Saturday, November 30, 2019

What is Art Argumentative Essay Example For Students

What is Art? Argumentative Essay Art can mean many different things to many different people and was one of the earliest ways in which man has expressed him or herself to others, whether it was through cave drawings or hieroglyphics. It does not begin or end with just drawing or painting, items typically considered art, or the many other recognized facets of art including architecture, drama, literature, sculpting, and music. The writing of Beowulf, one of the earliest known written prose, or the Greek plays which have influenced drama since their inception, are considered some of the greatest forms of art in history. Art can allow us pleasure just simply through the process of creating. Art can allow us to express ourselves to give us better insight into our own feelings. Art can, in contrast, allow us to stir emotions from within the viewer, occasionally leaving the viewer with an awakened or refreshed outlook. Some may only consider a work as art if it requires a particular skill from the artist, however, art can actually be viewed as simply another form of communication. We will write a custom essay on What is Art? Argumentative specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now No matter what form this expression takes, whether dance, poetry or the painted canvas, people have reasons for pursuing the need to create. Dance, as a form of art, allows the person or persons to express themselves through the movements of their bodies, whether the dancing takes place on a stage, in a theater, or on the floor of a dance club. This non-verbal art form can allow a dancer to express stories and strong feelings of emotion, such as sadness, sexuality and joy or may just simply offer an outlet for energy. Dancing as a fine art can incorporate numerous other artistic outlets as well, ranging from the writing of the story, the music and the musicians, the designing of sets to the creation of simple or lavish costumes. This bringing together of artistic expressions from numerous other sources can be witnessed in other forms, such as plays and festivals, which allow a diverse collective to share thoughts and styles, these being the most public of art forms. Poetry is another art form that offers an environment to the creative or expressive need. Writing poetry can be used as an aid to help think through the conflicting emotions that accompany life. It is an art much as gardening is. An inspiration for a poem can be a seed. The seed is planted on paper and usually, though not always, after tending to it the seed begins to take shape until it suddenly blooms. Poems such as Byron’s â€Å"She Walks in Beauty†, Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and Shakespeare’s â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day† all began as seeds and have long since been considered works of art. Painting and drawing—probably one of the highest acknowledged forms of art—incorporates all aspects of the need to create. The artwork can be produced simply for the desire to create, whether it is just the study of the human body or the recreation of nature through the various colors, textures and the styles available to the artist. Nature, commonly reflected in paintings, serves as a great source of inspiration to artists. Painting can also allow the artist to express his or her own emotions by projecting them onto the canvas, demonstrating an ability to communicate thoughts and feelings through a material object. It is possible to express entire emotions, thoughts or stories within a frame, allowing the eye to capture everything that the artist wishes to convey, or more often forcing the audience to participate in the painting in order to achieve the meaning that may not be obvious from the first glance. Whether intentional or not, a painting can be one of the most stimulating to the feelings of an audience, sometimes leaving a lasting impression upon the soul that viewed it. Art may be described by simply saying that it is an act of expression used by a person. .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 , .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .postImageUrl , .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 , .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:hover , .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:visited , .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:active { border:0!important; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:active , .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15 .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u31ffe4e2d18e031a52f77865f72bed15:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The gap between rich and poor in the world today EssayThis description prevents boundaries from binding any art form one may choose, because the potential of the arts are and should remain limitless. Critics have spent centuries trying to create a clear definition of art. There is not nor can there ever be a clear explanation because it is ever-changing and expanding beyond any confines people may try to impose, whether self-imposed or influenced by critics. Defining art is only limited to the imagination of the creator and audience. For something to be classified as art it is first dependent upon who you ask, which can not help but be influenced by their personal tastes concerning what they find pleasurable and what form the art takes that best suits them. When the flush of a new-born sun fell first on Edens green and gold, our father Adam sat under the tree and scratched with a stick in the mould; And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his mighty heart, till the Devil whispered behind the leaves, Its pretty, but is it Art? from Rudyard Kiplings The Conundrum of the Workshops.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essays

Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essays Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essay Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essay Romeo and Juliet is an epic love story that climaxes in tragedy. The story follows two lovers from opposing families over the course of two days, and it features many twists and turns that always keeps the audience on its toes. In my opinion, Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeares greatest plays. It features love, tragedy, comedy, action and a classic story that will never be forgotten.During this essay I will discuss the passions that are in this play, and how they feature. Are passions dangerous, and do they need to be controlled? Or are passions what make life worth living, and without them the world would be dull and meaningless? I will discuss both these questions, and try to come to a conclusion.Every character experiences some kind of passion during the play. Romeo and Juliet obviously both feel love, but they feel other passions such as anger, sadness and vengefulness. For instance, Romeo feels anger when Tybalt has killed Mercutio. Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio sl ain! Away to heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now! is what Romeo says when he eyes Tybalt after the killing. This shows how angry Romeo is at Tybalt. Previously, Romeo was speaking in kindness to Tybalt, telling him he loved the Capulet. Tybalt did not yet know that Romeo and Juliet were now husband and wife, and wished to fight the groom. Romeo declined, and Mercutio stepped forward. Mercutio was killed in combat, and Romeo became angry. In his fury, he killed Tybalt. This is a defining moment in the play because the fight resulted in Romeo being banished from Verona.Yet, as Romeo feels such anger at one point, he feels much loveduring another. Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night, as a rich jewel in an Ethiops ear is what Romeo says upon seeing Juliet at the Capulet party. This not only demonstrates that Romeo thinks Juliet is absolutely beautiful; it also brings some poetry to the play. Throughout the s cenes, Shakespeare manages to add many pieces of poetry into the play, which gives the scene that little extra magic. This quote also highlights how passion is necessary at the right moments. If there were no passion during this scene, the scene would be pointless.I think it may be worth noting at this point that since the couple met, they have never held a real conversation. I think it is ironic how the two can tell each other they love one another when they have never talked about their personalities or lives. Whenever Romeo and Juliet meet, all they ever talk about is how they love each other and want to stay togetherJuliet has a wide range of emotions and passions throughout the play. She also feels happiness, but also feels sadness and deep sorrow. Is there no pity sitting in the clouds that sees into the bottom of my grief? is what Juliet speaks when she finds that she must marry Paris, even though she is married to Romeo. Yet she cannot tell her parents she is married, as the y can never know she is sharing her life with a Montague. I think she also feels anger towards her family at this point too. She cannot be with her love because of the families frivolous feud and she wants it to end. It is worth noting that Shakespeare never reveals why the families quarrel. I believe he does this because he wants to make the audience feel that the grudge they bear against each other is so old, neither families remember why they fight. I think this shows that angry passions do need to be controlled, as they can have dangerous consequences.Sadness features quite often in this play. Most characters feel sadness at some stage in the play. Once again, it is ironic that possibly the greatest love story ever written features so many negative feelings. Maybe Shakespeare wanted to teach us something about love; love can only lead to pain. While many good things come from love in this play, it all eventually leads to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet dying. One could blame the ir deaths on the families fighting, but they would never have died if they had not been in love.The audience always knew that the play would be ending in sadness and tragedy. In the prologue the audience is told A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life, revealing that both Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. Therefore, throughout the play the audience always has on their minds that the couple will kill themselves before the end of the play. Even when the audience should be happy that Romeo and Juliet are in love, they always know that it will end in death. I think Shakespeare does this to keep the theme of tragedy running in the play, even at the happiest of moments.In contrast to many other characters, Mercutios personality rarely changes. At every appearance during the play, even leading to his death, Mercutio is witty and charming, his language filled with sexual comments. However, during Mercutios death scene his words become deadly serious. When Mercutio first appears, he is headed with Romeo, Benvolio, and friends to the Capulet party. Mercutio debates everything the sad, gloomy Romeo says and lightens up the mood with his wit. His upbeat personality contrasts sharply with Romeos melancholy. He counters Romeos every complaint with comment that is bound to make the audience smile. It is also ironic how Romeo is the main character and hero of the story yet the focus is always on Mercutio whenever the cheerful character is around.Mercutio dies in a very memorable way. He and Tybalt are duelling, and Mercutio is doing very well. Yet Romeo foolishly intervenes and Mercutio is slain. It is debatable that if Romeo had never got in the way of the duellists, Mercutio would have probably won the duel. However, Romeos new found love for the Capulet family blinded him and all that was on his mind was stopping the fight, no matter what the cost. This obviously shows that passions do need to be controlled in certain situation, as they can lead to this. However, if t he characters passions were controlled this scene would not exist. If they were controlled there would be no anger felt toward each other therefore this encounter would have been avoided.When Romeo tells Mercutio that the wound is not deep, Mercutio replies: No, tis not as deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but tis enough, twill serve. This time, Mercutios wit is accompanied by a curse on both families. The wound is only small, but is enough to kill him. He says A plague o both your houses! many times before he dies. This shows that even when Mercutio has been witty and charming, he is angry with the families because of their frivolous row. As Mercutio is one of the audiences most loveable characters, this makes the audience angry with the families for such a ridiculous feud that can lead to such consequences.From Mercutios death, the plays tragedy doesnt stop. A vital character from the play is killed, and this triggers the tragedy. From this moment on, nothing happens t hat is celebrated. Many people are angry with Shakespeare for killing off such a cheerful and important character half way through the play. I agree with them.The friar is a close friend to both Romeo and Juliet. It is the Friar who agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in secrecy, though he knows their parents would not consent. He also concocts the plan for Juliet to play dead and is supposed to get the word out to Romeo. He fails. I cannot help but notice that everything that the Friar touches goes wrong.I believe that the Friars passion is to bring the two feuding families together. This is why he marries the two star crossed lovers as he believes that it will bring the two families closer together.Romeo greets the Friar Good morrow, father, and Friar Lawrence responds by calling Romeo Young son. Though these exchanges are appropriate because of the religious context, this interchange has greater importance. It is not just the exchange between the priest and the penitent. The Friar a lso stands in for Romeos own father since there are no scenes between Romeo and his parents. The Friar is the only person to whom Romeo turns for advice, and he is the last person to whom Juliet turns after all others have forsaken her. In this sense, he is father to them both and responsible for upholding order.The Friar is always there to comfort and help the two lovers, especially Romeo. One part that stands out is in the Friars cell, when Romeo has just been banished. Romeo is having a tantrum, and is incredibly upset that he has been separated from Juliet and fair Verona. The Friar tells Romeo this: O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness! Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind Prince, Taking they part, hath rushd aside the law, and turnd that black word death to banishment. This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not. The Friar is telling Romeo that he should be thankful and lucky to still be alive. At this point, The Friar tells off Romeo, and demands that he stop crying and a cting like a girl. From this scene it is obvious to see why The Friar is seen as a father figure to Romeo, as he is saying everything a father would say to his boy in such a situation.However, even though he is seen as a father figure, many of his ideas go awry. He is the person to suggest that Juliet should fake her death, therefore leading to Romeos death. This was obviously a ridiculous idea from the start, one that would never work. I think the Friar has a constant passion, one that is to try and direct Romeo and Juliet. This shows that passions need to be suppressed and controlled because he often leads the couple the wrong way. Ultimately, it is the Friar that kills Romeo and Juliet. He is the person to suggest the ludicrous fake death plan, and this drives Romeo to suicide. Romeos death then destroys Juliet.At the end of the play, the Friars loyalty is tested. He is in the tomb when Juliet awakes, and she spies Romeos corpse. Instead of staying to help, he hears a noise and f lees. How can someone seen as a father figure do this? Even though the two lovers regularly turn to him, his advice is usually bad and he proves how disloyal he is at the end of the play.Even though such terrible things can come from passions, I still believe that the world needs them. I believe that they could never be controlled as they put the excitement into our lives. Without passions, there would be no point in living. Without passions, life would be incredibly dull. We need passion to keep us alive. I believe Shakespeare felt the same, even though such feelings can lead to such disastrous consequences. As the old saying goes, what is the point in living if you cant feel alive? Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essays Romeo and Juliet Coursework Paper Romeo and Juliet Coursework Paper Act 3, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet is one of the key scenes of Shakespeares play. Consider why this scene is so important and show how a production of it could be directed to create its full dramatic impact.Act 3, Scene 5 is one of the most significant scenes in the play. It is Romeo and Juliets last night together and Shakespeare has already shown us how risky it is for them to be together because of what has happened before the scene begins. The audience knows that Romeo should be out of Verona but is not, and that Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry the County Paris on the Thursday of the same week. As we can deduce the whole play is kept in quite a short time-space. As the scene begins the tone is sorrowful because Romeo and Juliet both know they might never see each other again.In Acts 1 and 2, Shakespeare shows Juliet to be the centre of the events because he demonstrates how she is a young girl who has not experienced love until she meets Romeo, the son of her enemy. The playwr ight shows Juliet to be willing to accept the possibility of marriage to Paris, I look to like, if looking liking move, but when she meets Romeo she falls in love and Paris love does not occur to her. We know that Juliets mother would like her to marry Paris and Shakespeare reveals to us that Lady Capulet was married young. This means that she might be a little anxious as to whether Juliet should be married young as well, or she would just accept it as appropriate for her daughter.At the beginning of the scene, Shakespeare shows the audience Romeo and Juliet the morning when Romeo must leave Juliet. We later realise it is the last time that they see each other alive. Romeos words are dramatic and tense, this shows that something could happen, I must be gone and live, or stay and die. As soon as Juliet realises this as the truth she hastily tells him to leave, hie hence, be gone, away, this shows us how afraid she is of losing Romeo. When the Nurse enters she hurries things up becaus e she knows that Juliets mother is coming to see Juliet, this creates a sense of urgency and tension. Juliet, as she opens the window says, Then window let day in and let life out, this shows as daylight comes into her room, Romeo, her life must go.O thinkst thou we shall ever meet again? are some of the most significant words spoken by Juliet before Romeo leaves because Shakespeare shows the audience how much Juliet feels and fears for Romeo; she knows how dangerous it is to have him in her house and in her life yet she cannot bear to see him leave. Juliet also has a vision as Romeo leaves, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb, Juliet sees Romeo dead and this ominous thought gives the audience another reason to believe that something could happen.Once with her mother, Shakespeares use of language allows Juliet to be ambiguous for a lot of this scene, I will not marry yet and when I do, I swear it will be to Romeo, whom you know I hate. As an audience we realise this because Juliet i s married to Romeo and loves him, not hates him. When Lady Capulet enters, Juliet does not know the reason of why her mother has come to see her because Lady Capulet does not get straight to the point. What unaccustomed cause procures her hither? Shakespeare then shows Juliet to be crying, Lady Capulet believes it is still because of the death of Tybalt, Juliets cousin, evermore weeping for your cousins death? however, the audience knows that it is because of the loss of Romeo. Juliets relationship with Lady Capulet is distant, Shakespeare shows the audience this by Lady Capulet echoing Juliets words, let me weep for such a feeling of loss, so you shall feel the losswhich you weep for. During this dialogue with Lady Capulet and Juliet Shakespeares uses Juliets feeling to portray ambiguity in a large amount of what she says, I will not marry yet, and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo whom you know I hate To create dramatic irony, Shakespeare presents a character that hates Romeo and one that loves him. With Romeo, till I behold him dead is my poor heart, Lady Capulet believes the Juliet wants Romeo dead, however the audience realises the Juliet is being ambiguous and would rather have a dead heart, so she does not have to cope with all the emotions she is during the play.When Lady Capulet tells Juliet the good news, Juliets reaction is not at all what she expects however Juliet does not know it was coming and so is panicked and shocked and so is too outspoken, now by Saint Peters Church and Peter too, He shall not make me there a joyful bride In the century that the play is set, this sort of comment was considered blasphemy, as it was deemed to be swearing by the church. I would have set this particular dialogue between Lady Capulet and Juliet to be distant and I would have the Nurse in the background wanting to interrupt but holding back because we know that the Nurse likes to talk when the subject applies to Juliet.During this scene, when Lord Capulet i s on stage, Shakespeare shows the audience how his anger builds because Juliet does not want to marry Paris. Capulet is surprised because during Act 1, Scene 3, Juliet is open-minded about the possibility of being married off, speak briefly; can you like of Paris love? I look to like, if looking liking move. Shakespeare shows us Capulets anger by making him echo Juliets words, I thank you not, and yet not proud.' Capulet also insults Juliet because he finds it hard to understand why Juliet will not marry Paris when he truly believes it is the right thing to do, out, you green-sickness carrion! However before Lord Capulet mentions the marriage to Paris, he seems caring because he says, evermore showring? In one little body which shows that he feels sorry for her. Shakespeare also uses imagery to show sympathy, Sailing in this salt flood; the winds, thy sighsShakespeare also uses Lady Capulets line to be dramatically ironic, Capulet asks Lady Capulet if she has told Juliet about the m arriage and Lady Capulet says, Ay sir, but she will none, she gives you thanks. I would the fool were married to her grave. We realise that Lady Capulet has little sympathy for Juliet because she had to marry young, and she knows that if she argued with Capulet she would not be being loyal. As Capulets anger builds, Shakespeare shows us the full extent of his anger, my fingers inch, which suggests that he wants to hit her but doesnt, however he knows that because he is the dominant figure in the house he has the most power and so Juliet should respect it. We also realise that Lady Capulet does not speak much because she has turned her back on Juliet.In this scene, when Juliet tells her father she does not want to marry Paris, Shakespeare shows us that Capulet cannot contemplate what his daughter is saying he only wants the best for her. As an audience we realise this because he loves Juliet being his daughter and so wouldnt think of putting her out on the streets or disowning her , we know this that he has only reacted like this because he is hurt and upset. Shakespeare has shown us Capulets love for Juliet in Act 1, Scene 2. Capulet and Paris talk about a possible marriage, however Capulet does not seem sure about the idea of arranging a marriage yet for his only daughter as she is so young, and too soon marred as those so early made. Capulet, during Act 3, Scene 5 hasnt really understood what Juliet has been saying but does understand the underlying meaning, how how, how how, chopt logic?Lady Capulet does not really say anything because she knows she is supposed to be loyal to her husband and go along with what he says. (In the times that Shakespeare was writing and has set his play, the wife of the household was expected to do exactly as the man desired and if that meant not defying him and not expressing her own opinions, she would not.) However, the audience knows that Lady Capulet would not want to hurt Juliet and so must be increasingly worried. I thi nk that this should be shown on stage if Capulet is up close to Juliet when the tension builds, and Lady Capulet could pull her husband away to show that she does not want Juliet to think that she does not care and so that Lord Capulet does not hurt Juliet physically.Later on in the scene when Capulets anger builds, we hope that he doesnt mean what he says but is just hurt and angry, hang, beg, starve, die Capulet also shows his dominance and authority by putting characters in place. In the century that the play is set in, men were the most important people in the house and so they could say whatever they wanted. Capulet speaks rudely and severely to the Nurse, but is allowed to because she is a servant, hold your tongue, peace you mumbling fool.We know that Capulet reacts the way he does because he is so surprised by what Juliet thinks and how she reacts to the concept of marriage to Paris. We know that he wants what is best for Juliet and so when she refuses to marry him, Capulets first reaction is that she is defying her father, Shakespeare shows us this reaction by the anger we see on stage.Juliets reaction to the proposal of marriage is as expected, the audience realises this because she has just spent her last night, perhaps for ever, with her love and now is being forcefully asked to marry someone who she does not have any feelings for. It is quite the opposite to earlier in the play when Juliet is open-minded to the idea of marriage but her change of heart is understandable.By the end of this scene, Shakespeare shows the audience that she is decisive by the way she tricks the nurse and the rest of her family into thinking that she is going to ask Friar Laurence for forgiveness, when the audience knows that she is going to see him for advice or a potion to kill herself, Ill go to friar to know his remedy; if all else fail, myself have power to die.Juliets mother, Lady Capulet reacts in a way that makes the audience wonder if she feels anything for Julie t, Talk not to me, for Ill not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. She does not help Juliet and does not comfort her when Capulet exits. This could either be because she fears Capulet and so does not want to defy his wishes. Also Shakespeare may have wanted the audience to believe that she does not comfort Juliet because needs to convince herself, Lady Capulet was married to Capulet when she was young and so perhaps wasnt happy, maybe this means that she needs to grasp that it is happening to her daughter, Juliet.The Nurses reaction in this scene is not to be expected. She has been supportive of Romeo and Juliets love from the beginning but when Capulet puts across his point, the Nurses opinion changes. This surprises Juliet, that same tongue which hath praised him above compare so many thousand time. I think that the Nurses opinion changes because she sees Capulets reaction and is scared of his response if he found out that she went against his word, also it c ould be a practical response because the Nurse realises that Romeo and Juliets love has too high a risk and is pointless. Maybe she is also afraid of losing her job.During Act 3, thehs of major characters, Tybalt, Juliets cousin, and Mercutio, a friend of both families. We know that Romeo kills Tybalt out of anger because Tybalt kills Mercutio. This creates tension between both families, Lady Capulet wants Romeo dead and Juliet knows this, which is why she has to be careful when Romeo comes to see her. It is the Nurse that tells Juliet about Tybalts murder but still convinces Juliet to stay on Romeos side, which is why it is a surprise to Juliet when the Nurse suddenly chooses to tell Juliet to forget about Romeo. Act 3, Scene 3 is when Shakespeare shows us that Romeo does not know who to turn to for help and so seeks Friar Laurences advice, however by the end of this act it is Juliet who does not know who to turn to and so she too turns to Friar Laurence for help.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Macroeconomics Student Resource Center

Macroeconomics Student Resource Center This page contains links to the articles and links pages hosted on Economics at About.com. Most of the major topics in macroeconomics have at least one article associated with them, but this is a work in progress and more will be added every month. Most of the articles come from questions from readers, so if you would like to ask a question about macroeconomics, please use the feedback form. Be sure to also visit the Economics Glossary if youre looking for definitions, and Economics From A-to-Z for resources on other topics. The pages Macroeconomics Tips and Tricks and Macroeconomics Resources contain many links to other pages which contain macroeconomics information, so if what youre looking for is not here, Id suggest trying there. Term paper tips and topics can be found at Economics Term Paper Help. If you need practice economics questions, Test Yourself Macroeconomics (offsite) is the site to visit. Now to the resources! Business Cycles - Macroeconomics Beginners Guide to Economic Indicators and the Business CycleBusiness Cycle Links Economic Data - Macroeconomics Quarterly Economic DataImport and Exports Data Economic Growth - Macroeconomics The Effect of Income Taxes on Economic Growth Economic Indicators - Macroeconomics Beginners Guide to Economic Indicators Exchange Rates - Macroeconomics A Beginners Guide to Exchange RatesExchange Rates: What to Use as the Base?The Canadian Exchange Rate Financial Markets - Macroeconomics How Markets Use Information to Set PricesStock Market Resource CenterInsider Trading: What Did Martha Do?Interpreting The Price/Earnings RatioDo Changes in Stock Prices Cause Recessions?What Does The Value of the Dow Jones Represent?What is Arbitrage?When Stock Prices Go Down, Where Does the Money Go?Banking in IndiaFinance LinksStock Market Links Fiscal Policy The Logic of Collective Action Inflation and Deflation Cost-Push Inflation vs. Demand-Pull InflationDeflation Resource CenterWhy Dont Prices Decline During A Recession?What is Deflation and How Can It Be Prevented?Why Not Just Print More Money?Inflation Links Interest Rates The Dividend Tax Cut and Interest RatesInterest Rate Links Monetary Policy Expansionary Monetary Policy vs. Contractionary Monetary PolicyWhy Not Just Print More Money?Federal Reserve Links Money Money Resource CenterWhat Was The Gold Standard?What Is The Demand For Money?How Much Is The Per-Capita Money Supply?Why Does Money Have Value?Are Credit Cards a Form of Money?What is Arbitrage?When Stock Prices Go Down, Where Does the Money Go?Why Not Just Print More Money?Money Links Natural Resources We Will Never Run Out of OilSoftwood Lumber Dispute Resource Center Nominal and Real Variables The Difference Between Nominal and Real Recessions and Depressions Why Dont Prices Decline During A Recession?Do Changes in Stock Prices Cause Recessions?The Difference Between a Recession and a Depression Short Run vs. Long Run The Difference Between Short and Long Run Tariffs and Trade The Economic Effect of TariffsDoes Freer Trade Lead To Lower Environmental Standards?Softwood Lumber Dispute Resource CenterImport and Exports DataWhy Are Tariffs Preferable to Quotas? Taxes Fair Tax Resource CenterThe Effect of Income Taxes on Economic GrowthThe Dividend Tax Cut and Interest RatesTax Policy LinksWhy Are Tariffs Preferable to Quotas?The Economic Effect of Tariffs

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Marketing distribution management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Marketing distribution management - Essay Example Conversely, some consumers may not be willing or afford to pay the high price and therefore may purchase from a competitor. Microsoft Company utilizes value-added pricing strategy to sell its product in the market. In this perspective, the company determines the value of window operating system in determining the value to place on the product in the software market. The company sells the product at a high price because the product provides special, unique and valuable features not available in the market (Schindler  51). The strategy is the best for the company since it determines the cost of the product by what customers are willing to pay. On the other hand, the uniqueness and company’s brand name validate this pricing strategy. Traditionally, skimming and penetrating pricing approaches were used to determine the price of a new product in the market. Microsoft Company utilized the skimming pricing strategy in presenting the new window software in the market. The rationale behind this approach was to skim off the top of the market and therefore dominate (Schindler  96). On the other hand, penetrating pricing strategy involves introducing a new or innovative product at a low price in an attempt to gain a share of the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Mastering Technology- Operations and Supply chain managment Assignment

Mastering Technology- Operations and Supply chain managment - Assignment Example Best value supply chains are designed to deliver superior services to customers in terms of the five performance objectives-quality, speed, dependability, flexibility, and cost. This paper will discuss Toyota Motor Corporation’s performance in the light of these five performance objectives and assess how the application of modern techniques in operations management can support the organisation’s five performance objectives. A brief overview of the TMC Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), simply termed as Toyota, is a Japan based multinational automaker. The organisation was founded on 28th August 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda. In 2011, Toyota was the world’s third largest automobile manufacture in terms of production and the company employed 300,734 people globally as of 2010. Toyota Motor Corporation is the part of the Toyota Group and has a presence in almost all parts of the globe. Performance objectives of TMC According to Slack et al, quality, speed, dependability, fle xibility, and cost represent a basic set of five performance objectives that can be applied to all operations (Kossmann 2006, p.45). In the following session, Toyota’s performance is discussed in the light of these five performance objectives Quality Quality is the most important performance objective because it is believed to be the major factor influencing the performance of organisations. â€Å"Quality is defined as the totality of features and characteristics of a product, process or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs† (Bart 2006, p.179). It seems that TMC performs outstandingly in terms of product/service quality. From different third-party customer surveys, Toyota’s vehicles are consistently ranked on the top. In addition, Toyota’s different car models have been selected as â€Å"the car of the year† many times by third party market researches and surveys. The company has developed a series of advanced quality features to limit the emission of unpleasant and harmful fumes and to enhance passenger safety. Toyota has improved quality control and quality assurance systems that have been developed over many years (‘Toyota’s approach to quality). The company considers customer satisfaction as the core of its operations and it fosters the involvement of all employees, from ground level to top level, in quality control activities (ibid). Speed Speed or speed of response is another performance objective and is a criterion for evaluating the operational efficiency of an organisation in terms of doing things fast. In other words, speed can be defined as the time period between the order and delivery of products/services (‘process design’). Every firm tries to minimise this time period, and instead increase speed with intent to provide customers with competitive advantages. TMC has developed simple, flexible, and robust technologies to reduce complexity in its operations s o as to fasten overall supply chain activities. It is interesting to note that the Toyota maintains a high output per worker as compared to other leading multinational automakers; and at the beginning of the 21st century, Toyota Burnaston (UK plant) had achieved an

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Creative Writing Commentry Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing Commentry Essay The kite runner presents a tale of intertwined personal conflicts and tragedies, its a compelling novel set in 1970s Afghanistan, revolving around a tragic incident that allows Hosseini to examine themes of loyalty and betrayal, revealing its significant flaws in 1970s Afghan society. This capturing plot is what attracted me to use The Kite Runner as my stimulus text as it presented me with an opportunity to explore the themes of loyalty and betrayal whilst adding a modern twist to it. For my creative piece I decided to compose a short monologue of a friend witnessing his life long companion being a victim of knife crime, this short monologue mirrors that of Amirs thoughts during the scene in the kite runner whilst his half-brother Hassan is being raped by another boy from the neighbourhood. From this monologue it is clear I have specifically formed it by taking certain aspects from the rape scene of the kite runner and also empowered another aspect from the kite runner by utilising the theme of betrayal and also considering the historical context of the novel as it was set at a time of conflict in Afghan community during the 1970s therefore by modernising it so it relates to the social context of today, as knife crime is almost a daily, fashionable occurrence in modern society, just like conflicts between the Pashtuns and Hazaras were during 1970s Afghanistan. The title Loyalty Juxtaposes the actual monologue as it portrays an act of disloyalty, and in a sense betrayal. This was done to make the reader think back to the title after reading it as the plot of the monologue is likely to have been a contrast of their assumptions before they actually read it, this also adds a sense of ambiguity and leaves the reader to speculate or predict what may have happened next as I purposely did not make it clear what the narrator does after Jamals final words, does he in fact empower the title by then pursuing his murderer? This is a question that is likely to linger in the readers thoughts. My title has a similar effect to that of Khaled Hosseinis novel, as the title The Kite Runner is one which immediately create assumptions about a story which portrays freedom and unity, however just like my monologue, the novel juxtaposes its title as the story is based around oppression in Afghan society and intra-conflicts between a religion . Like Khaled Hosseini, I employed the use of short and single word sentences in the build up to my climax to create a sense of anticipation just before one of the main characters Jamal is stabbed Jamals filled with panic. Confusion. Regret. This is also done in kite runner towards the rape sceneHe unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan Didnt struggle. This was done as It creates a hostile environment, reinforcing the readers belief that something dramatic is inevitable. Another technique I have adopted from Khaled Hosseini is his use of flashbacks to provide the reader with information of the two boys relationship before this tragic night, this is effective as it allows them to understand why this young boys thoughts are filled with such hatred and hostility towards himself for not helping his dying friend. Furthermore I attempted to employed Hosseinis use of imagery effectively in my Creative piece, this is shown through my description of the scenes prior to the knife incident Jamal still lay on the ground dampened by the slight drizzle of rain. Stationary. His blood slowly dripping from his jacket to the ground landing into the pool of water, diluting it. This is similar to the way Hosseini approaches the climactic scene of his novel when he describes the alley in which Hassan is raped A havoc of scrap and rubble littered the alley. Worn bicycle tires, bottles with peeled labels, ripped up magazines, yellow newspapers, all scattered amid a pile of bricks and slabs of cements. Another technique of Hosseinis that I attempted to replicate was the way in which he structured The Kite Runner, many critics have suggested that Hosseini develops a structure in the novel where he is able to set up expectations at the beginning of the novel, then turn these expectations into a reality by the end. I have attempted this by incorporating flashbacks into my first paragraph making it appear as something dramatic is going to occur in the next paragraph, whilst Hosseini employs flashbacks also to represent the fact that the key character Amir will be forced to rectify these early experiences to salvage what is remaining of his guilty conscious. I also incorporated a similar sentence structure in my piece utilising short sentences and pauses. Overall I have tried to replicate certain aspects from my stimulus text The Kite Runner, mainly those involving form structure, the key themes and also the significance of the title and flashbacks, the historical and social context of the novel, the use of imagery, juxtaposition of the themes as loyalty and betrayal are almost opposites of each other. I believe I have been successful in achieving most of these factors as the majority are included in my creative peice.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Burning Intellect in Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

A Burning Intellect in Fahrenheit 451 In the 1950 novel Fahrenheit 451, AUTHOR Ray Bradbury presents the now familiar images of mind controlING worlds. People now live in a world where they are blinded from the truth of the present and the past. The novel is set in the, perhaps near, future where the world is AT war, and firemen set fires instead of putting them out. Books and written knowledge ARE banned from the people, and it is the firemen's job to burn books. Firemen are the policemen of THE FUTURE. Some people have rebelled by hiding books, but have not been very successful. Most people have conformed to THE FUTURE world. Guy Montag, a fireman, is a part of the majority who have conformed. BUT throughout the novel Montag goes through a transformation, where he changes from a Conformist to a Revolutionary. Guy Montag has never questioned his job before the day he met Clarisse McClellan. FOR ONCE Montag is confronted with the idea that, he does NOT understand the whole truth about books.<WHAT DO YOU MEAN?> Montag meets Clarisse one day, as he is walking home from work, and they BEGIN A conversation. During their conversation Montag is questioned why books are illegal and why firemen burn the books. CLARISSE also asks him if he had ever read any of the books that he burned. His reply was that it is against the law. Clarisse even asks, "... long ago [did] firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?"(Fahrenheit 451, page 38) Montag replies by telling her that that is nonsense, and that "Houses have always been fireproof,..."(Fahrenheit 451, page 38) Here you can see how brainwashed and blinded the truth is for the people. Clarisse says good night to Montag, and right before she leaves she asks him, "Are you happy?"(Fahrenheit 451, page39) Before Montag can rep ly Clarisse is gone, and she leaves Montag pondering her question. As he tells himself that her question was nonsense, he starts to realize that he is not happy with his life. Someone else who changed Montag's thinking, changed it by their actions not by tell him anything.<YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN MORE SO THE READER KNOWS WHAT YOU MEAN.> One day the firemen got a call with an address of someone who was hiding books. The firemen, doing their job like always, went to the house to find the books and burn them.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Fredric Jameson and the No Wave Art Movement Essay

In postmodern art, history is self-consciously reappropriated and re-fashioned into new forms. Postmodern art, Jameson argues, was a logical outcome of late-capitalism, which in its late stage has allowed society to abolish the distinction between high culture and mass culture, producing a culture of degradation. This was first taken up as an aesthetic by Andy Warhol. In the text, Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990, Adamson and Pavitt note that Jameson, â€Å"found Warhol’s glittering series Diamond Dust Shoes to be particularly unnerving because of its incorporation of ommodity culture† (70). Art, according to both Warhol and Jameson is above all, a commodity, something to be bought and sold. Warhol’s work illustrates Jameson’s contention that, â€Å"Aesthetic production today has become integrated into commodity production† (4). This conflation of art and commodity creates a field of cultural production that is incapable of depth and v aluable social critique. According to Jameson, the abstract aesthetic of modernism was an expression of the new social forms of abstraction specif ic to capitalism. In modernism, the universalization of the money-form manifests as a range of social abstractions including, for example, society’s dominant â€Å"way of seeing† and representing the world aesthetically. In the age of global capitalism, the utopian sublime of modernism, to which Jameson referred, has disappeared, and has been replaced by the postmodern cultural logic of consumption. With the universalization of capitalism, the distinction between culture and economics has collapsed. In postmodernism everything, including art and culture, is subject to the logic of commodif ication. In the text, The Cultural Turn, Jameson submits that postmodernity â€Å"makes the cultural economic at the same time that it turns the economic into so many forms of culture† (81). This essay submits that the No Wave art movement that occurred between 1974 – 1984 in New York’s Lower East Side is indeed postmodern, by Jameson’s standards, and yet resists this conflation of art and commodity that Jameson maintains is characteristic of this paradigm. Jameson’s text, Postmodernism, suggests that with art’s entry into the commodity sphere art becomes propelled not by ideas but by money (Adamson et. al, 70). John N. Duvall is critical of Jameson’s linkage between culture and commodif ication in the postmodern context. Duvall writes in his text, Troping History, â€Å"It is precisely change that, for Jameson, can no longer be imagined in postmodernism, since aesthetic production has been subsumed by commodity production, thus emptying the modernist aesthetic of affect and hence of political effect† (4). Jameson’s characterization of postmodern art as enveloped in commodif ication overlooks art produced during this period that consciously existed outside the margins of the art market and acted as a resistance to the conditions of a commodif ied artistic arena. As alluded to by Duvall in the previous quotation, Jameson does not account for the possibility of political art production in postmoderism. As Perry Anderson notes, â€Å"by the positioning of the postmodern between aesthetics and economics,† Jameson omits, â€Å"a sense of culture as a battlefield, that divides protagonists. That is the plane of politics understood as a space in its own right† (18). As Marvin J. Taylor describes, â€Å"Downtown artists were profoundly aware of the failure of modernist revolutions, but were unwilling to abandon the possibility of a better world† (22) 1. It is precisely this urge for a better world that Jameson contends is an impossibility in the context of late-capitalism, and absent from postmodern art production. To classify the No Wave Art Movement as postmodern requires a working definition of this cultural epoch. The postmodern paradigm is commonly associated with a range of aesthetic practices, involving irony, parody, self-consciousness, fragmentation, playful selfreflexivity and parataxis (Waugh, 325). Characterized largely by the qualities of appropriation and simulation many postmodern artists addressed mass media and commodif ication in their 1 The terms â€Å"No Wave† and â€Å"Downtown scene† are used synonymously in essays that describe movement. So too are these terms used interchangeably in this essay. work, including those artists in the No Wave Movement, specif ically Barabara Kruger, who came out of this movement and whom we look to specif ically at the end of this paper. As Glen Ward notes in his description of the chronology of postmodernism, â€Å"More complex ideas about postmodernism quickly infiltrated the art world. Next to painting, photography and media-based work regained the limelight in the mid-1980s by seeming to provide a more obviously political postmodernism† (41). Rather than being incorporated into the late-capitalist system some theorists argue that postmodern art is a response to capitalist corruption, voicing an opposition to the world of commodities rather than becoming entrenched in it. There is no shortage of theorists and critics who have characterized the No Wave Art movement within the postmodern paradigm. As Carlo Mccormick describes in his essay, A Crack in Time, which appears in The Downtown Book, â€Å"†¦ etween 1974 and 1984 in Downtown Manhattan occurred the true postmodern moment: a time when modernism was most certainly dead and, unmoored from its schematics, creativity was based on flux, uncertainty, and searching† (71). The No Wave Art movement can be characterized by several recurrent postmodern themes including notions of authenticity; the Downto wn scene questioned the function of terms like authorship, originality, appropriation and tied them to the transgressive practices of theft, piracy and plagiarism. The second recurrent theme explored in the No Wave scene included performativity; challenging notions of representation in an environment of fragmented and multiple identities. Thirdly, the No Wave art scene is inextricably linked to its politics. As Taylor describes, Downtown art was activist and aggressive. Work was informed by the feminist movement, queer activism, AIDs, and poverty in postwar United States. As an expression of these politics, the No Wave Movement sought to criticize notions of institutional accreditation. This included an exploration of power structures, including the role of education, technical skills and technique. In her description of the Downtown Scene Gumpbert writes, â€Å"What so many Downtown artists of this era did share is that they conceived their work as alternative, if not outright subversive, vis-a-vis traditional curatorial and exhibition practices. Incorrigibly and resolutely defiant, Downtown artists interrogated systems of accreditation, broke down generic disciplines, and directly engaged with political issues† (14). Artists of the No Wave Art scene engaged with the political issues that plagued New York City at the time. This signif ies a potent antithesis to Jameson’s notion of postmodern art as vacuous and incapable of politicization. Taylor writes, â€Å"Suspicious of easy assimilation into the traditional Uptown art scene, Downtown artists mounted a full-scale assault on the structures of society that had led to grinding poverty, homelessness, the Vietnam War, nuclear power, misogyny, racism homophobia and a host of other social problems† (22). As an aesthetic movement the No Wave Art scene stood as a highly politicized rejection of the evolution of art as commodity. It was also a domain of extreme artistic production, â€Å"â€Å"From graffiti art to appropriation to Neo-Geo, virtually every major development in American art during that period seems to have originated in one or more of the mostly small, mostly storefront spaces that sprang up in the contested urban zones that characterized a neighbourhood in the early stages of transition from slum to middle-class playground† (Gumpert, 84). The scene existed actively outside the art market, residing largely in â€Å"informal alternative spaces† (Gumpert, 13). As an expression of an alternative antiestablishment attitude much of the work produced at this time took the form of graffiti art or performance art. According to Gumpert, â€Å"Artists, took to the streets in the late 1970s† (11). Notable artists of this time include, the graffiti works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Herrings works in the city’s subway platforms and on sidewalks and Richard Hambleton, whose work appeared in poorly lit downtown alleys and construction sites (11). The No Wave movement was also composed of a subcultural punk scene, a host of postmodern writers and experimental filmmakers and video artists. Most famously perhaps was the Times Square Show, that took place in 1980 in an empty massage parlour, with works from more than a hundred artists. These examples demonstrate the desire of many of the artists in the No Wave art movement to â€Å"breakout of the framework of the established art world† (11). The work that is categorized as No Wave was characterized by a certain ephemerality, which allowed the artists and their works to resist the constraints of the commercial market. This offers a critique of Jameson’s assumption that art produced in the postmodern paradigm is inextricably linked with an economic motivation. As Gumpert explains in the forward for the text, The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene 1974 – 1984, A majority of the works [shown in these spaces] were process oriented and situationally specif ic, involving a relationship between materials, concepts, actions and locations. They were sometimes spontaneous, improvisational, open-ended, and often collaborative. The works existed within a given time and then ceased to exist. As a result much of this work was labeled ephemeral, the intent being to create an experience rather than a product, and new terms were devised to describe it, such as installation and performance†¦ During this period†¦ artists out of necessity created and took control of their own contexts (10) In order to preserve much of the ephemeral work produced between 1974 – 1984 in New York, it was archived and documented in photographs, notes, and films. Irving Sandler accounts for the motives behind documentation in the No Wave art scene, â€Å"[they’re] sympathies were countercultural, they believed that the documentation of a work was not art and thus not salable. They had turned to process art†¦ installation art, body art, and conceptual art because they did not want to create art commodities. Many also believed†¦ that their refusal to produce salable objects would subvert the art market† (24). This demonstrates a anti-market sentiment in the production of postmodern No Wave art. Jameson does not account for this type of art production in the theories that he forwards in his text, Postmodernism. Writing about the No Wave literature, Robert Siegle identif ies a central insurgency against established structures of culture that existed in New York at that time. He wrote, â€Å"It is, then, an insurgency, but not one that expects to break free of some kind of specif ic corrupt institution. It is an insurgency against the silence of institutions, the muteness of the ideology of form, the unspoken violence of normalization† (4). Siegle describes No Wave writing as quintessentially postmodern in its approach to the â€Å"silence of institutions† and to the â€Å"position of the speaking subject†. Rather than attempting to overthrow institutions, No Wave literature, according to Siegle, is premised on the attempt to understand how the discourse of institutions constructs who we are, thereby using that knowledge to problematize cultural discourse. Although in his text, Suburban Ambush: Downtown Writing and the Fiction of Insurgency, Siegle speaks specif ically of writing, this assessment applies equally to all artists in the No Wave scene. Through the deployment of the postmodern techniques that Jameson describes, artwork in the No Wave context, was far from the depthless commodity that Jameson imagined. It was rather highly political, productive and subversive. In his text, Postmodernism and Consumer Society, Jameson furthers his claims that in postmodernism expressive depth is replaced by an aesthetic superficiality in a phenomenon that he describes as â€Å"the waning of affect†. This â€Å"waning† is directly associated to a diminished political imagination. Jameson uses a comparison of the work of painter Edvard Munch and Andy Warhol to evidence this modern to postmodern shift. He contends that in postmodernism historical depth is replaced by nostalgia. Simultaneously, parody is replaced by pastiche, and an art of surface and loss is substituted for a history which â€Å"remains forever out of reach† (198). Jameson feels, â€Å"it is no longer clear what artists and writers of the present period are supposed to be doing† (196). This invoking of nostalgia and pastiche creates a condition in which artists can only comment upon or reproduce past art. This is articulated with Jameson’s description of postmodern art practice as being characterized by â€Å"the failure of the new, the imprisonment in the past† (196). In, The Postmodern Turn, Kellner and Best describe Jameson’s theory noting, â€Å"Coolness, blankness, and apathy become new moods for the decelerating, recessionary postmodern condition in an age of downsizing and diminishing expectations† (134). Jameson seems to articulate his own failings in his description of postmodern art. He admits that he is confounded by the postmodern and political work of Hans Haacke who questioned the institution and capitalism through his postmodern art installations. Of Hacke, Jameson writes, â€Å"The case of Haacke poses, however, a†¦ problem, for his is a kind of cultural production which is clearly postmodern and equally clearly political and oppositional – something that does not compute within the paradigm and does not seem to have been theoretically foreseen by it† (159). The No Wave art movement equally confounds Jameson’s theory towards a postmodern art that is bound by a sense of complicity. Much critique has been garnered by Jameson’s position on the art of the postmodern. Theorist Linda Hutcheon is critical of Jameson’s positioning of pastiche as a baseless technique, But the looking to both the aesthetic and the historical past in postmodernist architecture is anything but what Jameson describes as pastiche, that is â€Å"the random cannibalization of all the styles of the past, the play of random stylistic allusion. † There is absolutely nothing random or â€Å"without principle† in the parodic recall and re-examination of the past†¦ To include irony and play is never necessarily to exclude seriousness of purpose in post-modernist art. To misunderstand this is to misunderstand the nature of much contemporary aesthetic production – even if it does make for neater theorizing. (26 -27) Downtown artists actively sought to address this issue of art production within a capitalist system. Their work is characterized by a postmodern multiplicity. In his essay on the Downtown scene, Siegle notes, Far from being defeated by contradictions, these postmoderns take form it the cue for an alternative logic. Far from being rendered hopeless by the seemingly inevitable drift of (inter)national politics, they borrow form disinformation the ironic habitation of familiar forms for cross-purposes. Far from being paralyzed by the anxiety of past masters’ influence, they appropriate them for commentary on classic motifs (such as mastery, originality, autonomy, representation) and art-world structures (such as publishing houses, galleries, museums, and criticism). Far from feeling compromised by the investment economics of art, they turn the art market into a microcosm of consumer capitalism and subvert its operations. 10) No Wave artists, though they invoked themes of capitalism, were in fact openly critical of it. They did not create art with the intention of financial gain. Taylor presents Bourdieu’s theory on cultural capital to elucidate the artistic practices of those in the No Wave art scene and their pursuit for symbolic capital rather than economic. He writes, â€Å"If th e whole field of cultural production could be thought of as all those artists, poets, musicians, editors, publishers, critics, performers†¦ hen there could be subsets of this group who did not all conform to the desire for economic capital, but rather, and mostly because their work was experimental, sought â€Å"symbolic capital† from their peers† (31). Jameson argued that postmodernism marks the final and complete incorporation of culture into the commodity system. This integration The No Wave art scene, in fact, actively critiqued this condition. Though the No Wave Art movement occurred under the conditions of late-capitalism, the work produced during this period does not embody this notion of depthless commodity Jameson maintains is the primary characteristic of postmodern art. Barbara Kruger is an example of a No Wave artist whose work engages with themes of the media and the market while being simultaneously postmodern, anti-capitalist, and political. Kruger’s work, particularly her piece, Untitled, (When I hear the word culture I take out my cheque-book), serves as a response to the commodity culture postmodernism is so entrenched in. This work directly addresses Jameson’s concern that postmodern art is incapable of an authentic engagement with politicization. Kruger evokes many postmodern themes in her work yet avoids the non-criticality of commodif ied art practice that Jameson forwards. Kruger invokes the postmodern technique of pastiche recombining previously articulated styles while actively producing new meanings through this act re-appropriation. For Jameson, â€Å"Pastiche is a recycling of the past without the critical edge of satire or the subversive role of parody; it is a gesture to the past in a mediasaturated culture that lives in a perpetual present† (Murphie, Potts, Macmillan, 58). Where Jameson forwarded the notion that pastiche was merely â€Å"blank parody† (184) Kruger enacts pastiche as a meaningful technique. As noted in Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 – 1990, â€Å"She managed to break the conceptual barrier between art and mass media by selecting images from magazines from the 40s and 50s. Choosing them based on their poses and presenting phrases over them†¦ Stereotypes were thus turned into the vehicle for delivery of a totally different message† (368). Some of the postmodern themes deployed by Kruger include, the questioning of meta-narrative tructures, highlighting the decentred nature of contemporary culture, and the divorcing of sign and signif ier. In her work Kruger operates within the language and iconic system of consumer culture while offering a critique of those very conditions. As outlined in this essay Jameson’s theory of the cultural logic of late-capitalism fails to identify the critical aspect th at characterized much of the work produced under the conditions of postmodernism. This is specif ically demonstrated through the work of No Wave artists operating out of New york in the 1970s and 80s. While invoking the aesthetic themes common to postmodernism the work produced in the No Wave scene was highly political and did not act as a static representation of commodif ied art culture. The work of Barbara Kruger specif ically dealt with the concern of art as existing in a commodif ied global economy rather than simply falling victim to it. It was in fact the movement’s shift towards commodity that marked the No Wave’s scene’s decline. The year 1984 is signif icant to this movement’s trajectory. In his essay entitled, Playing the Field: The Downtown Scene and Cultural Production, An Introduction Marvin J. Taylor writes, â€Å"By 1984 the larger art world had encroached on the scene. That same year Mary Boone displayed and began to sell Basquiat’s paintings for up to $20, 000†¦ The major art journals, galleries, and auction houses had co-opted the restricted field of Downtown art, creating superstars and an influx of economic capital that would eventually overtake the symbolic capital† (36). It was exactly this move into the realm of the market that ended the production of postmodern art within the Downtown scene. Postmodern artists active in the No Wave art movement Jameson’s proposition that art made under postmodern conditions is incapable of exacting a political message. Works Cited: Adamson, Glenn, Jane Pavitt, and Paola Antonelli. Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990. London: V&A Pub. , 2011. Bertens, Hans. The Idea of Postmodernism: A History. London: Routledge, 1995. Cameron, Dan. East Village USA. New York: New Museum of Contemporary Art, 2004. Duvall, John N. Productive Postmodernism: Consuming Histories and Cultural Studies. Albany: State University of New York, 2002. Hager, Steven. Art after Midnight: The East Village Scene. New York: St. Martin’s, 1986. Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. New York: Routledge, 1988. Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism, Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham: Duke UP, 1991. Jameson, Fredric. The Cultural Turn: Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London: Verso, 1998. Kellner, Douglas, and Sean Homer. Fredric Jameson: A Critical Reader. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Murphie, Andrew, and John Potts. Culture and Technology. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Perry Anderson. The Origins of Postmodernity. London: Verso, 1998. Sandler, Irving. Art of the Postmodern Era: From the Late 1960s to the Early 1990s. New York: Icon Editions, 1996 Siegle, Robert. Suburban Ambush: Downtown Writing and the Fiction of Insurgency. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989. Taylor, Marvin J. The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene, 1974-1984. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2006. Ward, Glenn. Postmodernism. Chicago: Contemporary, 2003. Print. Wheale, Nigel. The Postmodern Arts: An Introductory Reader. London: Routledge, 1995.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Birdsong: Man and Stephen

Birdsong Essay Sebastian Faulks shows us many horrors of World War One by using language and structure of the novel. For example this shows the imagery of the horrors of war at the hospital when Stephen got injured and what happened with the boy. Faulks starts of with Stephen Wraysford and how he is coming back to life but with pain. His pain is nothing compared to the man next to him, the man apparently could â€Å"visualize the pain† also its says he could see it hovering over him this I think could relate to two thing either his pain or the mans spirit. Faulks describes the imagery for us how bad it is- â€Å"His body decomposing as he lay there, like those that hung on the wire going from red to black before they crumbled into the earth leaving only septic spores†- this shows us the horrors of what war does to people. Also Faulks uses this one man to describe the many other men that go through this in the war. Faulks uses descriptive language and we can visualise the boy when â€Å"His mouth was pulled open and his neck were stretched† and also â€Å"The skin of his cheeks and forehead was marked with bluish-violet patches. His eyes were oozing, as though with acute conjunctives†- shows us the graphic imagery of the boys eyes. Stephen tells us in about this boy, not knowing who he is and having no relation to Stephen at all this shows that Stephen has sympathy and thoughts about what these soldiers go through I think he is comparing on how lucky he is that his pain was very minor to the ones that other people s uffer. Stephen describes the boy’s body â€Å"The soft skin on the armpits and inner thighs was covered in huge, raw blisters†. Makes the reader visualise and actually see what Stephen is seeing. On page 187 it tells us that the boys voice came back to Stephen and â€Å"He begged to die†- this shows us the effect on how the damage and the pain that the boy actually must be going through. Faulks also shows us how hard the nurses job is and how her love can take over her job† Impotently, she held both her arms wide in a gesture of motherly love, as this would comfort him. † Stephen hopes that the boy would die soon, it is all so reverse he should be praying for him to live soon, but seeing and hearing the agony the boy is going through death would be more peaceful. On page 188 Faulks describes the boy the last time before he dies and we can see and imagine how his condition would be like for example-â€Å"He lay motion-less, trailing his raw skin. His infected lungs began to burble and froth with yellow fluid† Faulks shows Stephen with no emotion or sympathy for the boy no remorse â€Å"Stephen prayed that the boy would die† the nurse was the opposite to what he was like she was â€Å"pale, shocked, then burst into shuddering tears. She has sympathy for the boy and some feeling of lost. The next horror incident is when they go over the top to attack and Faulks uses emotional horror in the letters when they write back home. Faulks shows in Michael Wiers letter is formal like he says â€Å"Don’t worry about me, please. It is warm enough. †-shows he is covering up reality and not showing or telling the real truth because even if he does they would be able to understand it. And he says that â€Å"May your prayers be with the men who will go over the top†- shows respect and feelings to all the other soldiers. Stephens letter to Isabelle shows how lonely he is and what he has experienced

Thursday, November 7, 2019

In Regards To

In Regards To In Regards To In Regards To By Maeve Maddox A web search for â€Å"in regards to† brings up 680 million links, thousands of which lead to articles telling readers that â€Å"in regards to† is nonstandard English. Apparently quite a few English speakers have managed to avoid reading any of them. Nonstandard â€Å"in regards to† continues to spread, and not just on blogs and in comments written by the educationally challenged. Here are some examples from sites that aspire to some sort of professional expertise: Elasticity of Ridership In Regards to Transit Fare and Service Changes headline over an About.com article ICA President McLean Changes Tune in Regards to CCE headline at The Chronicle of Chiropractic Nitrogen Inversion in regards to Stereochemistry title of study guide at ucla.edu McDonalds in regards to globalization and business change title of an essay offered at a UK site The phrase â€Å"in regard to† means â€Å"about, regarding, concerning.† Speakers who put an â€Å"s† on regard in â€Å"in regard to† and â€Å"with regard to† are perhaps confusing these phrases with â€Å"as regards†: As regards your question concerning the membership of the Universal House BBC policy as regards interviewers/journalists and their relationship with government officials In the expressions â€Å"in regard to† and â€Å"with regard to,† regard is a noun; in the expression â€Å"as regards,† regards is a verb. The noun regard does take the plural in certain other idioms. For example, Give my regards to your parents. Best regards, Sam Speakers who find it difficult to remember to omit the â€Å"s† can avoid nonstandard â€Å"in regards to† and â€Å"with regards to† by using regarding in their place. Related post: In Regard to Your Letter Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?Used To vs. Use ToHow to Punctuate Introductory Phrases

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Definition and Examples of a Writer

Definition and Examples of a Writer A writer is: (a) a person who writes (articles, stories, books, etc.); (b) an author: a person who writes professionally. In the words of author and editor Sol Stein, A writer is someone who cannot not write. Etymology:  From an Indo-European root, to cut, scratch, sketch an outline Examples and Observations Everyone is a writer. You are a writer. All over the world, in every culture, human beings have carved into stone, written on parchment, birch bark, or scraps of paper, and sealed into letterstheir words. Those who do not not write stories and poems on solid surfaces tell them, sing them, and, in so doing, write them on the air. Creating with words is our continuing passion.(Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and With Others. Oxford University Press, 2003)A writer is someone who writes, its true, but a writer is also someone with a large capacity for adversity. Youll want to cultivate that capacity. Stamina is a writers first quality.(Bill Roorbach, Writing Life Stories. Writers Digest, 2000)We all know its hard work. Nobody asked any one of us to become a writer. No one will care if you dont become one.No one but you, that is.(George V. Higgins, On Writing. Henry Holt, 1990)Writers are sentenced to their sentences, which sometimes set them free.(Adam Gopnik, As Big as the Ritz. The New Yo rker, September 22, 2014) Gushers and TricklersIn regard to the work habits of professional authors, Robertson Davies insisted that there are just two kinds of writers, gushers and tricklers. Take a moment to consider which category you fall into.[James] Thurber  was a gusher; for one story which was 20,000 words when finished, he wrote a total of 240,000, and fifteen different versions. It is interesting that the torrential Thurber is the one who talked most about that dread of all writers - drying up. . . . Frank OConnor was also a gusher; he rewrote some of his stories even after they had been published.The tricklers may be represented by William Styron, who says: I cant turn out slews of stuff each day. I wish I could. I seem to have some neurotic need to perfect each paragrapheach sentence, evenas I go along.  Dorothy Parker, also a trickler, said: I cant write five words but I change seven!The industry of the gushers commands respect; Joyce Cary, Frank OConnor, and  [Truman] Capotewe see them writ ing and  revising, rejecting pages by the handful, and finally piecing their work together from the mass. But the tricklers have an agony of their own; they cannot continue until the last line written is as right as they can make it. Both methods seem to take about an equal amount of time.(Robertson Davies,   A Voice from the Attic: Essays on the Art of Reading, rev. ed. Penguin, 1990) A Writing ExerciseBefore you begin writing about your life, I want you to think about how you feel about writing. We all have our personal mythology of what a writer is and does. I want you to write for fifteen minutes to complete the following sentence: A writer is someone who _______.Write for fifteen minutes without stopping, letting yourself explore the possibilities. Let go of all your inhibitions and enjoy yourself. Remember to be honest. When you are finished, take a look at what you have written. Did anything surprise you?If you are working with a partner, take turns reading what each of you has written and discuss the work.(Janet Lynn Roseman, The Way of the Woman Writer, 2nd ed. Haworth, 2003)Writers WriteIf you simply define a writer as someone who is writing, clarity sets in. Youre truly a writer when youre writing; and if you dont write regularly, dont pretend to give yourself that title. Start writing more, Ray Bradbury tells would-be writers at conferences, itll get ri d of all those moods youre having.(Kenneth John Atchity, A Writers Time: Making the Time to Write, rev. ed. W.W. Norton, 1995) You Are a WriterA writer is a writer. You care about writing. It isnt men or women. . . . You sit down, you write, you are not a woman, or an Italian. You are a writer.(Natalia Ginzburg, interviewed by Mary Gordon, Surviving History. The New York Times Magazine, Marc. 25, 1990)What Is a Writer Like?- A writer is like a bean plant: he has his little day, and then gets stringy.(attributed to E.B. White)- Being a writer is like being one of those riskily overbred pedigree dogsa French bulldog, for instancepoorly suited for survival despite their very special attributes. Being a writer is in defiance of Darwins observation that the more highly specialized a species, the more likelihood of extinction.(Joyce Carol Oates, A Widows Story: A Memoir. HarperCollins, 2011)- A writer is like a Gypsy. He owes no allegiance to any government. If he is a good writer he will never like the government he lives under. His hand should be against it and its hand will always be against him.(Ernest Hemingw ay, letter to Ivan Kashkin, Aug. 19, 1935)- Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.(attributed to Lawrence Kasdan) The Downside of Being a WriterYou may have gathered from all this that I am not encouraging people to try to be writers. Well, I cant. You hate to see a nice young person run up to the edge of the cliff and jump off, you know. On the other hand, it is awfully nice to know that some other people are just as nutty and just as determined to jump off the cliff as you are. You just hope they realize what theyre in for.(Ursula K. Le Guin, The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction, ed. by Susan Wood. Ultramarine, 1980)On the whole, professional writers are a lot of whining bastards who wouldnt last a day in a real job. . . . The true mortification of being a writer is having to meet other writers from time to time, and listen to their mundane egotistical rantings.(Duncan McLean, quoted by Jim Fisher in The Writers Quotebook: 500 Authors on Creativity, Craft, and the Writing Life. Rutgers University Press, 2006) Pronunciation: RI-ter Writers on Writing Toni Morrison on WritingWhy Do Writers Write?​Writers on Writing: E.B. WhiteWriters on Writing: Overcoming Writers BlockWriters on Rewriting Also see: WritingCollaborative WritingCompositionWriters BlockWriting CenterWriting GroupWriting Process

Saturday, November 2, 2019

ENVIORNMENTAL REGULATIONS Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ENVIORNMENTAL REGULATIONS - Coursework Example The absence of minimum wage rate in Singapore is a matter of concern especially for migrant workers. Due to increasing problems of environmental pollution caused by several industries and by industrialization policies pursued since the late 1960s, Malaysia developed its first framework environmental legislation called the Environmental Quality Act 1974. During the start of its life, the act took major steps to curb the ever increasing pollution in the country and it was not until 1987 that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures were introduced to undertake preventative measures as well. Section 34A of the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 1985 makes it obligatory for anyone who wishes to undertake some activity to conduct a study to weigh the environmental impacts that the activity will have and the measures to be undertaken. The Malaysian EIA procedures are comparable to the National Environmental Policy Act 1969 (NEPA) model of the USA (Memon, n.d.). The number of environmental laws has grown rapidly and may be sufficient in number but not in quality. These laws have been unable to curb the ever increasing pollution in Malaysia. One of the reasons is that the legislation was mainly passed to cover and address situations as they arose with time, not to address the core environmental issues. There are also a significant number of breaches of environmental law but enforcement action is extremely low: to date only 5 cases are reported in the law reports of Malaysia under the heading of environmental law (Bt. Maidin, 2005). Singapore’s environmental issues are typical of an urbanized city. The issues relate to pollution from industrialization and urbanization and the protection of nature areas. The overall environmental management lies with the Ministry of Environment (ENV) established in 1970 which has become a full-fledged ministry and is responsible for a number of areas such as providing infrastructure for waste management, and