Eternal Light free essay sample

Another â€Å"wayfarer† is Victor Frankenstein, who is striving for â€Å"eternal light,† but in another aspect. He is the â€Å"Modern Prometheus,† longing to â€Å"pour a torrent of light into our dark world,† while creating a human being – a deed, which is intrinsic to God (26). His creation is the third participant in the â€Å"journey† to â€Å"eternal light. † He is unnamed, or more often called the creature, the monster, the wretch, or the one with â€Å"unearthly ugliness† (55). Victor’s creation also dreams for â€Å"eternal light† in the meaning of pure love or happiness, but he is compelled to follow the contrary direction – to â€Å"darkness and distance† (134). The three meet each other at the â€Å"land of mist and snow,† where their â€Å"journey† ends, where the border between possible and common lies, between dream and reality, between genius and mankind, between God and mankind, between â€Å"a country of eternal light† and â€Å"darkness and distance. † The character, accountable for the novel’s drama, is Victor Frankenstein, a student in humanities. We will write a custom essay sample on Eternal Light or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"A possible interpretation of the name Victor derives from the poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, a great influence on Shelley (a quotation from Paradise Lost is on the opening page of Frankenstein and Shelley even allows the monster himself to read it). Milton frequently refers to God as ‘the Victor’ in Paradise Lost, and Shelley sees Victor as playing God by creating life† (Wikipedia). As a god Victor is determined to endow mankind: â€Å"Yet my heart overflowed with kindness, and the love of virtue. I had begun life with benevolent intentions, and thirsted for the moment when I should put them in practice, and make myself useful to my fellow-beings† (50). Moreover, as Prometheus, he gives the world â€Å"a spark of being† (28). Furnishing the world with such extreme power Frankenstein should take the responsibility of creator and help his gift be useful not destructive. However he mishandles it. When he is fifteen, he witnesses â€Å"a most violent and terrible thunderstorm,† which â€Å"utterly destroys† an â€Å"old and beautiful oak† (18). This event could be interpreted as an allusion to how pestilential this â€Å"spark of being† could be. As Miglena Nikolchina contends, the â€Å"serious ailment† is â€Å"in the man alone, undertaking the ‘godlike’ function to be a creator, but in many respects immature for it† (57). The concrete reason for the creature being â€Å"spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on† is his physical ugliness (133). Why Frankenstein’s creation is ugly? According to Cvetan Stoyanov, â€Å"Ugliness is in fact alienation, drifting away from the vital principle – organic could not be ugly, transgressing and killing it is ugly† (206). Something, often cited in connection to Shelley’s work is a sentence in which the perfect artist is described as a morally perfect man, as a â€Å"second creator, faultless Prometheus under the sky of Jupiter† (Shaftsbury 207). In this respect Miglena Nikolchina considers Frankenstein as an untalented artist, because he is not â€Å"morally perfect† and shows this as a reason for the monster’s ugliness. She claims that the Frankenstein’s morality is not one of a creator, but one of an ordinary man. â€Å"Frankenstein has not even fancied that love – namely love and only love his creation wants – is the first characteristic of creator. † â€Å"Ugliness turns out the sign, left behind by the creator who infuses life, but does not manage to come to love it and thus calls forth death, for it is not possible the fated for living to be made without love, and has no vitality what is deprived of the mercy to be loved† (Nikolchina 79-82). Victor’s blindness about the monster’s innocent nature is more harmful than the physical blindness. The blind De Lacey is the only man who perceives the monsters good resolutions. About the structure of the novel Nikolchina offers an interesting definition. It is â€Å"constructed as if of concentric circles of ice. The sailing to the North Pole is the outer circle, which serve as a frame of Frankenstein’s story. The conversation between the monster and Frankenstein among the sea of ice near Chamounix is the frame of the monster’s story, which is the core of the novel† (Nikolchina 86). The central part of his story is when after burning down the cottage of De Lacey he wonders: â€Å"And now, with the world before me, whither should I bend my steps? (80). Hereafter he starts hunting for his creator and begins alienating from his natural innocence. The creature wends his way toward â€Å"darkness and distance. † The changing nature corroborates his moral collapse: â€Å"I travelled only at night, fearful of encountering the visage of a human being. Nature decayed around me, and the sun became heatless; rain and snow poured around me; mighty rivers were frozen; the surface of the earth was hard, and chill, and bare, and I found no shelter† (81). â€Å"Advancing into experience,† Miglena Nikolchina explains, â€Å"is entering into a core of cold as well† (87). She suggests two aspects in analysing the role of ice. First it could be seen as â€Å"a supreme, unapproachable, unsusceptible to changes reality. It elevates Frankenstein ‘from all littleness of feeling,’ it fills him with ‘a sublime ecstasy that gives wings to the soul, and allows it to soar from the obscure world to light and joy’† (Nikolchina 87). Such an eternal and infinite is the picture before Robert Walton too: â€Å"†¦the region of beauty and delight. †¦the sun is for ever visible; its broad disk just skirting the horizon, and diffusing a perpetual splendour. The explorer’s hopes are so great that they turn out fantasies – he imagines an absolutely unreal North Pole: â€Å"†¦there snow and frost are banished; and, sailing over a calm sea, we may be wafted to a land surpassing in wonders and in beauty every region hitherto discovered on the habitable globe† (2). The Modern Prometheus chooses the â€Å"wi ld and mysterious regions† to â€Å"the tamer scenes of nature† (11). He goes beyond the potentialities of ordinary people, however, aiming not at admiring of the Great Nature, but at gaining the divine secrets. While Elizabeth contemplates â€Å"with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things,† Victor delights â€Å"in investigating their causes. † Elizabeth follows â€Å"the aerial creations of the poets† and â€Å"in the majestic and wondrous scenes† she finds â€Å"ample scope for admiration and delight,† while Victor is â€Å"capable of a more intense application,† and is â€Å"more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge† (15). He elevates his intellect, but not his soul. He does not realize that new born (for his creation emerges in a completely unfamiliar world) needs love and attendance. Striving to eternal light,† he encounters â€Å"impenetrable darkness. † Night is closing around,† †dark are the mountains,† â€Å"heavens are clouded† (40-41). The â€Å"spark of being† turns out a hideous abortion. â€Å"Thick mists hide the summits of the mountains† (54). Frankenstein falls into â€Å"deep, dark, deathlike solitude† (50). Suffering â€Å"the eternal twinkling of the stars weighed upon him,† instead of delighting â€Å"eternal light,† he exclaims: â€Å"Oh! stars, and clouds, and winds, ye are all about to mock me: if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness† (87). The magnificent scenes give way to appalling â€Å"dusky plain† (124). The other aspect of the ice, according Nikolchina, is â€Å"something barren and lifeless; like a power, which is hostile to life; like muteness† (88). Longing revenge, Victor departs from land and â€Å"pursues his journey across the sea in a direction that leads to no land,† â€Å"†¦the snows thicken and the cold increases in a degree almost too severe to support†¦ The rivers were covered with ice and no fish could be procured† (123). The nature seems to be inspirited and acts against Frankenstein: â€Å"Immense and rugged mountains of ice often barred up my passage, and I often heard the thunder of the ground sea which threatened my destruction† (124). It seems he has stepped on some unseen border that can not be crossed. â€Å"When he appears almost within grasp of his foe, his hopes are suddenly extinguished, [ ]. The wind arises; the sea roars; and, as with the mighty shock of an earthquake, it splits and cracks with a tremendous and overwhelming sound. The work is soon finished: in a few minutes a tumultuous sea rolls between him and his enemy, and he is left drifting on a scattered piece of ice, that is continually lessening, and thus preparing for him a hideous death† (124). â€Å"Walton is also surrounded by mountains of ice which admit of no escape and threaten every moment to crush his vessel† (127). The situation with the â€Å"unearthly† creature is however different. The stream of his spiritual development is contrary to the ones of Frankenstein and Walton. Through the epithet â€Å"unearthly† Shelley differentiates him from mankind. While Walton and Victor aim â€Å"wild and mysterious regions,† the creature seeks an intimacy with common world. The monster is â€Å"immaculate in a quite literal meaning – he is empty, tabula rasa† (Nikolchina 72). Every scene and every feeling he touches to are admirable for him. Everything is for the first time. He is a child. The monster meets the civilization, for the first, through the agency of fire, which is an allusion to a new Promethean deed. However he encounters some strangers’ fire. The â€Å"new born† learns everything from the outside world, from accidental circumstances. There is no one to guide him, no one to show him what is worth learning. According to A. A. Belskee, Shelley displays â€Å"the destructiveness of individualism, the tragedy of compulsory desolation, the intangibility of happiness without associating with others† (Belskee 303). Every approach to human society brings a lot of suffering to the creature, notwithstanding he sees â€Å"the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy† (65). Despondently speaking to Walton he describes himself as â€Å"the miserable and the abandoned, [†¦] an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on† (133). The only possible interrelation with the surrounding world is violence. His crimes are a natural reaction, a rebel against the complete solitude. Otherwise the monster â€Å"could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, [†¦] when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased, and I turned away with disgust and loathing† (68). He clearly declares: â€Å"I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested, yet could not disobey† (132). The wretched interprets his lot as worse than Satan’s from Milton’s Paradise Lost, for â€Å"Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred† (74). He is the only one of the tree, the only one in the world, who completely rejects society with its gall, the only one who crosses the â€Å"border,† laid by society, and fades in â€Å"no land. † He fades for there will be no one to see him. The â€Å"eternal frosts† have frozen all the hatred into his â€Å"ice-raft† and he is â€Å"soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance† (143). The hopes of â€Å"poor† Frankenstein also fade with his death. He remains at the icy border, between â€Å"eternal light† and â€Å"darkness and distance. † The only thing he succeeds in is revealing these two possibilities for the future human nature: â€Å"Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed.

Biography of Amiri Baraka

Biography of Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934–January 9, 2014) was an award-winning playwright, poet, critic, educator, and activist. He played an influential role in the Black Arts Movement and served as poet laureate of his native New Jersey. His career spanned decades, though his legacy is not without controversy. Fast Facts: Amiri Baraka Occupation: Writer, playwright, poet, activistAlso Known As: Leroi Jones, Imamu Amear BarakaBorn: October 7, 1934 in Newark, New JerseyDied: January 9, 2014 in Newark, New JerseyParents: Colt Leverette Jones and Anna Lois Russ JonesEducation: Rutgers University, Howard UniversityKey Publications: Dutchman, Blues People: Negro Music in White America, The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones/Amiri BarakaSpouse(s): Hettie Jones, Amina BarakaChildren: Ras Baraka, Kellie Jones, Lisa Jones, Shani Baraka, Amiri Baraka Jr., Obalaji Baraka, Ahi Baraka, Maria Jones, Dominique DiPrimaNotable Quote: â€Å"Art is whatever makes you proud to be human. Early Years Amiri Baraka was born in Newark, New Jersey to postal supervisor Colt Leverette Jones and social worker Anna Lois Jones. Growing up, Baraka played the drums, piano, and trumpet, and enjoyed poetry and jazz. He especially admired the musician Miles Davis. Baraka attended Barringer High School and won a scholarship to Rutgers University in 1951. A year later, he transferred to the historically black Howard University, where he studied subjects like philosophy and religion. At Howard, he began using the name LeRoi James but would later revert to his birth name, Jones. Expelled before graduating from Howard, Jones signed up for the US Air Force, which dishonorably discharged him after three years when communist writings were found in his possession. Although he became a sergeant in the Air Force, Baraka found military service troubling. He called the experience â€Å"racist, degrading, and intellectually paralyzing.† But his time in the Air Force ultimately deepened his interest in poetry. He worked at the base library while stationed in Puerto Rico, which allowed him to devote himself to reading. He took a particular liking to the works of the Beat poets and began writing his own poetry. After his discharge from the Air Force, he lived in Manhattan, taking classes at Columbia University and The New School for Social Research. He also became involved in Greenwich Village’s art scene and got to know poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Gilbert Sorrentino, and Charles Olson. Marriage and Poetry As his interest in poetry deepened, Baraka met Hettie Cohen, a white Jewish woman who shared his passion for writing. The interracial couple married in 1958 against the wishes of Cohens Parents, who cried at the news of the union. Together, the couple started Totem Press, which featured the writings of beat poets like Allen Ginsberg; they also launched Yugen literary magazine. Baraka edited and wrote criticism for the literary journal Kulchur as well. While married to Cohen, with whom he had two daughters, Baraka began a romantic relationship with another woman writer, Diane di Prima. They edited a magazine called The Floating Bear and started the New York Poets Theater, along with others, in 1961. That year, Baraka’s first poetry book, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note, debuted. During this period, the writer became increasingly political. A trip to Cuba in 1960 led him to believe that he should use his art to fight oppression, so Baraka began to embrace black nationalism and support Cuban president Fidel Castro’s regime. In addition, his complicated personal life took a turn when he and Diane di Prima had a daughter, Dominique, in 1962.  The next year saw the release of Baraka’s book Blues People: Negro Music in White America. In 1965, Baraka and Cohen divorced. A New Identity Using the name LeRoi Jones, Baraka wrote the play Dutchman, which premiered in 1964. The play chronicles a violent encounter between a white woman and a black man on the New York subway. It won the Obie Award for Best American Play and was later adapted for film. The 1965 assassination of Malcolm X led Baraka to leave the mostly white Beat scene and move to the predominantly black neighborhood of Harlem. There, he opened the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School, which became a haven for black artists such as Sun Ra and Sonia Sanchez, and led other black artists to open similar venues. The rise of black-run art venues led to a movement known as the Black Arts Movement. He also criticized the Civil Rights Movement for embracing nonviolence and suggested in works such as his 1965 poem â€Å"Black Art that violence was necessary to create a black world. Inspired by Malcolm’s death, he also penned the work A Poem for Black Hearts in 1965 and the novel The System of Dante’s Hell the same year. In 1967, he released the short-story collection Tales. Blackness and the use of violence to achieve liberation both factor into these works. Baraka’s newfound militancy played a role in his divorce from his white wife, according to her memoir How I Became Hettie Jones. Baraka himself admitted as much in his 1980 Village Voice essay, â€Å"Confessions of a Former Anti-Semite. (He denied choosing the title for the essay.) He wrote, â€Å"As a Black man married to a white woman, I began to feel estranged from her †¦ How could someone be married to the enemy? Barakas second wife, Sylvia Robinson, later known as Amina Baraka, was a black woman. They had a Yoruba marriage ceremony in 1967, the year Baraka published the poetry collection Black Magic. A year earlier, he published Home: Social Essays. With Amina, Baraka returned to his native Newark, where they opened a theater and residence for artists called the Spirit House. He also headed to Los Angeles to meet with scholar and activist Ron Karenga (or Maulana Karenga), founder of the Kwanzaa holiday, which aims to reconnect black Americans to their African heritage. Instead of using the name LeRoi Jones, the poet took the name Imamu Amear Baraka. Imamu is a title meaning spiritual leader in Swahili, Amear means prince, and Baraka essentially means a divine blessing.† He ultimately went by Amiri Baraka. In 1968, Baraka co-edited Black Fire: An Anthology of Afro-American Writing and his play Home on the Range was staged to benefit the Black Panther party. He also chaired the Committee for Unified Newark, founded and chaired  the Congress of African People, and was a chief organizer of the National Black Political Convention. By the 1970s, Baraka began to champion the liberation of â€Å"third-world† peoples across the globe rather than black nationalism. He embraced a Marxist-Leninist philosophy and became a lecturer in 1979 in the Africana studies department of the State University of New York, Stony Brook, where he later became a professor. He was also a visiting professor at Columbia University and Rutgers University and taught at the New School, San Francisco State, University of Buffalo, and George Washington University. In 1984, Baraka’s memoir, The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, was published. He went on to win the American Book Award in 1989 and the Langston Hughes Award. In 1998, he landed a role in the feature film Bulworth, starring  Warren Beatty. Later Years In 2002, Baraka received another honor when he became New Jersey’s poet laureate. But an anti-Semitism scandal ultimately drove him from the role. The controversy stemmed from a poem he wrote after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks called â€Å"Somebody Blew Up America?† In the poem, Baraka suggested that Israel had advanced warning of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The poem includes the lines: Who know why Five Israelis was filming the explosionAnd cracking they sides at the notion†¦Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombedWho told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin TowersTo stay home that day Baraka said that the poem wasn’t anti-Semitic because it referenced Israel rather than Jews as a whole. The Anti-Defamation League argued that Baraka’s words were indeed anti-Semitic. The poet served as New Jersey’s poet laureate at the time, and then-Gov. Jim McGreevey attempted to oust him from the role. McGreevey (who would later resign as governor for unrelated reasons) couldn’t legally force Baraka to step down, so the state senate passed legislation to abolish the post altogether. When the law took effect on July 2, 2003, Baraka was no longer poet laureate. Death On Jan. 9, 2014, Amiri Baraka died at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, where he had been a patient since December. Upon his death, Baraka had written more than 50 books in a wide range  of genres. His funeral took place Jan. 18 at Newark Symphony Hall. Sources Amiri Baraka 1934-2014. Poetry Foundation.Fox, Margalit. Amiri Baraka, Polarizing Poet and Playwright, Dies at 79. New York Times, 9 January, 2014. Amiri Baraka. Poets.org.

Business Plan for PISE CONNECTION, INC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Business Plan for PISE CONNECTION, INC - Essay Example ascertaining what the customer and their youth groups need and thereafter design a tailor made program that fits their needs rather than generalities that are sometimes presented at large conference settings such as Youth Work Central, or the National Youth Workers Convention. The founder possesses a Masters of Arts Degree in Human Services: Christian Ministries and is currently working on an MBA in Management & Leadership. In addition, he has 30 years’ experience in youth ministry as a volunteer, youth counselor, and a youth director. Currently, she is the district youth directress for East Florida & Bethany Children and Youth Department, which consists of 23 churches. Dr. Earnest Whitley is the only partner in the company. He possesses a Ph.D. in psychology; he is a consultant and a professor in areas of individual, family and group counseling and psychotherapy. My startup venture is a â€Å"Youth Worker Training & consulting Agency.† I will provide and present information in terms of the scope or overall perspective of youth ministry for the postmodern youth worker by providing workshops, speaking engagements, consulting and seminars to disseminate relevant information pertaining to all kinds of issues of Christian adolescents and teens. Youth ministry for the most part has failed to grasp the hearts and minds of the young people of the church, resulting in falling away of our youth. In an attempt to curb the decline of youth church affiliation, churches have looked for ways to keep their youth in the churches. One strategy has been hiring youth pastors or workers (Goreham, 2004). Although there are passionate, highly motivated youth worker who have been working with children for years, most of them are not equipped to provide the skills adolescents and teens need to navigate through the difficult obstacles they face in this contemporary highly advanced globalized technical broadband connected world. These technological realities put teens in touch

Reflection paper on a five-hour kindergarten observation Essay

Reflection paper on a five-hour kindergarten observation - Essay Example Reflection paper on a five-hour kindergarten observation My visits transpired on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, staying for the duration of five hours in total, which is the required number of hours for the activity. During the first day, I read to the class a story of three children of various ethnicities. One is John, a British, Chi, Japanese, and Alex, an African. It was a story about friendship and sharing. I flipped pictures from time to time in order to make the story-telling more interesting. This strategy is in synergy with considerations for pluralistic perspective in education, which takes into account the concept of multicultural education. The strategy I used to encourage children to appreciate each individuality and diversity of one another through exposing them to readings about cultural diversity is attuned to the concept of multicultural education, which fosters the understanding of diversify (Fu, [please enter the year]). On the same day, we conducted a group activity with the children where they would build a castle out of cubes and triangles. Each team had three members, making a total of five teams. The composition of each team is diverse, since it is a diverse class. Each team showed their finished products and each one explained what they contributed in the building of the castle. They were happy and laughing while doing their castles, making sure that theirs was the most beautiful one. It seemed like a pleasant experience for them. This activity is attuned to the concept of multicultural education.

Accounting and society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accounting and society - Research Paper Example andable to all the stakeholders .The government uses the same to determine its taxation formula and its implementation of the relevant policies .the investors uses it to determine whether to invest in the company ,increase its share invested and anticipate its future turnover. The general public is applicable in terms of provision of the corporate social responsibility that has compelled most companies to give back to the community (Benston&G.j, 2006, 55).. This necessitates thee need to use the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that provides a yardstick for measuring and reporting the accounting terms. The regulatory capture is a situation where collection of investors with high stock valuation and investment anticipates a high turnover from their investment in a particular company when the rest of the public is with a small investment expects nothing at all. Regulatory capture refers to the effort by these interested investors to capture the imbalance of the anticipated resources and is in a position that is successful and drive the policy of the preferred interest group to be in force. (Cch Editors, 2008, 17) The regulatory body is highly concerned with protecting the interest of the public .the democratic nature of this body is vested on its ability to outsource support from the government. Despite its dire effort to attain its goal there is a problem of corruption on most government bodies of Australia and its regulatory capture (Funnell et al, 2012, 47). The Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (AGAAP) and the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) of Australia is bestowed with the responsibility of ensuring that the accounting financial reporting standards are reported as per the required principles, enrollment of auditors and the general compliance with the corporate financial standards in lieu with the provision of investors’ confidence in the industry. It is a mandated to check whether the license holder

Contemporary Gay American And European Movies Film Studies Essay

Contemporary Gay American And European Movies Film Studies Essay The subject of homosexuality in cinema, much in the same way as it is in real life, is something that causes much debate amongst the general public. Being perhaps one of the most controversial topics in modern society, the representation of gays in all media, not just film, becomes an important insight into the ever changing landscape of societys views on homosexuality. It is for this reason that the study of these representations becomes important, as through the analysis of both the media that contains the homosexual depictions as well as the reaction of the public, we gain a greater understanding of the role that homosexuality plays in our society. I will be examining the popular debates and theoretical approaches towards contemporary gay cinema, as well as both separately analysing and comparing key examples of modern films that deal with issues of homosexuality from America and Europe. The theoretical approach most well suited to the subject of study that I have chosen would be that of Queer Theory. A reasonably recent critical theory, Queer Theory focuses strongly on the ideas of gender, sexuality and social/sexual identity through gay interpretations of different texts. Use of a critical approach so strongly linked with the subject of my dissertation such as this will allow for a much better understanding of the subject matter and a greater ability to deconstruct my chosen films. In regards to the close analysis portion of the dissertation, Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) is the film that I have chosen as the focus of my study for American gay cinema, with Bad Education (Pedro Almodà ³var, 2004) as the focus of the Euro pean study. Both of these films I believe are strong examples of gay cinema from their respective countries, as both have two gay lovers as the central characters of the narrative, but more importantly, addressing the issue of their homosexuality and how it affects their lives and relationships is the core issue of the narrative. There are a number of key issues that I plan to discuss within this dissertation, in regards to both the critical study of contemporary gay cinema section and the close analysis of the films. First and foremost I wish to simply establish what the most prominent critical approaches towards gay cinema are and how the approaches apply to modern gay films. This will then allow me to discuss in more detail the representation of homosexuality put forward in these films and how these various depictions affect the image of homosexual in cinema as a whole. In the film analysis section I am aiming to deconstruct the two portrayals of homosexuality in the separate films to discover the different ways in which these cultures chose to treat this issue, not merely establishing the differences but discussing what might have caused them in the first place. However I also wish to look for similarities between the two pieces, to find out if there are any aspects involved in illustrating gay life that are universal and not affected by culture or society. The most effective method of research for a project such as this would simply be to study the vast assortment of books and journal articles from throughout cinema history written on this subject, as although homosexuality within cinema may be seen as a relatively uncommon subject, it has been a frequent part of critical discourse in film for many years. By reading the collected works of authors speaking on the subject of gay cinema I will be able to increase my knowledge in the area as well as find a number of core materials to work from and reference within the dissertation. Part B: Literature Review One such core book that I will be focusing on throughout the project will be The Culture of Queers (London: Routledge, 2001) by Richard Dyer. As a prominent writer in the field of gay culture and gay cinema, studying the works of Dyer is integral in gaining a full understanding in the matter of homosexuality within film. The book covers a variety of topics, from the discussion of homosexual imagery in different mediums and genres, to the discussion of actors known (or suspected) to be gay such as Rock Hudson and how it affected their career. The range of issues raised in the book make for a more well rounded view of gay culture and society, thus making it easier to critically discuss and analyse texts dealing with such issues. There is another book by Richard Dyer, The Matter of Images (London: Routledge, 1993; 2002 2nd ed.) that deals with similar issues, but focuses specifically on the ideas of representation. While not entirely focused on homosexuality like the previous book, there are multiple chapters dedicated to different aspects of gay representation, such as problems in the representation as gay people as typical, homosexuality and film noir and male sexuality in the media. With discussing representation being one the key points of the dissertation, being able to see professional examples of what I am attempting, focusing both in the same area as the project and on other topics, will help to greatly improve my ability to analyse representations in the film analysis section. It will give me a knowledge base to both reference from and build upon with my insight and information, allowing for more in depth and academic look at my chosen films. One of the other core materials for this dissertation, that has a perhaps even more direct link to what I am trying to achieve is the book Brokeback Mountain (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2010) by Gary Needham, which examines both the Brokeback Mountain film and the original story by Annie Proulx. In much the same way as I intend to do the book discusses the association between the film and homosexual critical discourses, most specifically Queer Theory, which as mentioned is one of the key theoretical approaches for the project. It also talks about the relationship the film and its homosexual subject matter with various genres within cinema, those being Indie cinema, Westerns and Melodrama. By comparing how gay sexual identity is portrayed through the context of those different genres I will then be more capable when it comes to making comparisons between America and European gay cinema later in the dissertation. It is important to have a varied source of reading material to work from, so as well as the collection of books that I will be working from, I will also be using a number of articles from online film journals as reference. In comparison to a book where the author can make their point over multiple chapters and hundreds of pages, a journal article author must make their point in a much more concise manner due to the limited space allowed by their particular journal. One of the primary examples of an article that I will be using is All I Desire (Sight and Sound: v14, June 2004), written by Paul Julian Smith. In this article he discusses the Bad Education, so in addition to being able to study material in a different style of writing to that of books, which could improve my own ability to make my points more succinct and concise; it also gives me an example of a critical analysis of one of my chosen films for me to work from. Part C Structure Introduction (1000 Words) The introduction will cover a basic overview of the dissertation and the questions that it will be discussing in later chapters. Beginning with a small history of gay culture in cinema it will briefly talk about the idea of homosexuality and its involvement with cinema throughout the years in a general sense while giving the basic information that the later chapters will be building upon. Then there will be a short summary of the structure, talking separately about each of the dissertations chapters by explaining what you will be covering in that chapter and what questions you hope to answer through them. Chapter 1: Debates on Contemporary Gay Culture (2000 Words) In this chapter I will start to expand upon the information put forth in the introduction, going into much greater detail on the subject of gay culture and its representation throughout media history leading up to modern times. I will introduce the idea of Queer Theory and discuss its history and various applications in media and society. Using the gathered reading materials I will then begin discussing the various critical discourses associated with the specific subject of gay cinema and examining the ways in which they are connected with the more general Queer Theory. I will talk in some detail about the effect that the presence of gay culture and sexuality on film has on the general public, as well as how those reactions then affect gay culture as a whole. Chapter 2: Gay American Cinema and Brokeback Mountain (2000 Words) This is where I begin the process of bringing in the close analysis of my chosen films into the dissertation, focusing specifically on my American example of gay cinema, Brokeback Mountain, and the critical study surrounding it. I shall examine the films content focusing on the representation of homosexuality and building upon the chosen reading material such as the previously mentioned Brokeback Mountain book by Gary Needham. I will discuss various topics such as the issue of male sexuality, the representation of the gay protagonists in the context of American culture, and whether it meets or subverts the typical conventions of its genre(s). Chapter 3: Gay European Cinema and Bad Education (2000 Words) Continuing the close textual analysis portion of the dissertation, this chapter will focus primarily on my European example of gay cinema, Bad Education. Again building upon my collected reading material I will begin to deconstruct the representations of the gay protagonists, both within the films own European (specifically Spanish) context, but also beginning to delve into its connection with the American example. Comparing the different views of gay culture and sexuality presented in these films, the nature of the theoretical approaches surrounding them and the reactions of the differing national general publics will reveal whether or not there is a universal aspect of representing gay society, or whether the cultural and historical differences between countries create differing views on the way homosexuality should be portrayed on film. Conclusion (1000 Words) The conclusion will discuss in less detailed information the points that have been discussed throughout the dissertation. It will go chapter by chapter through the end results of all the key points of discussion that were raised through the study of the various theoretical approaches and reading materials during the project. I will then return to the key questions mentioned in the introduction and discuss how and if these questions were properly addressed, speaking briefly about how the answers to these questions fit into the idea of gay cinema as a whole. Part D Work Plan and Bibliography Between December 6th and mid-January I aim to have all the necessary books and journal extracts, with specific important extracts highlighted to use as references and discussion points. By the end of January I will make a rough draft of the introduction, and by the end of February I plan to finish the first draft of chapter 1 and start work on chapter 2. I will finish chapters 2 and 3 by the end of March and have the first draft of the full dissertation by mid-April. I will then use the remaining time until May 7th to go over everything and make any necessary changes. Current Bibliography Aaron, Michelle (2004) New Queer Cinema: A Critical Reader (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press) Benshoff, Harry M. (2005) Queer Images: A History of Gay and Lesbian Film in American Genre and Beyond (Maryland: Rowman Littlefield Publishing) Dyer, Richard (2001) The Culture of Queers (London: Routledge) Dyer, Richard (2002) The Matter of Images 2nd ed. (London: Routledge) Griffiths, Robin (2007) Queer Cinema in Europe (Bristol: Intellect) Griffiths, Robin (2007) Cinema and Sexuality (Buckingham/Philadelphia: Open University Press/McGraw Hill) Morland, Iain (2004) Queer Theory: Readers in Cultural Criticism (New York: Palgrave Macmillan) Needham, Gary (2010.) Brokeback Mountain (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.) Russo, Vito (1987) The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies (New York: Harper Paperbacks) Smith, Paul Julian (2004) All I Desire Sight and Sound Vol.14, No.6 Sullivan, Nikki (2003) A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press)

Why I Like Football Essay -- essays research papers

Why I like Football Many people love watching and participating in sporting events. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. president once said, "Sports is the very fiber for what we all stand for. It keeps our spirit alive." No matter if watching or playing, football is one of America's most popular sports. Many people attend high school, college, and professional football every year. You can relate many aspects of football and sports to life. . I think football is the best sport I have ever played or watched. Football requires tremendous amounts of teamwork and sportsmanship to be successful. No one man can win a football game. He may make a big tackle or a diving catch, but without him and the other 10 players on the field he can not win a game. A football player can not be selfish and put himself before his team. "One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it" said legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne. Teamwork is vital in the game of football. If you have 9 players doing their job and 2 not doing it then you are not going to be a very successful team. It takes 11 players working and communicating together to be successful. Football is a very exciting game. Millions of people attend games in person and watch them on television. Football is a very unpredictable game, because there is many factors affecting the outcome of the ...