The Influence of Tradition in Japanese Cinema essays

The Influence of Tradition in Japanese Cinema essays Japanese culture has arisen as a mixture of the East and the West. Japanese have been able to keep their traditional aesthetic features while they also embraced western style, which was filtered through Japanese tradition. The presence of the Benshi ( a commentator who narrated the action of the film) could be a suitable example of the situation. The beliefs of Japanese people are East originated. Shintoism and Buddhism give lots of importance to the spirits and supernatural forces which are also cultivated in the Japanese mythology. Some of the Japanese directors have been able to combine a western visual art form (cinema) with their traditional beliefs different from the western examples of the same subject matter. In contemporary cinema this particular subject matter (ghosts/demons) mostly taken into the consideration as an element of the horror, but in Japanese cinema they are the elements of the drama ( particularly the spirit itself ) as well as a horrifying object. That is to say according to their beliefs, spirits are the ones who are suffering either because lack of the prayers that let them pass to the Land of the Dead, or because of the evil feelings/behaviors while they were in the Land of the Living. Dramatic situations of the suffering souls are represented in a poetic way, as the general look of the Japanese cinema relies on empty spaces, plainness, and landscape appearances. These features also exists one of their basic ordinary life rituels; tea- ceremony. The tea- ceremony room is decorated almost empty with a plain style and prefarably located with a view of a garden. This proves that ordinary life rituels influces the aestetic features of the Japanese cinema. These i nfluences becomes the resources of the national cinema of Japan. The narration in the Japanese cinema mostly relies on the style which ables to transfer the ideas ( of the director) through the atmosphere of the fil...

Anthroplogy essays

Anthroplogy essays The face thats changing a thousand minds National Geographic, August 2002: New skull finds. Dmanisi is a republic named Georgia, Its located in south west Asia between the Black sea and The Caspian Sea. Its located at the same latitude as Italy. 1.75 million Years ago when the Black and Caspian thought to be connected, were part of an ocean. Making this land very lush and livable. Homo habilis thought to be part of the footsteps out of Africa for man kind (and even possibly racial tensions in todays Middle East). An animal living 2.4 to 1.6 million years ago. Relatively half the body size of a modern man and also brain size to body ratio was about half. I am not sure whether to believe the brain size to body ratio theory. Homo Habilis were users of Oldowan tools. Consisting of choppers and cutters limited tool sophistications relatively speaking. Having smaller bodies and longer arms, lower centers of gravity, Homo habilis are guessed to be better suited for arboreal life. Very muscular and strong in characteristics. Homo habilis was a creature mastering diversity. In the shade swinging through the trees and also traveling distances in the sun by foot. Not excellent at one but proficient at both. Recently in Dmanisi a skull was found, a 1.75 million year-old pioneer, found last year beneath the ruins of a medieval town called Dmanisi in the republic of Georgia, had a tiny brainnot nearly the size scientists thought our ancestors needed to migrate into a new land (NG). I have a theory that intelligence is like two rubber bands of unequal length. One large and one small both have the capacity to stretch to equal lengths, but the large one always has the ability to stretch much more, but in some cases the larger band can become shorter then the short band. When I ask my self where I get my intelligence, my first thought is learned intelligence. I have the capa...

Documentary Expression and Thirties America Essay - 1

Documentary Expression and Thirties America - Essay Example The distinction between art and photography and whether or not documentary expression owed its genesis from fiction or non-fiction was also explored. Finally the matter of ethics in the treatment and presentation of documentary imagery was discussed. William Stott in his book Documentary Expression and Thirties America covers an enormous range of topics and much of it is in a highly discursive and rambling style. However, it is possible to subdivide it into four principal themes: Documentary, The Documentary Motive and the Thirties, The Documentary Nonfiction of the Thirties, and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. First of all it is necessary to understand what he means by the documentary style. In its simplest form there are two possibilities: â€Å"an honest and reasonably objective report, or a case for the prosecution† (Stott, 1986). The second may be discarded, and we are left with two further forms: a factual, objective account which is left largely unedited, and therefore acquires the effect of being regarded as â€Å"official†, and secondly an account which is not necessarily objective but deals with human issues. An example of the latter is Sargeant’s account of his struggle with mental illness. Another branch of documentary expression is to be found in social documentary, which may be said to increase the knowledge of public facts while â€Å"sharpening it with feeling (Stott, 1986) and keeping in touch with human feelings and emotion. It was also held that such a documentary style did not rely upon information so much as â€Å"the power to move.† Stott suggests that while the purpose is to encourage social improvement – public education at its most altruistic – reality is more cynical in that its real purpose is to shape attitudes towards certain public facts. An example of this type of â€Å"exposà © journalism’ is to use a public figure or authority’s quotation to mean something else. For example,

Case study on Nokia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Case study on Nokia - Essay Example Situation Analysis Market Analysis According to Informa Telecoms & Media, the global mobile phone sales are going to decline sharply in the next 5 years. The forecast says that total sales will be down by as much as 14% all around the world. Previously the expectation was that 7.43 billion devices would be purchased between 2011 and 2013; however that figure was lowered down to 6.39 billion. This downturn in the sales of mobile devices will be a major reason for handset manufacturers to turn their attention to the smartphone market, in order to maintain and increase the targeted sales value. Company Analysis Nokia provides cellular phone communication apparatus for all critical market, including WCDMA, GSM and CDMA. Its recent venture into the smartphone industry has been somewhat mediocre. However, the organisation began as a manufacturer of pulp, rubber and cable. The organisation was founded by Fredrick Idestam in the year 1865. The company has strong research and development activities in over 10 countries and device manufacturing units in nine countries. The company sells its products in more than 150 countries around the globe. Product Line Analysis The current product line analysis of Nokia is: Nokia Lumia Nokia Lumia is an innovative new venture of Nokia in partnership with Windows. The UK market currently has the models 800 and 710. The models have features like instant updates, super-fast mobile internet and innovative design. Smartphones Nokia’s Smartphones consists of business tools, social tools and navigation systems. It includes real time emails, calendar and document sharing features, sharing files in social networking sites, and most importantly GPS navigation systems. Symbian Belle The Nokia 700 and 600 are categorised under the Symbian Belle consisting of eye catching design, NFC sharing, faster browsing, six home screens, live widgets and pull down taskbar. Mobile Phones Other than Smartphones the general products can be typed based on features like touch, type, touch and type and keyboard. There is the E series, Asha range, C series, X series and N series. Accessories This consists of NFC sharing Bluetooth, cases and covers and travel in-car equipment. Customer Analysis Nokia is the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world. The success of handset manufacturers amidst this high rate of competition depends on successful market segmentation. Following are the segmentation variables of Nokia: Hi-fliers-This segment is concerned with the business executives and corporate honchos for whom cell phones are a device to co-ordinate and increase efficiency and productivity if business. In most cases

Participatory Culture of Henry Jenkins Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Participatory Culture of Henry Jenkins - Essay Example The essay "Participatory Culture of Henry Jenkins" talks about the idea of Henry Jenkins that literacy in the 21st century should be measured as a social or group skill rather than subjective. In short, he has tried to unravel that, whether it is knowledge or education, it should be shared and spread in the present times with the help of different tools that he describes as aids; however, he has also reiterated that incorporating new ideas or methodologies in an effort to make literacy more viable and accessible does not mean that traditional ideas should be refuted in any manner or with a motive, which is virtually irrelevant. Thus, the idea of Jenkins, which says â€Å"the new media literacies should be seen as social skills, as ways of interacting with a larger community, and not simply an individualized skill to be used for personal expression† opens new opportunities. The point that is to be appreciated in the concept is that Jenkins has begun explaining his ideas in an extremely lucid manner that pervades the humdrum of all those concepts that are familiar in everyday life. Although he has entered into a sensitive arena such as literacy and education, Jenkins has tried to maintain a strain of sanguinity throughout the paper. His primary intention is to convince his readers that education is a much broader term and its utilization should not be restrained or limited; rather, the new means of communication can be used for diminishing the cross-cultural barriers that often detains the true purpose of education.

The Struggle for Racial Uplift Essay Example for Free

The Struggle for Racial Uplift Essay * Ishmael. He was caught in the jungles of Africa at a young age and has lived his life in captivity ever since. He started out in a zoo-purchased by Walter Sokolow, with whom he learned to communicate telepathically. * Ishmael’s investigation focused on the issue of captivity-and grew into a more comprehensive exploration of humanity. * Ishmael helps the narrator understand his cultural history. Ishmael divides humans into two groups: Leavers and Takers. * Takers are members who believe you should dominate first the planet, then the universe, through technological innovations. Leavers are members of tribal cultures that live simple, basic rules that govern other populations on Earth. * Ishmael helps the narrator see that taker culture is in freefall, bound to crash once you have depleted the planet of its biological and environmental resources. * Ishmael shows the narrator how various cultural myths have helped shape both cultures. One main myth he discusses is the story of Adam and Eve. -historically this myth was used by Leaver cultures to explain the expansion of Taker cultures. -Leavers were trying to understand why Takers had turned to agriculture and were trying to force their way of life on the Leavers. -Takers had eaten of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil — the tree of the gods must eat from in order to know who should live and die. Only to know that that form does not belong to life- form on earth. * Narrator becomes a teacher in Ishmaels honor, in hopes to teach people about the taker culture and find a new way to live w/others on earth. Character List and Analysis * Ishmael- they see themselves as superior and removed from the rules that structure the evolution and survival of other life-forms on the planet. * through his research on human history, hes come to see that they, too, are captive to a destructive way of life in their pursuit of domination over the rest of the world. * Through his studies, Ishmael tries to understand why humans feel called to dominate the world, and he teaches the explanation hes come up with to his student (the narrator) Narrator * The nameless narrator is Ishmaels fifth student and the only one who isnt completely defeated at the end of his instruction. * Hes open-minded and maintains his desire to save the world, though he often finds it difficult to maintain a sense of hope. * Analysis * cultural revolution of the late 1960s * constructing the novel in first person, the reader closely aligns himself with the narrator and can sympathize with the problematic feeling of giving up ones youthful dreams * by being both named and renamed, Ishmael gains a stronger sense of himself as an individual. He is not the giant enemy Goliath-but rather Ishmael, the cast-off son of Abraham. * Quinns use of biblical allusions for Ishmaels names structure the relationship he has with humans. While imprisoned, hes a goliath, an unknown monster. Once hes able to communicate with humans and share their knowledge, he is like a distant relative, as the offspring of Ishmael are to the offspring of Isaac in the Bible. * why are things the way they are? This question is first presented by Ishmael in his memories of life in the zoo. Part 1 * Rachel’s mother, who has always resented Ishmaels relationship with her husband and daughter. * When Ishmael moved in the city he became a teacher, his key subject being the issue of captivity. * Ishmael says that, while it may not matter if one individual discovers the lie, it could change the world if the entire human population discovered the truth. Analysis groundwork to answer the novels central question: why are things the way they are? -Ishmael uses rhetorical strategies, such as asking guiding questions and storytelling, to engage his pupil -humans are captive to a civilizational system and are unable to see the bars of the cage. Part 2 * Ishmael explain The first is that story is the explanation of the relationship between humans, the world, and the gods. * second is that to enact something is to live as if a certain story is a reality. * The third term he defines is culture, which is a group of people enacting a story. * Mother Culture concludes that the Leavers story is the first chapter of humankinds development and the Takers are the second chapter. * narrator insists there is no overarching story or myth that forms his culture. * Greeks did not think of their myths as myths either; rather, what are now considered myths were just the stories that structured their lives. Analysis-Quinn associates takers with civilization and leavers with primitive cultures. –Additionally, Ishmael provides the narrator with three key definitions for story, to enact, and culture. -framework for Ishmaels exploration of Takers and Leavers, who are groups of people with their own story theyre enacting as a culture. Part 3 * myth contains facts, those facts are arranged in a way that suggests the point of the formation of the universe and evolution is the formation of man. Ishmael claims that this is the central idea behind the Takers culture — that Earth was made to support human life Analysis- storytelling is essential to the narrators epiphany in this section. -story featuring a jellyfish rather than a human at the end of it, narrator begins to see the difference between fact and myth. Ishmael and the narrator discuss the way culture influences humans, and on the micro level as a means for Ishmael to instruct the narrator. -many of Ishmaels statements to the narrator are in the form of leading questions . Part 4 * Taker Culture, middle of the story is humankinds time as hunter-gatherers, a time when they were living much as other animals do. * for humankind to achieve its destiny, it had to discover agriculture, which provided it with the means of staying in one place and developing civilization and technology. * so why must man do this? Whats the purpose of rising above the other animals? Ishmael has the narrator imagine an Earth without humans on it; * Ishmael helps the narrator see the next part of the story: man was put on Earth to rule it, and to do so he had to conquer it. * Taker cultural story suggests that things are the way they are because man had to fulfill his destiny of conquering everything, really things are the way they are because man hasnt become the ruler of the world, but its destroyer and enemy. Analysis- why are things the way they are — evolves in Part 4 through Ishmaels use of imaginative exercises and Socratic dialogue. * Ishmael encourages the narrator to imagine Earth without man. Through this creative exercise, the narrator sees the world in a new way and better understands his culture myth. * explain how Takers justify the destruction of the worlds natural resources and wildlife, the narrator says that Takers would see this as the price that must be paid to advance human culture. Part 5 * figure out the end of the story. * man has been put on Earth to conquer it, in conquering it hes caused a lot of problems. * but at the end of his story is that humans are inherently flawed and thus will continue to screw up their pursuit of paradise. * Ishmael asks what evidence his culture uses to back up its claim of being flawed, and the narrator admits it only uses its own history. * topic of prophets and asks the narrator why Taker culture is so obsessed with prophets. Analysis- Mother Culture says humans do not know how to live, so they rely on prophets to tell them what to do. Ishmael foreshadows that the narrator is ready for the next step — to see the world through the Leavers eyes, rather than the Takers. Part 6 * Mother Culture would suggest that humans are above any law that applies to the rest of life on earth. * regardless of what Mother Culture says, the law of living applies, and that hell use the analogy of gravity and flight to explain. * Takers gods tricked the Takers in three ways: -the Takers not the center of the universe -humans evolved just like everything else, even though they feel above evolution. -not actually exempt from the laws of life. * even though it feels like flight, and Takers are accelerating toward a crash. Takers also see abandoned attempts at civilization (for example, the Mayans) but nonetheless believe that their attempt will survive because it has worked so far. Analysis -Taker culture: it is obedient to a law about living, but it is ignorant of that law and so is unable to see how its doomed to fail. -Newton discovered the law of gravity by observation. Ishmael also builds on this analogy to explain that the only way to understand what laws organisms must live by is by observing living organisms. -Mother Culture tells Takers that theyre above the laws of life, they too are in free fall, and eventually their civilization will also crash due to its inability to follow the laws of life. Part 7 * ishmael invites the narrator to imagine himself in a foreign land where everyone is happy * Through more questioning, the narrator discovers he has three guides with which to narrow down the law by which they live: -what makes their society successful what people in the society never do -what a person who has broken the law has done that the others never do. * species of creatures on the planet have followed this rule and prospered; it is only that when a portion of humans decided to abandon the law and live beyond it that Earths ecosystems were thrown out of balance. * He realizes that he doesnt want to complete this task, once hes learned Ishmaels lesson hell be left alone again. Analysis -Ishmaels analogy allows the narrator to better see how wildlife also follows similar rules and that Takers have tried to abandon such rules. -narrator is upset by this proposition as he realizes that, if hes successful, hell eventually no longer be Ishmaels pupil. -What will he become when hes no longer a student? Part 8 (1-6) * takes the narrator four days to figure out the basic laws of life. He returns to Ishmael on the fifth day with his findings. * He says the three basic rules. What they promote? -promotes diversity and survival for the community as a whole since it favors no species above the rest. * Ishmael-ecological principles, when food supplies increase, populations increase. Additionally, when population increases, food decreases and when food decreases, population decreases as well. * increasing populations leads to more and more groups of starving people among the population as a whole. Part 8 (7-10) * The American Heritage Book of Indians, and instructs him to look at the map. * narrator admits theres nothing stopping people from changing geographies, and this helps Ishmael make his key point: -there were cultural and territorial boundaries between the diverse tribes that lived in the Americas prior to the arrival of European settlers. * narrator feels hopeless; he thinks no one in Taker culture will be willing to kill off Mother Culture and try another way of life. * Ishmael helps the narrator see that the overarching law is that the world was made for many species to live on, not for one to dominate the rest. * Taker culture. They fill their lives with distractions and drugs to make up for the lack of satisfaction Analysis-Ishmael points out, people in Leaver cultures experience dramatically fewer cases of addiction and suicide. -Leaver culture might be a key way to change the destructive path Taker culture. Part 9 (1-8) * Taker culture took off with the beginning of the Agricultural Revolution and that it has been spreading ever since. * The Gods were arguing, whether which species should prosper.they decide to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil-soon they had godly power. * Gods were worried knew humans would be tempted to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and have godly powers too- so they forbid the tree. * story has always remained mysterious to Takers as it doesnt make sense why it should be forbidden. Analysis-explains the roles of gods and humans and the problems that occur when humans take on the role of the gods. -knowledge of the gods, which is the ability to determine what should live and what should die. -differences between the two is their cultural attitudes to the rest of life on the planet. Part 9 (9-11) * Taker destiny, they had to take land from the herders. Ishmael instructs the narrator to read the story of Cain and Abel to better understand how this expansion took shape. * Cain represents the Takers who must kill the Leavers (Abel) in order to expand agricultural production. -Cain and Abel arent actual brothers, but representatives of different human cultures. * Takers, through the spread of Christianity, came to adopt a tale that once was used to show their shortcomings as one of their own creation myths. Part 9 (12-17) * in order to understand why the Takers were invading their land and taking it from them, they had to figure out how they got to be the way they are. * the gods, upset with these Takers, had banished them from the garden of life, forcing these people to get their food through the hard work of farming. * Taker perspective, is not the right to have the knowledge of the gods, but the issue of disobedience-story makes much more sense when told from the Leavers perspective. Analysis- Ishmael helps the narrator to see how Leavers saw the Takers as cursed -Leavers saw the story of The Fall as the story of the Takers becoming cursed, the Takers saw it as the story of their growth -The Fall has evolved not to explain the formation of humans on earth, but the formation of a specific culture -Takers interpretation, he is punished for disobeying the gods, not for the knowledge he gained. Takers are able to make the story a tale of hope/tale of warning, as it is for the Leavers — Adam has eaten of the gods tree and thus must die. Part 10 (1-4) * sidetracked by work and a dental emergency, causing him to miss several days of meetings with Ishmael. * Ishmael got evicted. * Narrator finds Ishmael in a slideshow carnival. The narrator tries to help Ishmael, but Ishmael doesnt appreciate the narrator butting into his personal life. Analysis Ishmael is cold, distant, and wary of the narrators desire to fix the situation. -thru narrator and Ishmaels dispute. Ishmael learns to distrust humans benevolence and resents his dependency on the kindness of humans in order to have a decent life. Part 10 (5-9) * narrator defines culture as whats passed along from generation to generation. For Leaver cultures, culture has evolved since the start of the species and is passed down Analysis -Takers transmit knowledge of agricultural production over the centuries, constantly expanding and improving on the technology used to grow crops. -Leaver cultures transmit knowledge about living well and the way of life of a specific culture rather than the means of production. -Evolution to explain differences between leaver and taker cultures. -leaver cultural structure evolved allowing their cultural practices to adapt and support their livelihood in the environment in which they find themselves. -Taker Cultural structure responds to its cultural beliefs that man is made to rule the world and that everything in the culture is designed to bring the environment under humankind. Part 11 * Mother Culture-technological development * life before the Agricultural Revolution was horrible and that to live that way would be reprehensible. * narrator tells Ishmael that while he may have enough food, he doesnt have enough to free himself from the gods Analysis-If offered to go back to hunter-gatherer time- Taker society for that matter, would reject the offer because Mother Culture has taught him that such a lifestyle is intrinsically worse than Taker Culture. Part 12 (1-6) * Still imprisoned and sleepy, Ishmael asks narrator what happens to Leaver cultures that does not happen to Takers? * evolution is what happens because Leavers remain within the community of life. * removing themselves from the rules that govern life on earth, have removed themselves from evolution. * Man’s role on earth? a guide or role model — a figure that sets the standard for how self-aware, intelligent life-forms should act to benefit and promote biodiversity. Analysis-Taker culture has removed itself from the chain of evolution by living outside the ecological laws. -focused on the historical events that have resulted in the current state of human dominance on the Earth: environmental degradation -Humans should rethink their role to have a positive rather than negative impact on the worlds ecology Part 12 (7-12) * chapter two of the Leavers story-the issue of civilization. the attitude civilized nations have toward the world. * Ishmael tells him he must be a teacher, for humans minds must change before their actions will. * that all members of Taker culture are imprisoned by a destructive, unfulfilling way of life. And, like any prison, it has ways of distracting inmates so they dont notice the conditions. ANALYSIS -Ishmael suggests to the narrator, the only way to change peoples actions is to start with their minds. -Ishmael reminded the narrator of the ways Mother Culture hides the bars of her prison. -help his fellow prisoners see what binds them to their ecologically destructive way of life. Part 13 * Ishmael dies. Analysis – narrator regrets that his self absorption enabled him to see that Ishmael was sick. -With Gorilla Gone, Will There Be Hope for Man? contemplate what action should come next after such philosophical debate and discussion.

Consider The Theme Of Loneliness In The Novel Of Mice And Men. How :: English Literature

Consider The Theme Of Loneliness In The Novel Of Mice And Men. How Does It Affect The Characters? I will be looking at the theme of loneliness, how it effects the characters, how the scenes roll in with what's happening etc. When you read about George and Lennie you realise that they have a history. You think that they are a perfect pair. One is smart, aggressive, quick and looks out for the other (George) while the other one (Lennie) is slow, dumb, big, strong, kind, caring and needs to be looked out for. They fit together like a jigsaw. George and Lennie are the main characters and they are the only ones with the biggest dream - to get a big house with rabbits. That's what keeps them getting through the day. Their relationship together doesn't look close but it is. George once told Lennie to jump into a river. He did it and nearly drowned which I think showed George how much Lennie trusted him so Lennie thought that he would always be safe. Ever since then, George hasn't taken advantage of his power over Lennie. Two things drive their relationship. Their dreams, that keeps them going through the day and the fear of loneliness. Neither one of them wants to be alone nor so they fear it. Like when Lennie threatens to go into the cave alone and so therefore George fears and tries to keep him. George is a sharp man. His features are very precise and fixed. Each part of him is defined: small strong hands, slender arms and a thin bony nose. Steinbeck also says that he has restless eyes, which sometimes scares me because you get this picture in your head of tired open eyes. Steinbeck describes George like this so that he is the opposite of Lennie, which makes them opposite in every way. George's personality is a bit bad tempered. He's like Lennie's mother because he's always looking out for Lennie, which I guess makes him a caring person. He's also short tempered, as he gets agitated very easily, usually at Lennie. I think that the reason why George is so frustrated is because he has to put up with Lennie's stupidity all the time, which would make anyone frustrated. I guess you could call George friendly because he made friends with all of the people at the ranch except for Curley and his wife. He didn't make friends with them because being friends with them would cause trouble. That's a smart thing and being smart is another quality of George's personality. I think that by making George the opposite of Lennie, Steinbeck is