Green Mile Book Report Essay Example for Free

Green Mile Book Report Essay To some people the words Book-report  mean rent the movie and write a report on that. Yes, it is easier to watch a three-hour movie rather than read a 536-page book. With most books turned movies, though, the book is far too detailed to fit everything. This is how it is with the book The Green Mile and the movie The Green Mile. There are similarities but, there are also a lot of differences between the two. The main parts of the book and movie are alike: Coffey being caught with the two dead girls in his arms, Coffey saves Hals wife and Coffey dying at the end. There are smaller details that are alike and that is more important than the main parts. One small thing is that Paul does have a UTI in both the book and the movie. This is a small part but it brings a lot to the movie and the book because this is how Paul finds out that Coffey is innocent. Another small thing is the placement of the prisoners in the book and the movie. They arent exact but they are pretty close and this shows importance when the mouse, later called Mr. Jingles, walks up and down the green mile. Lastly, a small detail that is the same in both the book and the movie is the last sentence. Paul explains his punishment for killing one of Gods great miracles. This is very important because it brings the whole movie and the book to a close. Along with the similarities there are major differences and minor differences between the book and the movie. The major differences that I noticed between the book and the movie are: the mouse doesnt die at the end in the movie, and there is no real character in the nursing home that bugs Paul in the movie like there was in the book. A smaller detail that is different is that in the book Paul asks Coffey to tie his shoe and Coffey cant do it. This turned into a major point in the book because it went through how the dog was killed with meat and Coffey was carrying his lunch tied up, when he was found with the girls. The only way Coffey would have been able to use the meat would have been to untie the package his lunch was in and then retie it. In the movie this isnt even explained which is kind of sad because it shows that he really isnt the one who killed the girls. Another factor is that in the movie everything is shortened to save time. This is because people dont want to sit through a five-hour movie. Lastly, the movie was created by the  impression the scriptwriter got with the help of Stephen King so of course there is no way they could have the exact same ideas all the time. This is a great book and a great movie and there is no way that the movie could cover everything that the book covers because there is a time limit with movies when people start to lose interest. Ways that the differences could become less evident would be by in each scene add detail even if it is just one line for a character it would make the book and movie seem more alike. Instead of two people looking at the book and combining their idea it would be one idea shared by millions. Everyone says dont just a book by the cover , well with more books turning to movies I think that that saying should be modified. The saying for nowadays would have to be Dont judge a book by its movie.  I am not saying that all books turn movies are bad. I am saying if you didnt like the movie and see the book try to read it because there might be more to the story than what the movie covered. Overall both the movie The Green Mile and the book The Green Mile are very good stories but to get the whole story you should both read the book and watch the movie.

Psychological research into language, and sex and gender

Psychological research into language, and sex and gender In this report I will be evaluating the contribution of social perspectives to our understanding from the two topics found in: OU, DSE212 Challenging Psychological Issues, Book 2. The topics I have chosen for consideration of psychological research are language, and sex and gender. The approaches taken will be analysed the topic in general terms and not to focus on one particular aspect at detailed levels. It points to the lack of a conclusive answer which is caused by Psychology as a discipline being relatively young and still in early stages with a lack of adequately strong theories that might assist to connect otherwise contrasting perspectives co existing. The report concludes that different perspectives within psychology can coexist at times, though conflict is frequent throughout. Sex and Gender The Psychology of sex and gender is one the most topical, important and engaging subjects that psychology, it illustrates many of the difficult issues that psychological explanations must address, including the political implications of different perspectives and the challenging of integrating explanations. It has been a controversial topic since the inception of psychology as a discipline and it powerful illustrates some of the diverse approaches with the field. A deliberation of how psychology approaches the analysis of sex and gender discloses four psychological perspectives, these are: Biological sex differences: Explaining the differences between male and female and biological correlates of behaviour. Investigations ere conducted through scientific processes Evolutionary psychology: Explaining the differences in the behaviour between the sexes in terms of behavioural selection for reproductive fitness. Test are conducted empirically Social constructionist theory: Gender differences between the sexes through the study of discourse in various historical, cultural and social contexts and so is hermeneutic. Psychoanalytic psychology: Development and meaning of sexual differences. Studies are largely done through clinical observation. Direct impressions of the four perspectives are objects of knowledge of each of the perspectives are all valid and useful in general psychology of sex and gender,. They pose somewhat different questions, have different objects of knowledge and use different notions of evidences. These perspectives may be complementary, conflicting however the scope for co-existence is not transparent. Given that the perspectives do not share common objects of knowledge, however is there can be an underlying hope for complementary theories in which together they all contribute to a broad understanding. Sex refer to the biological basis of differences between the sexes, where as gender refers to social constructed categories pertaining to these differences. Assigning a sex to humans can sometimes be a complex process, biological characteristics such as genetics and hormonal used to designate male or female, can be unreliable in small proportions of case, due to genetic abnormalities, such as, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) and Klinefelterss Syndrome ((XXY) (OU, p137) Certainly the biological and evolutionary perspectives appear complementary at the theoretical level in that both regard biological sex as the determinant of gender and view differences between sexes as biological features that have been selected for during evolution. Evolutionary psychologists argue that sexual selections and the different optimal reproductive styles of our male female ancestors have results in some differences in the behavioural predispositions of the two sexes. These are seen to particularly apparent in the area of sexual behaviours and attitudes. Buss (1992), found while both sexes reported experiencing jealousy at the though of their partner being involved with another person, there were differences in the focus of their concerned. OU,p145) In humans, unlike in other animals, clear differences in brain structures that correlate with differences in adult behaviour patterns have proven difficult to demonstrate. Nonetheless, imaging studies show some sex differences in brain functioning of Western adults. This is probably due, at least in part, to the brains plasticity.(Giedd et al, 1999) )p140). While some sex differences are clearly established at birth for most individuals, bodies and brained may become gendered over lifetime of use. A explanations would appear to be consistent with research findings from cross-cultural differences in male and females sexual behaviours, which Allen and Gorski, 1990 study has backed (OU, p139) However, biological psychology attempts to explain differences in male-female psychology in terms of selected physiological characteristics, for example dimorphism in brain structures (cf. Hofman and Swaab, 1991, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p.139). On the other hand the evolutionary psychologist would principally argue in favour of selected behavioural characteristics such as differences between male and female sexual attitudes (cf. Clark and Hatfield, 1989, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p.146). There is thus an apparent conflict at the level of analysis. It is therefore ironic that evolutionary psychology must perforce co-exist with biological psychology since, given the understandable constraints on its ability to conduct the sorts of empirical investigations that might be wished for (cf. Herrnstein-Smith, 2000, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, OU p.141), it is dependent on a certain amount of corroboration from the biological perspective, amongst others (cited in Holloway et al, 2007, pp.184). (22) Social constructionist point of view, they regard sex and gender as characteristics that are revealed only through discourse and action. These are consequence of the individuals behaviour and experience in a given cultural, social and historical context. The depth of the conflict is exemplified by a comparison of evolutionary studies that emphasise cross-cultural stability in particular sexual preferences (cf. Singh 1995, p.148; Buss and Schmitt, 1993, p.148, cited in Holloway et al, 2007) and social constructionist ideas such as Sandra Bem, who developed the idea of the cultural lens of musicality and femininity. This lens is a way of perceiving the world that makes behaviour and experiences gendered, this is called the Gender Schema Theory (1994, Holloway et al, 2007, OU p.153). According to the social constructionist perspectives, biological sex is not central to explaining what it is to be a man or a women, rather it is a signpost to which a whole set of us socially constructed gender differences are attached. In this account, social constructionist created discourse about masculinity and femininity are used by individual to create their own gendered subject positions. Whereas the biological and evolutionary perspectives agree that biological sex lies at the heart of explaining gender, the social constructionist perspective explicitly rejects that view; sometimes for political reasons. In relation to Sex and Gender, political differences are often exposed when conflicting accounts of differences occur. Gender and sexuality came to be seen, through Freuds work, as having far-reaching implications for the development of self. It largely complements the social constructionist, in terms of its interpretive or hermeneutic methodology, its explanations largely focus on the unconscious given that its objects of study entail the meaning of the biological differences between men and women and how these become internalised in the childs mind (OU, Holloway et al, 2007, pp.183). Thus both the social constructionist and psychoanalytic perspectives conflict with the biological and evolutionary approaches at the methodological level. Uniquely however the psychoanalysis perspective recognises both biological and cultural contributions to its theorising. It is not without its share of conflict however. Within the perspective, a important critical developments in the psychoanalytic theory sex and gender includes Freuds notion for the symbolic significance of the penis( and penis envy) quickly came under scrutiny from feminist psychologists to scientific practices. through Freud failure to consider the significant of womens genitals. (OU, Horney, 1926, , 2007, p.164). Language and Meaning There are three main perspectives used to examine the complex area of language, these are: Theory Methods Themes. These perspectives focus on different aspects of language including evolutionary developments of languages, the processing of languages and the construction of meaning through interaction. The study of language and meaning, one finds an equally intriguing mix of potential co-existence, complement and conflict when comparing the three principal perspectives. The evolutionary perspective sets out to explore language to understand how are related structurally and historically, how they are used differently by various social and cultural groups and how languages is used to communicate and create meaning. Language is the main medium for communication between humans beings and where we express, explore and pursue those goals that mean most to us .It is possible to view the three perspectives as at least co-existent. Their objects of knowledge are different and one might expect their cumulative product to contribute to some sort of unified theory. However, the potential for conflict between the cognitive and social constructionist perspectives is revealed in how they view meaning as the object of knowledge. For the former it is something that is constructed internally by the individual prior to transmission, and subsequently reconstructed by the audience. For the latter it is negotiated as a result of discourse between individuals meaning emerges as the result of a complex interplay of intentions, interpretations and power-relations. Thus, there is cause for disagreement as to what meaning is and where it comes from (Sperber and Wilson 1986, OU, p100). That this is adequate to justify a claim of conflict seems weak since the types of meaning espoused by the two perspectives are themselves different. A major social constructionist argument against a purist cognitive perspective is that cognitive processes cannot be transparently reported. This argument is one that cognitive researchers have long acknowledged. Commenting on early research into the cognitive modelling of language Boden (1977, pp.113ff, et passim) notes that a persons understanding of language in a given instance is dependent, not simply on their knowledge of the world around them, but crucially on their understanding of their relationship with who they communicate with. Within the evolutionary perspective there is also a debate as to whether language evolved as an adaptation advantage and was the foundation for other cognitive abilities. Pinker (1994) believes that languages may have evolved through natural selection, perhaps in conjunction with other cognitive abilities, OU, p83) or as a consequence of selection for an ability to form our Metarepresentation (Sperber, 2000, p.86). These are contradictory and conflicting views.. The major differences between psychological methods based on natural science principles and those based those on hermeneutic principles means that preservatives based on these methods may have difficulty achieving more than uneasy coexistence. Psychologists do not stand on such substantial bedrock. The questions they pose are often difficult to formulate computationally without reducing the predictive power of any solution, whereas the history of physics can be measured in thousands of years, psychology as a recognisable discipline has existed for just over a century. A inevitable conclusion is that psychology is characterised by perspectives that at one or more of these levels conflict, co-exist or complement, No perspective on its own can tell the whole story. The perspectives and levels of analysis and explanations cannot just be combined without an account of how they interact. Word count: 1793 294 (References + Quotes +Titles + Bullet Points) = 1499

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Logically, a contradiction consists of opposition between two conflicting ideas. Therefore, human contradiction would be opposing oneself to another person by saying or doing the opposite of whatever he or she says. A person should not say one thing and then turn around do another. Actions should be external representations of a person’s internal motives and be non-contradictory. Henrik Ibsen’s characters Aslaksen, Billing, Hovstad, Mayor Peter Stockmann and Morten Kiil are wonderful examples of human contradictions because they undergo complete identity reversals from which they start with. These five characters are special representatives of the community that are supposed to have the good of the community at heart. In reality, they use scientific and factual truth for personal gain and biased motives instead of the good of the community. There is a sense of diversity in the often contradictory motives that affect all human behavior. Ibsen came to change his technique of writing throughout his career from non-dramatic to dramatic. It would not be bad a contradiction, except for his reasoning behind it. He seems to change his writing with hope that a more dramatic technique might attract more people to his writings, enabling him to convey his thoughts and visions much more publically and in a more conventional manner. Unlike most authors that emphasized plot and intrigue at the time, Ibsen subtly inserted views contradictory to that of people at the time. He showed those contradictions of people in the ways in which they behaved and tried to think, especially in stressful situations like the ones that are created by Doctor Stockmann and other characters in Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. The characters become inconsistent, m... ... does not have the community’s best interest at heart like he should. He offers Doctor Stockmann social and financial security as well as a short term exile if only the Doctor leaves the subject alone and retracts everything that he has said thus far. He also offers in return to the Doctor the ability to be reinstated at a later time. So really he has no change in heart, nor in contradiction since he suffers no change. In conclusion, each of these five characters that are somehow important to the community goes through a human contradiction or multiple ones. In comparison to Doctor Stockmann who remains steadfast in his ideals of ‘nothing but the truth is good enough,’ each of these characters has an ugly internal contradiction to what their external actions should be. Nothing is done for the good of the people, but what is good for each person’s individual gains.

Free Beowulf Essays: Shared Values †Then and Now :: Epic Beowulf essays

Beowulf:   Shared Values – Then and Now  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The values and characteristics which were held ideal in the epic Beowulf can still be found in today's culture if one knows where to look.   Gangs have become commonplace almost everywhere in the world. The similarities between modern gangs and tribes of ancient anglo-saxon warriors is quite pronounced. To many gang members being part of the gang is like a status quo. The gang member believes he or she is now part of a larger family. Many would-be gang members look up to gangs as if they are a role-model of some sort, wanting to someday be a part of this elite group who inspires fear in many people. Almost always, gang members believe that they must always be showing just how 'bad' they are. They will stop at almost nothing to outdo a rival gang's outrageous feat or even a friendly gang member's boasting. Law matters very little to these gang members, they make their own laws to follow. Gang member are rarely seen by themselves as they are fearful to travel alone through life's 'wilderness' without the comfort of knowing their friends are there to back them. However, gangs are very visible in packs. When roaming together they walk and talk as if they fear no one and nothing. They want the world to know just how 'bad' they are. When traveling together, no boast is too far-fetched. It doesn't matter whether or not it is true, only that the rest of the world believe it. Gangs are almost always at war with rival gangs. They rarely is ever believe in treaties between one and another but would much rather fight it out to prove which gang is superior. There are no restrictions against weapons and daggers, chains, guns, spikes, and brass knuckles are very common. It is very unlikely for a gang member to not be carrying at least two weapons at all times. Gang members often like to personalize their weapons too. For instance, brass knuckles may have the gang member's initials engraved in them to show possession, or a favorite gun or dagger may be intimately named. Such weapons are often highly valued and if lost will be sought after intensively by the distraught party. Gangs often carry with them superstitions. Perhaps the most prominent one is the fact that many gang members will not go into battle without their favorite weapon.

Love in The Importance of Being Earnest Essay -- Oscar Wilde Papers

Love in The Importance of Being Earnest Love is perhaps the most actively sought moral objective of one's life. And though marriage is often thought to be the logical consequence of love, it is Oscar Wilde's contention in his satire, The Importance of Being Earnest, that love begets bliss and marriage thwarts this course of bliss. Algernon Moncrieff spends very little time falling in love and the rest of the time striving toward engagement. Wilde demonstrates through him that once one becomes intent upon achieving a goal, the individual's motivation becomes a matter of action rather than truth. Algernon is no longer driven by a moral objective; instead, he becomes intent upon achieving a societal standard. "The truth is rarely pure, and never simple" (35). Love is truth. Marriage results in the systematic complication of love. Algernon becomes disillusioned in the process of seeking truth. In defining Algernon's preconceived notion of marriage and then describing the subsequent earnest pursuit of engagement, Wilde achieve s a consequential climax that satirizes marriage. Algernon is a pompous man of seemingly strong, albeit unconventional, convictions. Wilde uses him for the sole purpose of mocking the sanctimonious institution of marriage. In the beginning of the play, Algernon considers Jack's intent to propose to Gwendolen to be "business," not "pleasure" (30). Yet eventually Algernon also resolves to propose to Cicely, discrediting his own established belief: "I really don't see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is un... ...man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth" (108). Though Algernon, by the play's close, does not realize this, it is the inevitable that he will eventually realize that the truth is no longer with him. For, Algernon initially speaks nothing but the truth. Yet on his path toward achieving his moral objective, he becomes so intent upon the actions that he loses the truth; Algernon is so set on becoming engaged that he forgets that divorces, not marriages, "are made in heaven" (30). Wilde's initial intention is for Algernon to appear to be the antithesis to society's spokesperson. As Algernon, contrary to expectation, abandons his own truth, and the play ends happily ever after, Wilde reveals to the reader his view that marriage is ridiculous. Bibliography: the importance of being earnest -- oscar wilde

A Cinematographic Vampire’s Tale: Understanding the Symbolism Behind the Horror Icon

Cinema is the place where we as viewers engage in sharing a collective dream. Certainly, horror movies enrich us as viewers with the most dream-like of plots. This is because they open a portal into another world where we are allowed to engage with our nightmares. All over time various horror movies show us how normality is endangered by a monster, but the creature who has haunted the screen like no one is undoubtedly the Vampire. According to Ivan Phillips the figure of the Vampire has drifted and shifted through the pages of newspapers, travel journals, novels, poems, comics, and plays for 300 years, it has haunted cinema and television for almost a hundred, its shadow is creeping into the social, narrative and ludic networks of the digital’. The image of the Vampire is constantly present in the virtual and literature culture of the twenty-first century. Although this being moved from its folkloristic origins in which he appeared in works of J. Sheridan Le Fanu, John Polidor i and Bram Stoker, the vampire still remains an iconic figure in Western Culture. This personage provides paradoxical fascination as it exists ‘at the edges of what is deemed normal, acceptable and safe, the vampire embodies the foreign and the unfamiliar’. Although, the vampire is often seen as a bringer of death, there are numerous metaphorical meanings and readings of this being. Through Marxist discourse the vampire is portrayed as the monster of monopoly capitalism and the agent of foreign ownership. This idea of the ‘bloodsucking capitalist’ is perceived in a negative way the Marxist community. In a xenophobic society this idea of the vampire embodies a general fear of the unfamiliar and may also constitute a racial difference. But the vampire not only represents the non-conformity it also alludes to an illicit desire. According to Jorg Waltje, this being is the embodiment of humanity's ‘hopes and desires: beauty, strength, and immortality’. Although these elements do not express fear in the same way as the vampire's link with death but in the same manner they express an external behaviour which puts at risk society's stability. The vampire hints to a sense of ‘unsettlement’. Through his figure the viewer, in a quite troubled sense, comes face-to-face with the dramatization of humanity. As a creature, the vampire encompasses men's vulnerability and his inability to alter the laws of time. As Sarah Sceats states ‘Vampires represent what we both fear and desire; they evoke a marginal world of darkness, secrecy, vulnerability, excess, and horror. Whatever they are, it is positively Other’. This notion of ‘excess' was also tackled by Omar Calabrese in one of his chapters. According to Calabrese one could only escape from ‘a closed system’ through this notion of excess. The vampire represents this excess as he personifies ‘those aspects excluded or rejected by society, its existence in itself denotes excess’. In addition to this, Calabrese associates this vampiric excess to the exotic erotic which alludes to the scandal and breaks the boundaries of what is socially acceptable. In this sense the vampire's bite is linked with the erotic. Further to this ‘explicit erotic act’ we have an unavoidable act with death. It was Bram Stoker which explored this notion in his novel Dracula. In the scene, where Lucy dies we see an excessive use of the erotic; ‘She seemed like a nightmare of Lucy as she lay there; the pointed teeth, the bloodstained, voluptuous mouth – which it made one shudder to see – the whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy’s sweet purity’. Through this, Bram Stolker illustrates us with an example of how death is linked to the erotic. The notion of ‘excess' is repetitively used and reused by Stolker. In fact, he describes Lucy as a ‘nightmare †¦ hich it made one shudder to see’ As viewers, as film enthusiasts or as junkies of the silver screen, we have grown accustomed to think that nothing happens outside of the frame. Yet this idea seems to crumble to the ground when it comes to Dreyer's, Vampyr. The latter haunts us with ‘a distinctly innerving sense of not knowing where anyon e is, creating a feeling that anything culd be happening beyond the frame, in the ‘blind space' in which the monsoter lurks’. Visually speaking, Vampyr resembles Jean Epstein's La Chute de la Maison de Usher and Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou. Dreyer's horror movie encapsulates ‘clear moments of crossover between the two movements’. Therefore Vampyr distinguished itself from other movies of the same genre because of the various artistic influences which left their imprint. Comparison can also be drawn between more contemporary movies which are not necessarily classified under an artistic movement but which are still relevant to vampire studies. Coppola's movie is separated by decades from its predecessors and is more straight forward in the narration of events. Visual metaphors are central to its filmic structure and the American director’s interpretation is completely submerged in blood, but while this film is heavily conditioned by an erotic element, the scenes of blood in Vampyr are scarce. The ‘spots of blood’ carry psychoanalytic connotations. Barbara Creed states that the manifestation of horror is culturally and socially constructed through the ‘images of blood, vomit, pus. shit etc’. These images emphasize a split between the law of the father and the maternal influence. This division has to be viewed under a pre-Oedipal line of thought. In this stage there is a fierce attachment to the maternal figure. In Dreyer's vampire movie, blood is linked to the maternal entity because Chopin ‘punctuates the flesh and transgresses the sanctity of the body’. Another overwhelming point stated by Creed is that the female vampire does not limit herself to mutating her victims into creatures which are one with the night. Her victims are testimony of the vampire's ability to destabilize ‘traditional gender definitions’. Although lesbian connotations are often attributed to this particular flick, there is no real intimacy between Leon and Chopin. The scene in which Chopin ‘feeds' upon her young prey, does not communicate a sense of desire. The village doctor who is at the service of Chopin, does not coincide with the medical man who represents a positive force in the traditional gothic horror narrative. In Coppola's Dracula, based on Bram Stocker's novel, Van Helsing is an educated individual and an adversary to the malevolent vampire. The doctor ‘sucks' the blood from the living thanks to the transfusion equipment just as Chopin uses fangs. The victim of the doctor's bloodsucking, artificial technique is Gray. He is the character who often looks at the actions taking place by standing behind doors or windows; ‘he is an outsider peering in’. In fact, Gray is removed from the narrative action even as he witnesses the first death. David Bordwell believed that Gray ‘is a curious character’ and he is more of a mediator than a provocateur of action. However, Gray still ‘possesses an active and enunciating gaze’. This male character's progress is often hindered by other characters, by the props and also by buildings. What is so overwhelming about Vampyr is the collision between reality and the supernatural. Everything seems to take place within a dream-like state and the movie is ‘ephemeral, polysemic and shifting, provoking opinion and polarising debate’. The movie afflicts the viewer with dissonance and discomfort, especially when our gaze meet Chopin's stare as Gray is sealed in the coffin. The latter is an artefact which shares an endless tradition with the general notion of vampirism. It is the space where these beings retreat and hide away from the daylight. The coffin is the body-fitting box where Dracula and Count Orlock patiently wait their time to rise while the vessel is sailing. This tomb or repository is ‘the most vampiric of all enclosure’. Gray finds himself trapped in a coffin and at this point in the movie's chronology, ‘the spectatorial gaze is doubly trapped, within the confines of a sealed coffin and the immovable dead body’. As the coffin containing Gray's corpse is being carried away, the procession passes next to Gray's unconscious body. In Vampyr, the element of the doppelganger has a heavy resonation. Vampyr is venerated amongst lovers of the genre even though movie makers throughout those years did not have the present technological resources. Old, B&W, silent movies may seem alien in form and content to younger generations, yet what some of these past flicks embody inextinguishable artistic and human values. We've already drawn remarks on Coppola's remake of Bram Stocker's narrative work into film. Long before the release of this movie, ‘the most haunting of any attempt to dramatize Bram Stocker's novel’ was Murnau's Nosferatu. There is a strong resemblance between Murnau's vampire and the one lurking in the book. What is it that viewers find so terrifying about Nosferatu? Is it the vampire’s appearance and inhuman gestures? Does he embody the general notion that â€Å"we fear whatever we cannot explain or understand through rational thinking†? As consumers, for there is no better way to call genuine movie enthusiasts, we ought to dig deeper and deeper into the sequence of images. Most of the time denotations come with connotations and it is up to us to fish out such hidden meanings. The imagery in Murnau’s movie suggests the concept of repression and ‘the arch is a visual leit motif in the film’. Arches and similar structures try to stop the vampire from emerging. Count Orlock is therefore a repressed force who is also linked to Jonathan via these same arches. In a memorable scene in the movie, the Count emerges from under an arch and Jonathan from another as they meet for the first time. Jonathan is also linked to the menacing creature through the house which stands on the opposite side to his. Count Orlock purchases this house, thus becoming the young man’s reflection. Jonathan is a loving companion to Nina while Nosferatu becomes a ‘demonic alternative husband’. Nosferatu contains numerous references to ‘a number of traditional or cultural elements’. Myths about Persephone and Orpheus also produce an echoing effect through this vampire movie. Nosferatu was not meant to float in its own air bubble, separated from all other influences and ideas. Murnau transfuses into the motion picture ‘the product of a synthesis’. This adaptation of Dracula, which donated to all lovers of the horrific this ‘thin, repulsively bald’ being, dates back to ‘the heyday of expressionist fantasy’. What come into collision are the natural and the fantastic. These two distant realms are central to Nosferatu yet neither dominates the film. The viewer cannot but notice the obsession with filing space and the ‘obrusive sets’. Like Tabu, Nosferatu is primarily set in natural surroundings and both of Murnau’s movies deal with a menace. The latter diffuses into an ordinary world and out of a fantastic, paranormal world. Nosferatu portrays an animal-like being (a mixture between a rat and a human skeleton) who is ‘constantly associated with nature throughout the film’. Even Count Orlok’s movements does not coincide with those of a human being , in fact even his castle ‘is like a natural continuation of the rock’ thus the true protagonist in Nosferatu is Nature which is closely linked with its natural settings. In Nosferatu, Murnau used a sort of trick photography also with expressionist angle shots. As Gilberto Perez Guillermo suggests these specific techniques are used to illustrate a remote, fragmented and bizarre environment. Nosferatu is generally seen from distance and this gives us the impression that the nocturnal creature is merging itself with the surrounding nature. Murnau succeeded into creating an iconic- power image through which he shows Nosferatu as ‘seemingly immensely tall’. In particular the scene where the vampire is standing on the deck of the vessel which is no longer conducted by a human being. Murnau makes also the use of the negative image, this technique is ideal to express ‘mystery, fantasy, and unreality’. This negative image basically involves an X-ray photograph, in this film it was used when Jonathan was being carried into ‘the land of phantoms’ in Count Orlock's weird carriage. The three movies which have been discussed so far are all based on similar, if not identical, themes. In each case the relationship between the female character and the parasite represented by the vampire is at the heart of the movie's plot. Guillermo del Toro took on a different approach and directed a vampire movie which derailed from the norm set up by the previously discussed films. Narrative-wise, Cronos ignores the myth of the Count and focuses on a device that causes transformations to take place within the main character's physique. The Cronos looks like an insect which shares some sort of a mutual parasitic relationship with its victim. Apart from a different take on the blood-sucking creature's myth, Cronos proposes characters which are marked by an ‘implied absence’. Del Toro's movie might ‘represent a nostalgic look at the past’ in the sense that the long-gone years receive a corporeal dimension belonging to the present. The main character in this Mexican Gothic is a perfect illustration of this notion. Jesus Gris is the ‘purveyor of antiques and guardian of the new dawn’ the latter being Aurora. What distinguishes Jesus Gris with Dieter de la Guardia, the dying industrialist who is aware of the Cronos' true nature and powers are there past scars which must be dealt with in modern times. On the one hand the ‘scars’ of Jesus are related to family life while on the other Dieter de la Guardia is at the mercy of an ailing health. Above all else, the Cronos is a ‘fascinating hybrid of science and nature’ and the golden case is said to hold an insect which lives off human blood. In return the creature rejuvenates its bearer and prolongs his life, killing off the threat posed by ‘corruptible, material flesh’. The device is needed by de la Guardia because it surpasses the technology of modern times. Only the Cronos can achieve what technology has failed in. There also lies a fine parallelism between de la Guardia and the angel’s statue. The man’s body is full of holes just like the archangel’s interior which is infested by cockroaches and if the statue reminds us of the divine, the deteriorating human body indicates an inevitable ending. Erotism is a stranger to the film’s plot, yet del Toro’s work delves into universal dreams, such as eternal youth and the conflict between life and death. Jesus caries the device while de la Guardia holds the instructions; Jesus is the unsuspecting individual who comes across an artifact of mysterious powers and who ends owning itself to it. The Cronos dehumanizes him and his need for human blood becomes more prominent as the film unfolds. Just as the insect feeds upon the blood of the device’s holder, the latter ends up developing an appetite for human blood. Viewers have grown accustomed to having a female figure within vampire stories. Whether the woman is a prey, a victim or an object of desire, she has been instrumental to Dracula’s and Vampyr’s storyline. In Cronos, Aurora ‘plays the role of the love interest for which the monster must make his sacrifice’. Transformation and shifting of form does not limit itself to Jesus’ metamorphosis, but it also manifests itself in the relationship between the vampire and the female figure. The erotism is replaced by an ‘innocent, filial love’. Contrasting and comparing characters and plots allows us to point out what is present in one movie and absent in another. Some characters from different filmic works may share the same attributes or characteristics, while others may interpret the same role but in a totally different manner. The so-called â€Å"assistant†, the faithful follower who is at the service of his master, is present in all four films discussed so far. However Angel, the nephew of de la Guardia, is not as submissive as Renfield and the village doctor. Angel’s mode of thinking is simply capitalistic. He yearns for his uncle’s wealth and represents the ‘cynical angel’. In contemporary popular culture the power of the vampire’s bite did not vanish but in some manner it did change. We can see this notion through the creation of diverse pop culture vampires such as Angel and Spike in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). These modern vampires have been ‘desexualized and de-victimized’ because they only obtain and drink blood from butchers. Now the vampire is made more human and this highlights the fact that contemporary vampires have a more mundane appearance. In the new millennium the vampire seemed to have changed from a creature of fear to a creature of ‘sympathy and emulation’. This is made more evident in online discourse about the vampire. As argued by Mary Williamson in her book Lure of the Vampire, in the virtual world the vampire is perceived as a ‘forgivable outcast’ and thus we sympathize with him. In Facebook, a social network used by millions in the world the presence of this being is very strong. Through one particular application called Vampire application we see several imitations of the ‘folkloric tradition of the vampire’. This application is diffused from one user to another via a ‘virtual bite’. During this process a user is sent an invitation to enrol himself to such application, were the user gets to interact with other individuals who share their interest and curiosities about this subject. Users get to fight other vampires, fill their hunger or feed upon weaker vampires. Once cravings for this so called ‘virtual-violence’ are stated by many, users can also send gestures such as hugs to their nearest companions. Feeding and fighting are the highlight of this application were vampires get points and money for doing so which than they can be exchanged for weapons or to improve their senses or powers . In this application placing someone in a suit will result in losing all their fights for two consecutive days, which is quite a deal breaker. This application also embraces violence amongst friends. Some of the many options this application boasts are the way one can attack another throughout the Facebook community. This application is filled with the erotic; this notion solidifies the ‘traditional elements of the transgressive vampire’. At each and every single level the vampire's abilities achieves a new rank and this creates a new type of vampire. As noticed by Mary Williamson in the virtual world this being is not perceived as an ‘outcast’ but rather a fundamental figure through which players communicate. In the online world the vampires have become a part of a different ritual, a social ritual by which relationships and friendships are maintained and expanded’. In this application, what used to frighten about this creature is eliminated and instead it is accepted. In fact, with the loss of penetration of the bite the vampire is ‘de-sexualized and sanitized’. According to C alabrese, the vampire represents only a slight alteration beyond what is socially accepted and thus it represents; the shifting of limits. ‘When confronted by an ‘acceptable’ excess, the limit is simply moved (perhaps to a considerable distance) in order to absorb it’. When in the virtual world, elements like blood and the penetration of the bite are removed ‘the virtual vampire becomes the monster that is us’. In the twentieth century, sympathy for this being has grown bigger. In fact as stated by Williamson, this being has generated new implications and attitudes ‘towards the ‘self ’ in the twentieth century’. There is a great desire to imitate the vampire not as a rebellious figure but rather to imitate a ‘bohemian outsiderdom which locates the individual as the desirable outsider, the sympathetically alienated’. In the virtual context perception of the self becomes ‘fluid and flexible’. As it is no longer linked with the body but it is highly linked with the fulfilment of desires. In this sense identity is constructed as one desires. The virtual identity can be understood through the Lancian psychoanalytic theory. ‘In the online world the virtual identity is not reflected but is rather constructed; the subject is not created in the reflection but rather in the digital composite’. This leads us to do a parallelism between the vampire and the virtual identity. According to Shannon Winnubst, the site represents the mirror reflection in which an individual forms and constructs his ideas about the self. On the other hand the vampire ‘in lacking a mirror reflection, does not even register on the radar of identity-formation: he does not have the necessary condition for the possibility of becoming a subject’. Also Rhonda Wilcox explored this theme using the imaginative Id and the Jungian shadow. According to Wilcox the online body represents the negative aspect of one's personality. In this manner the vampire is portrayed as the doppelganger of the victim before it was biten. Stoker's Lucy and Angel in Buffy are the perfect examples, Stoker’s Lucy from chaste to ripely erotic, or perhaps the souled and soulless incarnations of Angel in Buffy – so too does the virtual body provide opportunity for the vampiric shadow to find form in cyberspace. As stated by Wilcox, the imaginative Id illustrates the unconscious which is repressed and which encourages the pre-vampiric identity to free itself. In this sense online where the personality is fluid the wishes of the Id can be fulfilled as there are no repercussions which constitute some sort of restriction in the corporeal world. When talking about horror movies there is a subtle difference between the onster and the human being. But as indicated in films by Dreyer, Murnau, Coppola and Guillermo del Toro a strong link exists between the two beings. The myth and the vampire have always been subjects of debates. Although there are number of similarities and differences between Vampyr and Nosferatu yet both films show us the vampire as being more than just a b lood sucking, nocturnal creature but it is also the representation of the darkest corners of the human psyche ‘For this is one of the functions of our monsters: to help us constrict our own humanity, to provide guidelines against which we can define ourselves’.

Domestic Violence Speech Essay

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. The CDC reports that 15 million children are abused every year. Recently, the NFL has been under a lot of scrutiny for their domestic violence policy. There are as many opinions as there are teams on how they should react. To me, that is the problem. See, reaction means to have an action performed in response to a situation. However, action stands for the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim. The NFL, NBA, MLB and all other pro sport leagues need to band together and set the example. Say they will no longer tolerate violence against women. After all, pro athletes are role models for our youth. How they behave on and off the field can make a difference. However, domestic violence is much bigger than pro sports. We just seem to talk about it more when a pro athlete is involved. Statics show that men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice more likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents and girls who witnessed domestic violence were 50% more likely to be abused as women. The most common reaction people have on domestic violence is to ask â€Å"why does they stay? They do not believe they are abused. They are made to believe they caused it. They are too afraid. Yet you still ask, why do they stay? It is extremely dangerous to leave an abuser, because the final step in a domestic violence pattern is to kill her. Over 70% of domestic violence murders happen after the victim as ended the relationship, after she has gotten out. Because then the abuser has nothing left to lose. Other outcomes include long term stalking, even after the abuser remarries. Denial of financial resources, and manipulation of the family court systems to terrify the victim and her children, who are regularly forced by family court judges to spend unsupervised time with the man who beat their mother. And still we ask, why doesn’t she just leave? We tend to stereotype victims as self-destructive women, or damaged goods. The question, why does she stay is code for some people for, it’s her fault for staying. As if victims intentionally chose to fall in love with men who are intent on destroying them. Maybe the better question is â€Å"why does the abuser do it?† rather than â€Å"why does she stay?† Instead of blaming the victim of the abuse, let’s turn our attention towards the person who is causing the harm. As a society, we can no longer stand by and let these victims continue the cycle. We have to find a way to break it. I would love to say it starts at home, but that is where the abuse is, so the schools have to take a larger role in this problem. We teach our children math, reading and science, but how about relationship skills. Our schools need to help educate our children that violence will not be tolerated. If we want to attack this problem, we need to teach how to be respectful in relationships. We need to do more to decrease the abuse that happens not just the physical abuse, but all abuse. Maybe you are thinking, wow this is fascinating, but this whole time I have been talking to you about it there have been 24 victims a minute beaten. A woman or child has died. I promise you, there are several of you listening to me right now who are currently being abused or know someone who is being abused, or maybe were abused as children, or are the abusers. Abuse could be affecting your sister, cousin, or friend right now. So what are you going to do? Conclusion Domestic violence thrives when we are silent. But if we take a stand and work together, we can end domestic violence. We can end it by telling our friends and family that we will not tolerate domestic violence and by asking them to take a stand with us. We can end it by supporting the programs and shelters that provide refuge and safety for hundreds of thousands of survivors every year. We can end it by ensuring that our communities hold abusers accountable for their actions. Join the National Network to End Domestic Violence and help raise awareness. Together, we can make a difference. Say NO MORE!!