Evolution of US Films Since the 1880s

Evolution of US Films Since the 1880s To what extent has film in the US evolved from the 1880s to modern day? Candidate Name: Dimitri Grigorov Abstract Film has gone through a drastic evolution since it began in the 1880s. There were 5 main stages regarding the evolution of film in the US. The Silent Period lasted from 1895 to 1929. This period brought the first films to the US. These films were black and white and featured no sound, other than some possible instrumentals. Silent movies appealed largely to illiterate immigrants because they didnt have to read, and it was a simple form of entertainment. The Classical Period lasted from 1930 to 1945. This time period was a huge leap forward because sound was introduced to movies. It was a new way to watch movies and people loved it. The Postwar Period, which lasted from 1946 to 1959, was the most historically significant era in the film world. The Transitional Period lasted from 1960 to 1979 and introduced new ideas to cinema that would shape the movies of today. The time period we are in now is known as the Contemporary Period and began in 1980. The Contemporary Period benefitted fro m technological advancements, and more elaborate films were made using CGI. Each time period had its own movements and iconic directors. Investigation Film has evolved since it began in 1880s. Film has gone from short black and white stop motion clips, to full fledged color spectacles with expensive special effects. It has gone from a fascinating gimmick to a new form of art. A lot can happen in the course of a century, and film has definitely changed in drastic ways. Film is an art. It influences people to change the world and to express themselves. Film gives people insight and inspiration in the darkest of days. In the late 1880s various people began experimenting with photo, blending them together to give the illusion of a motion picture. The technology and difficulty to capture that sort of video made motion pictures rare (boyslife.org). The first movie is a controversial subject. There are many differing opinions. Some believe it was The Horse In Motion, directed by Eadweard Muybridge in 1878. This groundbreaking motion photography was accomplished using multiple cameras and assembling the individual pictures into a single motion picture. Its something that you could do today, using a few cameras that are set to go off at an exact moment (lavideofilmmaker.com). The movie was created to answer a popular question of the time: Are all four of a horses hooves ever off the ground at the same time while the horse is galloping? The video proved that they indeed were and, more importantly, motion photography was born (boyslife.org). Not all people consider this film the first one, though. Some think the first film was Roundhay Garden Scene, released in 1888. Its a short clip directed by French inventor Louis Le Prince. While its just 2.11 seconds long, it is technically a movie (boyslife.org). According to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the oldest surviving film in existence (boyslife.org). Eventually, films got longer. Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumià ¨re became prominent figures in the film world. They created various short films and were among the first filmmakers in history. Their films were unique at the time because instead of lasting a few seconds, they lasted a few minutes. The brothers even infused some comedy into their films. In one scene, a man is watering his garden, while a boy is stepping on his hose. The man, not noticing the boy, wonders why water stops pouring out of it. This slapstick humor would later become more prevalent in films such as Charlie Chaplin. The Lumià ¨re brothers were also iconic in the film world because they devised an early motion-picture camera and projector called the Cinà ©matographe (cinema is derived from this name), according to britannica.com. This device was a leap forward because it allowed more people to simultaneously watch films. Previously, only one person at a time could watch . Originally, the device was invented and patented as the Cinà ©matographe Là ©on Bouly by French inventor Là ©on Bouly on February 12, 1892. Bouly coined the term cinematograph, from the Greek term for writing in movement. Due to a lack of money, Bouly was unable to develop his ideas properly and maintain his patent fees, so he sold his rights to the device and its name to the Lumià ¨re Brothers. In 1895, they applied the name to a device that was largely their own creation. They made their first film, Sortie de lusine Lumià ¨re de Lyon, that same year (wikipedia.com). By 1895, the silent film era arrived. The earliest American films were primarily a working-class pastime. Because they told stories without words, they appealed to the large, mostly illiterate immigrant population in the United States (the-artifice.com). After 1900, film became a more middle-class phenomenon, as filmmakers exploited films storytelling potential by adapting bourgeois novels, which incorporated middle-class values, for the screen (sparknotes.com). Until 1914, the major national film industries were located in Italy, France, and the United States. When World War I came, it devastated the Italian and French film industries, allowing American producers to gain the lead on the global market. The major American production companies combined their film technology patents and used their patent leverage to implement block booking on exhibitors (movie theater owners), which forced them to buy lower-quality product along with high-quality product (sparknotes.com). These exhibitors fought back by buying small production companies, and eventually managed to beat out the major producers because they were quicker to adopt feature-length films, which proved to be more commercially successful than the earlier shorts. From 1907-1913, many production companies moved from New York City to Los Angeles to work in the warm weather that allowed for year-round outdoor production, giving birth to the Hollywood film industry. The costs associated with vertical integration (the combination in one company of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate companies) forced Hollywood studios to seek investment from Wall Street bankers. This development, along with the industrial modes of production pioneered and the bourgeois storytelling conventions introduced, turned Hollywood into a profit-driven enterprise and its films into commercial products (sparknotes.com). One of the most prominent figures in US silent film was Charlie Chaplin. Between 1914 and 1918, Chaplin became the first international film star when he wrote, directed, and starred in short films as the Tramp, a silly figure with baggy pants, big shoes, funky mustache, snazzy suit, and cane. For Chaplin, comedy was a way to examine the impact of social conventions and taboos on personal freedom and happiness. His Tramp character had lots of charisma: sensible, brave, and wise but also flirty, vulnerable, and socially awkward. Chaplins criticism of leaders, moral and political issues, and material and psychological divisions between classes and genders reached its high point in later feature-length works, such as City Lights and Monsieur Verdoux (sparknotes.com). Film was making a name for itself. The idea of pictures coming to life was fascinating on a deep level. This kind of thing was universally recognized and respected. Movies with sound arrived on the scene. The era between 1930 and 1945 was called the Classical Period and was a monumental leap forward for the film world. The transition from silent to sound films caused great change in the film industry, requiring costly renovation of production studios and movie theaters, ending the careers of many silent film stars, and making it more difficult to sell films abroad. Hollywood took some time to overcome the artistic and technical challenges of sound film production, and the result was several years of bland output. For European filmmakers, production costs were expensive because Hollywood studios owned the patents to the new sound technology and licensed it at an expensive price. This allowed the US to continue to be dominant in the film world (sparknotes.com).By the mid-1930s, Hollywood entered a period of unmatched success and prosperity, with five major studios (Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, RKO, and Twentieth Century Fox) and three minor studios (Universal, Columbia, and United Artists) introducing unique styles, genres, and stars. In 1934, under pressure from religious organizations such as t he Legion of Decency, Hollywood implemented a Production Code that censored the content of its films, filtering out portrayals of lewd sexuality, bad language, graphic violence, and drug use. During World War II, Hollywood contributed enormously to the war effort through the production of propaganda films (sparknotes.com). Despite the shift in film themes, the industry was soaring. Then World War II came. The period between 1946 and 1959 was known as the Postwar Period (britannica.com). The war affected American filmmakers and audiences, leading to the production of dark, morally ambiguous and socially critical films in the film noir style. The US made various films depicting the USSRs idea of communism in a negative light. This anti-Communist sentiment flourished as the U.S.s former ally the Soviet Union became its primary enemy. In the 1949 movie The Red Menace, an ex-GI named Bill Jones becomes involved with the Communist Party USA. While in training, Jones falls in love with one of his instructors. After a duration of being true followers of communism, they realize their mistake when they witness party leaders murder a member who questions the partys principles. When they try to leave the party, the two are marked for murder and hunted by the partys assassins (wikipedia.com). New York Times journalist Bosley Crowther points out that the characters in the film are highly overdramatized and villainous to an unrealistic extent. She implies that this discredits the accuracy of the film. Nevertheless, the film was released to the American public, infusing them with skewed information. Another 1949 propaganda film, The Woman on Pier Thirteen, previously known as I Married a Communist, shares similar themes. In this film, Brad Collins, former stevedore, is rising fast in a shipping company when local communist agitators use his former Party affiliation to extort his help in stirring up trouble. When Brad resists, communist femme fatale Christine works through his brother-in-law Don. But Brads new wife Nan sees that her husband and brother are under pressure; when she investigates on her own, party boss Vanning takes ruthless action (wikipedia.com). Again, communism is being portrayed in a negative light and as a threat to Americans. Communist leaders are being shown as evil and bloodthirsty. HUAC was formed to combat the threatof Communism. This organization tried professionals suspected of having Communist ties. As a result of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, many of Hollywoods most talented actors, directors, and screenwriters were blacklisted by the studios because of suspected ties to the Communist Party. Some moved to Europe, some continued to work by using colleagues names as fronts, and others saw their careers and lives ruined (sparknotes.com). In response to competition from the new medium of television, Hollywood made films that showcased cinemas distinctive qualities: stereophonic sound, large screen size, and color images, benefiting from the emergence of widescreen technology and better color film stock. By the mid-1950s, the blacklist and new technologies led Hollywood to concentrate on apolitical, spectacular films such as biblical epics, westerns, and musicals. A 1948 Supreme Court decision forced Hollywood studios to end their vertical integration policies, making the marketplace more competitive and increasing opportunities for independent and foreign producers (sparknotes.com). The Postwar Period is when many of the most influential directors of all time arose. People like Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock, directors who are still well known today, got their start in this era. These directors would go on to be the inspiration for many modern day directors. Orson Welles is very well known because he was one of the youngest directors of all time. In 1940, Welles signed a $225,000 contract with RKO to write, direct and produce two films. The deal gave the young filmmaker total creative control, as well as a percentage of the profits. At the time, this was the most lucrative deal ever made with an unproven filmmaker. Welles was just 24 years old (biography.com). Unlike many of his contemporaries, Welles gained international recognition mostly on the basis of only that film, which was Citizen Kane (1941). The film is full of technical innovations, including crane shots, overlapping dialogue, multiple audio tracks, purposely grainy film stock, and low-angle photography. It explores themes that Welles would revisit throughout his career: the corruption of power and wealth, the fine line between desire and obsession, the precariousness of knowledge, and the limits of ego and ambition. Welless use of deep focus, long takes, and special lighting influenced a generation of filmmakers working in the postwar film noir and realist styles. Though rejected by audiences and undermined by studio executives throughout his career, Welles still managed to make several more highly acclaimed films, including The Lady from Shanghai (1948) and 1958s Touch of Evil (sparknotes.com). Perhaps the only director more iconic to this era was Alfred Hitchcock. In a career spanning half a century, Hitchcock got acclaim in both his homeland Britain and Hollywood. He directed some of the most memorable films of all time, including The 39 Steps (1935), Vertigo (1958), and North by Northwest (1959). Influenced by German expressionism and Soviet montage, Hitchcock used detailed visual and aural compositions to express his protagonists feelings of paranoia and claustrophobia, along with complex editing to create suspense. With a self awareness of society, Hitchcock examined the abnormal perversions and obsessive desires lurking beneath the surface of ordinary lives and communities, enabling him to become an astute observer of America in the 1950s, the decade during which he directed his greatest films (sparknotes.com). He would later be deemed as the master of suspense. By the time 1960 arrived, yet another era of film history began. The time between 1960 and 1979 was known as the Transitional Period. This period had its ups and downs but would eventually shape the modern movies we watch today. By the 1960s, Hollywood was in decline, unable to keep up with the radical political and cultural developments transforming American society. European films, however, fueled by government funding of film production, achieved unprecedented levels of critical acclaim and box-office success. The sophistication and creativity of these films led to the recognition of cinema as an artistic medium, not simply a form of mass entertainment (sparknotes.com). In contrast, Hollywood films in the early 1960s seemed devoid of style, boring, and out of touch. Less and less studio productions brought revenue. Hollywood reacted by cutting costs, entering into partnerships with independent and foreign producers, and allowing more flexibility in terms of experimentation (sparknotes.com). One exception to the low quality films produced in the 1960s was Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho. This film shocked audiences with a twist ending that audiences werent used to. The film was quite progressive for its time as well. The twist was that a man was dressing as his mother, taking on her identity, and killing women. Cross dressing, other than for comedy, was not popular yet and the fact that Hitchcock was daring enough to include this in his film, proved again to audiences that he was a force to be reckoned with. Still, most movies in the early 1960s were of lower quality unil Hollywood underwent another change in 1968. In 1968, the decades-old Production Code was scrapped, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) began to issue movie ratings, which enabled the industry to make more daring and challenging films. These changes, along with a middle-class migration to the suburbs that left urban movie theaters in disarray, led to new genres such as exploitation and hardcore pornography (sparknotes.com). More famous directors got onto the scene in the Transitional Period. One of these directors was Francis Ford Coppola. He directed four of the most important American films of the 1970s-The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), The Conversation (1974), and Apocalypse Now (1979). Coppola was also an accomplished producer and writer. Along with George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Brian De Palma, he was part of the first generation of filmmakers to attend film school. His training enabled him to combine visceral visual imagery, compelling storylines, and dynamic editing in order to create iconic portraits of American interests, whether at home or abroad. Coppola was renowned for his biting critique of the power dynamics of individual and family ambition amid the corrupting influence of American capitalism and imperialism (sparknotes.com). John Cassavetes was another memorable director from the Transitional Period. Considered the founding father of American independent cinema, Cassavetes was also a talented actor who accepted roles in Hollywood in order to fund his own films. His commitment to making films outside of the studio system became legendary and influenced a generation of American independent filmmakers. Cassavetes rejected the formulaic plots, essentialist characterizations, and tidy narrative resolutions of Hollywood cinema. His most influential films, Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), and A Woman Under the Influence (1974), feature iconic acting performances that reveal the raw emotional energy of human interaction, chronicling the struggle of characters to express themselves honestly and fully under the pressure of linear social and moral conventions (sparknotes.com).One of the few filmmakers to connect with the American counterculture was Arthur Penn, whose Bonnie and Clyde (1967) became the emblematic film of its generation. Influenced by the style and politics of the French New Wave and American underground cinema, Penn sought to overturn Hollywoods staid representational conventions. Bonnie and Clyde incorporates many of the characteristics that would define American cinema for the next decade: romantic anti-establishment heroes, explicit treatment of sexual and psychological issues, a negative portrayal of authority figures and societal institutions, graphic depiction of violence, genre hybridity (often a mixture of comedy and drama), and a refusal to resolve narrative conflicts tidily (sparknotes.com). By 1980, we reached our time period, the Contemporary Period. Multinational corporations bought and merged many movie studios, ending the period of artistic experimentation in Hollywood. The industry has returned to financial success and global dominance through the development of blockbuster franchises, large-scale marketing campaigns, and content aimed at children. It also has placed increasing emphasis on spectacular special effects in order to draw audiences into movie theaters. CGI was huge in this time period (empireonline.com). The emergence of affordable digital video cameras and the growth of the film festival circuit have expanded the possibilities for independent filmmakers around the world to produce, distribute, and exhibit films (sparknotes.com). American independent film has flourished in the past 25 years, as well, emerging as a voice for those who do not identify with the image of America that Hollywood has projected. Independent films often contain explicit treatments of sexual, political, and psychological issues and avoid formulaic plots with happy endings and clearly defined characters. They are made by and for women (Susan Seidelman, Julie Dash), racial and ethnic minorities (Charles Burnett, Lourdes Portillo), gays and lesbians (Todd Haynes, Su Friedrich, Julie Zando), working classes (Michael Moore, John Sayles) and other groups who are not adequately represented in mainstream cinema. Harmony Korine, John Waters, Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch, Terry Zwigoff, and Todd Solondz make films full of dark humor that explore the lives of social misfits who are often ignored or ridiculed in Hollywood films. The success of the independents has led many Hollywood studios to establish subsidiaries that distribute smaller-budget fil ms, blurring the lines of distinction between industrial and independent cinema. Key films include Jim Jarmuschs Stranger than Paradise (1983), David Lynchs Blue Velvet (1986), Steven Soderberghs Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), Spike Lees Do The Right Thing (1989), Quentin Tarantinos Reservoir Dogs (1992), and Wes Andersons 1998 film, Rushmore (sparknotes.com). Documentaries also soared in recent years. Challenging the tenets of direct, traditional cinema, many recent documentary filmmakers have included autobiographical and subjective elements in their films. Michael Moore and Marcel Ophuls insert themselves prominently into the fabric of their social and historical documentaries, both as on-camera interviewers and through voice-over, presenting themselves as near-mythical pursuers of truth and justice. Ross McElwee and Sadie Benning make introspective, essayistic films about their lives. Chris Marker and Marlon Riggs combine autobiography with political and philosophical analysis. Key films include Markers Sans Soleil (1983), McElwees Shermans March (1986), Ophulss Hà ´tel Terminus (1988), Moores Roger Me (1989), Riggss Tongues Untied (1990), and 1992s Bennings It Wasnt Love (sparknotes.com). The Contemporary Period gave us many of the directors we know and respect today. Directors like Steven Spielberg reinvented the way Hollywood works, and people like Oliver Stone brought a new edge to cinema. Spielberg has been at the forefront of Hollywoods reemergence as a dominant global industry. His 1975 film Jaws became the first modern blockbuster, revolutionizing the way Hollywood films are distributed and marketed. Jaws was released simultaneously in over 400 theaters, marketed extensively on national television, and timed for release in the summer, which linked thematically with its subject matter. In the 1980s, Spielberg showcased his storytelling talents with a series of hugely successful science fiction and adventure films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which explicitly appealed to younger audiences. These films brought families back into theaters with compelling stories that were in line with Reagan-era ideals of family values and American moral and technological supremacy (sparknotes.com). Unlike that of Spielberg, Stones controversial career has been defined by its rebuttal to modern American values and trends. In a period when American films have become less historical and oppositional, Stone has made four of the most important political films of his generation, Salvador (1986), Platoon (1986), Wall Street (1987) and JFK (1991), in which he looks critically at Americas military-industrial complex, capitalist institutions, and foreign policy. In an era defined by minimal political dissent, Stone has managed to produce controversial, instigating films because his considerable storytelling abilities have made many of his films commercially successful (sparknotes.com). Film has become a massive part of our society. Film influences pop culture, language, and fashion. Some movies teach us crucial life lessons, some expose American corruption, and some just provide us some much needed entertainment. The industry has evolved a lot since it began over a century ago. Every time period mentioned in this essay brought advancements to film. The Classical Period was a huge upgrade from the Silent Period because of the transition to sound. The Postwar Period was the most historically significant period of film. The Transitional Period reinvented the way Hollywood worked. The Contemporary Period shaped the films of today by introducing new concepts such as CGI and blockbuster multi part series. This is important because we can use films as doorways to the past. You can read about history, but to see it played out onscreen is incredible. By looking at films in the 60s, you can see how fashion then differed from the fashion we express today. By looking at a movi e from the 90s, you can see what slang was used back then. Film has shaped the world we live in today and will continue to do so in the future. Bibliography Eisenstein, S. (Director). (1925). The Battleship Potemkin [Motion picture on DVD]. Russia. Colman, D. (2011, September 20). The Birth of Film: 11 Firsts in Cinema. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.openculture.com/2011/09/the_birth_of_film_11_firsts_in_cinema.html Most Influential, Significant and Important Films in American Cinema Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.filmsite.org/mostinfluentialfilms.html 11 Essential Camera Techniques in Filmmaking With Animated Images. (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/film-techniques.html Fox, D. (2015, October 20). The Room. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://moviepilot.com/ Bitoun, R. E. (2015, April 21). A History of Colour: The Difficult Transition from Black and White Cinematography. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://the-artifice.com/history-of-colour-film/ Semlyen, P. D. (2015, October 09). A History Of CGI In The Movies. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/history-cgi/ The Evolution of Acting. (2005, February 23). Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/series/4510430/the-evolution-of-acting The Film Rating System (CARA). (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://filmratings.com/ Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (n.d.). Screenwriting. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.masteringfilm.com/the-key-stages-of-script-development-2/ Film Studies. SparkNotes. SparkNotes, 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Al Qaeda Counterculture

Al Qaeda Counterculture Timothy Murray A counterculture is a subculture that rejects the major values of the large society replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas). Al Qaeda is an extremist group that believed in killing civilians to fill sacrificial religious reasons to their God. Al Qaeda is considered a counterculture because the views they have on life do not fit the norms that many other societies share. In other words, they reject the views of the common society and think that they are superior to all. Al Qaedas views on man-made law or what are commonly known as just laws, are they need to be replaced with Sharia laws which are much more strict. The term Al Qaeda can be translated into common English as the base (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam in 1988. The members of Al Qaeda strongly believe that a Christian-Jewish conspiracy is trying be the demise of Islam. In the early 1990s Al Qaeda operated out of the country of Yemen (Hull). They have come forward and claimed responsibility for the 1998 U.S Embassy bombings, the September 11th attacks on the world trade center, the 2002 Bali bombings and many others. In May of 2011 the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden was assassinated by U.S militant forces after finding him hiding out in a secure compound (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Al Qaeda has also been found in plotting to assassinate many of the worlds leaders and bombing many of the worlds most well-known locations just to try and affect the lives of thousands. The sociological perspective can be defined as viewing of the behavior of groups in a systematic way and sociological imagination is the ability to see the connection between the larger world and our personal lives (Thomas R18). A good example of how Al Qaeda demonstrated the sociological perspective is how well they planned and acted out the attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York City on September 11th, 2001. Members of Al Qaeda were training on how to fly our commercial airlines and had a very detailed list of all the actions they needed to do in order to successfully act out the attack. The way the government went through and viewed everything after this event was painstaking because they had to go through and put an explanation on everything they came across. The sociological imagination is demonstrated by thinking about how Al Qaeda has effected thousands of lives after the 9/11 attacks. When you dig down deep and think about the way the view life, in their eyes maybe we are the counterculture. By looking at Al Qaeda through a sociological imagination you can see how many may say that they will not be affected by Al Qaeda but in all reality it may not affect them it may affect their children or their grandchildren. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view ones own culture and group as superior to all other cultures and groups (Thomas R12). The larger society views Al Qaeda as a counterculture because to them they are an extremist group that murders innocent people and themselves as a sacrifice to their God. When Al Qaeda attacked the United States on September 11th in many psychologists and sociologists viewed this as an act of ethnocentrism because they think that they are far superior than we were. The way that the United States has gone about trying to resolve the issues behind that attacks makes it seem as though we think that we are far superior than any other country or culture. Cultural relativism is the believe that a culture should be judged by their own standards (Thomas R11). By understanding why Al Qaeda militants act out their attacks and why they may become a suicide bomber you will find that thy believe that in the eyes of their God they are doing the right thing to get to the next level of power and respect. In 1994 Al Qaeda plotted to assassinate Pope John Paul II during a trip to Manila (Global Security Editors). By knowing that Al Qaeda believes that a Christian-Jewish will be the demise of Islam, it make sense as to why they would want to assassinate the Pope that being that they believe the Christian-Jewish views will be the demise of Islam. In my own opinion I do not agree with Al Qaedas philosophy. I do not agree with their philosophy because I feel as though they are too extreme in the way that they combat their opposing views. There are so many other ways that you can go about things rather than simply trying to kill someone or trying to blow things up simply because they do not share the same views that you do. Someone on the cultural relativism side of an argument would say that you cannot judge simply because you do not understand their views; where someone arguing ethnocentrism would say that it does not matter their views they should not be killing themselves to show their God they are worthy and their religion is far superior then any other. You need to look at Al Qaeda through a sociological imagination because you will see how they connect the larger world to your own life. To view Al Qaeda in a systematic way you would be using the sociological perspective which is used in many of Al Qaedas attacks. References Global Security Editors. Globalsecurity.org. 2 March 2017. Webpage. 10 March 2017. Hull, Edmund J. Al Qaedas Shadowland. New York: The New York Times, 2010. Newspaper. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Al Qaeda . Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc, 2016. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology- The Study of Human Relationships. Austin : Holt, Rinehart, Winston , 2003. 39. Textbook .

Kerensky handed over power to the Bolsheviks Essay -- Russia Bolshevik

"Kerensky handed power to the Bolsheviks" By October 1917 the Winter Palace of St Petersburg was overthrown by the Bolshevik party of Russia. Historians have deliberated for years on why this event occurred, one viewpoint taken is it was the fault of the detested Alexander Kerensky, prime-minister of Russia. Accusations that Kerensky handed power to the Bolsheviks are not unfounded, he conducted some disastrous policies, but was this Kerensky's fault, or was he being pressured by the unruly monarchists and rightists of Russia, did fear of a bloody cout d?ÃÆ'Â ©tat force him into passing measures such as the restoration of the death penalty? Was Kerensky's failure inevitable after the miserable spells of Lvov and Milyukov as leaders of the Provisional government? It is too easy to state that the revolution in Russia was one man's fault, despite Kerensky's perpetual mistakes there were a lot of other factors, such as the role of Trotsky and Lenin that must be taken into account. An indelible failure of Alexander Kerensky was his refusal to bring Russia out of the war. Kerensky had been hired as Lvov successor due to his belligerent and aggressive nature against the Bolsheviks so his continuation of the war was not unexpected (especially coming from the position Minister of War). However Kerensky was quite arrogant in thinking that a war that had brought down the Romanov dynasty of over 300 years and saw the dismissal of Milyukov and Guchov (after they embarrassingly promised to carry on with the war effort after telling the people they would not) would not hinder his leadership. The burden of the war on the people was devastating as resources were being sent to the front also troops at the rear were becoming increasingly frustrat... ...ro to solve them, the war was straining all their resources, the workers were in constant rebellion and the army were no longer under the Provisional Government?s control, also the polarisation of political Russia was worrying. Kerensky came to be a leader because he was a bridge between the right and left, but that bridge burned and Kerensky was left alone with no support. His handling of the Kornilov affair was his biggest downfall, personally I think he should have never appointed Kornilov as Command in Chief, he was reactionary and had a past record of disregarding rules, Brusilov was a better option because of his democratic appeal. When Kornilov came into the picture the left support of Kerensky disappeared as well as the right, at this moment the Provisional Government was over. Kerensky didn?t give the Bolsheviks power but made it exceedingly easy for them.

Essay --

â€Å"You Learn Something New Every Day† Bud Blake, ‘Tiger’ (1918-2005) This comical strip of art created by â€Å"the genial cartoonist whose ‘Tiger’ comic strip was adored worldwide† (King Features, 2005) raises many important and striking questions. Although we have a general idea of what learning means, do we know its true definition? Do we understand its significance, its inevitable role in our everyday lives from the moment of birth? The old adage says â€Å"You learn something new every day†. So does that mean that learning is a continuous process? Or does it only happen in a classroom or a lecture room? How does learning happen? Is it a voluntary process or involuntary, conscious or unconscious? However, defining learning and explaining the various learning theories alone, does not provide enough accuracy or truthfulness when applying the theory to third-level students. It is vital to keep in mind who the modern Irish third-level student is as the interpretations may vary. The 21st century presents students of all diffe rent shapes and sizes, with various abilities and backgrounds. This essay will examine theories behind the phenomenon of learning in an attempt to draw up a vivid explanation of what it is, how it works and how it can be applied to a modern Irish third-level student. So what is learning? Well, it can be understood as â€Å"a relatively permanent change in behaviour that is brought about by experience† (Feldman, 2010) or â€Å"just a matter of creating associations among ideas as a direct result of experience† (Gleitman, Gross and Reisberg, 2010). Many other educational psychologists define learning as â€Å"the achievement of greater proficiency, mastery and fluency in a person’s capacity to know or do something that they were previo... .... Clearly, not all behaviour observed is repeated. If a satisfactory reward follows a behaviour, it will be repeated. If there is a punishment for carrying out a behaviour, chances are, it will not reoccur. Observational learning is really common third level education. If a student sees his friend study well, attend all lectures and tutorials and get rewarded with good grades and increased motivation, that student will be encouraged to do the same. Undeniably, no two people are the same. We all differ in one way or another, including in how we learn. We are born with different abilities and brought up in different circumstances through which the values of learning are passed on to us. Therefore, some students are more motivated to succeed than others. For example voluntary immigrant students perform better than those who are involuntary immigrants (Feldman, 2011).

Comparing the Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell

Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell It On the Mountain Literature is a reflection of the community from which it comes. Understanding the role of women in the African-American community starts by examining the roles of women in African-American literature. The portrayal of women in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952) provides tremendous insight into the role of African-American women. Their Eyes Were Watching God examines the relationship between Janie and her grandmother, who plays the role of mother in Janie's life. It also looks at the different relationships that Janie had with her three husbands. Janie's grandmother was one of the most important influences in her life, raising her since from an infant and passing on her dreams to Janie. Janie's mother ran away from home soon after Janie was born. With her father also gone, the task of raising Janie fell to her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny tells Janie "Fact uh de matter, Ah loves yuh a whole heap more'n Ah do yo' mama, de one Ah did birth" (Hurston 31). Nanny's dream is for Janie to attain a position of security in society, "high ground" as she puts it (32). As the person who raised her, Nanny feels that it is both her right and obligation to impose her dreams and her ideas of what is important in life on Janie. The strong relationship between mother and child is important in the African-American community, and t he conflict between Janie's idyllic view of marriage and Nanny's wish for her to marry for stability and position is a good illustration of just how deep the respect and trust runs. Janie has a very romantic notion of what marriage should be. "She saw a dust-bearing... ... the children.    Works Cited and Consulted Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952). New York: Bantam-Dell, 1952. Bourn, Byron D. â€Å"Women's Roles in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and James Baldwin's Go Tell It On the Mountain† Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). : Urbana, Ill.: U of Illinois P, 1937. Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. " ‘Tuh de Horizon and Back': The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Pondrom, Cyrena N. "The Role of Myth in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God." American Literature 58.2 (May 1986): 181-202. Williams, Shirley Anne. Forward. Their Eyes Were Watching God. By Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Bantam-Dell, 1937. xv.

Postmodernism and Connection to Society

Post-Modernism and Connection to Society In a world that is constantly changing and developing, art can fluctuate throughout time. Postmodernism, is commonly referred to the movement of art, architecture, and criticism in the late 20th century. Various interpretations of culture, art, philosophy, history, economics, and fiction are widely pronounced themes and topics found in art during this era. In history, many different societies have emerged throughout time. In many third world and developing countries, as well as historical eras,Authoritarianism, or commonly known as a closed society, corruption and pluralism have been influenced into art. Political history and society is widely influenced and depicted in the art we see today. The shift during mid to late sass abstract impressionism and conceptuality, new styles showing an unprecedented degree of self-awareness on the part of the artists, as well as a rejection of Modern art's emotional and spiritual detachment from society aros e. Postmodernism is largely a psychological reaction against assumptions and values of western history. There are o hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false. † – Harold Painter Harold Painter states a postmodern reality can be perceived differently, that there may not be only one way of viewing things. Postmodernism begins in 1968 in Paris, when college students and professors Joined workers and revolted against repressive French institutions.Artworks during this time usually feature a reality whose existence and properties are logically independent of human nines. Larry MacAfee states that postmodernists are, â€Å"Consuming themselves in the form of images and abstractions through which their desires, sense of identity, and memories are replicated and then sold back to them as products† Postmodernist art is a visual repres entation of this â€Å"reality'. Notable postmodern artists include Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holler, Christi and Jeanne-Claude, Jeff Soon, Attacks Murrain, and Nan Golden.An Authoritarianism is a society that blindly obeys authority. Represented by no individual freedom and unquestioning obedience. Egg. Engineers Dollhouse's chancellorship in Austria contained many authoritarian elements. â€Å"limited, not responsible, political pluralism† that is, constraints on political institutions and groups such as legislatures, political parties and interest groups, a basis for legitimacy based on emotion, especially the identification of the regime as a necessary evil to combat â€Å"easily recognizable societal problems† such as underdevelopment or insurgency.Neither â€Å"intensive nor extensive political manipulation† – Juan Line Line specifies forms of authoritarianism room dictatorship states as well as totalitarian experiences. The three pieces incorporates p ostmodernism and authoritarianism. â€Å"Melting Reality' is set in an empty downtown city street. Billboards and advertisements that line the sides of the buildings seem to melt and mix in with the world around it. This piece deals with the media advertising part of a â€Å"corrupt society' theme. Society and the people in it are heavily influenced by what the media tells us.The media imposes standards for body image, beauty, and a certain physical ideal. â€Å"Melting Reality' takes tales from contemporary art and is the base piece in which the other two artworks are connected to. Inspired by the artist this painting an acrylic on canvas shows what a general overview of a â€Å"corrupt society' looks like. Media, often referred to as the fourth pillar in democracy, plays a key role in monitoring and investigating the actions of those in power and informing citizens about them. When the media however is forced to hide a story by the government as to what to report, the media be comes corrupted.Types of corruption in the media vary from bribery in the form f cash for news, staged or fake news, gift giving, concealed advertisement and advertisements to nepotism and media capture by vested private or political interests. The piece â€Å"Blurred News† is a small section taken from one of the walls in â€Å"Melting Reality'. The color contrast in â€Å"Blurred News† can be clearly analyzed as an off-cut of the first piece. Mixed medium on canvas helps the audience perceive how the newspaper can be manipulated or destroyed at will by authorities. Measles Hierarchy of Needs is the main subject of the piece â€Å"Before All†.What separates this ice, and a normal Measles Hierarchy of Needs, is the additional layer on the bottom of the pyramid representing wealth. Measles Hierarchy of Needs was made to show what a majority of society valued in life. The bottom layers are meant to be most important. While the top layers are meant to be least imp ortant when considering what you need to live. By adding an additional layer at the bottom of the pyramid, this shows that the position society is in today values wealth and power more than anything else. The work â€Å"Before All† is a mixed medium on canvas.

Hawaii Coffee Company Essay

I. calling PositionThe fraternity is well cognise for providing customers with quality cranched burnt umber in sell grocery format. Customers of the company are stores and deep brown shops. The company should take hold this position because it is the to the highest degree profitable for the company. However, on that point are excessively risks in the format. Selling in bad packages entrust hand sales displace that go forth reduce corporate profit.II. target DecisionsI believe that the company should maintain the presence of the Royal Kona brand because it authority less pressure for the Lion burnt umber brand. In former(a) words, the two brands stub help each other (financially or strategically) from time to time.III. Discount SellingI do not think it is practical to reduce the amount of fire marketing for Lions Coffee Brand because the company sells in sell format where consumers allow roughly comparablely want to get discounts from huge amount of purcha se. However, if conditions generate the necessity for much(prenominal) reduction, the legal injury of hot chocolate should be deepen to c all over the discounts given to special customers. This stinker be performed by using the verse from previous period. Thus, the annex in price can be matched to the amount of discount given in the stretch forth period. on that point are also translations in the substance we eliminate the looses from discount selling. For instance, the price increase could be based on median(a) discount given in the last three years, etc.IV. Expanding to the MainlandExpansion to the mainland could generate enhanced market share if performed diligently. On the other hand, the wrong entry system could generate losses due to seedy calculated investments. First, manager of the elaborateness bear must get down thorough appreciation on the coffee tree market in the mainland. A part of this is elaborated in the case study. The market is somewhat antith etical with the howdyan market because in the mainland, mass prefer to buy coffee beans and grind them in their houses and stores. In Hawaii on the other hand, there are largely larger portion of the grinded coffee sales. other difference of the coffee market in Hawaii and in the mainland is the nature of the competition. In Hawaii, the largest competition comes from drug stores and convenience stores. In the mainland on the other hand, competition comes from other coffee-selling companies like Starbucks, etc. In a sense, competition in the mainland exists in large-mindedr variation compare to the Hawaiian market.One of the upsides of such an expansion is the generation of additional markets that will relief the pressure from existing markets. Further more than, the cheek of a presence in the mainland will generate knowledge sharing among the Hawaiian market and its subsidiary in the mainland. On the other hand, the downside of such an expansion is the unprepared system to f ace a considerably different rail line environment. The company might have to face enormous challenges from competitors and the increasingly demanding customers in the mainland.V. StarbucksStarbucks as the trendsetter in the coffee industry still have grand solve for the company. In a sense, all products produced within the industry will be compared to Starbucks coffee. In the light of this condition, it is quite a unwise to compete nowadays with the company. However, novel articles regarding the retail coffee market indicated that there are still plenty of retinue for development. Furthermore, analysts also stated that the retail coffee market has quite a rummy appeal for investors. Despite the effects of popularity on sales, consumers of coffee are not fanatics like in other industries. In a sense, there are still wide opportunities for development and winning the competition against others if wiz has the appropriate quality to please visitors (Duffy, 2007).VI. Opportuni ties and ThreatsOpportunities for the Hawaii Coffee Company are generated chiefly from the nature of the industry which is ever on the look for new tastes and new coffee experience. Threats on the other hand, come from the pretermit of knowledge on how to manage the retail coffee affair. Some of the great points that deserve fear in order to keep off threats and generate opportunities include Designing the business planOne of the most tell on mistakes in managing the retail coffee business that could lead to trial is the lack of tractableness regarding corporate business plan. In a sense, managers should realize that they could neer be make with the business plan. There are invariably little details that require attention and business change. Inability to understand this lease is a threat toward corporate long survival. BudgetingStudies indicated that 50% of new startups failed in the premiere three to five years. The reason of this failure is the lack of business ex pertise and lean backup. Therefore, the lack of a sufficient funding is categorized as a considerable threat for the coffee business. Choosing the Location close business understands that location is a overcritical aspect of business endeavor. However, managers in the coffee business should understand that location is a critical determinant for business advantage or failure. The lack of ability in choosing the right location for business is a notable threat. Understanding the ProductsCustomers in the personate day are much more critical than those of the old days. Tastes, cleanliness, quality of operate are all under critical observation of visitors. Therefore, present day managers of coffee retailers must understand various aspects that would influence how customers perceived the products and work provided by the company. For instance, wellness issues are gaining increasing attention, therefore health considerations in designing coffee mixtures is important for business su rvival. The lack of comprehension toward the products and work offered and their implication to customers is a threat for the retail coffee business (Coffee industriousness Goes Green, 2007). Knowing CustomersA honourable product for a single divide could be horrible for other segments. Companies should never generalized their product and hope for a piece of all markets. There is always the need for targeting a certain segment of the market and focuses on developing products and services to meet the preferences of the segment. The lack of knowledge over the targeted segment could be a significant threat for corporate growth and survival. spend in BaristaBarista and waiters are the ones who interact directly with customers. These are the people where managers put their organized religion upon. If a manager realized this, so he/she should realize the importance of drop into baristas and waiters. Training, bonuses and other types of compensation are important for the business. I gnoring Baristas is a significant threat for succeeder in the retail coffee business.