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“Ant Farm” and “Running Out of Choices” express two distinct ideas. The first is how experience, knowledge, and instinct can influence our actions or view of things. The second is that a life with restriction may be more satisfying than the burden of choice. When juxtaposed, the poems can work together to provide a fuller message. However, the poems deliver their messages differently. “Running Out of Choices” uses a series of events and memories in a traditional poetic structure, while “Ant Farm” uses paradoxes and images in a structure resembling prose. Though the poems’ styles are different, they share a few themes: religion, a fascination with cruelty, the female reproductive experience, insignificance of life, and a return to early memories.

“Running Out of Choices” is more approachable than “Ant Farm”. It is divided into stanzas of reasonable length, each investigating a distinct memory. The first stanza describes the speaker’s first impression of hearing news from foreign media. The second discusses how the speaker cannot mention another country without thinking about its involvement in the wars that have plagued history. The third is about how talk of Mississippi resurrects the story of Medgar Evers’ murder, and so on and so forth. In spite of its seeming space gaps, “Ant Farm” is structured more like prose, containing a few dense stanzas. It contains unimpressive line breaks, whose sole purpose seems to be to categorize the poem as poetry rather than prose. The first stanza discusses the speaker’s recollection of drowning an ant hill, which ends with “I didn’t know ther’d be few/ [new stanza] survivors; I expected in…” (T.H. p.21). Some may find that this line break does not add any value to the poem and may cause unnecessary confusion. Moreover, the text of the poem itself is very complex. Its difficulty is apparent in “meat’s indigestible until the fontanels / seal fate.” (T.H. p.21) compared to the more straightforward text in “Running Out of Choices”, “I cannot even say Mississippi because someone might recall / that Medgar Evers was murdered there.” (p. P.B. p.17). Though the poems’ are aesthetically different, that does not necessarily make the messages of poem harder to juxtapose.

However, the poem’s different approaches can make them seem disconnected. “Running Out of Choices” uses an extensive series of memories and events to provide substantial evidence and insight into the message of the poem. “Ant Farm” analyzes ant life while using seemingly intangible images and paradoxes to spark thought in the reader. In “Running Out of Choices,” each stanza explores a location with which the speaker has an associated memory. When the speaker mentions “Los Angeles, city of mercy, city of angels”, a disturbing memory associated with the location comes to mind: Marvin Gaye Sr. killing his son. Nearly all the stanzas follow this pattern. The plot of “Ant Farm” begins with a story of the speaker drowning an ant hill and continues on to describe what life is like for the ants. The story of the ants is connected with human themes. When the speaker says “trophallaxis keeps ants going, reciprocal feeding, exchange of chemical / stimulation, workers (wingless, infertile females denied or uninterested in sex) tend / the young, feeding them honeydew from raids on aphids” (T.H. p.22), the feeding practices of ants are analogically connected with human themes of care and nourishment. But “Ant Farm” also makes use of seemingly contradictory statements like “stamina a backbone obfuscates”, paradoxical images such as a monstrous view of a baby fetus and a flower, as well as erotic themes when the poem uses words like mate, stimulation, spike, tunnel, lips ,secrete, and pleasure.

The poems have very different styles and approaches, but their contents are not entirely disconnected; some themes are mirrored in both poems. A few examples of the female reproductive experience exists in “Ant Farm”, as the nourishment the worker ants give the young and the women in the park who have babies to nurse. In “Running Out of Choices”, the speaker recalls an abortion she had in New York and the nature of her mischievous child. Both poems make use of religious experiences. “Ant Farm” refers to “touching God” and “his misery”, and “Running Out of Choices” describes “Christians fed to lions” and the traditional consumption of the blood and body of Jesus. There is also a universal fascination with cruelty in both poems as “Running Out of Choices” refers to rape, death, and dishonesty, while “Ant Farm” is gritty enough to describe an ant infected with a fungus exploding into spores. In both poems, the speaker returns to her early memories in a cyclical manner. In "Ant Farm”, it is the eventual annihilation of the ants, a childhood memory, in the beginning by scalding water, and at the end, by becoming liquefied. In "Running Out of Choices", it is the constant returning "home"; not physically, but the "home" as a living presence in the mind of the speaker. “Where can I go without somehow returning to Cleveland?" (P.B. p.19). It may be inferred that the speaker’s present unquiet and confused life mirrors her past life in the projects. Moreover, the lives of those residing in the Cleveland projects may resemble, at least at an unconscious level, the expendable lives of the ants. Neither is ultimately meant to escape. This expendability sadly comments on the insignificance of life; in both poems the speaker speaks naturally of death with little regret. People and ants die horrible deaths and that is just the way it goes. The use of these similar themes in both pieces makes the poems’ content more comparable and help makes their possible combined message more plausible and connected.

These poems work in a way as two jigsaw puzzle pieces. Each one has its own message that includes some ideas from the other, and together they provide a fuller picture. “Running Out of Choices” expresses how our experiences and knowledge cause us to “run out of choices” in the way we perceive reality. For example, the speaker describes how she cannot think of “mocha-colored makeup” except “in summer when white people want tans more than they don’t want to be black”. “Ant Farm” focuses on the predetermined life of ants and that even though they live without choice, their life can be very satisfying. While the burdens of choice and freedom are heavy for humans, “busy ants are neither saved nor unsaved nor concerned.”(T.H. p.22). “Running Out of Choices” touches upon this when the poem concludes that the speaker may have suffered “in the projects… had I [she] not been so lucky” (p.19). This suggests that the difficult choices she has made as well as the experiences and memories she has obtained helped her see that what kept her alive was luck or fate. “Ant Farm” connects with “Running Out of Choices” when the speaker states “sooner or later, everything has a turn being vice.” (T.H. p.21), similar to how corrupt “everything” becomes in “Running Out of Choices” Needless to say, there is a prevalent pessimism in both poems. The sum of all these parts is a powerful message: if knowledge, freedom and choices can lead to an unsatisfying or even haunted state of mind, then maybe a predetermined, unexamined life, even though more restricted, may be a more pleasurable way of living.

Table of contents

1. Nando’s art initiative
2. Ronald McDonald house Charity
3. A csr initiative for McDonalds
4. Which program is more sustainable?

Nando’s art initiative

Socio-economic issue: Unemployment, exposure for upcoming entrepreneurs and youth empowermentNando’s has the world’s largest collection of contemporary South African artworks, furniture and designs showcased internationally, presenting African creativity while increasing public access to art. As Nando’s expands internationally, so does the awareness and appreciation of African art. Robbie Brozin, founder of Nando’s, says, “South African art on Nando’s restaurant walls makes our chicken taste even better”. Displaying African art in Nando’s restaurants worldwide emphasizes Nando’s heritage and demonstrates their commitment to investing in the people of South Africa and nurturing local talent.

The Nando’s Art Initiative and the Nando’s Heartfelt Celebration of South African Design project are part of an ongoing business strategy that makes a sustainable contribution to the local South African creative community, as well as benefits the Nando’s brand - it promotes a truly South African story that results in many PR opportunities and improves brand loyalty.

How does this help the Socio-Economic problem? Nando’s collaboration with South Africa’s design sector fuels sustainable enterprise growth while simultaneously creating exposure for South African artists internationally, with the potential to open up new markets.

Nando’s has more than 10 000 South African artworks. The initiative supports over 300 artists on a constant basis, allowing them to become full-time artists while improving their skills through artist development programs, while integrating share equity. It enables upcoming artists to focus full time on their artistic careers, knowing that they will be able to earn a regular, decent living from their work.

Upcoming entrepreneurs and artists should be regarded as assets to be invested in, motivated and acknowledged as much as possible as they have the ability to change the way we think. Art, whether we’re aware of it or not, forms part of our daily lives. We use it for cultural appreciation, aesthetics, personal improvement, entertainment as well as social change. Nando’s has combined these two vital factors of youth empowerment and art to create programs that add to the authenticity of the Nando’s experience and demonstrate the genuine commitment that Nando’s has made to South African design. Many different people and cultures now have the opportunity to personally experience South African art and design, all thanks to Nando’s.

An improvement and alternate strategy to help the socio-economic issue:

• Nando’s can improve this strategy by adding a variety to the showcase of South African works – by using Proudly South African made fabrics, furniture and décor instead of just art and a few designed displays.
• Nando’s can use expertise of successful business men and women in the company and create an entrepreneurship program and workshop for those that are underprivileged wanting to start their own businesses.

Ronald McDonald house Charity

Socio-economic issue: Health care and lifestyle. Health is very evidently a socio-economic issue. Poor health or illness can destroy a person’s physical and mental wellbeing and hamper progress in terms of education and employment. People suffering from certain conditions such as HIV/Aids and diabetes require constant monitoring and a medication-dependent lifestyle, which can be very financially straining.

Ronald McDonald House Charity pro-actively responds to the challenge of health-care. It is a global non-profit organization that was founded more than 40 years ago and is currently in more than 64 countries. RMHC supports the critical needs of children through three core programs: Ronald McDonald House™, Ronald McDonald Family Room® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®. RMHC and local clinical services work together to put their expertise and community resources to use and identify gaps in health care. Together, they deliver services over and above treatment; they reduce dependence on emergency rooms, increase awareness of healthy lifestyles, and help struggling families to obtain government-assisted health insurance.

The Ronald McDonald House™ serves as a “home away from home” that allows families to stay close to their sick children that are receiving treatment at a hospital. When long distances are travelled in order to reach essential medical care, accommodation is necessary and can be unavailable or expensive. The House provides families with accommodation along with compassionate care at little (though donations by the family) or no cost – but if a family is unable to donate, they are not turned away.

The first South African Ronald McDonald House™ was launched in Johannesburg in May 2017. It is a twenty-seven-bedroomed house located at the top of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital and includes a kitchen, children’s playroom, library, dining room, meditation room, kids playroom and various lounges. Families staying in the house have the chance to cope better and focus on the needs of their sick children due to the help and support they receive from staff, volunteers and other families staying with them at the House.

The Ronald McDonald family rooms offer a place to rest and recover at the hospital. They are situated in hospitals, usually only a few meters away from a pediatric or intensive care unit. Services may vary in different Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, but the following facilities would be found:

• A kitchen area
• Shower facilities
• Sleeping rooms
• Laundry facilities
• Internet access

How do the Ronald McDonald Houses and Family Rooms help the Socio-Economic problem?

• Boosts psychological wellbeing by allowing families to stay close together and providing emotional and physical comfort and support
• Improves the hospital experience for the ill/injured child and family
• Enhances the family’s coping abilities to their child’s recovery and outcomes
• Helps alleviate the financial stress of accommodation needs
• Results in improved quality of sleep for parents and families, giving them sufficient rest that is necessary in order to make critical health decisions with regards to their child.

An improvement and alternate strategy to help the socio-economic issue:

• McDonald’s can improve this strategy by introducing more of these rooms and houses across the globe.
• Another way in which McDonald’s can help the socio-economic issue of health care and hygiene (in this case for females) is a feminine-product drive, whereby pads and tampons are collected and distributing to girls in need.

A csr initiative for McDonalds

A steaming cup of coffee is the one of the first things that millions of people across the world get their hands every morning, it becoming an integral part of their daily lives. According to McDonald’s expanded their menu and target market by introducing McCafe – a section of McDonalds that offers a range of coffees, desserts and fine pastries. According to McDonald’s, McCafe sells 1 billion cups of coffee every year. Plastic is a material that is relied on by many businesses including McDonalds, especially in packaging – and so large volumes of plastic being used and disposed make it a major environmental concern. Although McDoanld’s focuses on sourcing their coffee responsibly, the packaging of their coffee goes ignored, particularly the plastic coffee cup lid.

A CSR initiative that McDonalds can adopt is the use of bioplastic for the lids of their coffee cups. This means replacing commonly used oil-based plastic with plastic made from sugar-cane. Brazil is the world leader of the production of bio-fuel derived from sugarcane and are now taking the lead in the production of bio-based plastic from this plant. Biopolymer companies such as Braskem can be used (used by other brands such as Woolworths), whereby non-renewable fossil-based polymers are replaced with a plant-based alternative, which is chemically and structurally identical. Therefore, it provides the same quality protection and can still be mixed with a regular plastic, making it 100% recyclable.

Why is this a good idea?

• It is renewable – sugar-cane polyethylene forms part of the Earth’s natural environment. Therefore, the plastic is made from a renewable source that can be grown and replaced continuously instead of making use of a finite resource such as coal or oil.
• Irrigated completely by rain water - natural rainfall meets the crop’s water needs, therefore large amounts of water is conserved.
• Calls for a lower carbon footprint – the leaves of the sugarcane capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which reduces the emission of greenhouse gases helping in the fight against climate change. Each kg of Braskem’s sugarcane-based plastic that is produced absorbs 2.78 kg of CO? from the atmosphere.
• Sugar-cane can be produced all year therefore being a reliable and sustainable source.

I think that this initiative is one that McDonald’s would find easy to adopt as they have the means to do so. Their marketing and advertising agency, Omnicom, is one of the global leaders in advertising and is given a marketing budget of around R132 million per year, therefore advertising this new CSR program will be no problem. Also, McDonald’s main meat supplier (Marfrig Alimentos SA) is located in Brazil, and so the corporation will already have the knowledge of different tax imports and exchange rates with regards to trading with Brazil.

Which program is more sustainable?

After thoroughly researching both programs being carried out by Nando’s and McDonalds, it is evident that McDonald’s efforts prove to be more sustainable. Nando’s Art Initiative is a notable cause and is a great way to invest into upcoming, creative artists while simultaneously celebrating and spreading the unique culture of South Africa. But McDonald’s Ronald McDonald House Charity is in the lead in terms of sustainability. RMHC has been around for many years, 42 years to be exact, and have helped millions of families through emotionally difficult situations.

The system is there, it works, and it will continue to work for a very long time. The Nando’s Art Initiative was established in 2001, giving Nando’s only 17 years of experience and more loopholes in the program to improve on. Due to RMHC being around for longer, McDonald knows what works and was doesn’t – they’ve established their very own “Know-How” and can therefore use resources and employees strategically.

Secondly, the RMHC is sustainably green. With more than 360 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide, RMHC recognizes that its commitment to support more than 8000 families every night can result in a large amount of energy, heat and water being used up. Due to this, RMHC has been very planet-conscious and strive to take care of the environment through the implementation of innovative systems and initiatives at majority of its houses globally. These initiatives include building green, reducing-reusing-recycling waste, using energy-efficient practices, conserving water and utilizing green products. Here are a few examples:

• A few of their houses, including the 30-bedroom house in Texas, has attained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum NC (New Construction) certification, which is the highest level of green building awarded by the United States Green Building Council. The house is solar-powered, has abundant natural lighting, and is built of toxin-free materials.
• The Ronald McDonald House in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, utilizes water-heating solar panels, motion sensors that control the heat and light when people are in a room, and dries laundry with the sun and wind - minimizing the use of dryers.
• Ronald McDonald Houses in Germany have an “ecological washing ball” which uses 80% less detergent. Also, nearly all employees of the RMHC House in Germany drive environmentally friendly cars.
• However, there are also small efforts that the Charity promotes, including a pull-tab program (pull-tabs off cans are recycled and weighed/exchanged for money that is then donated to participating local RMHC houses) and recycling their left-over letter heads and using them to create scratch pads for staff, volunteers and guests.

Not only do these efforts preserve the planet and promote sustainability, but they also drastically reduce operational costs – making it easier for McDonalds to open up more houses and family rooms.

And finally, the success and sustainability of the Ronald McDonald House Charities can be owed to the strong brand equity of McDonalds. Although Nando’s is well-known and successful, the strength of its brand is greatly overpowered by that of McDonalds. It’s simple – McDonalds has a stronger brand; therefore it has more customers, therefore it has a much larger revenue (Nando’s = R15,3 billion, McDonalds = R310 billion), therefore there is more money to sustain their CSR program.

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Overall, the CSR program of McDonald’s is much more sustainable - and with the experience, expertise, environmental awareness, resources and capital, the Ronald McDonald House Charity will continue to flourish.

The play Romeo and Juliet was scripted by William Shakespeare in 1594 and is one of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Even though it was written so long ago, it is still well known all over the globe today. The play inspired Kelly Asbury to direct Gnomeo and Juliet in 2011. Romeo and Juliet is about two star crossed lovers who take their own lives in order to be together due to the feud between their families, While, Gnomeo and Juliet has the same story line but uses garden gnomes to portray the humans. In the film, both families must learn to bury their differences when the main characters fall in love. In both mediums, strong themes of love, revenge and conflict are depicted. However, since Gnomeo and Juliet is a children’s movie aimed at a much younger audience, which draws to a happy ending rather than a tragic ending

The theme of love is highlighted as the most prominent theme in both mediums. In Romeo and Juliet, the two met at a Capulet feast and it was love at first sight. Once they found out that they were from different households, they were absolutely torn at the fact that they could not be together because their families were feuding. Juliet confessed her love for Romeo and expressed how upset she was about him being a Montague “Oh Romeo, Oh Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo. Deny thy father and refuse thy name; and I will no longer be a Capulet”. This despair is demonstrated similarly in both the play and the film “what’s in a name? a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” By this Juliet is implying that even if Romeo had another name, he would still be the man she loves. Although Juliet’s famous words are present in both mediums, they are expressed differently. In Gnomeo and Juliet, Instead of Juliet using a rose to explain her love for Gnomeo she says “I mean, what’s in a gnome? Because your blue, my father sees red and because I’m red, I’m feeling blue… and at any rate that shouldn’t be the thing to keep us apart”. Juliet in both mediums is absolutely torn about the fact that she can’t be with the one she loves due to the family’s feud.

Kelly Asbury decided to conclude Gnomeo and Juliet with a happy ending showing the two getting married. This is very different in comparison to how Shakespeare chose to have Romeo and Juliet take their own lives and ending tragically. However, both endings ironically ended the feuds between the families. Although in the play, Friar Laurence marries Romeo and Juliet it doesn’t affect any of the other characters or the story as no body knew about the marriage except for Friar Laurence, Juliet’s nurse and obviously Romeo and Juliet. In the film, when Lady Blueberry and Lord Redbrick see the damage they’ve caused due to the feud, the declare “the feud to be over” thus illustrating the end of the feud between the red and blue gnomes.

Revenge occurs periodically throughout the play and the film. In some instances, revenge is shown relatively the same. In the play, Tybalt wants revenge against Romeo and Mercutio for crashing the Capulet’s feast. He starts a fight with Mercutio and stabs him which consequently killed Mercutio. “a plague, a plague on both your houses” is the curse that Mercutio places on both Romeo and Tybalt’s houses, he does this because he believes that the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s was the cause of his death. Romeo gets revenge against Tybalt for killing Mercutio. Romeo does so by stabbing Tybalt and killing him. However, in the film it’s not technically Gnome’s fault that Tybalt dies, as Tybalt was on a lawnmower fighting with Gnomeo, Gnomeo jumps of and warns Tybalt that he is headed towards a wall “what, you really think I’m going to fall for that… what wall?” but the lawnmower hits the wall and Tybalt goes flying off the lawnmower “Oh, that wall” and smashes into pieces, only to be glued back together later in the film.

Although, in both mediums, the major conflict is between the Montague’s and the Capulets in the play and the Red and Blue gnomes in the film, in the film, there is also a conflict between Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet. The pair of bickering neighbors who despise each other. Their rivalry is based on whose garden looks nicer, their conflict is what sparks emulation between the Red and Blue gnomes, who will do anything to destroy the others garden. Whenever the Red gnomes destroy the Blues garden or vice versa, Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet are quite quick to blame each other for the destruction of their gardens. The rivalry between the Red and Blue gnomes is illustrated through incidents of them wanting to ruin the other garden whether it’s the Blues graffiti on Tybalt’s well or when the Reds ruined the Blues flower bed. The conflict between Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet is the primary reason behind the feud between the Reds and the Blues and is the reason why Gnomeo and Juliet cannot be together.

Linda Hutcheon summarises adaptation and three points. 'An acknowledged transposition of a recognised other work or works'. Hutcheon suggests that if one's work does not acknowledge that it is an adaptation, it cannot be considered one. 'A creative and an interpretive act of appropriation act of appropriation salvaging salvaging'. The word appropriation refers to the act of borrowing something from a text and turning it into something new, and this could be for a new piece of text or to change the context of the text. Hutcheon uses the word salvage to imply saving a text to prevent it from getting lost or forgotten. Hutcheon's third point is 'extended intertextual engagement with the adapted work'. Hutcheon suggests that using a story in passing would be considered an illusion rather than a proper adaptation. Her definition of adaptation could be viewed as limited; however, this could be argued or seen as an advantage because the narrowness of the definition of adaptation could allow newcomers to have a more precise understanding of adaptation.

In conclusion, the play Romeo and Juliet, and the film Gnomeo and Juliet have many similarities like the story line and Juliet’s famous lines to Romeo confessing her love. But also has several differences, the most significant difference being Romeo and Juliet’s tragic death in comparison to Gnomeo and Juliet which ends happily and in marriage. Both mediums demonstrate substantial themes of love, revenge and conflict. In both texts, the family feuds end and the conflicts and differences are put behind them reiterating the universal message of reconciliation when faced with conflict and that love triumphs over revenge and hatred.

References

1. Kleij, S. (2020). “What’s in a Gnome?”: Gender, Intertextuality, and Irreverence in Gnomeo and Juliet. In Playfulness in Shakespearean Adaptations (pp. 231-247). Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429288807-17/gnome-sonja-kleij)
2. Tuan, H. C. (2013). Media Representing Shakespeare: Adaptation, Inter-Textuality, and Gender. Journal of Literature and Art Studies, 3(2), 71-79. (https://www.davidpublisher.com/index.php/Home/Article/index?id=4305.html)
3. Geal, R. (2018). Anomalous foreknowledge and cognitive impenetrability in Gnomeo and Juliet. Adaptation, 11(2), 111-121. (https://academic.oup.com/adaptation/article-abstract/11/2/111/3855688)
4. van Valkenburg, A. M. (2012). A Gnome for a Gnome: A Closer Look at Gnomeo and Juliet as an Adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Play (Bachelor's thesis). (https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/11416)
5. King, L. The Hidden Value in Repetitive Culture. (https://sites.williams.edu/engl-117-fall16/uncategorized/the-value-behind-a-repetitive-culture/)

Table of contents

1. To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones: comparative essay
2. Context, Purpose, Audience
3. Gender Expectations
4. Racism
5. Conclusion

To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones: comparative essay

The focus of a comparative essay can be to compare and contrast two pieces of literature, and this is the case with the To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones comparative essay. Harper Lee’s unveiling novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is often compared with Rachel Perkin’s film adaptation of Jasper Jones due to the interpretation of harsh racism in the small town of Maycomb and Corrigan. The context of being an outsider and not fitting into society’s typical stereotypes are explored through the use of main characters Scout and Charlie and social tension. This major social tension is then explored through minor tensions such as gender expectations, isolation, racism and family differences.

Context, Purpose, Audience

Harper Lee and Rachel Perkins explore the fundamental truths of racism, gender expectations and isolation through a child’s perspective in Jasper Jones and To Kill a Mockingbird. Focusing on the 1960’s, both writers follow the childhood of two isolated but adventurous children to show readers the way racism effects everyone. Known as ‘A Decade of Promise and Heartbreak’, the 1960’s allowed both authors share the truths of how brutal racism became and still is. By seeing through the lens of a child it shows the innocence and honesty of their uneducated minds; not knowing why people of colour were segregated from the rest of the community. To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on the perspective of Scout, a young and vibrant child who beholds a lot of questions, making it her purpose to explore such an unbelievable concept in America – why people of colour never had justice. Following on, Jasper Jones, directed by Rachel Perkins, focuses on similar themes. Following the journeys of a two conflicting young teens – Charlie and Jasper – who make it their aim to find out who ‘killed’ Laura Wishart. Similar to To Kill a Mockingbird, Jasper Jones explores the thoughts of Charlie – once again, a young child who cannot fathom why Jasper (an indigenous Australian) was being convicted of misconducts he never committed. Charlie was soon to find out, the convictions came down the one thing: racism. Rachel Perkins is Australian and directed the film Jasper Jones for the purpose of entertaining an audience, while depicting to them the hope of cultural transformation throughout Australia, which many years later became more accepting. Harper Lee, an American novelist and author of To Kill a Mockingbird, also wrote with the same purpose as Perkins. Lee wanted readers to see that the justice system in the 1960’s was not discriminating, and that everyone should see things through the eyes of an innocent child. To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones present similar ideas, an ethnic novel and an emotional film, both which entertain and inform. The perspective of Charlie and Scout are knowingly similar, due to their backgrounds and involvement in the racism faced in the 1960’s. The audience for both text types is largely aimed towards Western people. Mainly focused on those who have an interest towards culture and racism, and those who seek information regarding cultural differences. Also, both texts delve into the effect of racism on young children and their understandings.

Gender Expectations

Both protagonists in Jasper Jones (Charlie) and To Kill a Mockingbird (Scout) are classified as ‘outsiders’ in the small towns they occupy, their characterisation is depicted in way that does not justify the gender preconception. Both Lee and Perkins characterise their main characters to go against the regimes of their respective gender roles. Scout is written to lack general feminine qualities, always wearing overalls, never presented formally, and would never be caught not socialising with Jem and Dill. Contrastingly, Charlie is seen with reading glasses, too big for his face and his shirt’s top button is always done up. This shows us that Charlie is lacking the athleticism and physical build that a ‘typical teenager boy’ should always have. This is evident when Charlie falls when trying to escape from the window. Charlie’s ‘irregularity’ is less criticised in Corrigan as opposed to Scouts in Maycomb, but both are still genuinely classified as an outsider. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Scouts childhood is based around taunts from the elder women around her. Most women classify her as ‘disgraceful’ and often whine that she should only be dressed in a, “…dress and a camisole…” Also, Charlie’s uniqueness is never ignored by the occupants of Corrigan, even Jasper – an outsider himself – says Charlie, “…is an outsider like [him].” However, Scouts incompetence to fit in her respective gender role is much more emphasised throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Both Vintage Lee and Rachel Perkins utilise specific characteristics for both Charlie and Scout to emphasise the gender preconceptions in the town’s Maycomb and Corrigan which led to them both becoming outsiders. Through both text types, we are able to comprehend that the gender preconceptions have rarely changed since the 1960’s.

Racism

To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones solely focuse on the theme of racism and that innocent people were being convicted of crimes they did not commit based on their backgrounds. Both Lee and Perkins show readers that not only those who were POC, but also those who associated with POC were considered inferior. This is proven when Atticus, a lawyer, who was the lawyer for a black person, was mocked when doing his job. Confronting Scout one day, Mrs. Dubose said, “Your father’s [Atticus] no better than the nigger and the trash he works for!” Not only was Atticus reprimanded for this but so was Mr. Dolphus. Jem, a young teenager, criticised him for affiliating with ‘blacks’, especially once he was seen having romantic connections with some black females. Jem stated that, “He likes ‘em [blacks] better ‘n he likes us [whites], I reckon.” However, with Jasper Jones it’s not only the blacks who were looked down on, but other races too. It is obvious that minorities should not have to ‘prove’ their worth to the community, Perkins directs to show that the whites can overcome racism by the admiration and respect for others actions. Firstly, Jasper earns a reluctant respect from the townspeople of Corrigan, for his football skills. Whereas, Charlies Vietnamese best friend, Jeffery Lu, known as “Cong” to his teammates, finally wins over his teammates with a winning performance. However, we all know this kind of respect can be breakable – knowing someone is only valuable when doing something exceptional, then they aren’t considered valuable as a human being themselves. This is proven when Jasper Jones never stops being the scapegoat of Corrigan, and when Jeffery’s father is beaten only few hours after his, “…superb…” cricket performance.

Whites, because they considered themselves superior to POC, expected POC to do everything for them perfectly without any excuses. Calpurnia – also known as Cal – was an African-American housemaid for the Finch family. Even being so close with the family, she was still mocked by whites. Scout exclaimed that when, “…she [Cal] poured one tablespoon of coffee into it and filled the cup to the brim with milk. I thanked her by sticking out my tongue…” Both text types prove that even when the blacks exceeded expectations, they still were mocked by those around them. Aunt Alexandra is the perfect example of someone who always makes a mockery and who always targets Calpurnia. Stating to Scout she says, “Jem’s growing up now and you are too. We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence.” This allows us to see that even though Cal was a highly capable female, Aunt Alexandra over-looked this, because of her race. Not only were the black’s mocked and not appreciated they were also never looked after. Jasper grew up without a motherly and fatherly figure and is known as, “…a thief, a liar, a thug and a truant.” Corrigan – a small mining town – was very discriminating towards Jasper as he did not fit into their norm. Unfortunately for Jasper, during the 1960’s indigenous Australian’s did not have rights and racism was never frowned upon.

Since racism was so strong and everywhere you looked in both Maycomb and Corrigan, there were always excuses made for the whites, who always had each other’s backs. Reading to Kill a Mockingbird and watching Jasper Jones it was obvious that Bob Ewell and Pete Wishhart were bad men. Both whom were abusive towards their daughters, Mayella Ewell and Laura Wishhart (who’s abuse was so bad, she committed suicide). Instead of the fathers being convicted, two innocent blacks were: Tom Robinson and Jasper Jones. It wasn’t the two blacks that violated them, it was the two superior white men. However, in the end, the people of Maycomb over-looked the evidence that was in favour of Tom Robinson, just because he was black. Conversely, at the end, Eliza sets her father’s house on fire to get revenge, and Jasper Jones gets the justice he always wanted and between Charlie, Eliza and Jasper, they all know he is innocent.

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Conclusion

In Rachel Perkins’s film take on Jasper Jones and in Harper Lee’s grasping novel To Kill a Mockingbird there is an array of obvious cases of racism, isolation and gender expectations. Barriers – legal or illegal – to racial equality have somewhat been torn down. Racial segregations from the welfares of civilization and the human rights of residency are no longer as harmful as they once were. However, discrimination of any other nationality other than Western still continues to have limitations on the opportunities and suppresses the faith, dreams and rights of many African Americans, Indigenous Australians, Vietmanse refugees as well as many other minorities. Considering the dominions of employment, medical care, education and employment, American is still considered how it was in the Commission Report on ‘Civil Disorders’, as, “…two separate Americas.” At this point in many nation’s history, it is serious that everyone finally moves forward in improving the effects of discernment. Unfortunately, most of those who successfully gain civil rights preparations for us are not supported by the officials and authorities. Many of us, however, can see that as long as the world we live in continues to be provoked with race-based problems, we will forever need plans to fix these race-based problems. While through the years many nations have come a long way, there is still a long way to go with many years devoted to just this.

Introduction: From January 30, 1933, to May 8, 1945, around 17 million people were killed in Germany in what is known as the Holocaust. At the time, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany aimed to remove people who were not of German descent from Germany, especially those who were Jewish. Background: Out of the 17 million people killed, 6 million of them were Jewish, 7 million were Soviet civilians, 3 million were Soviet prisoners of war, and the other million consisted of people who did not live by German norms such as people with disabilities, homosexuals, Gypsies, and Serbian citizens. People not of German descent were deported for forced-labor in either Germany or Poland or they were murdered. Jews in particular were sent to different “ghettos,” concentration camps, and forced-labor camps, and between 1941 and 1944 as an alternative others were sent to extermination camps. By 1945, 2 out of 3 of all Jews living in Germany were killed.

Topic sentence: There are many different stories of the events that occurred during the Holocaust. Many survivors told their stories, and there are even a few journals and diaries that were found that recount survivor’s experiences from the Holocaust. Among the stories of the Holocaust are: The Diary of Anne Frank, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Schindler’s List, The Book Thief, and Number the Stars. Evidence & citing: Each of the books provides a different perspective of the events of the Holocaust.

Thesis statement: The similarities and differences of Maus by Art Spiegelman and Night by Elie Wiesel closely examine what it was like for Holocaust victims. Maus and Night are both about the Holocaust and have several similarities, but, of course, they feature different events and the authors have different means of writing their books. This paper will be investigating the similarities and differences between the approaches, point of views, tones, symbols, and characters of the literary works, Maus and Night.

Topic sentence: Although Maus and Night are both about the Holocaust, they have two completely different approaches to the subject. Evidence & citing: In Maus, the author, Art Spiegelman, is interviewing his father, Vladek Spiegelman, about his experiences during the Holocaust. He displays the stories his father tells him, but also the process he goes through in order to learn all of his father’s stories. Commentary: So, not only do readers see all of the stories Vladek tells about the Holocaust, they also see how bad Vladek’s relationship with his wife, Mala, is, and how annoyed Art gets with his father sometimes. Evidence & citing: Maus is a graphic novel, and it is written as if Art and all of the Jews are mice, Germans are cats, and the Polish are pigs. This adds to the comical aspect of the novel. On several different occasions, Vladek pretends that he is Polish while walking among a group of Poles. On page 125, this is clearly seen. Vladek and the other Jews with him are wearing pig masks, which shows that they are acting as if they are Polish. To the readers, it is obvious that they are not Polish, or pigs. All of the Jews pretending to be Polish look like pigs from the front, but at the back of their heads is the tied knot of the masks holding them in place.

Commentary: This dramatic irony lightens the story about leaving Srodula significantly, and the leaving Srodula story is not very serious as is. Night, on the other hand, is an autobiography. Evidence & citing: Elie Wiesel writes about his experiences during the Holocaust, and how it changed him as a person. It does not skip around back and forth between the past and the present and does not have the comical feel the Maus has. Elie tells his story in chronological order from when he and his family thought the Jews being expelled was a myth to him looking in a mirror 3 years later and seeing dead eyes and a frail body. Maus alternates between Art’s point of view and Vladek’s. Whenever the novel is on the present with Mala and Art, it is in Art’s point of view. The Holocaust stories are- of course- in Vladek’s point of view. Whenever the novel is in Vladek’s point of view, he narrates, and Art’s illustrations provide some insight on what probably happened in every event he explains. In both Art and Vladek’s points of views, they talk in first person, but it is still in 3rd person. Evidence & citing: Night, on the other hand, is in the point of view of a 14-15 year old Jew. Elie wrote the book by himself, about himself, so the book is an autobiography.

Topic sentence: Maus is never fully serious, even when Vladek is recounting a serious issue, the illustrations and the banter he has with his son and wife gives the situation a lighthearted tone than it would be if the novel only focused on Holocaust stories. Although all of the things Vladek and his loved ones went through during the Holocaust were very serious, the novel is never gloomy. This is proven in the book when Vladek stated, “They’ve taken four Jews away for dealing goods without coupons… The next day I walked over to Modrzejowska Street and I saw them… They hanged there one full week,” to stating, “Look- Even from my dead eye tears are coming out!”(Spiegelman 83-84)

The seriousness of the Jews being hanged is lightened by Art’s ability to switch the focus of the story back to his father. Although Vladek is being serious when he says even his dead eye is tearing up, his statement lacks the seriousness of what he says earlier about the hanging. Another example of the lack of seriousness of Vladek regarding the Holocaust is earlier in the novel when he tells Art about being a prisoner of war. Vladek says, “Another German took 4 or 5 of us to a stable. ‘See this mess?? It better be spotlessly clean in one hour. Understand!’ It was impossible to do in one hour… And somehow we did make the job in only an hour and a half. But look what you do, Artie!”(Spiegelman 52) Vladek is talking about being forced to clean a stable, but he switches out of the past and tells the present-day Art to be more aware of what he is doing.

This story may not be that bad compared to some of the other stories, but the seriousness of it is lightened by Vladek becoming distracted by Art dropping cigarette ashes on the carpet. Night, on the other hand, maintains a very serious tone throughout the entire novel. Elie is not with a lot of his loved ones like Vladek is, and the people that he is around are not friendly. The events that Elie deals with are a lot harsher than what Vladek endures. While Vladek was in hiding for most of the Holocaust, Elie was sent to several forced labor camps. Elie- when he was finally freed at the age of 15- saw himself in a mirror, and the man that stared back at him was completely broken. He says, “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me.”(Wiesel 109)

In less than a year, he lost his mother, father, younger sister, and his innocence. Elie saw men die and be killed, he watched good people turn mad, and he lost the people he loved the most. He saw everything that happened in those months reflect in his eyes, and when he finally looked into a mirror, it seemed as if he saw a stranger staring back at him, and his own dead eyes haunted him. Commentary: Even though Night has a serious tone the entire novel, there are still a few moments in the book when Elie sees or hears something that strikes him funny, and would have been funny if it was not in such a dire situation. An example of this is when Elie says, “Within a few seconds, we had ceased to be men. If the situation had not been tragic, we should have roared with laughter. Such outfits! Meir Katz, a giant, had a child’s trousers, and Stern, a thin little chap, a tunic which completely swamped him.”(Wiesel 34) If it was not such a serious situation, it would have been hilarious to see a really big guy wearing a shirt that does not even cover half of his stomach.

However, there are not too many of those should’ve/would’ve/could’ve been funny moments in this book. It shows that although the Holocaust was such a serious thing, the people involved (the Jews) were still human, and they still found some things funny. SYMBOLS Maus and Night have different symbols. All of the symbols seen in Night are negative, while the symbols in Maus vary from positive to negative connotations. Topic sentence: In Night, fire is used to show how Elie’s beliefs change throughout the Holocaust. Near the beginning of the novel, we see a crematory where Jewish children and babies were burned alive. He writes, “A lorry drew up the pit and delivered its load- little children. Babies! Yes, I saw it -saw it with my own eyes… those children in the flames” Fire is a biblical allusion to God and His wrath. In the bible, God appears to Moses as fire in a bush to show his rage towards humanity, and that is what Elie associates with fire as a Jew.

In Night, instead of Elie seeing fire used as he knows from the bible, he sees cruel men using fire to punish the innocent. Here, Elie sees the Nazis throwing children and babies in the flames. From this point on, fire no longer represents the all powerful God; instead, it shows the cruel power of the Nazis. Night is also used in Night as a metaphor for a world without God. With night, comes darkness, and while at all of the different concentration camps, Elie does not see God in the terrible things that are done to him and his companions. Elie realises that God is neither with him nor all the men around him when he sees a young child being hanged. A man near Elie says, ‘Where is God now?’ And I heard a voice within me answer him: ‘Where is He? Here He is - He is hanging here on this gallows...” (Wiesel 62) In this moment, Elie believes that God is dead, and he titled the book Night because a world without God cannot have light; it can only be dark like the night. Topic sentence: In Maus, Parshas Truma is a symbol for hope. When Vladek was a prisoner of war, he had a dream about Parshas Truman. Art writes, “One night I had a dream… A voice was talking to me. It was, I think, my dead grandfather… ‘You will come out of this place- free!.. on the last of Parshas Truma…’”(Spiegelman 57) Later, Vladek says, “This is for me a very important date… I checked later on a calendar. It was this Parsha on the week I got married to Anja… And this was the Parsha in 1948, after the war, on the week you were born!... And so it came out to be this Parsha you sang on the Saturday of your Bar Mitzvah!”(Spiegelman 59) The important things that occur in Vladek’s life seem to all happen of Parshas Truma. Parsha Truma, in turn, became a symbol for all good things. Nothing bad can happen on that day, it seems.

Topic sentence: Maus is mainly focused on Vladek Spiegelman in both his childhood and adult years when he was charming, and fit, and his older age, where he is physically frail and suffers from a weak heart. Present day, Vladek is an obsessive and argumentative perfectionist. He is always trying to make sure something is perfect.This is evident when he spills his pills and Art offers to recount them, but he responds by saying, “No! You don’t know counting pills. I’ll do it after… I’m an expert for this.” (Spiegelman 30) Then, later in the novel, after fixing a drainpipe he was obsessing over, he has to separate long and short nail and put them away. Art offers to help once again, but Vladek refuses and says, “such jobs I can do easy by myself… You go upstairs. I’ll finish here my job and in a few minutes I’ll come up.”(Spiegelman 98)

For all of the small jobs that need to be precise, such as counting out pills or separating long and short nails, Vladek feels that he is an expert, and he can do those jobs better than anyone else. Topic sentence: Art, Vladek’s only living son, is the author. Readers can see that he has an awkward relationship with his father, and that he is filled with guilt from his mother’s death. It is clear that Art is not very close to his father when he says, “I went out to see my Father in Rego Park. I hadn’t seen him in a long time- we weren’t that close”. (Spiegelman 11) Before Art wrote his novel, he did not really talk to his father. After he starts writing his novel, Art and his father rarely even speak about anything other than what Vladek went through during the Holocaust. It is also evident in the novel that Art feels guilty about his mother’s suicide when he writes, “A friend of the family found me out in the hallway… ‘Now you cry! Better you cried when your mother was still alive!’ I felt nauseous… The guilt was overwhelming… I remembered the last time I saw her… ‘Artie…’ She came into my room… It was late at night… ‘...Artie… You… Still… Love… Me… Don’t you?...’ … I turned away, resentful of the way she tightened the umbilical cord… ‘Sure Ma!’” (Spiegelman 102-103)

Art, along with other people who were close to his mother, thinks that he killed his mother because he did not show her the love and affection that she needed as someone who was suicidal. Art is also resentful towards his father. They rarely ever agree, and Vladek has never allowed Art to grow and become his own person, which is exactly why Art rebelled against his father and became a cartoonist. He tells his wife, Francoise, “One reason I became an artist was that he thought it was impractical- just a waste a time… It was an area where I wouldn’t have to compete with him.” (Spiegelman 97) Art does not want his father to expect so much from him just because Vladek made it through the Holocaust with minimal scars. Vladek was smart and strong in his youth, and he expects Art to be the same. But, Art does not want to compete with his father in his strength and brains, so he finds something that Vladek did not do.Mala, Vladek’s wife, also has a strained relationship with her husband. According to Vladek, she only cares about his money. It actually does seem like she is only after Vladek’s money because she is always talking about how close-fisted he is. She says, “He only gives me $50.00 a month. When I need a pair of stockings I have to use my own savings!... Pragmatic? Cheap!! It causes him physical pain to part with even a nickel!”(Spiegelman 131) At the same time as Mala is thinking about Vladek’s stinginess, he is saying that she does not care about him, and is only after his money. He says, “She wants that I give nothing for my brother in Israel, and nothing for you - three times already she made me change over my will.” (Spiegelman 127)

Although Mala may be in the marriage for something other than Vladek’s money, almost everything that she speaks of in the book indicates that Vladek just might be right about her only wanting him for his money. Art writes Maus as if the Holocaust was just a big game of cat and mouse- which it is. The Jews are the small and skittish mice while the Germans are the cunning and aggressive cats. The Polish are the dirty and greedy pigs since they choose to be on whatever side they can get the most out of, and sometimes they even help both sides at the same time. They only help the Jews who can pay their way.

In this novel, the big bad cats -Germans- find and kill the small and frightful mice- Jews. Elie shows a lot of dynamic characters in his novel. They all start off very happy and good, and then they change for the worse. Elie himself is an example of this. He is very young and naive in the beginning of the book, but by the time he gets free from the concentration camps, he is broken and no longer innocent and naive. While he is at the concentration camps, Elie realizes that they are changing him for the worse, but there was nothing he could do about it. This is evident when he says, “In fact I was thinking of how to get farther away so that I would not be hit myself. What is more, any anger I felt at that moment was directed, not against the Kapo, but against my father… This is what concentration camp life had made of me.” (Wiesel 52)Concentration camp life turns men into animals. They lose touch with their humanity and only think about their own self preservation. Elie’s first look at what the Holocaust could do to a person is with Moshe the Beadle. He describes Moshe pre-Holocaust by saying, “Physically he was as awkward as a clown. He made people smile, with his waiflike timidity. I loved his great, dreaming eyes, their gaze lost in the distance.” After Moshe the Beadle was deported, he changed. Elie says, “Moshe has changed. There was no longer any joy in his eyes. He no longer sang. He no longer talked to me of God or of the cabbala, but only what he had seen.”(Wiesel 1,4)

The things Moshe the Beadle witnessed after being deported are the type of images that would change a person, and not for the better. The young French girl who speaks to Elie after one of the German guards, Idek, attacks him shows that there is still hope. She is kind-hearted enough to risk speaking in German to tell Elie that he needs to hold onto hope and wait for the time to come when he will be free. Before speaking to Elie, she was acting as if she did not speak German, and getting caught speaking the language would be terrible for her. She- at least- does not lose her humanity. She shows Elie that there is still hope for him, and he only needs to hold on long enough to see the end of the pain of the Holocaust.

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Conclusion paragraph: The characters seen in Maus are more static while the characters in Night are all dynamic. All of the characters in Vladek’s stories seem to remain the same. There is a major different past Vladek and present-day-Vladek, but readers cannot see how he changed from reading the novel. In Night, Elie notices how the concentration camps change men. All of the men -regardless of how they behaved before being deported- acted the same. They all only looked out for themselves whenever the Germans were near. That same sense of self is seen with the Polish in Maus.

References

1. Gale, C. L. (2016). A Study Guide for Art Spiegelman's" Maus". https://www.scribd.com/book/385751818/A-Study-Guide-for-Art-Spiegelman-s-Maus Gale, Cengage Learning.
2. Tabachnick, S. E. (1993). Of Maus and memory: the structure of Art Spiegelman's graphic novel of the Holocaust. Word & Image, 9(2), 154-162. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02666286.1993.10435484)
3. Wilner, A. F. (1997). Happy, Happy Ever after": Story and History in Art Spiegelman's" Maus. The Journal of Narrative Technique, 27(2), 171-189. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/30225464)
4. Manseau, P. (2006). Revising night: Elie Wiesel and the hazards of holocaust theology. CrossCurrents, 387-399. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/24461408)
5. Millet, K. (2009). Elie Wiesel’s Night and Dying in the Present Tense. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280078458_Elie_Wiesel's_Night_and_Dying_in_the_Present_Tense_In_Bloom's_Literary_Themes_on_Death_and_Dying_Ed_Harold_Bloom_New_York_Chelsea_House_2009 Bloom’s Literary Themes, on Death and Dying, 171-182.

Introduction

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Background

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing keyinformation that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Thesis statement

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

Topic sentence

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

Evidence & citing

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

Commentary

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Conclusion paragraph

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad aboutthe topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

Introduction: World War One was a time of extreme patriotism, violence and agony. Many were affected by the nature of war and were encouraged to write stories and literature grasping war’s true reality, wanting to share with those at home the horror that was experienced by the innocent soldiers that were initially blinded by honor and patriotism. However, not all literature composed during World War One captured the harsh reality of war. Background: The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen are two examples of war poetry written during World War One. Both were written about conflict, war and death, sharing the same themes of war poetry. However, the poems written from two very different perspectives and deal with the subject of war in contrasting ways. The poets base their poems on their own personal experiences during war, and considering both poets had very different involvements, in turn, so are their poems. Dulce et Decorum Est explores the unpleasant reality of war, while on the other hand The Soldier glorifies the idea of dying for your country. Thesis statement: To make a comparison of the poems, Dulce et Decorum Est and The Soldier are analyzed in this essay.

Topic sentence: Both Owen and Brooke were involved in World War One, however, their involvement in the war heavily affected their options on war. Owen wrote Dulce while he was at the war hospital in Craiglockhart, Edinburgh; near the end of World War One and had experienced war’s true horrors. He wanted to write a poem that would describe war in a truthful way, as he thought it was necessary for the civilians at home to understand war as it really was. Evidence & citing: The title of the poem itself, Dulce et Decorum Est, translates to it is honourable to die for one’s country. Owen reveals through his writing how this was the misleading, ‘old lie’ that was told for centuries to those encouraged to enlist. Commentary: Dulce explores the cold truth about war, and how it continues to haunt him, forever suffering. On the contrary, Brooke’s writing displays how it is noble to die for one’s country. Brooke’s history in war was cut very short, he passed away before even going into battle. The poem was written in the early stages of World War One and was used to try to convince others to enlist. Brooke was unable to see the true effects of war and is a great representation of the majority at the beginning of war. Evidence & citing: As Brooke wrote The Soldier at the beginning of World War One, it corresponds with ‘the old lie’ Owen speaks of in Dulce.

Topic sentence: When comparing the structure of both poems, they are similar in the fact that both were written in iambic pentameter. Additionally, both share a structured rhyming scheme. Evidence & citing: Throughout the first stanza of Dulce, Owen uses similes to portray the tone of the filthy and grimy standards that the soldiers faced. Owen draws you in to the graphic scenes of war with ‘men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots but limped on.’ The exhaustion of the soldiers is portrayed with vivid imagery and language such as ‘lame’, ‘drunk with fatigue’ and ‘we cursed through the sludge’. In the second stanza, Owen then goes on to change the mood to chaotic and fast paced. He uses language such as ‘fumbling’ to capture the soldiers’ panic. The third stanza describes a misfortunate soldier who is consumed by the gas and ‘floundering like a man in fire or lime’ ‘drowns’ in his own blood-filled lungs. In the final stanza, Owen explains the message of the poem through gory metaphors of truth; ‘his hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin’ and ‘obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud’. Owen uses ‘of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues’ to portray how innocent boys are experiencing horrific deaths because of ‘the old lie: dulce et decorum set pro patria mori’. Through use of fire imagery and the use of the word ‘devil’, Owen compares the soldiers’ deaths to hell. Instead, Brooke uses nature and heavenly imagery to relate to war and dying for one’s country. In the first stanza of The Soldier, Brooke uses language such as ‘blest’, bringing light to the poem and using nature imagery such as ‘rivers’ and ‘sun’. In the last four line of The Soldier, Brooke personifies England, saying ‘her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day’, comparing war to a dream. This contrasts to Dulce, when Owen explores his recurring nightmares of terror and war. Brooke also says how his ‘heart is at peace, under an English heaven’ also again contradicting Owen comparison of dying in war and hell. Commentary: While Dulce conveys the vile truth of war and shares negative ideas towards dying for one’s country, The Soldier conveys the complete opposite, emphasizing how death for one’s country is a noble end and England is the noblest country for which to die. Through their poems, Brooke and Owen create opposing moods to represents their ideas.

Topic sentence: Both Brooke and Owen use various literary devices in their poetry to share their feelings and thoughts related to war. Evidence & citing: The Soldier is written as a sonnet and is a romantic, love-letter to England. The repetition of the word ‘England’ and ‘English’ throughout the poem expresses Brooke’s love for the country and in the second stanza he explains how this love has ‘shed all evil away’, and is now ‘a pulse in the eternal mind’. Commentary: Brooke’s feelings and thoughts towards England are conveyed through his constant glorification of dying in war and his patriotic messages. Contrastingly, Owen uses varied literary devices to suggest the harsh and bitter reality of war. Evidence & citing: ‘Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge’ uses onomatopoeia to imply how heavy and difficult the ground is to cross. Owen also uses personification in ‘till on the haunting flares we turned our backs’ to suggest how death is haunting the men and they live their life in peril; its presence constantly follows them wherever they go, which in turn leaves them restless. Owen highlights how youth and innocence are destroyed by war, this is seen in the contrast of the simile ‘of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues’. Through their literature, both Brooke and Owen convey their feeling and thoughts towards war in contrasting ways.

Conclusion paragraph: Through the contrasting poems The Soldier and Dulce et Decorum Est, Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen share their opposing feelings and thoughts about war and dying for one’s country. Both The Soldier and Dulce et Decorum Est highlight the firsthand accounts of Brooke and Owen’s experiences, yet they differ drastically in many other ways. Both poems are unlike in form and rhyming pattern. Despite their two different perspectives on war, they do have a common element. Both poems describe World War One, however, have completely different messages and morals.

References

1. Norgate, P. (1989). Wilfred Owen and the soldier poets. The Review of English Studies, 40(160), 516-530. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/517098)
2. Hughes, J. (2006). Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est. The Explicator, 64(3), 164-166. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/EXPL.64.3.164-166?journalCode=vexp20)
3. Zawierucki, R. (2015). Heroes or cannon fodder? Images of the soldier in British Great War poetry. (https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/xmlui/handle/item/205805)
4. Corcoran, N. (2007). Wilfred Owen and the poetry of war. the cambridge companion to twentieth-century english poetry, 87-101. (https://www.academia.edu/43528900/The_Cambridge_Companion_to_Twentieth_Century_English_Poetry)
5. Wright, W. (2002). Hardy and Owen on World War I: Explications and a Comparative Analysis of" The Man He Killed" and" Dulce et Decorum Est". The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English, 4(1), 9. (https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=tor)

Introduction

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Background

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing keyinformation that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Thesis statement

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

Topic sentence

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

Evidence & citing

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

Commentary

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Conclusion paragraph

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad aboutthe topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

Narratives are cultural devices that represent their era, playing an important academic role in reflecting and developing the values, ideas and attitudes of their context, and even warning the audience about what could happen in the future. Appropriations are a clear example of this where composers are able to maintain the popular themes and plot of a story while still reinforcing key issues and values of the current society in which they are a part of at a subliminal level to still maintain the story but also provoke the audience to think about their own actions in the world. This can be seen through the many appropriations of the popular Sleeping Beauty In the Woods by Charles Perrault in the late 17th century and Maleficent the new take on Sleeping Beauty from Robert Stromberg in 2014. Through the changing roles of the main characters, such as Phillip,. Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty, the clear changes in the textual purpose of the narrative, of young love versus the idea of feminism and the ideals placed on women, both Perrault and Stormberg were able to tackle real life problems, reflecting society and in turn shaping society by placing these narratives as influencing factors in front of their audience to help make real decisions throughout their own lives which holds as an important aspect to maintain the narratives importance over time.

Firstly the most prominent contrast between Sleeping Beauty in the Woods and Maleficent is the expressed gender roles. This can be seen through the different ways all of the characters are displayed, more specifically both sleeping beauty and the Prince are shown. In Perrault’s version of sleeping beauty, his characters are direct creation of the roles given to both men and women in the society of the 17th century, ones that would’ve connected and greatly influenced the individual at the time. The comparisons can be seen as maleficent challenging the ideas of Prince and Princess form. In past narratives the princess has been depicted purely as a love interest or an even prize to be won, seen through may Disney interpretations of fairy tales like Tangled, Cinderella and sleeping beauty, with their main purpose being placed on finding love, relationships, marriage + and needing protection, working in correlation with the form of damsel in distress. As well as their main values can be seen as their beauty and their superiority. This form is demonstrated through sleeping beauty in the woods all throughout the story and can be seen Cleary through the grand christening, the idea of her beauty expressed through the first ‘gift’ bestowed up on “she should be the most beautiful person”. This demonstrated the importance of beauty in society built off of Perrault’s 17th century context where status, such as her royal belongings, and looks were obsessed over which promotes the idea of the sociological function of the myth. Perrault uses this idea to enforce this idea upon his own society, using the way that the audience sees the princess to inspire them to want to be just like this and aim for this high expectation of beauty and status.

This is further reinforced through the introduction of the prince and the archetype of this prince, the strong and fearless protector. This is shown through the Prince, who upon hearing that there is a beautiful princess awaiting in a castle becomes determined to be this savior she was awaiting. These archetypes are challenged in Stromberg’s appropriation, Maleficent, due to the context in which it was published. Maleficent largely rejects the idea of women being weak and needing a man’s protection or saving, reflecting the way in which individuals view their world where 2014 introduced a large amount of promoting women empowerment and rejecting the sexist ideas that had been built upon for many years, for example Perrault’s version of Sleeping Beauty. This can be seen through the idea of true loves kiss, where the idea that Prince Phillip was the only one who could save Aurora challenged by the visual scene of Aurora and Maleficent shows women empowering women. This idea presents as a new moral lesson, about women empowering women, an important lesson to teach not only young girls but young boys as well, shaping the ways they see their own future and how they will view themselves, and do not need to rely on the stereotypes that created these archetypes. The contrast between Sleeping Beauty in the Wood and Maleficent is important to really reinforce these ideas, where the stereotypes may have maintained its relevance to leave a lasting impression on the 17th century audience but have now evolved over time with society.

This contrast further continues with Maleficent challenging the ideals placed on women for the centuries before its release, showing the audience how they no longer have a role in their current society. Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty in the Wood was released at an extremely convenient time to reinforce society’s notions of ‘ideal’ women during the times they were told. A beautiful woman who could sing, dance, and play music would certainly have been popular in 17th century Versailles. This can be seen through the opening christening though each of the gifts given by the fairies built out of metaphors and both visual auditory imagery to highlight their importance, where the Princess would be the “…most beautiful person… temper of an angel… wonderful grace… dance to perfection… sing like a nightingale… play every kind of music with the utmost skill.” Within these gifts the idea of female curiosity is not mentioned which shows dramatically how it was not valued as a female characteristic but rather warns off women of the time, shown through the introduction of the evil fairy’s curse “…she declared that the princess should prick her hand with a spindle, and die of it.” This curse alarms the king and he hides all spindles away from his princess, however due to her curiosity she inevitably finds the spindle that leads to her doom. This is seen as a way to warn society off if women curiosity, showing that it is not their place to go searching around but rather to fulfill or the ideas stated beforehand, reinforcing their importance in Perrault’s society. While all these ideals are challenged through Maleficent female curiosity is largely affirmed rather than looked down upon. This is support throughout the movie, for example when Aurora is young, wandering around, chasing after the butterfly, curious to see what it is and experience the joy it brings, and furthermore when Aurora and Maleficent travel through the woods, allowing Aurora’s curiosity take over and experience the new encounters, the tracking shots used to show the occurrences of the new experiences continuously occurring, with no threats to Aurora. The negative connotations on curiosity were important to challenge as it reflected the current society that Stromberg was in, one where women’s roles are not confined to being a good wife or a good mother, but exploring and finding their own future. This was an important lesson to teach young women especially teenagers who would experience these idealistic expectations brought upon by narratives that in the past that had left a lasting impression on the society and had to be challenged. Maleficent successfully challenges these ideals brought on by composers such as Perrault, not only curiosity, to reflect the society that they had evolved into now, not one that had been created and carried on through narratives over time and create new, realistic ideals for young women to live up to.

The biggest contrast between Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty in the Wood is the pure textual purpose communicated by the composers. Written and published in the 17th century, Perrault wrote about an important aspect of life that he could recognise clearly and portray to his audience, the idea true love and young marriage. These ideas are referenced in the written moral of the story, ensuring that if the audience were not able to comprehend the underlying message of the narrative that by the time they finish reading they would. It reads as “Many a girl has waited long, for a husband brave or strong… young blood must when young blood will!” This clearly demonstrates the textual purpose, and Perrault’s ability to portray this and reflect his modern day society enabled Sleeping Beauty in the Wood to further extend its importance. Sleeping beauty in the wood portrayed an important meaning to its audience and had the power to influence and shape the society in which it maintains its relevance. Many women reading the narrative become inspired by its outcomes, the happy ending where men and women find each other, fall in love, get married, have children and live happily, ever, after. This inspiration leads to them wanting to find their own one true love, giving Sleeping Beauty in the Wood the power to shape its audience worldview and future actions. This can also be said with Maleficent, however, Maleficent displays its own textual purpose, of feminism and the idea of whether anyone is truly good or evil. The general story of Sleeping beauty displays Maleficent as the evil witch, the villain who doom’s Aurora to death but is ultimately defeated in the end. Stromberg’s Maleficent challenged this idea, introducing a second side of the story, her side, showing the audience why she does what she does. Ultimately the actions of Maleficent are justified, or explained through the actions that were committed against her. The audience shows the great betrayal she faces of a man, whom she thought was a friend took advantage of her trust and took a huge part of her identity, her wings. This betrayal is what leads to the cursing of Aurora, however, the idea of Maleficent being good, or just like every other human is introduced. The audience sees the good through her connection with Aurora and her determination to protect her. Maleficent’s character develops greatly “I swear no harm will ever come to you” with this young girl Aurora Maleficent’s perspective of the world has changed reinforced through the close up shot of Maleficent’s face, showing the tears in her eyes. The audience is forced to consider the idea that there is more than just one side to a story and is also introduced to the idea of feminism and women empowerment. Maleficent no longer gives men the power to have control over her or to fuel her anger but accepts herself as a strong woman, reinforced by Aurora’s love and support for her. The textual purpose contrast between Sleeping Beauty in the Wood and Maleficent is dramatic and shows the evolution of societies. Women’s roles are no longer defined by their physical skills and looks, dependent on a man to get them through life but reflect modern day society where Men and Women are equal, both with good and bad aspects about them but ultimately showing the audience that women can be strong and powerful too.

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Cultures are ever changing with the eras that they pass through and through appropriations of narratives societies are able to identify and examine these changes. Sleeping Beauty in the Wood and Maleficent were published centuries apart and clearly reflect their own societies whilst still maintaining the core ideas of the narrative. Through the comparison and challenging of the prince and princess archetypes, ideals placed on women and the textual purpose of both narratives, each had the power to influence the society in which they were published in, representing and reinforcing their core values, ideas and attitudes. Through narratives individuals are able to refer back to something in order to help guide them through their individual lives, make decisions and interpret the way they see their world and without them they would be lost. 

Works Cited

1. Perrault, C. (1697). La belle au bois dormant [Sleeping Beauty in the Woods]. Paris, France: Charles Perrault.
2. Stromberg, R. (Director). (2014). Maleficent [Film]. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.
3. Zipes, J. (1988). The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood. New York, NY: Routledge.
4. Tatar, M. (2004). The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
5. Jack, Z., & Jack, G. (2007). Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
6. Bettelheim, B. (1976). The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
7. Knoepflmacher, U. C. (1999). The Sleeping Beauty: Evolutionary Considerations. In D. Tatar (Ed.), The Classic Fairy Tales (pp. 282-298). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
8. Zipes, J. (2006). Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. New York, NY: Routledge.
9. Zipes, J. (2002). Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter. New York, NY: Routledge.
10. Warner, M. (1995). From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Table of contents

1. Procedures
2. Findings
3. Conclusion

In my research below I will be comparing two different types of businesses. The first one will be a profit organization ''Apple Inc. '' and the other one is a non-profit organization ''American Red Cross''. The reason for my research was to develop my own knowledge in this sector, I am a student of Marketing course I want to learn how to write repost of two contrasting business.

Procedures

Mostly all pieces of information about companies was found on the internet on different web sites, for comparing two businesses I used my own lecture notes from my university.

Findings

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company establishment in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in April 1976 to create and sell Wozniak's ''Apple I'' it was a personal computer. Apple's current Mission Statement is: "Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad".

Apple’s Vision Statement in: “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing. We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self- honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well”.

Apple Inc. is currently in the Tertiary and Secondary Sector this is because Apple provides online services, sells consumer electronics. Apple Inc. has around the world below 130000 employees, it means that Apple Inc. is large business, with a number of employees and their turnover 52. 6$. Apple Inc. created a brand new personal computer with the new system, new design. It was a big boom when "Apple I" came to shops, it was completely different than the others, system which was easy to use, with the totally different look and entire style. Steve Jobs develop the iTunes software in January 2001, which is media player, music library and internet radio. We can play, download, and organize digital multimedia files, including music and video clips, on personal computers where is the operating system the macOS or Windows. In 29, June 2007 they develop a brand new iPhone with new mobile operating system iOS created exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that presently powers many of the firm's mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The iOS system is completely different from his bigger opponent Android, it's easier to use, has an absolutely different look and settings, that's one of the reasons why is Apple so successful.

In 1976 graphic designer Rob Janoff create new more modern logo, it was the “bite” in the Apple logo was originally perfect so that people would know that it represented an apple. Design created by Janoff becomes one of the most iconic and knowable corporate logos in history. Many people are supporting them because of their black & white design, their advertisements are simple but amazing, they are creating everything for customers, all campaigns, all researches are for customers loyalty.

American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization which supplies emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. In Washington, D. C. on May 21, 1881, was for the first time became established by Clara Barton, she was the first president. American Red Cross is a nationwide network of 264 chapters and 36 blood service regions. American Red Cross is the biggest supplier of blood and blood products in the US, supplying 2, 600 hospitals. There is working more than 23000 employees helping people in disasters (more than 67000), almost 330000 Red Cross volunteers.

Their mission statement is: 'The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. ''. Their vision statement is: ''The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors, and partners, is always there in times of need. We aspire to turn compassion into action so that. . . all people affected by disaster across the country and around the world receive care, shelter, and hope;. . . our communities are ready and prepared for disasters;. . . everyone in our country has access to safe, lifesaving blood and blood products;. . . all members of our armed services and their families find support and comfort whenever needed;. . . in an emergency, there are always trained individuals nearby, ready to use their Red Cross skills to save lives'.

Their goal is: 'To create, through effective legislative and regulatory initiatives, a public policy environment at all levels of government that will forward the mission and strategic objectives of the American Red Cross''.

The business sector where American Red Cross currently belong it's the Tertiary Sector because the American Red Cross provides services to the general population. They render first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED), water safety and lifeguarding, babysitting, disaster preparedness and home safety training throughout the United States. The American Red Cross responds to tens of thousands of disasters each year, including, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, hazardous materials spills, explosions and transportation accidents. America Red Cross workers supply shelter, food, mental and physical health services, financial assistance, medications, transportation and tools.

The American Red Cross also serves as a liaison with government agencies and insurance agencies, the American Red Cross present long-term assistance. Through its affiliation with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, the American Red Cross also travels internationally to provide disaster relief and set up development programs.

The American Red Cross is giving faith to people, support and the most important, they are helping them, that's one of the biggest reasons why is American Red Cross so success.

Conclusion

Now I'm going to summaries both businesses that I have chosen (Apple Inc. and American Red Cross). The main differences between Apple and American Red Cross are that Apple's products sell consumer electronics, computer software, and online services, for example, Apple Music. On the other hand, the American Red Cross provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. They are both successful because of their unique products/services.

The main similarities between Apple's and American Red Cross are their segments this is because Apple's offer services like app sales, iCloud revenue, Apple Pay, Apple Music, and iTunes. With American Red Cross, they provide services like giving help, caring people in need or assist people in disasters, and also giving medical treatment and teaching how to be disaster prepared.

The difference between two famous personalities

In my essay I will be discussing the musical style of Elvis Presley and Travis Scott. Firstly, I will give a little background information on Elvis. As we all know he is one of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll in history. The 1950s was when he skyrocketed on the TV and the radio stations. Growing up his family had very little money and they moved very regularly. Because his mother was raised in a church to have faith in God, Elvis also followed the same pattern. As a result of this gospel music was an important influence for him. But sadly, he died of heart failure which was related to his drug addiction in 1977.

Elvis contributed to the music industry tremendously which is the main reason for his fame. His musical style was such a success in his time, his famous style was called rockabilly. The way he did rockabilly was combining country music from the South with the rhythm and blues from African Americans and pop music. His music style “rockabilly” had become the key sound of rock ‘n’ roll.

Elvis’s song “Good Rockin’ Tonight” from 1954 is a perfect example of rockabilly. His overall success was a product of his environment in many ways. In terms of culture, he had a big impact on teenagers. In the 50s teens realized that their generation was different from their parents and sometimes they rebelled against their parents and didn’t listen to them.

The teenagers took advantage of the rise of the economy and loved the income that they were able to use on themselves and not on their family. They dressed up in the latest fashion and went out to movies with friends to watch their favorite stars and listened to music appealing to them. Elvis influenced this because of the way he sang his songs, performed and his appearance. For example, his hairstyles and his very distinctive fashion sense.

Travis Scott is a modern-day artist who became known in 2010. He is incomparable to Elvis Presley. They are two completely different persons in terms of their musical success and style. He is known for his auto-tuned half-sung and half rapped vocal musical style. The only thing similar about the two of them is that like Elvis Presley, Travis Scott performs and produces songs that are appealing to teenagers. In terms of differences, there are many.

Elvis Presley won three Grammy Awards for his gospel recordings meanwhile Travis Scott won none. He had six nominations but that was it. Not as many people go crazy for Travis Scott like how they did for Elvis. Elvis was very well known and appreciated. He is a legend and people still talk about him and listen to his music decades after his passing. Unlike Travis Scott, Elvis appeared on a television show called Ed Sullivan.

In terms of success, again Travis Scott was nowhere near as successful as Elvis Presley. Elvis served in the Military and he was a member of two different armor battalions which is a huge accomplishment on his part. Travis Scott did not serve in any military or do anything worthwhile for the country.

In closing, these are the reasons why and how Elvis Presley’s musical style and his success was a product of his environment. As well as why he became so popular and famous, he deserved to be recognized because he was such a legend even to this day. And in my defense these are the reasons why Travis Scott is so different and incomparable to Elvis Presley. The obvious reason being they are two different people when it comes to music. Elvis is more country, rhythm and blues and he incorporated that into the songs that were appealing to the teenagers. Travis was straight hip hop and rap.

Works Cited

1. Anderson, David. “How Elvis Permanently Changed American Pop Culture.” The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2019, theconversation.com/how-elvis-permanently-changed-american-pop-culture-81917.
2. “Elvis Presley.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 15 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/musician/elvis-presley.
3. “Travis Scott.” GRAMMY.com, 10 Sept. 2019, www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/travis-scott.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Variations in Plot Settings
3. Expression of the Main Characters’ Qualities
4. Suitability of the Film Genres
5. Conclusion

Introduction

The quality of a film is denoted by the extent to which it captivates viewers. Some pieces may work better when performed on stage than when presented in the form of motion pictures. In contrast, some works are picture-perfect when offered as movies unlike when performed in theatre. Good characters, a simple plot, relevant themes, attention to details, and a decent ending characterize an excellent piece of art.

The Phantom of the Opera, which was released in 2004, is a British-American musical film that was inspired by a novel written in 1909 by Gaston Leroux. The film captures the happenings of a love triangle involving the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul. Although it displays spectacular musical performances, the movie fails to showcase the themes of romance and horror effectively. For this reason, the musical could be more captivating if it is performed on stage.

In contrast, Metropolis is a 1927 German science-fiction movie that focuses on the theme of inequality in a futuristic city. The motion picture demonstrating the unification of the upper city and the underworld was excellently produced. As such, the piece of work would not fit well if acted on stage. The Phantom of the Opera and Metropolis demonstrate very well how one piece might work better on stage and why another item suits a motion picture form of art.

Variations in Plot Settings

The filming location of The Phantom of the Opera is entirely situated at the Paris Opera House. The object of art may work better if it is performed on stage given that the Paris Opera House is a theatre itself. Provided that almost all the scenes captured in the film revolve around the theatre, staging a theatrical performance of the piece could result in impressive outcomes in relation to the case of a film presentation.

The motion picture reveals that people would subscribe to at least three performances weekly to assemble on the foyer of the Paris Opera House. A chandelier lights the foyer to enhance the aesthetic aspects of the theatre. A similar visual display could be easily achieved in a theatre setting, facilitating the performance of the art piece. Furthermore, the plot setting is generally unfolded within the theatre building, which makes it reasonable to execute the work of art on stage.

The film starts with the scene of an auction conducted in the Paris Opera House before viewers are taken back to 1870 where rehearsals for a performance of Hannibal by Chalemau occur. Notably, a series of events, including the replacement of Carlotta by Christine as the lead diva, musical performances, arrival of Raoul, and the capture of both Christine and Raoul take place within the Paris Opera House.

Besides the plot setting fascinating viewers with excellent musical performances inspired by the Phantom, the absence of diverse plot settings contributes to the dullness of the film. In other words, the work of art appears more like a stage performance than an actual movie owing to the lack of richness in terms of diverse scenes. As such, the limited plot sceneries involved in The Phantom of the Opera makes it suitable for stage presentation.

On the contrary, the plot settings captured in Metropolis suit a typical science-fiction picture show created in the late 1920s. The filming locations of the movie capture economic inequalities in the upper city and underground worlds of a modern city-state in the year 2026. The plot of the movie shifts from one setting to another as Maria tries to reunite the exploited underworld workers with the thinkers and planners, who enjoy luxuries in the world above the surface of the Earth. The scene where Freder accompanies Maria to the underworld to obtain first-hand experience of the adversities facing workers aids viewers in developing a picture-perfect idea of the rift between the two halves of the Metropolis society.

The plot settings in the Metropolis, which is a silent film, permit the audience to obtain a clear understanding of the characteristics of a modern city. Notably, the movie displays scenes that represent a typical metropolitan environment by showcasing events in the entertainment district and the area along cathedrals. The illustration of such scenes on stage could be challenging given that the piece of work is categorized as a science-fiction movie. Therefore, besides both object of work displaying events above the surface of the Earth and beneath it, Metropolis involves varied plot sites that make the movie appealing, unlike the limited filming locations in The Phantom of the Opera.

Expression of the Main Characters’ Qualities

The main character should demonstrate the qualities that make him or her outstanding. In The Phantom of the Opera, the character playing the title role displays the quality of a musical genius. The Phantom sings several records, including “Music of the Night’ and “Stranger Than You Dreamt It”, with an amazingly rich voice as he tries to convince Christine to stay with him. Additionally, the Phantom’s musical prowess is confirmed in the scene where he guides Christine to take up the lead role of a forthcoming opera II Muto. Furthermore, the Phantom expresses his deep love for Christine when he overwhelms the audience by singing “Down Once More”. Undeniably, the main character is a talented singer and musician who played his role impeccably.

The musical performances dominating the piece would attract an astonishing reception from the audience when performed on stage. The musical genius would easily get people on their feet whenever he performs a song on stage. A theatrical performance of the original book would not only enhance the entertainment aspect of the musical object of art but also evoke romantic emotions in the audience. Thus, the musical aspect of the piece of work, as well as the Phantom's amazing voice, make it suit a stage performance better than a motion picture presentation.

On the other hand, Maria demonstrates the quality of a dedicated advocate seeking to unite the rich planners in the upper city with the neglected workers in the underworld. Maria denotes the quality of advocate of the oppressed workers by convincing them to wait for the coming of “The Mediator” instead of engaging in a violent revolution.

The angry workers listen to Maria as they hope for changes that would improve their welfare. Additionally, Maria expresses the quality of a human rights advocate in the scene where she convinces Freder, the son of Fredersen, to follower her to the underworld. In so doing, Maria prepared Freder for the role of a mediator who would facilitate the unification of the two halves of the Metropolis society.

Metropolis is better presented in the form of a motion picture than a stage performance since Maria expresses her evangelical qualities perfectly as a lead character. Maria is enthusiastic about helping the workers raise their living standards despite being imprisoned in Rotwang’s house located in the upper city. In another scene, Maria effortlessly reveals her divine attribute by ensuring that Freder mediates the unity pact between his father and Grot. Overall, Maria does not disappoint in playing her role as the main character provided that she uses her strong qualities to influence the harmonious coexistence of the people in Metropolis’ underworld and upper city.

Suitability of the Film Genres

Metropolis is an object of art that is classified as science fiction. The technical aspects of presenting the piece may not be appropriate for a stage performance. Arguably, Metropolis is one of the pioneering science-fiction films given that it was released in 1927. Despite the lack of advanced technology such as computer-generated imagery and graphics during the time when the work was filmed, it showcases an ideal futuristic world.

As the film commences, viewers are presented with sites of a corporate city-state characterized by Gothic skyscrapers in the year 2026. Indeed, the scenes in the piece match the ones in a typical modern city as denoted by the numerous skyscrapers that are very common in big cities. The sites and scenes of a modern world typified by infrastructure development and economic equalities imply that the artists behind the science-fiction work did a commendable job.

The concept of robotics as captured in Metropolis is another aspect that makes the piece more interesting in a movie form. In the film, Rotwang develops a robot that resembles Maria, which Fredersen uses to reinforce his authority and control over the workers. People who viewed the movie before robots became popular could have easily formed imaginations of a world where computerized systems perform human functions. An illustration of how technology systems would influence processes and relationships in the future corporate world would not have been clearer if the story was presented on stage because of the obvious restrictions of a scene production.

On the other hand, The Phantom of the Opera is a musical work, which could be excellently performed in a theatre. The Phantom executes electrifying musical acts that would only sound better when acted live on stage than when presented in a film. The various occasions in which the Phantom sings for Christine could be executed exceptionally well on stage apart from creating an emotional connection with the audience. The participation of the audience in the theatrical performance would also add flavor to the story and, thus, help the audiences to ignore and overlook the uninteresting parts of the show and feel like the actual listeners to the tale told.

Conclusion

The Phantom of the Opera is a piece that may be better when performed onstage than when being presented as a motion picture. Conversely, presenting Metropolis as a film is much better than staging a performance in a theatre. The comparison of the two objects of art is based on many factors, such as plot settings, the main characters' expression of qualities, and suitability of the film genres.

In The Phantom of the Opera, the plot setting primarily revolves around the Paris Opera House, which allows the act to be performed on stage without much difficulty. Metropolis, however, incorporates multiple filming locations, which makes the work tedious and complex to present on stage. The Phantom has the quality of a musical genius, which a quality he could express better on stage and gives audiences a feeling of actually being there.

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On the other hand, Maria superbly demonstrates her advocacy and evangelical qualities throughout the Metropolis, which makes the motion picture more appealing. Moreover, the musical work could evoke better reactions from the audience than when performed on stage, owing to the character’s capabilities. Conversely, presenting Metropolis on stage is considerably difficult since it is a science-fiction piece of work.