks of himself as a â€Å"woman†. However, afraid of being viewed as weak, he keeps trying to hide his feelings. Instead, his body responds and starts to weaken without him noticing it. How to cite Okonkw’s Insecurity, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Whats the Characteristic You Believe Every Leader Should Possess free essay sample

One characteristic that I believe every leader should possess is character. A leaders character plays an essential role in determining the effectiveness of his leadership. Dependability and honesty are the two important aspects of a leaders character. Even a slight mistake in their character will lead to the followers not believing in his ways. Therefore, he should follow all the set leadership principles. Leaders should have character because personality is what people judge you from. If you have a bad, stuck-up personality you will likely be despised. But when you have a good, mature personality you will be looked up to. People like leaders with strong characters because they can be role model to younger people. When you are a role model, people look up to you, for answers, guidance and inspiration. Leaders do not command excellence, they build excellence. Excellence is â€Å"being all you can be† within the limits of doing what is right. We will write a custom essay sample on Whats the Characteristic You Believe Every Leader Should Possess? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To reach excellence you must first be a leader of good character. You must do everything you are supposed to do. Pursuin+g excellence should not be confused with accomplishing a job or task. I compare my essay to a cartoon show. The superheroes are well liked because of their good character and positivity. They are the ones that do the right things. Doing the right things makes them a leader. But the villains are despised because they do bad things. That leads to them being despised. Leader should do their best to have a strong character. Having character is one of the most (if not the most) important characteristic. Confidence, knowledge, respect, and attitude are other characteristics leaders should possess. I hope you enjoyed my essay. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay.