Resurrection And Christ Essays - Iconography Of Jesus,

Resurrection And Christ Resurrection & Christ. Extended Written Response. For many centuries, artists throughout the world have aimed to capture and portray a particular theme or subject in accordance to their religious beliefs, personal influences, and mood, or based entirely upon societal influences. The figure of Christ and the manner in which he has been depicted has varied immensely over the years, which is highly indicative of changing social attitudes. Piero della Francesca's Resurrection of 1463, and Julie Rrap's Christ of 1984, have each depicted a Christ like figure in a way that illustrates their personal beliefs and also reflects the public's stance regarding the depiction of Christ at the time each artwork was completed. The two artworks are significantly different in style and representation, as each artist has selected different media and entirely different approaches and interpretations. These significant differences are mainly due to the eras in which each artwork was produced. Francesca's fresco is a classic product of the Italian Renaiss ance period, whereas Rrap's piece is indicative of ?our changing society and its religious values.? (Israel, 1997, p.160). Francesca composed his piece during the Early Renaissance period at the beginning of the 15th century, where faith in the theoretical foundations of art was highly placed. During this time, many examples of Ancient art were revered as both a source of inspiration and also as a record of trial and error that had the ability to reveal the success of the former great artists. (Pioch, 1996, p.1). About this time, there was still a set format of how particular Christian figures were perceived to have appeared; hence Francesca has depicted the figure of Christ in the stereo typed perception. Yet he has done so in a manner that fully exemplifies the era he was in, and also indicates his personal interest and success with the use of perspective. Alternatively, Rrap's photomontage Christ has been compiled at a time when female stereo types are being challenged. The artwork challenges ?the male dominance of past art.? Typical of postmodern art, this piece is quite the feminist statement, and i s in keeping with many of her previous artworks. (Israel, 1997, p.160). The two artworks are noticeably different immediately upon viewing, as Resurrection is a fresco and Christ is a photomontage. The fresco was compiled with the use of pigment being applied to wet plaster, whereas the photomontage is in essence an installation arrangement that has used a collage technique with the use of photographs. Rrap has used a piece of art by Munch and outlined the figure it depicted, and then positioned herself whilst semi-naked within the outline. It is this placement of herself within the outline that has enabled her to ?slip out of the stereotype of the female? (Israel, 1997, p.160). The image was then divided and abstracted, with the use of thick brush strokes in the background, creating a sense of movement. Resurrection however has been produced in a far more simple manner, with the composition comprising of Jesus standing with one leg raised onto a tomb, whilst four Roman guards are sleeping by the tomb at his feet. Jesus, swathed in red cloth, is holding a flag in an almost triumphant and defiant gesture. The foreground figures have all been placed in perspective, yet the background appears quite out of place in conjunction. Few colours have been used in Christ, yet the chosen colours of yellow and black inter mixed in the background, red on blue for the crucifix, and the exaggerated yellow flesh tone in the photo on the blue have all been used successfully. They each contribute to the overall effect of the image in a positive mode. Conversely, Francesca's fresco has encompassed the use of realistic colour throughout the entire image. The colours have been used skillfully and created tone and depth in all aspects of the fresco, contributing to the desired ?realistic representation? of figures. (Hopwood, 1996, p.80B). Each artist has chosen and used their colour in an approach that is indicative and typical of their era, Francesca in particular. Despite the imposing position that Jesus has been placed in within Resurrection, his facial expression along with the overall composition of figures and the landscape creates an almost peaceful and

A Corporation With No Morals essays

A Corporation With No Morals essays Some teenagers today, may not know what business ethics are. Well, business ethics is the difference between right and wrong in the business realm. There are so many companies with good business ethics but in our world we only hear about the companies with the bad ethics. One of those companies is called Enron. Enron is a gigantic corporation that deals with the electrical power in Dallas, Texas. Enron may have destroyed many peoples lives due to the company declaring bankruptcy. Enrons collapse has devastated the world; especially the market place because no one thought that a corporation that big would ever fall. What the Enron executives did was morally despicable, lying to their fellow blue collar workers and not telling them the truth behind all of Enrons debts. In the space of five days last week, the story of Enrons collapse went from the merely unusual to the truly baroque, with plot elements lifted from the pages of Robert Penn Warren and John Grisham (Time Feb 2002 18 ). Enron executives have brought loads of controversy upon themselves. How does the seventh wealthiest corporation collapse? Why did it collapse? Who was behind all of this? Questions like these are wandering through investors heads who invested their money in this company. Enron was a corporation that was built up through loans or fake money. One would call it fake money because Enron really had no clue on how many debts they owed and how many loans they had. Enron avoided paying federal income tax for four out the last five years and instead received millions of dollars in federal-tax refunds. Enron ran into financial trouble while transforming itself into a company that traded energy, water, weather derivatives and anything else it could turn into commodity (Time Jan 2002 19). Kenneth Lay, the former Enron chairman, resigned a few ...

Ethics and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ethics and Marketing - Essay Example Ethics in marketing are very important because marketing is a discipline that interfaces with diverse stakeholders in a society. Marketing is a pivotal aspect of any business that not only extends a discernable and visible interface with customers, but also with a plethora of other entities such as dealers, business associations, shareholders, investors, trade unions, media, etc (Houston, 1994). Hence, marketing is a facet of commerce that has three vital dimensions that are individual, organizational and societal (Houston, 1994). In that context, to talk about ethics in marketing is utterly unfeasible from any singular or narrow perspective. A true understanding of the ethical domain of marketing necessitates a broader and holistic perspective. There exist multiple crucial reasons to facilitate an understanding into and development of most relevant approaches as to inculcate ethics in marketing operations. Most of the organizations existing today are vulnerable to committing ethical foibles and to face an ethical misconduct perpetrated by staff and managers. Even the most well intentioned marketers do face the possibility of taking steps that appear to be ethical on the surface, but are in fact replete with ethical scandals and repercussions, giving way to infamy and legal hassles (Andreasan, 2001). So there exists a dire need to identify the possible risks and chances of misconduct inherent in the marketing operations. At the same time there must exist an attitude of ethical propriety and a commensurate infrastructure within organizations to challenge the ethical misconduct as it springs up, rather than covering up or hiding ethical scandals (Andreasan, 2001). ... The purpose of this paper is to delve on the existing and emerging definitions of marketing and the way they cater to the scope and need for an ethical conduct in the marketing operations. The paper also delves on the ways and means in which the marketers can quantify and evaluate the ethical conduct in the strategies adopted by them. Origins of Marketing Traditionally speaking, marketing is associated primarily with trade or exchange. To put it in simple words, marketing in a way existed since the time mankind learnt to or managed to produce a surplus (Bartels, 1976). Again in a historical context, in the beginning, the generated surplus existed in the form of agricultural produce that was mostly exchanged or bartered for manufactured goods like pottery or textiles (Bartels, 1976). Eventually this exchange of goods got centred on certain specific locations that eventually evolved into what is today known as markets. The concept of trade, as it evolved, allowed and stimulated people to specialize in the production of specific goods and services that they could take to markets to exchange with goods and services required by them (Bartels, 1976). The concept of trade got further transformed with the onset of Industrial Revolution. The economies started to rely less on agricultural produce and the emphasis gradually begin to shift towards industrial production (Bartels, 1976). In the pre Industrial Revolution era, the goods and services were produced on a small scale. However, industrialization resulted in a tremendous boost in productivity due to the mechanization of production operations (Bartels 1976). As a result of these developments, the producers were placed in a position

The importance of exercise for a healthy life style Research Paper

The importance of exercise for a healthy life style - Research Paper Example Previous reports by the Surgeon General were delivered on topics such as the adverse health consequences of smoking, nutrition, violence, and HIV/AIDS. These reports heightened the public's awareness of these important health issues and led the way for major public health initiatives (Miller 1). Dr. Manley described the 1996 Surgeon General's first Report on Physical Activity and Health as more than just a summary of the science but also as a national call to action. Physical activity now joined sound nutrition, seat belt use, and the negative health effects of tobacco use as essential health objectives for the nation. Dr. Manley ascertained that due to the direct relationship between physical activity and disease prevention and premature death, Americans must get serious about their commitment to healthy physical activity (Miller 1). Sedentary lifestyle or inactivity is a major contributor to obesity and being overweight as well as to numerous other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. There is a growing body of literature indicating that regular physical exercise may prove beneficial in lessening the consequences or preventing the onset of a wide range of disease and chronic conditions (Jonker 38- 43; Pinto 247). Exercise and Physical Health According to the Surgeon General, due to lifestyle and dietary changes, obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions in United States. While there are numerous reasons for the overweight and obesity epidemic, it is undisputed that nutritional habits as well as physical inactivity are major contributors to the problem. Blair and Brodney (1999) reported that epidemiological studies consistently showed that active persons were protected against the health risks of being overweight or obese and actually had lesser mortality and morbidity. Regular physical activity resulted in positive metabolic changes that appeared to provide part of the protection against disease. S ince these positive metabolic changes were found to occur independently of body composition changes, the authors suggested the promotion of physical activity without an emphasis on weight changes, thus avoiding the frustration many obese individuals feel toward exercise since their efforts often do not lead to changes in weight or body composition. Brodney et al. (459- 467) examined the nutritional habits of men and women across three fitness categories (high, moderate, and low) and compared their nutritional intake to the national dietary recommendations. Results showed that both women and men with increased fitness levels consume diets with a significantly lower percent of calories derived from fat and saturated fat, had significantly higher dietary fiber intake and significantly lower cholesterol intake than did those less fit individuals. The more fit individuals consumed diets that more closely aligned with the national dietary recommendations. The Surgeon General (USDHHS, 1996 ) reported that people who are more active were also less likely to be obese, since exercise does not always result in increased appetite. This may be due in part to increased energy expenditures without the increase in appetite. However, in general, studies have shown that from exercise alone people do not lose significant amounts of weight but rather lose more weight through a mixture of exercise and diet. Contrary to these studies, which indicated that a combination of diet and exercise were the best

How does a fi rms tax rate affect its cost of capital What is the Essay

How does a fi rms tax rate affect its cost of capital What is the effect of the flotation - Essay Example The cost of capital can be calculated using valuation models such as CAPM or Arbitrage Pricing Model. Like all affairs of a business, the cost of capital is also affected by numerous factors, some within and some beyond the organization’s control. One of the factors which greatly affects the cost of capital and is beyond the control of the organization is the tax rate. Tax rate refers to the percentage of earning/spending which is contributed to the government. There are several types of taxes, applicable on different economic units, such as the income tax applicable on individuals, corporate tax applicable on corporations, sales tax applicable to sellers etc. Of primary concern in an organization are the corporate tax rate and the capital gains tax. The corporate tax rate is used to calculate the cost of debt in the weighted average cost of capital. The higher the tax rate; the lower will be the cost of capital since the interest payments are tax deductible. The capital gains tax, on the other hand, is applicable to owners of capital in the organizations, i.e. the shareholde rs. An appreciation in the ownership of share prices requires the shareholders to pay a specific percentage (varies from country to country) to the government. In such a case, the higher the capital gains tax, the lower will be the motivation of shareholders to hold their stocks. The tax rate structure applicable in a country determines the capital structure of a firm. If the corporate tax rate is higher than the capital gains tax rate then the structure will comprise of more debt and less shares and vice versa. In case an organization does not directly take a loan from a bank or financial institution, it may issue securities. Securities refer to any instruments (negotiable or non-negotiable) which allows an organization to raise funds, while floatation costs refer to the expenses incurred by the organization to issue new securities. These include underwriters’

The Society Of The Spectacle Media Essay

The Society Of The Spectacle Media Essay Society of the Spectacle written by Guy Debord and published in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam war argues that the world has been overtaken by the notion of spectacle. Debord describes what the spectacle comprises of (in several numbered paragraphs); he says that, In societies dominated by modern conditions of production, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has receded into a representation. (#1) Debord is stating that life in the modern age has become fixated on reality as representation (i.e. by the media) real life experiences have been substituted for experiences that are digitally lived. Debord goes on to say that the spectacle presents itself simultaneously as society, itself as part of society, and as means of unification. As part of society, it is the focal point of all vision and all consciousness. But due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is in reality the domain of delusion and false consciousnes s: the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of universal separationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people mediated by images. (#3-4) With the rise of new media and the explosion of 24-hour news and reality television, it would seem that the existence of the spectacle becomes self-evident. Mass amounts of human beings are directed to gaze at what has become a global common culture, news and entertainment. For Debord, the spectacle is a tool of pacification and depoliticization; it is a permanent Opium war designed to force people to equate goods with commodities and to equate satisfaction with a survival that expands according to its own lawsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the spectacle distracts from the most urgent task of real life. (#44) Debord argues, our sense of reality is nothing more than an immense accumulation of spectacles. All that was once lived becomes mere representation . Debords theory of the sectacle is similar to that of Baudrillards theories which concentrate on the ideas of a hyperreality. He considered a photograph to be a replacement for the real object. The lines of reality and non-reality have become so blurred in our society that a photograph can replace the real. Like Debord Baudrillards believed we live in a mediated reality, which prefers the symbol of reality rather than the thing itself. We are constantly bombarded with images form mass media that our own lives are own reality becomes entwined with the images we see. The boundary that should exist between reality and fantasy is erased. A consequence of the age we live in. Images depicting the gruesome nature of war are constantly available on television and in newspapers and magazines; every page turned reveals a new atrocity. We have been flooded with these images for so long that they no longer have an affect on us, instead on inspiring empathy and sympathy we are more passive to them a feeling of indifference. In the mass media if there is a story about celebrities or lifestyle it would surpass gruesome photographs of war. As a society weve almost grown accustomed to these types of images, seeing them everyday. In an essay entitled Photographs of Agony John Berger also argues that society has become immune to images depicting suffering saying that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In the last year or so, it has become normal for certain mass circulation newspapers to publish war photographs which earlier would have been suppressed as being too shocking. One might explain this development by arguing that these newspapers have to come to realise that a large section of their readers are now aware of the horrors of war and want to be shown the truth. Alternatively, one might argue that these newspapers believe that their readers have become inured to violent images and so now compete in terms of ever more violent sensationalism. (ed Wells L, The Phtotgraphy Reader, chapter 27) Berger is questioning the effectiveness of the violent or shocking war photograph arguing that maybe the public have become immune to images of horror and the newspapers are competing to show ever more horrific images in order to gain pubic attention. We look around us and see a world beyond our control. Relying on advanced technologies to conduct war and to replicate it on film and TV has diminished our ability to distinguish between reality and entertainment, turning our experience of war into a mere spectacle. In regarding the Pain of others Susan Sontag Describes societies attraction to violent imagesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Everyone knows that what slows down highway traffic going past a horrendous car crash is not only curiosity. It is also for many, the wish to see something gruesomeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there does seem to be a modern need fro the consumption of images of suffering. And this abundant supply of imagery has dulled our senses and created a new syndrome of communal inaction, we look around us and see a world beyond our control, which is what Debord was describing in society of the spectacle. In her early book On Photography Susan Sontag writes that War and photography now seen insperableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (pg167) and as war evolves and continues so has the photographers response to the effects of conflict. The Bulky large-format cameras of the 19th century prevented the first war photographers such as roger Fenton from capturing the action of combat instead their photographs concentrated on the aftermath of the battlefields. With the technological advancement of cameras and not needing to haul darkroom equipment with them the first world war photographer could get closer to combat and then during the 2nd world war the introduction of the 35mm camera increased the intimacy of the cameras eye, enabling photographers to become part of the action, in a way the first exponents in the 19 century could never have dreamed. During the Vietnam war photographs could now been seen within days of them being taken, the immediacy making the images relevant and challenging the inevitability of war the viewer was now looking at something which is part of the present, and which carries over to the future. For a century and a half the camera has been witness to events that have shaped and shocked the wor ld, capturing these images forever. We might now live in a world of multi channel television, 24-hour news coverage and instant his on the Internet, but it is the still image that provides the most powerful record of our history, good and bad. The still image seems to hold so much power over us, they last, television is passing and goes by quickly, photography lasts, imprinted on paper and in the mind. War and the effects of warfare have always been explored throughout history in literature, poetry, art, film and photography. Before the first world war the depiction of battles by artists were often of soldiers and generals depicted as heroes, in their uniforms adorned with medals but during the first world war when artists were sent to the front line to record the scene, what they saw there defied their imagination. It soon became clear that the traditional painting couldnt capture the full horror of warfare. The modernist painters began to look at the universal grimness of war, the harsh reality of the world and painted not what they saw but what they felt. For example the artists Paul Nash who served as a solider, portrayed the battlefield in a painting titked Menin Road in 1919, what he depicted was the aftermath of war, a barren scene of an almost alien world the surreal colours a purple blue sky the mutilated bare trees, bursts of smoke rising from the debris strewn ground and blue light filtering through the clouds completely empty apart from four lonely figures in the background. Nash wanted rob warfare of its last shred of glory and its last shine of glamour. Francisco Goyas series of etchings Disasters of War depicts the horrors of the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in 1808 during which French soldiers brutally tortured the Spanish peasants and the Spanish responded with their own acts of cruelty. The works were withdrawn and withheld from publication during Goyas lifetime because of their controversial and disturbing qualities. Susan Sontag writes of Goyas etchings in Regarding the Pain of others, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Goyas art seems a turning point in the history of moral feelings and of sorrow-as deep, as original, as demanding. With Goya a new standard for responsiveness to suffering enters art Goya was witness to these events during the war, but the etchings depict imagined scenes of the atrocities of violence where the lines between real events and imagined ones blur creating a unique reality that is complimentary yet distinct from the historical realities of war. As the viewer is not lead to believe the images are exact reproduction of ac tual events the effect is one of a sincere meditation on the terrifying potential that resides in all humans. The images dont specify who the people are-the soldiers could be French or Spanish, the dead tortured bodies could be those of civilians or soldiers giving the viewer a more open interpretation bringing images to life in a way that relate to personal experience. Goyas images are constantly being revisited looking at Francis Bacon triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion 1944 the twisted screaming distorted creatures depict mans inhumanity to man and capture the fear of the future mood after the second world war and still our mood today, bacon like Goya still has a hold over our imagination, for example the Chapman brothers reconstructed the Disasters of war in 1991 using miniature plastic figurines. Painting and sculpture are clearly viewed as interpretations of the effect and consequences of war, with photography the assumptions is that images are see n as a document they appear real, even when we know photographs can be faked and subject to the photographers view of events. In On Photography Susan Sontag wroteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ War and photography now seem inseparable. In On Photography Sontag explains what she saw as the sad state of a society that lived at a more and more voyeuristic distance to the first hand experience of reality. In accordance with this Sontag describes the photographers whose personal concern was apparently with finding out and understanding, were doing no more than satisfying the human thirst for sensation and driving this to extremes by ever more sensational images, until ultimately all feeling was lost. In the book The photograph as contemporary artà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦describes the contemporary war photographerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The use of medium-and large-format cameras (as opposed to 35mm format), not normally seen at the sites of war and human disaster-not at least, since the mid-nineteenth century-has become a sign that a new breed of photographer is framing the social world in a measured and contemplative mannerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She goes on to sayThe subject matter has been different, too; rather than being caught up in the midst of an event, or at close quarters to individual pain and suffering, photogrphers choose to represent what is left behind in the wake of such tradegies, often doing so with style that propses aqualifying pperspective. It is clear to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Contemporary war photographers have in the main taken anti-reportage stance; slowing down image making, remaining out of the hub of action, and arriving after the decisive moment to allow the viewer a mor e contemplative look at war and the effects of war. Using Photomontage Martha Rosler infiltrates our comfort zones and reveals the dangers involved in an illusionary distance often created by the mass media between war and ourselves. By using images from magazines of advertisements combined with military images of soldiers and weaponry she transforms the notion of the safety of a home into one under assault. Her intent is to project the terror and atrocity of war into the comfortable place in which we live. She employs devices that work against the seduction of advertising and consumer imagery, the process of photomontage allows her to expose the gaps between image and reality, and ultimately make the viewer aware of an out of place presence. She addresses the impact of the mass media who according to Debord make the images of horror seem mundane and remote by pointing out the implicit presence of militarism in our daily lives, by juxtaposing popular lifestyle magazine images with stark images of war. The French Photographer Sophie Ristelhuber Photographs depicts the aftermath of war they are usually un peopled with no survivors and no dead, concentrating on the spaces of war rather than its participants, the scars and burns are found on buildings and landscapes rather then the people. Her photographs of the Kuwaiti desert, entitled Fait were made shortly after the end of the first Gulf War. Many of the photographs from this series were taken from a ariel viewpoint This elevated angle creates a distorted abstract view of trenches, tank tracts, bomb craters, blazing oil wells and battlefield detritus. You have to look carefully and closely at the photographs to discover that the lines and tracts objects engulfed by the sand are the results of war scarring the landscape emphasising how vast and sprawling the effects of war can be. Sophie Ristelhueber describes the effects of scale and perspective in her work: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.The constant shift between the infinitely big and the infinitely small may disorientate the spectator. But its a good illustration of our relationship with the world: We have at our disposal modern techniques for seeing everything, apprehending everything, yet in fact we see nothing. Ristelhueber recently won the Deutsch Borse Photography prize 2010, which included set of images titled eleven blowups, a series of images of huge craters made by bombs In Beirut and Iraq, again the y describes the devastation war leaves behind both on the earth and the body. Paul Seawright photographs the traces of destruction that war leaves behind in a place The solitary places in Seawrights photographs seem to be concealing something they require the viewer to look beneath the surface of the image the isolated barren areas reveal hollows where mines have been cleared or left unexploded, or the subtle rubble of military debris strewn across the desert landscape. The quiet subtlety and blankness of the desert distances them from the spectacle associated with the medias representation of war, there is an unknown tension in the images Seawright generates a view of the futility of war. One of his photographs is almost identical to that of Fentons photograph of the Crimean war depicting empty cannon balls in a valley illustrating the fact that despite its technological advancements war is fundamentally always the same. In his book Hidden Seawright says that he hasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ always been fascinated by the invisible, the unseen, the subject that doesnt ea sily present itself to the camera. Landlands And Bell were commissioned in 2002 by the imperial war museum to make an artwork in response to a two-week visit to Afghanistan and what they experienced there. Landlands and bells work characteristically focuses on the interconnected relationships linking people and architecture. They say: were totally surrounded by architecture. It is the most tangible record of the way we live because it describes how we relate to socially, culturally and politically. It is the most persistent of the way we live-our aspirations and beliefs. The result was among other video based works The House of Bin Laden. Presented as an interactive piece similar to a video game the viewer is in control via a joystick to explore a reconstruction of Osama Bin Ladens barren hilltop bunker. The viewer can virtually travel through a bleak set of derelict houses, surrounded by burnt-out cars and debris. Langlands and Bell took thousands of photographs of the house near Jalalabad, The eerie interactive digital exploration of Osama bin Ladens house offers an unsettling experience, and engages with the viewer in a totally new way regarding war photography. The houses surprisingly small and basic. Piles of blankets and clothes are strewn in the rooms elsewhere a single string bed is isolated in a dark corner. Outside there is a series of strangely constructed bunkers and a small mosque. Being in control of looking at the work almost feels like observing a crime scene. The buildings and grounds are absent of any human presence thought signs of people who were once there are constant, although the elusive bin Laden is nowhere to be seen, his presence can still be felt in this mesmerizing and ancient environment. It brings us disturbingly close to him, even as it emphasizes his continuing ability to evade capture. The House of Bin Laden becomes a metaphor for the elusive presence Bin Laden maintains by the very fact of his disappearance. By presenting this piece as an interactive game like simulation Langlands and Bell are actively engaging in the idea of the spectacle by using what is essentially and entertainment based media and allowing the viewer to control their viewer using a joystick, it could be argued that by combing entertainment and unreality with real life situations speaks more to a generation obsessed with mass media. They do not attempt to make the 3d environments look realistic like the photographs they took instead it looks constructed exactly as a computer game would look, angular and flat. I personally experienced this work when I saw the Turner Prize in 2004, and it is clear that their intention was for this piece to be viewed and experienced like a computer game. Violent warfare is sold as entertainment in the form of computer games whose manufactures claim to make them as realistic as possible. Thus reflecting modern societies engagement with entertainment as opposed to real life issues. There seems to be a move in contemporary war photography to a more contemplative and abstract approach, maybe this is as Debord describes because we are use to the violence and horrors the spectacle of war presented in the media, and have become almost immune and unmoved by these images. we can never experience the true horrors of war unless from first hand experience but photographers seem now to be taking the stance of the modernist painters of the first world war who painted what they felt rather than what they saw. Contemporary photographers are interpreting these events rather than documenting them, in a way that enables the viewer a more contemplative approach to the contemporary war photograph.

Capital Punishment in the Work of George Orwell, H.L. Mencken, and Norm

Capital Punishment in the Work of George Orwell, H.L. Mencken, and Norman Mailer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital punishment in the essays by George Orwell, H.L. Mencken, and Norman Mailer was a necessary evil to deter crime. These authors incorporated the use of alcohol or drugs as mind-altering chemicals to relieve the pressures of the characters involved in death due to capital punishment. Chemicals such as drugs and alcohol can be used for the pleasure of relieving stress, a means to forget, or a way to subdue personal beliefs as the authors have illustrated.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The pleasure of relieving stress in George Orwell's essay "A Hanging" was detailed by his thoughts written as one of the executioners. This character drank alcohol to relieve the painful memories of escorting the prisoner to the gallows. The character would have rather saved the man from hanging when the author wrote "It is curious, but till that moment I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man" (pg 89). Orwell describes in detail how the condemned man "was not dying, he was alive just as we are alive all the organs of his body were working, bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming, all toiling away in solemn foolery." (pg 89). The author continues to illustrate the character's mental anguish when he says "he and we were a party of men walking together, seeing, hearing, feeling, understanding the same world, and in two minutes with a sudden snap, one o...

Consider Thomas Hardy’s Essay

In the dictionary the word Isolation means to be separate or a part from others. I think if someone is isolated then it would be a negative aspect because they are alone and have nothing to do with anyone else. The reason for the various isolations in the two texts differs because of the different time periods they were set in. In the two books I am comparing is the â€Å"Withered Arm† by Thomas Hardy and â€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck. I feel that in both texts there are a few characters with their lives or they had illegitimate children. The text â€Å"Of mice and Men† was written in the 1930’s the time period of the depression. In the most of John Steinbeck’s books he describes the life of people working on the land and that his characters are all often poor. This was because he wanted to show how real the life was during that time. Within his books men and women rarely understood each other because of the lack of communication. During the time when John Steinbeck wrote â€Å"Of Mice and Men† people would frown upon coloured people, the handicapped, the old and women. They also were prejudice about women. The text the â€Å"Withered Arm† was written in the late 19th century in England. The book is set in a place called Wessex and the expectations at the time are different compared to the ones we have in today’s society. In that time social classes were expected to marry inside their class and not below that. Otherwise this would be considered a disgrace to the family of the higher class. Thomas Hardy introduces Rhode as his First character who is isolated. He establishes her isolation as her sitting on her away from the others â€Å"Where a thin fading women of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest. † The word fading and somewhat apart from the rest reveals that she was separated from the rest of the milkmaids. Further on in the first chapter Hardy also establishes her loneliness by where she lives â€Å"†¦ lay part from that of the others, to a lonely spot high above the water-meads†¦ † this also show her isolation. The characters who are lonely are Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife in the text â€Å"Of Mice and Men. † They are lonely because each one of them is different from everyone else. Such as Crooks is black, Candy is disabled and Curley’s wife is a women. The reason for them being lonely is because of the society’s attitude, which they lived in. The two characters that are not lonely are George and Lennie. This is as they have each other for company whereas everybody does not. Lennie and George treat each other, as they were family because they have been together for a very long time. â€Å"Because I got you an’___ An’ I got you. We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hot in hell about us’. † That quote indicates what Lennie say to George about them having each other to look after and keeping each other company. George needed Lennie because he wanted someone who would listen to him and not say anything. Lennie need George’s because he is not able to handle himself and also George promised Lennie’s aunt that he would look after him. Thomas Hardy describes Rhodes Brooks house as it old and worn † It was built of mud walls, the surface of which had been washed by many rains†¦ left none of the original flat face visible†¦ here and there in the thatch above a rafter showed like a bone protruding through the skin. † This suggests that Rhode did not a great house and that it was old just like her. The quote also indicates that the house had been through some hard times. In the text â€Å"Of Mice and Men† John Steinbeck writes about one female character that is known as Curley’s wife. As the reader I feel sympathy for her, as she is the only woman on the ranch. She is also isolated because her husband does not like her talking to any of the other workers, and also her own husband hardly speaks to her. The author has not given her a name because during that time period women were not as important as men, furthermore she is so isolated that the author decided on not given her a name. The effect this has on the reader is that she belongs to Curley unlike her being an individual person. So therefore the reader feels a little bit of sympathy for her. Thomas Hardy writes about a little boy in his book † Withered Arm† who is also nameless like Curley’s Wife. In the book he is referred as Rhode’s son. Rhode’s son is isolated because his mother had an affair with Farmer Lodge. The main reason that he is isolated is that his mother moved further away from the farm, so therefore he does not live close by to anybody. I feel that Rhode’s son is a victim of the circumstances between Farmer Lodge and Rhode because he was a product of their affair, and then Rhode moved away so she could be away from society. As a result Rhode’s son does not have friends. John Steinbeck writes about another isolated man named Crooks. The reason Crooks is so isolated is because during the time period everyone was prejudice against coloured people, and he was black. Another reason he is isolated as that he isolates himself to have some respect in the white world. Crooks was born with a disability, therefore he feels that he need to isolate himself further. He makes friends with Candy and Lennie as they isolated on the farm. When Crooks first meets Candy and Lennie it says † †¦ he kept is his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs. † This indicates that Crooks does not want anyone to be close to him. Though as the story goes on he makes friends with Candy and Lennie. I feel sorry for Crooks for being coloured and handicapped as he is very friendly person. In both the texts that I read there are two more handicapped people, named Gertrude from the † Withered Arm† and Candy from † Of Mice and Men†. Candy is isolated as he is old and has only got one arm since it was cut off when he was working on the farm. Gertrude isolated because one night Rhode cast a spell on her arm. In both texts Gertrude and Candy are alike because of their arms. They are not as isolated as Crooks or Rhode, since they only have a small isolation problem, unlike the rest. In the beginning of the text † Withered Arm† Farmer Lodge is presented as being bold and proud. He is proud as he has a new wife Gertrude, who is a lot younger than him and plus she is very beautiful. Gertrude starts to get a problem in one of her arms, as time passes her arm gets worse, therefore Farmer Lodge feels as she is not as pretty as before. This makes Farmer Lodge change. He also feels depressed since his son is hung and this changes him. The reason for him to isolate himself is that all these problems are occurring around him and he feels that it is his fault. So he moves away from his farm. In conclusion I consider that isolation is a negative aspect in someone’s life. I think that when people are isolated dreaming keeps them from getting trough. Like for instance Lennie and George’s dream to open up a farm or their own and Rhode’s dream to get back with Farmer Lodge. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

America and the Cuban Missile Crisis essays

America and the Cuban Missile Crisis essays America has been in its share of conflicts throughout history, but none have been as close to disaster as the Cuban missile crisis. The United States was on the verge of invading Cuba where the Soviet Union was ready to defend themselves with nuclear weapons. The United States was well ahead of the Soviet Union in warfare in the early 1960s. While the Soviets could only strike Europe with its missiles, the US could go overseas with ours. Premier Nikita Khrushchev then decided to put short-range nuclear weapons in Cuba. This move allowed the Soviets to double their potential in warfare and made it tougher for the United States to have an advantage in war. With Fidel Castro looking for a way to defend its self against the United States, it was an easy fit to have the Soviets come in. On October 15, 1962, it was shown on reconnaissance photos that the missiles had been put into place. President John F. Kennedy then put together a group called EXCOMM. The group was comprised of twelve a dvisors that were sent to handle the crisis. The next seven days were spent trying to decide what to do with this group and the higher up officials in the government. The group then decided to put a naval quarantine around Cuba. The quarantine was to prevent any more weapons of mass destruction from entering the country. Kennedy then made a public address and said that any attack from Cuba would be a direct attack on the United States by the Soviet Union. Kennedy added that the United States was against any new arrivals of weapons into Cuba. The Soviets had forty-two medium or MRBM missiles, 24 intermediate or IRBM missiles, and twenty-two thousand soldiers in Cuba when the Central Intelligence Agency was able to discover them. While the main reason for the missiles was to even the playing field with the United States, many believe the Soviets had other motives for them. Some of these include cold war politics, credibility in the world, and bargaining barte...

Discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder Essays

Discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder Essays Discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder Essay Discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder Essay Essay Topic: Arguments Death Penalty The death penalty, the ultimate punishment for man some may say. There are equally valid arguments for both views. This essay will discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder.Capital punishment is punishment by death hanging, electrocution, gas chamber, firing squad, lethal injection or beheading. It is normally reserved for murder although can be used in certain other exceptional circumstances (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001).Hanging was used in England and Wales between 1016 and 1964 (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001: 24). The purpose of which seems to have been retributive as well as deterrent. After May 1868, executions took place inside the prisons as previously, when they were public affairs, spectators often used the occasion as an opportunity to commit further crime thus turning what was supposed to show the power of law into a crime spree itself (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001).The death penalty was abolished in this country in 1965 (Davies, Croall and Tyrer, 1995: 6) although this was only for a five year trial period and was abolished officially in December 1969 (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001). It is still retained in some states in the USA and in certain African and Asian countries.In many places where the death penalty is still used as a means of punishment, more people are actually sentenced to death than are killed. For example, in the USA during 1995, 3,000 people were under death sentences but only 56 were executed. Statistics like these often bring about critical questions like, whether there is any point in retaining the death penalty and whether or not it does actually have an effect on society or on crime.Some states may justify the use of capital punishment simply on retributive grounds although the most common political belief is that it has a general deterrent capacity to save further innocent lives and significantly reduce other capital offences (R. Hood, 1 989).With regards to retribution, those who commit crime deserve to be punished, execution is a very real punishment with the criminal being made to suffer in proportion to the offence committed (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).It is necessary to distinguish two different, although often related, conceptions of general deterrence (R. Hood, 1989: 119). The death penalty implies that the threat of capital sanction, or to be more precise the risk of death, prevents those who are about to commit a capital offence from doing so, in more cases than would the threat of life imprisonment. Therefore there would be an obvious relationship between the risk of execution and the rate of capital offences (R. Hood, 1989).The second conception implies that the existence of capital punishment emphasises the severity of a crime therefore reinforcing criminal inhibitions against committing it (R. Hood, 1989). The death penalty is only a deterrent if execution is an absolute certainty and homicide is usually a crime committed in undeterrable states of mind anyway (N. Walker, 1991: 16).Capital punishment incapacitates criminals, obviously removing them from society permanently, thus eliminating the chance of them re-offending even though murder has the lowest reconviction rates.One of the main arguments of those who oppose the use of capital punishment is the chance that an innocent person may be incorrectly convicted and sentenced to death. Two of the leading opponents of capital punishment in the United States today, Professors Hugo Adam Bedau and Michael L. Radelet, concluded in a 1987 study that 23 innocent people have been put to death in the United States since 1900 (M. Grossman, 1998: 129). In todays society, courts commit resources to avoid such miscarriages of justice to ensure that innocent people are not put to death, although even as late as 1962, James Hanratty, subsequently considered innocent, was put to death for a crime committed on an English ro ad although another man later confessed to the offence, and in 1997 a British commission concluded that Hanratty may well have been innocent (M. Grossman, 1998).Capital punishment has always faced a lot of controversy. One of the reasons is due to the cost of actually carrying out the death penalty. Those in favour of capital punishment persistently argue that, cost cannot be considered as part of the judicial equation when justice is being sought (M. Grossman, 1998: 60). Those against the death penalty utilise numbers to prove their argument that it actually costs the state more to execute someone that it does to keep them in prison for the rest of their life. Margot Garey states that because of constitutional requirements and the diligence of attorneys in capital cases, death penalty litigation is a long, expensive process where, after conviction, appeals which usually last decades follow as courts examine the case and investigate possible legal errors that could overturn the deat h sentence (M. Grossman, 1998).Another main controversial topic when discussing capital punishment is human rights and the right to life. Does a particular murderer, taking into account the full circumstances of his or her life, really deserve to die at the hands of the state? (A. Sarat, 2001). Criminals, although they may have committed the most awful murders, are still real people who have a life, and with it comes the capability of feeling pain, love, fear and all the other emotions the rest of society feel (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).There is no such thing as a humane method of putting a person to death, irrespective of what the state may claim (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html). Every form of execution causes suffering and being executed is a terrifying and gruesome ordeal for any criminal (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html). A Canadian writer, Bernard Lande Cohen wrote The state has a duty to protect itself and its citizens not only from foreign enemies but from the domestic variety as well but he also insists the right of a government to take the life of any of its subjects ought to be subject to the strictest review in all instances and no matter how deserving of death and how little deserving of pity, it would be entirely wrong to inflict pain or torture upon him, or any form of death that is of a painful nature (M. Grossman, 1998: 6).An often, overlooked reason for opposing the death penalty is the depth of feelings of the friends and family of the criminal. They suffer pain and trauma leading up to and during the execution and will no doubt suffer serious trauma for years afterwards. Although, some may argue that the criminals family and friends feelings are now the same as the victims and, in that way, just (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).The discriminatory nature of the death penalty was recognised in the United States by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. The evidence shows rac ial bias continuing to influence the jury. A report released in 1990 by the General Accounting office in the states shows indications of racial discrimination. The study concluded that, a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black (www.igc.org/africanam/archives/eh2/factsheet.html).There does not seem to be any other alternative to the death penalty except life imprisonment without parole. Punishment must be fair and in proportion to the offence committed and for the worst murderers life meaning life is an option. It protects the public from the risk of re-offence and allows time for rehabilitation. Most criminals are only, if at all, deterred by the thought of being caught and even the best review of the evidence from research concludes that it has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment' (N. Walker, 1991: 16).In conclusion we see th at the arguments for and against capital punishment are both very strong and depending on ones situation, circumstances and beliefs the ultimate decision to support or oppose the death penalty is that of the individual. The likelihood of Britain ever reintroducing the death penalty for murder is minimal. Politically it would be extremely hard given British commitment to human rights and our membership of the EC, which itself is highly opposed to capital punishment and contains no member states that still retain the death penalty as its highest form of punishment (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 17

Research Paper Example Understanding slavery requires firsthand experiences, which expose an individual to slavery issues in real life thus assisting these individuals oppose slave owners and slavery systems with all their might. Slavery was mainly advocated for by capitalists, who saw slavery as a way to reduce expenses and amass easy wealth. Slavery has been highlighted in several literature sources showing how much slavery was appealing to business owners. Merchants, for instance, and farmers mainly emphasized on the importance of slavery in reduction of costs and completion of large tasks within a short span of time. Farmers on the other hand, used slavery to plough their fields faster and even plough bigger lands. In the eyes of the slave traders, merchants, farmers and other business owners, slavery was not a bad thing, since it was an easy way to make money. Individuals who opposed slavery greatly must have experienced it first hand, and would have vowed to fight against it, and not support anyone who supported it as well. For instance, this has been highlighted in Daniel Defoe’s story "Robinson Crusoe† where Crusoe adopts both perspectives, having been a merchant and farmer, and also suffering the grave effects of slavery while in captivity. Crusoe who was initially anticipated to be a lawyer, by his father had decided to become a merchant, same as his father and in the event he had decided to pursue large scale farming in Brazil, where he had owned a large plot of land. After viewing the positive outcomes of slaves in the lands of other farmers as well, he had decided to go to Africa, to seek slaves. Crusoe’s quest for slavery shows the positive attributes of slavery in the perspective of the slave owner, thus giving an unrighteous justification for its existence. Similar to Crusoe, slavery even in the contemporary context has been emphasized by even large companies, for instance the likes of Wal-Mart and apple, which seek cheap labor in the low cost nations such

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as Essay - 3

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as such cannot be managed. Discuss - Essay Example It is fundamental to note that the culture of an association varies from one organization to the next. This is for the reason that employees in the diverse organizations have disparate opinions and outlooks regarding different concerns in the organization. This essay will endeavor to assess the concept of culture and how the same is symbolic in the organization. Also, the essay will put into context the factors that culture is general, integrated, figurative, and adaptive. Body Organizational culture has been described as suppositions that are shared by a group of people as seen in the work of Schein1. This involves the adjustment of the organization to the outside world, and incorporation the internal concepts so as the association can invent a method in which the organization can adjust its members to the attainment of the organizational goals2. Champoux indicates that the members in the organization are able to be respond to the situation by coming up with plans towards solving th e same issues, in the event that an organization is faced with a setback3. Schein, on the other hand, indicates that an understanding of the psychology of people, their social aspect and generally human relations allows the organization evaluate them in the organizational culture4. ... At each faction, there is a deeper denotation of the entire concept, at times symbolic, at other times, cognitive. There are various major levels of organizational culture, according to Schein6. Foremost, is the discernible artifact, the adopted values by the organization and lastly, the major underlying suppositions7. In relation to the discernible artifacts, Schein refers to them as opinions, the actions taken by an organization, and the beliefs that an organization holds. It is through the observable artifacts that the organization establishes what is central and significant to be adopted in the organization8. The discernible artifacts are inclusive of the physical characteristics of the association- the buildings, the publications, pieces of art by the organizations, its products, as well as the technology applied in the organization9. The observable artifacts can be devised from the mission and vision statement of the organization, and its values. In addition, the same can be se en in the language by the affiliates of the organization, its accounts of the times, practices and the ceremonies conducted by the organization10. This is an obvious indication that organizational culture is unmistakable in the manner in which the organization adheres to the myths of the organization and upholds the rituals of the organization. Organizational culture can be said to be symbolic in that the values that are advocated by the organization are the ones that are campaigned by the leadership of the organization11. In the argument by Schein, the management team of the organization expects that the employees display an expected level of discipline as expected of them by the management12. In this case, the values portrayed by the employees are