VIS 152FACT AND FICTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

VIS 152FACT AND FICTION - Essay Example To this end Abbas Kiarostami’s Close-up becomes an â€Å"unclassifiable hybrid.†(Rapfogel, 2001) The film’s central character, Hossain Sabzian and the film’s plot are not fictional creations, but rather real recreations. The fact is, a man with the name, Hossain Sabzian did in fact impersonate a film executive named Mohsen Makhmalbaf and the impersonator, Sabzian is played by himself. (Rapfogel, 2001) Kiarostami takes the concept of documentary film to a unique level so that the art of distinguishing the actor from the character he or she plays is impossible since the actors play themselves in the film. In this regard, each of the actors and the characters that they play are authentic representations of themselves. Since the actors are not caught unaware, they are role-playing nonetheless. (Naremore, 1988) Real life situations are therefore reconstructed so that the nuances of human existence are exposed. So while Close-up brings film closer to life, it simultaneously brings the reader closer to reality. So although Close-up is for all intents and purposes a staged portrayal of real characters and a real plot, it is very much an exercise in realism and authenticity. This is because it combines reality with â€Å"an hallucination that is also a fact.† (Bazin, 1967) The hallucination is manifested by the preparedness in filming and performing. Salesman like Close-up chronicles everyday life by depicting the role playing in vastly similar ways. Like Sabzian, who impersonates a film executive for disingenuous reasons, the salesmen in Salesman likewise resort to role playing. The four salesman follows the travels of four Irish Catholic Bible salesmen from Boston to New England and Florida where they attempt to sell fancy bibles to lower and middle class consumers who are obviously not interested in purchasing the bibles. Paul, one salesman is the ultimate performer. In trying to reach his sales’ quota he even lies to

Declaration Of Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Declaration Of Independence - Essay Example What led Jefferson to prepare this document anyway? What did the document declare? This essay sets out to answer these two questions and to show that the Declaration of Independence was because of pressing international issues in 1776. This will be achieved by investigating the many imitations and documents that have spawned since 1790 and offering comparisons of how it was received in the past and at present in and beyond the U.S. This would eventually lead us to draw inferences regarding reflections on the afterlife of The Declaration of Independence and probe the modern conception of rights, both collective and individual. Discussion First, it would be beneficial to understand the just what the declaration declared before we can be able to show its international context. Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence announced the emergence of the U.S into the international scene. For starters, before the Declaration of Independence, the term â€Å"United States of America,† had not publicly been used anywhere. This is expressed explicitly in the opening paragraph of the document, which states that the states representatives were bringing forth the thoughts of mankind, the reasons why united people had made a choice to assume the equal and separate station among the powers of the earth to which God and Law of Nature entitle them. The phrase, â€Å"powers of the earth,† can be seen to signify other sovereign states, which can be considered as the Declaration addressing an immediate international audience. I was the intention of the U.S to join the other sovereign states I the world on an equal level as an â€Å"Independent and Free State,† with full powers to conclude peace, establish commerce, contract alliances, levy war, and to carry out all other things and acts which independent states had the right of doing (The Declaration of Independence as Adopted by Congress). That intention by the U.S announced tit option to join the internatio nal community of Free and Independent states instead of the British Empire. Therefore, we can assert that the Declaration of Independence was actually a declaration of interdependence. The primary intentions of the Declaration of Independence were to legitimize the civil within the British Empire and make it a lawful war between states. By declaring American colonists as outside of hi protection, George III had turned them into rebels. Therefore, there was a need for the rebels to transform themselves from rebels to legitimate colonists. International recognition for this cause and foreign support was thus imperative. This motivation for internationalization was made clear by Paine in 1776 via his argument that custom of nations required that America had to make a declaration of Independence before any European power would attempt to mediate peace between Great Britain and Americans. Obviously, Spain or France could not help any persons they considered as rebels against another mona rch. In addition, for Americans to be considered as reliable trading partners, they grievances needed to be put before foreign courts in a persuasive manner. According to Paine, this would be impossible without the Declaration of Independence, which would ensure that the U.S took rank with other nations (Paine). According to the records of the Continental Congress, there was a strong link between the demands of International Relations and the Declaration of Independence. A resolution was tabled in Congress by Richard Lee in 1776 declaring colonies independent and at the same time, urged Congress to put in place measures that would affect the formation of foreign Alliances. This resolution was consequently adopted by Congress announcing the

Fame in Cinema and Television Essay Example for Free

Fame in Cinema and Television Essay The â€Å"star phenomenon† began in theatrical advertising of certain actors’ names in the 1820s. It was not immediately transferred to Hollywood, nor to the many other film industries developing in parallel across the glove. Hollywood studios at first, from about 1909 to 1914, ignored â€Å"stars† – actors in whose offscreen lifestyle and personalities audiences demonstrated a particular interest. This was partly because of the costs involved in â€Å"manufacturing stardom† on a scale which the studies could translate into measureable box-office revenue, and for fear of the power which stars might then wield. Stars need all kinds of resources lavished on their construction such as privileged access to screen and narrative space, to lighting, to the care of costumers, make-up workers, voice coaches, personal trainers, etc. , as well as to audience interest through previews, supply of publicity materials, etc. Skillful casting is also important, though rarely discussed in work on stars, perhaps because it is seen to detract from the star’s own intentions in a performance. Key career decisions involve a star’s choice of casting agency or the choices made by a particular film’s casting director. Once established, the star system worked lucratively for the studios. Stars were used as part of the studio’s â€Å"branding† or promise of certain kinds of narrative and production values. They were useful in â€Å"differentiating† studios’ films. Stars were literally part of the studio’s capital, like plant and equipment, and could be traded as such. James Stewart, making an interesting comparison with sports celebrities, said once â€Å"Your studio could trade you around like ball player like when I was traded once to Universal for the use of their back lot for three weeks. † Stars’ large salaries, said to be due to nebulous qualities such as â€Å"talent† or â€Å"charisma†, worked to negate the powers of acting unions, who might otherwise have been able to calculate acting labor and ask for more equal distribution of profits (Branston and Stafford 2003). And stars have always functioned as a key part of Hollywood’s relationship to broader capitalist structures. In the 1930s, for example, over-production of manufactured goods had reached crisis point in North America, and the large banks funding Hollywood sought its help in shifting goods from warehouses to consumers. In addition to this, the celebrity is part of the public sphere, essentially an actor or, to use Robert Altman’s 1992 film characterization of Hollywood denizens, a â€Å"player. † In the contemporary public sphere, divisions exist between different types of players: politicians are made to seem distinctly different from entertainment figures; businesspeople are distinguished from sports stars. And yet in the mediated representation of this panoply of players, they begin to blend together. Film stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger share the stage with politicians like George Bush; Gorbachev appears in a film by Wenders; Michael Jackson hangs out on the White House lawn with Ronald Reagan; Nelson Mandela fills an entire issue of Vogue. The celebrity is a category that identifies these slippages in identification and differentiation. Leadership, a concept that is often used to provide a definitional distance from vulgarity of celebrity status, provides the last discursive location for understanding the public individual. The argument I want to advance here is that in contemporary culture, there is a convergence in the source of power between the political leader and other forms of celebrity. Both are forms of subjectivity that are sanctioned by the culture and enter the symbolic realm of providing meaning and significance for the culture. The categorical distinction of forms of power is dissolving in favor of a unified system of celebrity status, in which the sanctioning of power is based on similar emotive and irrational, yet culturally deeply embedded, sentiments (Marshall 1997). Of course, depending on the type of media where actors and actresses appear, their power and charisma varies. In addition to this, depending on the type of media used, individual’s star quality or qualities of being a celebrity varies. On television, an individual can become a star without ceasing to be his or her anonymous self, because the medium celebrates innocuous, domestic normality. Once on the â€Å"The Tonight Show† Jack Paar maddened the studio audience by attentively quizzing one of its number and ignoring Cary Grant, who’d been planted in the adjoining seats. As well as a practical joke, this was a boast of television’s license to bestow celebrity on those it promiscuously or fortuitously favors. But the medium can just as easily rescind that celebrity. Obsolescence is built into the television star, as it is into the sets themselves: hence those mournful commercials for American Express in which the celebrities of yesteryear- the man who lent his croaky voice to Bugs Bunny or a candidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1964- laud the company’s card, which restores to them an identity and a televisibility they’d forfeited. The game show contestants experience this brief tenure of television celebrity- Warhol’s fifteen minutes- at its most accelerated. But in order to quality for it, they have to surrender themselves to the medium. Their only way of winning games is to abase themselves, feigning hysteria on â€Å"The Price is Right,† exchanging sordid confidences on â€Å"The Newlywed Game,† incompetently acting out inane charades on Bruce Forsyth’s â€Å"Generation Game. † The cruelest of the games is â€Å"The Gong Show,† where one’s span of celebrity may not even extend to fifteen seconds. More or less, untalented contestants sing, dance, juggle or fiddle until the inevitable gong sends them back to nonentity. For some, the gong supervenes immediately. They’ve been warned this will happen, and coached to disappear with dignity, but are expected to go through with their act all the same and suffer their condemnation. Even a few seconds of television fame is worth the price of one’s self-esteem. The show pretends to be a talent quest, but is a smirking parody of that. The hosts on the game shows are, for similar reasons, parodies of geniality. A host soothes his guests and smoothes obstacles out of their way. But in homage to Groucho, the comperes subject their victims to a ritual humiliation, and their patter keeps the game-players throughout flinching and ill-at-ease (Conrad 1982). Television is good but may not be ideal for preserving important works. On the other hand, a good film can be shown anywhere in the world where there is an audience. Furthermore, the cinema will turn actors and actresses into stars. There are many well-known television actors and actresses, but they have no international fame like their big-screen counterparts. Films together with film magazines contribute directly to the formation of a star system and its attendant mythology. The stars perceived themselves to be, and were in turn also used as, icons for a modern lifestyle, especially fashion (Zhang 2005). They are given greater chances to achieve or receive international awards and become known not only in a particular state but to the whole world, unlike in the case of television stars. Those famous actors who appeared on television ten years ago have now vanished due either to lot or disintegrated videotape or a lack of interest by the contemporary audience. In Africa, there was a necessity to build more cinema theaters, instead of enforcing further use of television, because it was helping them to maintain a viable film industry. In Iran, they have more than 150 cinema houses. Their industry if progressing because they have a loyal audience who make it possible to recuperate money invested in production, which in turn is invested in the making of new films (Ukadike 2002). As a whole, it can be said that fame in cinema is more lasting than fame in television. In addition to this, the stars or celebrities appearing on cinemas rather than on televisions are the ones who are more favored by producers and stockholders. Moreover, they are preferred than the television stars to be used in magazines, especially if it is an international magazine. As such, the lifestyle of actors and actresses in cinemas are greater than those who only appear in television shows. The cinema industry as well as its actors and actresses are greatly favored and nowadays, more specifically preferred by a good number of the countries. Bibliography BRANSTON, GILL and STAFFORD, ROY, The Media Students Book (USA: Routledge, 2003). CONRAD, PETER, Television (USA: Routledge, 1983). MARSHALL, P. DAVID, Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture (Minneapolis: Regents of the University of Minnesota, 1997). UKADIKE, NWACHUKWU FRANK, Questioning African Cinema (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002). ZHANG, ZHEN, An Amorous History of the Silver Screen (London: University of Chicago Press, 2005).

Reviewing Somerset Maugham The Short Story English Literature Essay

Reviewing Somerset Maugham The Short Story English Literature Essay W. Somerset Maughams The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham are two self-compiled volumes filled with literary sketches from his travels around the world. Through careful observation, Maughams keen insight into human nature proves a most interesting topic choice. Written in a meticulous structure, he writes the same old story in a raw and riveting way. While working as a doctor in the slums of London, he came into contact with less than reputable characters, some of which intrigued him. These initial experiences with colorful individuals seemed to be the origination for his interest in human nature. Maugham was interested in controversial topics like adultery and prostitution, but I believe any culture that was different than his own simply evoked strong feelings of curiosity. When possible, he leapt to explore those circumstances, hence his famed short stories compiled from his travels around the world. Maugham writes of his travels more than any other topic throughout his oeuvre. Because his writing gave him freedom to travel, Maugham was able to witness notoriously historical settings in his lifetime. Most transcribed in his short stories are these accounts of colonized areas in the Far East. India and Asia, colonized by Britain during the time of his travels, were lands filled with interesting people waiting for their story to be told. Through others stories, he wrote first-person narratives unique to this time. And while each sole story was distinctive, two common threads united them all together: its capturer, Maugham, and foreign lands. Maugham was able to illustrate the setting of the early twentieth century in a way unlike any other author. Not until after delving into the collection did I read the preface which explains exactly how and why the collection was constructed. Maugham states that his short stories are actually notes taken while traveling on particular instances and accounts of people that interested him. His intention was to revise his notes upon returning home, and to transform them into classical short stories with better narrative than originally found in his notes. When observing the notes, Maugham found they had a vividness which I might easily lose if I tried to elaborate them. His notes stayed as they were and he took on the famed reputation for having a plain prose. Maughams notable style was formed when he wrote for Cosmopolitan Magazine. He was required to integrate his stories into allotted space; therefore he had to write an interesting story with succinct language. This can prove to be difficult and is similar to poetry in the sense that certain adverbs and adjectives are stripped away to achieve the most profound story possible. Because of Maughams circumstances, he employed discretion when choosing his verbiage. Combing his work forced him to consciously mold his writing style, and to make his stories concise without making the monthly story tedious. This makes any writer more familiar with and ultimately superior in their craft. What the public got was a refined and pithy account of Maughams scrupulous narratives. His plain prose style, being bare in language, dated in setting, and having the common theme of human nature became a sure-tale sign of his work. Maughams decision to keep his notes raw makes them a refreshing alternative to the embellished stories of his peers. While some authors write more colorfully and in detail than Maugham, they elaborate and strip the stories of je ne sais quoi that can be found in raw, frank art. While some may view this is bland reporting, it captures an element which refined stories lack. His notes, or stories, resemble photographs in that they are snapshots of the setting. The works of his peers are like paintings, which are manipulated by the artists to appear in a perfect manner born from the authors view. Underneath the initial image of his work, like photographs, there is an ethereal quality. The connotation of foreign land accompanied by the time of the colonized Far East makes this possible. His style creates an unadulterated rapport with his readers. True entertainment lies within a story, and the means of telling it is merely taste. I admire Maugham for being undaunted by his competitors styles. His lack of elaboration to engage a reader is bold. The purpose for some artists, as Maugham does, is to find the extraordinary in the everyday. Maugham goes on to explain that stories generally are seen as dull, to a writer, can be seen as intriguing. This is what makes a talented artist perfect for their work. They are able to observe minute details and make them apparent for those who cannot do this. His stories are entertaining and well written, despite what critics or Maugham himself may say. In a self-deprecating quote, Maugham states that his limited vocabulary and lack of creative metaphors within his stories is the cause for harsh literary criticism. Maugham describes his opinion of a true story to include a beginning, middle and end. He states that popular writings of his day are to begin a story at any point and to end inconclusively. He believed this willy-nilly approach is not truly a story and that there must be structure. He believed a reader is only satisfied when there is a conclusion and sense of closure. Maugham also believed that his peers were inclined to write of perilous stories to intrigue their readers, but he could make everyday just as intriguing. He was behind his times and was enthralled by the past ways of writing. His work was said to have a plain prose style which was contradictory to his peers experimental literary styles. Interestingly I made the observation when reading his short stories of how matter-of-factly they had been written. This is what happened here, is often his message. This style of Maughams is what I like, but can also tire of. It is interesting and crisp, and all the adjectives and metaphors are stripped away. I am prone to concise information, and Maughams work is the base for plain prose indeed. Of course, one will tire of such bare language and crave something more colorful and exciting, which is why his style can eventually make the reader restless. Like bread, it is enough for sustenance, but with the lure of near-by fruit, who could stay on bread forever? Maugham is a unique unabashed writer whose style and diction I enjoy because it is not often heard today. It is rare and delicate and is novelty for modern readers. It is not necessary for a story to contain the dramatic plot of all fictions, as Maugham has proven over the years. Because he was true to his form, he should be respected by all. Work Cited Maugham, W. Somerset. The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham. Doubleday: New York, 1952. Hastings, Selina. The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham. John Murray. London, 2009. Rowland Egger, Roland. The Administrative Novel. The American Political Science Review, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Jun., 1959), pp. 448-455

Magical Realism: Theory and History :: Magical Realism Literature Papers

Magical Realism: Theory and History While reading Franz Roh, Angel Flores, Amaryll Chanady, and Luis Leal, I have learned many things about magical realism. I also learned that there are many different definitions for magical realism. I have learned that magical realism is not considered a fairy tale. Amaryll Chanady feels that magical realism is focused more toward reality. However, Luis Leal feels that magical realism is used to express emotions. While reading these essays and finding some research on magical realism, I found that many people have many different views on what magical realism is. By doing research, I have found that it can mean many different things, and it is exciting to learn about something as interesting as magical realism is. Learning about magical realism has been very interesting for me. When reading Franz Roh, I learned a lot about Post- Expressionism and Expressionism. Expressionism involved a painting. It involved animals walking in the sky, and it also showed heated heads popped like corks from overflowing bottles, while Post- Expressionism dealt with painting and pictures with frames (Roh 16-17). On the other hand, Angel Flores was a little hard fro me to understand at first. I found myself asking questions such as "Will I understand what I am reading?" "Is this going to make sense to me?" "What am I suppose to see in this American Fiction?" I did learn that magical realism has to deal with fantasies written in Spanish (Flores 110-111). Then looking at Amaryll Chanady, I learned that Flores stated that, "practitioners of magical realism clings to reality as if to prevent their myth from flying off, as in fairy tales, to supernatural realism." Luis Leal also has many different opinions toward magica l realism. However, I did not agree with a few of them. I did understand and agreed with a few, though. In Luis Leal's essay, I learned that Roh explained the origin of the term by saying that with the word "magical," as opposed to "mystical," he wanted to emphasize that the mystery does not descend to the represented world, but rather hides and palpitates behind it (120-121). I agreed with what he wanted to emphasize. It was also mentioned that magical realism is not magic literature. Magical realism is used to express emotions not to evoke them (120-121). I feel that magical realism is definitely used to express emotions, not to evoke them.

Defining the Life of Robert Louis Stevenson The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essays

Defining the Life of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde      The focal point of this essay is to define the life of Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the transformation he went through in becoming Edward Hyde. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a physician in London.   He is very well respected and is currently experimenting the dual nature of mankind. Edward Hyde is a manifestation of Dr. Jekyll's personality. He is accused of committing evil acts throughout the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first scene consists of Mr. Richard Enfield's and Mr. Utterson walking along a street in London.   Mr. Enfield has a recollection of a previous incident in which he witnessed an extremely unpleasant man trampling upon a small screaming girl while this man was running somewhere. A large crowd had gathered around and they saw the man, Edward Hyde. The crowd forced the man to give money to this girl for trampling over her. Hyde did not run over her for any reason. He just did it out of spite and evil. He represents all the evil in the world. The reaction of others to him is one of horror because while looking at him, others feel a desire to strike out at him and kill him. His physical appearance brings out the worst evil in other people. Since Hyde represents evil, he is symbolically represented as being much smaller than Dr. Jekyll.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe Dr. Jekyll created Hyde because he had a theory that man has a good side and a bad side. While investigating this, he developed a potion that could release the evil in a person in the form of a totally different person. Then this person could commit any evil act it wanted, and then drink the potion to return back to normal. The only problem with this is the fact that he drank this potion so many times that he was no longer able to control this process. He was unable to transform back into Dr. Jekyll.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another example of Hyde's evil is in the killing of Sir Danvers Carew. Sir Danvers appears to have been killed for no apparent reason. The murder of Sir Danvers was seen by a maid who was working nearby. She states that Hyde meet with a man in the street. After the two exchanged words, Mr. Hyde lifted his heavy walking stick and clubbed the old man to death.

Indian National Congress and Dear Fellow Indians

Today we celebrate the 65th Independence Day of our great Nation. On this joyous occasion I convey my greetings and good wishes to all the Indians living in this beautiful country and pray for their peace, progress and prosperity. On this auspicious day, 64 years ago, India attained freedom from colonial rule and the people of our country became the masters of their destiny. All in all, the past 64 years have been momentous.Despite serious challenges on varied fronts, including several attacks on the territorial integrity of India, we have been able to keep the flame of democracy burning bright. And, today, India is looked upon as the largest and most vibrant democracy in the world. In recent years India has been well known the world over for its achievements in several fields, particularly in the arena of Information Technology. The struggle for Indian independence began with the first war of Indian independence in 1857.Although not fully a success, this revolt sowed the seed for a new force, which was to take this struggle to its rightful end. As British oppression strengthened so did the urge to attain the freedom from it. This urge found voice in the form of many great leaders such as Subhash Chandra Bose, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Khudiram Bose, Ram Prasad Bismil,Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to name a few. These great patriots along with a lot unnamed freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the cause of the nation.This dream of millions of Indians was realized when finally India got freedom on August 15, 1947. The joy of independence brought along with it the grief of partition! The country was divided into two parts – India and Pakistan. The greatest achievement of this country is that in spite of its vast diversity and a population of 1/6 of entire humanity, the country has continued to remain intact and strong even after over six decades of independence. Today the nation is all set to make a big come back, in spite of all its odds. It is a fact that the Indi.