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This chapter from the novel ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker includes an abundance of conventions typical of the Gothic genre, primarily employed here through Stoker’s characterisation of Johnathan Harker, Count Dracula and the three seductive women. Published in the late 19th Century, at a time when the focus of the Gothic genre was often on the darker elements of the human psyche in the familiar setting of the modern world, ‘Dracula’, for the most part being set in Victorian Britain, indeed conformed to the genre norms of the time. However, this chapter contains a number of conventions established early on in the genre; a protagonist suffering an excess of emotional distress, caused by supernatural phenomena, the events taking place in in unfamiliar locations, distanced from the present. Indeed, such elements ensure the foundations of this novel are deep-rooted in the Gothic style.
Get original essayThe overtly sexual tone of this chapter establishes this a theme of the novel, indeed one which is common in the Gothic genre. Stoker depicts one of the recurring Gothic stereotypes of female characters in his portrayal of the three women introduced in this chapter; they are attractive, illusive and sexually assertive. Johnathan recounts how the “fair girl went on her knees, and bent over [him], fairly gloating”, the proxemics here creating the sexual tone and reinforcing a notion typical of the Gothic genre: that women are only able to exert power through their sexuality. Sexuality is a prevalent Gothic theme; indeed, it can be seen famously in Angela Carter’s anthology ‘The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories’ where numerous female characters display prevalent sexual desires. However, female sexual assertiveness was not generally accepted in the Victorian era and so contemporary readers would have been suitably shocked and even disturbed by this moment in the narrative, indeed fulfilling one of the aims of the genre. In the 1992 film adaptation of Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, director Francis Ford Coppula exaggerates the sexual atmosphere further by choosing to have the three women topless and to have all engage with Johnathan, kissing and licking him repeatedly. A century after the original novel societal opinion on sex would have changed, and by making this seen even more outrageous, Coppula is successful in upholding the Gothic motive of shocking his audience. Yet another Gothic trope which is portrayed during this moment is the notion that humans are simultaneously repulsed and enticed by the supernatural. Stoker provides the reader with more than one example of juxtaposition that demonstrate Johnathan’s confusion as to how to react to his strange predicament: “some longing and at the same time deadly fear”, “which was both thrilling and repulsive”. This strong juxtaposition is also seen in Stoker’s description of the women’s physical appearances, indeed they are “ladies by their dress”, mimicking the appearance of a Victorian lady, contrasting the disconcerting emphasis placed by Stoker on their “brilliant white teeth”. The overwhelming sense of Johnathan’s confusion here, as well as his guilt in knowing that “it is not good to note this down, lest someday it should meet Mina’s eyes”, demonstrates that the sexual element of the chapter is perhaps transgressive but presented in such a way that it is attractive to both contemporary and modern readers, indeed conforming to the Gothic tradition of exploring inexplicable fascination.
Another character that is inherently Gothic is Count Dracula. At this point in the novel, the supernatural elements to his character has already been hinted to the reader, and here they are only emphasised. Stoker depicts how “the red light in [his eyes] was lurid, as if the flames of hell-fire blazed behind them”. Colour semiotics are so often used to depict characters in Gothic fiction, and here it is no different. The allusion to hell, along with the connotations of the colour red not only associate Count Dracula with evil, but also with the myths surrounding vampirism – red eyes being an indicator of such. This foreshadows a potentiality for cruelty in the Count and establishes him as the novel’s Gothic antagonist. Furthermore, the Count is exerts tremendous power both physically and in the way of gender dynamics, reinforcing his Gothic characterisation. Johnathan recounts how Count Dracula “hurled the women from him”, the powerful verb “hurled” eliciting extremely aggressive connotations. His actions here re-affirm male dominance in this moment as Stoker introduces the concept that gender hierarchy, a recurring Gothic theme, exists in both the human and supernatural realms; men will always dominate. Indeed in the 1992 film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppula, these power dynamics are demonstrated starkly through the camera angle at this point in the story, which looks up at the Count from below mimicking the way in which women might look up to a man. The Count’s aggrieve actions ensure that this is yet another moment in the narrative that is successful in shocking the contemporary reader as the Victorian façade of respectability is subverted.
Additionally, the apparent emotional distress and disorientation of the protagonist Johnathan Harker contributes considerably to the Gothic atmosphere of the novel. Johnathan describes how “the lips…seemed about to fasten on [his] throat”, the use of the verb “fasten” being successful in manifesting tangible tension in this moment as is connotes a sense of claustrophobia and impending danger. Indeed, Johnathan’s lack of reaction might baffle the reader, since it is human instinct to avoid danger; his passive and docile manner in this moment only emphasises the power dynamics between Johnathan and the woman, indeed Gothic in style as Stoker demonstrates the helplessness of the human – the relatable character – in the face of the creature that is both foreign but also alarmingly familiar to the reader, as she is to Johnathan. Stoker is also successful in creating a potent sense of disorientation at this point in the narrative when the Count states “I must awaken him”, the fairly obvious implication being that Johnathan was asleep. This is portrayed starkly in the 1992 film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppula in which the echoing whispers of the three women, who are not yet present, combined with the mist that initially covers the bed creates a fantastical, dreamlike sequence which reinforces the possibility that Johnathan is indeed unconscious, calling into question whether or not this occurrence was merely Johnathan’s imagination. Whilst the reader remains uncertain as to whether or not Johnathan was unconscious, it was Stoker’s intention, in true Gothic form, to create an unreliable narrator which subsequently unnerves the reader. ‘The Turn of the Screw’ by Henry James is one of the most famous examples of the Gothic trope of the unreliable narrator; the story ends in a shocking and confusing manner, leaving the reader totally unsure of what took place. Indeed this moment is similar in that the reader is left uncertain as to whether or not the actions actually took place or whether it was part of a dream – a manifestation of Johnathan’s fear. Here, Stoker fulfils one of the most important Gothic aims; to stimulate a psychological response of fear in the reader. Indeed, the essence of the Gothic is to threaten stability and lose control of what is traditionally believed by the reader to be normal and true. The end of the chapter heightens the reader’s fear as it describes how “the horror overcame me, and I sank down unconscious”. The contrast in sentence structure and the emphasis on the loss on consciousness is extremely powerful in that it mirrors the theatrical climax of a blackout, indeed making the end of this chapter suitably sudden and dramatic. Stoker’s makes effect use of narrative techniques throughout the chapter; the epistolary style and here in particular, first person narrative, yet another frequent Gothic trope, ensures that the “horror” of the situation resonates strongly with the reader and the Gothic style of the narrative is magnified.
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Get custom essayIn conclusion, Stoker’s employment of traditional Gothic tropes, combined with the reader’s prior knowledge of the remote and isolated location where the narrative unfolds, vigorously conforms to the style of early Gothic literature; indeed Horace Walpole's ‘The Castle of Otranto’ is considered to be the first Gothic and it’s remote setting paves the way for effectiveness of such convention. By combining this element with others familiar to a reader of the Gothic – elements of the supernatural, an unreliable narrator and an overtly sexually tone – Stoker is successful in telling a story which is well established in Gothic form.
The individual and group assignment report is in connection with Governance and Development of IT security programme and policies. The organisation which I have selected an imaginary organisation A2Z.The main function of this organisation is financial business. We can also say that it is a micro finance bank. A2Z is framed in such a way that we can conduct the required analysis and propose IT Security Governance programme in it. The more details of A2Z can be found in introduction and further sections.
Get original essayA2Z is a microfinance organisation with 1000 employees. The main aim is to give excellent financial services to people who don’t have monthly income and hence improve their financial capacity. The main values of A2Z are customer centric approach, transparency in financial dealings. Some important information of A2Z is as follows.
Logo :
Tagline : Choice for better tomorrow.
Mobile App : “fine” App which works on android phone. The important financial products of A2Z are Savings Accounts, Current Accounts, Fixed Deposits and Loans. The service is mainly for the people who are working for hourly/daily wages. A2Z is divided into different departments for easy functioning. They are Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technology and Facility Management.A2Z conducts both internal and external audits in all divisions. Managing Director is the person who holds 80% of the shares. CEO and Divisional Chief executives hold the remaining shares based on certain conditions. All sections consist of a Chief Executive, 2 Chief Managers, Middle Level Managers, Team Manager, Team Lead and employees who work on daily business.A2Z follows line organisational structure which is most suitable for a medium sized organisation. In this model, duty of each position is clearly defined.
The picture above explains line structure
The different departments within A2Z and their functionality has been explained below.
Finance : It is the biggest department in A2Z.Teams of young professionals who have big experience in Accounting and Finance are employed here. Team names are as follows. Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Accounting and Reporting, Budgeting and Forecasting, Internal Expense Management, Internal Audit and Compliance, Tax Management.
Marketing: This department can play critical role in making relation with the public. It is divided into many sections. Company normally do online and offline marketing. Offline marketing is equally important as that of digital marketing because the customers in A2Z mainly are daily wagers. Public Relations, Creative Design, Data Management, Product Marketing, Social Media Team, Legal Team are the main subdivisions who help A2Z to become a leader in microfinance business.
Human Resource: The main duty of HR department is recruitment and training of new employees to A2Z. It also deals with company’s organisational behaviour. The sub divisions are Talent recruitment and Training, Payroll, Appraisal and Performance Management, Conflict Resolution.
IT Department is the 2nd most biggest department in A2Z.A2Z uses the most sophisticated technologies to achieve best results. All decisions taken from the top management team can be executed with the help of employees in that wing. Even though there are many competitors in the market, quality of service of A2Z makes the difference.
A2Z has Information Technology wing collect and use the data with at most care. The IT wing plays a crucial part in the business and the IT Chief Executive comes directly under CEO. It has the following sub sections. Service Desk, IT Security,2nd Line and 3rd Line Teams. The other teams as follows. Development, Testing, Data Base Administration, Web page maintenance and Backup. The IT infrastructure consists of hardware and software products. Computer Systems, Phones with IP address, Routers, Switches, Printers, Machines to record employee working hours, Surveillance Cameras, ATM Machines etc. The software platforms are Windows, Mainframe. A2Z also use customised applications to run day to day business. The subscription of cloud services add extra mileage to their business.
All product related queries first go to Service Desk Team. All of the questions are addressed and the phone calls are recorded for quality assurance. Sometimes customer may face problems such as login ID and password selection issues . All these will be resolved through phone call at Service Desk. The access issues on customised applications will need further authentication hence these queries will be directed to User Access Management Team. Similarly an issue which could not be resolved by Service Desk will pass to the appropriate team.
All of the users in the A2Z network is maintained by IT Security Team by giving right access. The internal and external access regulation is done with the help of IT Security team. The 2nd Line and 3rd line support resolve critical network issues which Access team/Service Desk cannot handle. Similarly the other teams carry out their responsibilities based on the business requirement.
A2Z web page is secured and have taken all measures against cyber threats. Any customer can use the A2Z webpage and mobile application easily.
Computer Desktop Laptop
Phones Smartphones CISCO
Computer Peripherals Mouse Keyboard Monitor
Network Components Router Switch Hub Connecting Wires
Uninterrupted Power Supply APC by Schneider Electric
Printer and Scanner Canon
LCD Projectors Canon
Wifi Vodafone
Software Operating System Windows Mainframe Unix
Licensed Application Softwares Office 365 Microsoft Access Mainframe DB2
Customised Application softwares Rumba Prod Rumba Dev Teradata Falcon
Software Solutions IDAM Solution MS Azure Cloud
Security Hardware and Softwares Firewall Kaspersky McAfee
Table 1 - Table which describes IT Asset List
Facility Management
The department arrange all things necessary for daily activities and provide a safe place for working. The teams included in this department are Health and Safety, Project Management, Budget Management, Transportation, Operations and maintenance.
A2Z has unique set of values and the quality of services makes A2Z different from any financial organisations.A2Z face business challenges from similar organisations, but its extraordinary employees and customers help them to stay competitive in the market. Apart from this, there are a lot crimes associated with the financial sector.
Price Waterhouse Coopers(pwc) conducted a survey on financial crimes that was happened in 2014 and 2011.There was a increase in bribery and corruption. The cybercrime threats and accounting frauds was increased 1% and this is due to the lack of monitoring and logging similar cyber threats. If the threats are unattended, there is a huge chance of repeating it again.
A2Z has 50,000 customers and progressive rate of increase in their numbers each year. Every year there are a huge number of people starting online accounts.A2Z believe that strong Information Technology Wing can do a lot in improving company’s business value.A2Z follows customer centric approach. This is the reason why they can say that they are the real stake holders.
The structure of A2Z and nature of its business has been explained above. It should be noted that A2Z has a IT infrastructure which helps to run the business effectively. We can develop information technology programme and policies as part of effective IT framework in the organisation and the governance of the same wherever necessary.
The Age of Enlightenment brought a new era of political consciousness to Europe. No longer would the destiny of the Western world be limited to the clergy and their bewildered notions of Divine Command Theory – instead, rational intellectualism sought to reform political communities. New concepts of statehood and secular governance had arisen throughout the Enlightenment, as the epoch of theocratic empires was beginning to end, and modern political theories based on rational logic took the spotlight. A wide array of educated elites produced hundreds of dogmatic texts, letters, rebuttals, and hypotheses either in search for a more ideal society or in critique of political status quo. These new ideas were published and distributed on wide scales, influencing urban societies, mobilizing new movements and swaying public discourse over issues of rightful authority.
Get original essayThe French Revolution, in particular, represented an epicenter of ideological revolutions in history, as popular effort pursued drastic political change. In a short period, the French managed to overthrow their long-standing monarchy, deviate from their feudal society, and minimize the authority of religious bodies. But the revolution was not a bed of roses, as several republics and administrative orders arose thereafter, lasting only short periods before French society looked to new rulers and political formulas. Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Edmund Burke, two renowned Enlightenment theorists, were both writing in the 18th century - Rousseau’s philosophy became a major influence to the French Revolution, while Burke’s work intellectually rebuked the revolt whilst it was in its infancy stages. Without exploring the legitimacy or lack thereof of this revolution or others, it is important to establish that Rousseau and Burke’s theories were divergent on some fundamental questions of governance. This paper looks into one of James Madison’s key doctrines on the ideal purpose and boundaries of government, and establishes that the works of Rousseau and Burke, while in some ways agreeing with Madison’s expression, would respond fundamentally contrarily from each other.
The quote of interest is the following: “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself”. We can further divide this expression into three main ideas: 1) a government “administered by men over men”; which is to acknowledge that in a secular system, neither God nor a divinely appointed sovereign is believed to be leading the political unit, 2) “control the governed”; meaning, to rule over the people in an adequate fashion, and 3)“control itself”; or to put necessary restrictions and divisions on the power of the ruling body in protection of its citizens. Both Rousseau and Burke discuss the above essential points in their respective works, and thus, this paper is organized to reflect their responses to these ideas. Rousseau agrees with the notion that a regime governs by the will of men rather than that of God.
While past societies in Christendom and elsewhere ruled on the basis of scripture or the wits of a divinely-guided figure, Rousseau’s Social Contract recognizes that laws should only come by the consent of the people. He brings up the example of Roman decimvir commissioners, who would not pass their own laws, but instead, would proclaim “Nothing we propose… can become law without your consent. Romans, be yourselves the authors of the laws that should bring about your happiness” (Rousseau, pp. 164). An ideal republic for Rousseau forms its own laws by direct means rather than through a religious intermediate. While some may see Rousseau’s Legislator as a quasi or even pseudo religious figure; “an extraordinary man” coming with “superior intelligence”, the Legislator has dominion over men and the establishment of society, but not its laws, as that would “perpetuate his injustices” (Rousseau, pp. 162-163). In other words, executive and legislative powers cannot be combined into one person without corruption emerging, and hence, the power to create laws “belongs to the people” (Rousseau, pp. 173). Rousseau does not believe in the rule of deific legatees (Rousseau, pp. 76), and instead proposes a new civil religion. This civil religion would be simple enough to inclusively bind the masses of a secular political community together, as the unit would be centred on their own social contract and qualities of a constructive society.
Accordingly, Rousseau believes that men must indeed rule over men by their consent, under a collective social tradition of citizenship rather than a customary religion. Although Burke ultimately agrees with the notion that men are to rule over men without divine intermediates, his response to this perception is different from that of Rousseau. Namely, the place of God, societal religious custom, and the progression of history plays an important role in his political theory. Burke discusses the role of “little platoons” (Burke, pp. 41); a social unit linking a citizen’s belonging to his country. In critique of the rebellion of France’s Third Estate, which represented the vast majority of the French population, Burke argues that deputation from the clergy and nobility would only bestow French leadership to the “worst designs of individuals in that class” (Burke, pp. 40). Burke attaches his “little platoons” idea to the clergy, identifying their institution not only as important to the social fabric of a society, but also a venue through which naturally talented people may ascend to the hierarchy of a community. Dismantlement of these traditional institutions would only lead to chaos through the deferment of power to those among the people who are unfit to receive it. While Burke recognizes the imminence of modernity and the ever-evolving natures of a culture and society, he believed that recent anomalies can still be disguised as ordinary religious customs to the masses if framed properly, as he cites an example involving a famed incongruent royal succession (Burke, pp. 16). Burke fully endorses having a God-fearing society, because, in conjunction with venerating the institutions of monarchy, parliament, magistrates, priesthood, and nobility are inseparable to the social makeup of his own country (Burke, pp. 75-76), which has “not yet been completely embowelled of our natural entrails” (Burke, pp. 75). Therefore, while Rousseau gives complete trust to the general populous to create laws for its self, Burke wishes to preserve antique institutions rooted in history in the governing of a political unit.
Next, Rousseau’s notion of controlling the governed is a progressive vision created as he reflects on the problems of modern political life. He notes that, sometime in history, social communities must have been molded by conditions that bequeathed the interdependence of humans. This eventually led to each nation’s submission to elders (seigneurs) and magistrates, as “preference was given to merit” of the state (Rousseau, pp. 76) to insure the longevity of that society. However, this resulted in the marginalization of the people’s happiness and well-being, and the forming of civil factions pugnacious to each other. The “blood of citizens was sacrificed to the alleged happiness of the state” and the people at this point were “incapable of breaking their chains” (Rousseau, pp. 76). Rousseau argues that these were the precepts to the modern inequalities that are to be reversed in an ideal republic. Otherwise, under the current system, the people would further be violently divided against each other, and we would see “the defenders of the homeland sooner or later become its enemies, holding a dagger over their citizens, and there would come a time when we would hear them say to the oppressor of their country: ‘If you order me to plunge my sword into my brother’s breast or my father’s throat, and into my pregnant wife’s entrails, I will do so, even though my right hand is unwilling’ (pp. Rousseau 79). These words represent the willingness of these factions to destroy their past, present, and future for the sake of the despot. Rather, Rousseau proposes a new system whose “rule of administration in the civil order” would take “men as they are and laws as they might be” (Rousseau, pp. 141). This order would hence govern the authentic natural citizens that all humans can become, and insure the upright purpose of laws; which are established for the protection of its people, and not simply for the comfort of a tyrant. Through “perfectibility” (Rousseau, pp. 59) mankind can acquire second-natures via interaction with his environment. In this case, natural men can develop “social virtues” that those outside modern society do not have (Rousseau, pp. 59).
Lastly, although Rousseau did not believe property was a fundamental human right like Locke, he still believed property was a sacred right citizens possess, as long as it corresponds with the general will. Under an ideal state, “men all become equal by convention and by right”, as opposed to failed governments, where the poor are suppressed and the rich are preferred (Rousseau, pp. 153). Burke, however, is more fearful of the masses and what modernity may drive them to do if traditional hierarchies and customs are destroyed. Particularly, Burke is fearful of the fever of unregulated liberty that has been unleashed among the French Revolutionaries. To this end, he points that the complete liberty of a society is harmful – the French had a government under its monarch, but by its dismantlement, the people’s unrestrained freedom may erupt in chaos. Burke conjures the example of an uncontrolled maniac, “Can I now congratulate the same nation upon its freedom? Is it because liberty in the abstract may be classed among the blessings of mankind, that I am seriously to facilitate a madman, who has escaped from the protecting restraint and wholesome darkness of his cell, on his restoration to the enjoyment of light and liberty” (Burke, pp. 7) Just as a mental holding may restrain a madman from his liberties, a just government must indemnify its hold on the people; otherwise, anarchy may arise.
For Burke, it is the social and political emergence of individualism that causes insurrection against government and destruction of traditional ties. Hence, modern ideologically-driven revolutions are a contagion that must be contained. Instead, Burke proposes that the traditional institutions are to be maintained: monarchy is only evil in the eyes of those who expect complete freedom, and the people should furthermore find their refuge in religion, laws and manners (Burke, pp. 12). After all, to go against these traditional institutions is to “wage war with heaven itself” (Burke, pp. 9). While modernity is an unstoppable force, Burke argues that aristocrats should embrace gradual changes, while disguising them in the nostalgic spirit of the past. To further elaborate, he brings up his allegory of the venerable castle, whose foundations although may be repaired every so often, the structure itself remains unchanged, “Your constitution, it is true, whilst you were out of possession, suffered waste and dilapidation; but you possessed in some parts the walls and in all the foundations of a noble and venerable castle. You might have repaired those walls; you might have built on those old foundations…” (Burke, pp. 31). Here, he compares a state’s constitution with a castle – their antiquity is to be preserved, even if their upkeep is on par. A people who destroys this are like “children who hack an aging parent to pieces” (Burke, pp. 84), who will only necessarily fall into pandemonium and, out of necessity, try to “renovate” or rejuvenate the old traditions into a modern, unauthentic form.
Moreover, Burke prefers the controlling and pacifying effect of organized religion, as it establishes a set hierarchy in place, organizes and guides meetings for the masses, and produces a binding heritage for the entirety of the nation. After all, “man is by his constitution a religious animal; that atheism is against” (Burke, pp. 80). Therefore, Burke believes men are to be ruled over by long-standing institutions of leadership and religion, with gradual unsuspected changes, because of their connection to a society’s social fabric. Madison’s third point obliges governments to restrain themselves through checks and balances. Rousseau, like Madison, is critical of factions, because of their tendency to interfere with the public good. In order to prevent the oppression of a minority faction by the consent of the majority, Rousseau establishes the concept of the general will in his Social Contract. The general will is the “constant will of all the members of the state”; meaning, it consists only of what all citizens agree to, such as the fundamental guarantees of liberty and protection (Rousseau, pp. 206). All laws on top of that must be validated through the general will: “When a law is proposed in the people’s assembly, what is asked of them is not precisely whether they approve or reject, but whether or not it conforms to the general will” (Rousseau, pp. 206) The purpose of this system is the insure the people’s basic integrities, as an ideal government should not have the power to pass legislation that restricts the freedoms or security of those in the state. Rousseau emphasizes his theoretical state’s willingness to “unite… in order to protect the weak from oppression, restrain the ambitious, and assure everyone of possessing what belongs to him” (Rousseau, pp. 69). Thus, the general will is the fundamental political association that transcends partisanship rather than the sum of particular wills.
Rousseau’s concept is consequently in full agreement with Madison, because while a government has power over its people and vice versa, there are sufficient checks and balances that restrain a state’s abuse of its people. Burke, however, puts forth the idea of a natural aristocracy. While a landed aristocrat is a noble who inherits his wealth and feudal property, a natural aristocrat is “of the commons”; who through their own talent, must rightfully be admitted to the nobility (Burke, pp. 121). One of France’s fundamental problems in Burke’s view is that these natural aristocrats were “not fully admitted to the rank and estimation … equally with that of other nobility”, meaning, the landed aristocrats (Burke, pp. 121). A system that suppresses talented individuals from ascending to their rightful place will only engender “the destruction of the old nobility” (Burke, pp. 122). Moreover, nobles, who are a part of the protecting force of tradition and custom in a society, are not to be deceived by the emerging market economy, as their antiquities and symbolic hierarchy is worth far more than any quick profit.
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Get custom essayTherefore, Burke creates his own checks and balances on governance by advising the nobility to not hurdle the progress of natural aristocrats and to protect customary and traditional hierarchy – otherwise, the system is in threat of collapse. While Rousseau and Burke both call for men to rule over men, governments to rule over people, and regimes to restrain themselves, they fundamentally disagree on how this is to be brought about. The above points demonstrate that while Rousseau vouches for civil liberty, equality, and secular citizenship, Burke is largely a proponent of traditional societal structures, a realm of nostalgia, and religious observance. History has shown us that it had taken France decades to attain domestic stability after its revolution, but at the same time, liberal ideals have brought great economic and civil progress to societies around the world. These intellectual rationally-based arguments will continue to be presented and debated, because for now, it is impossible to establish whose theories will stand the test of time.
Philippine Films had progressed through the years, jumping from one specific genre to the next. It started in 1897, through the emergence of the so-called "silent films". These films, shown in black and white, were able to present and influence the people’s culture and beliefs during that period. Through time, different changes in the films became evident, such as its color and themes. They were able to shed light upon certain issues in the country, like the colonization of Spain and Japan, the World War, and the controversial Martial Law.
Get original essayThe first Philippine films were initially introduced by foreign industrialists, as well as the Western colonizers like America and Europe. Documentary films were presented in Manila in 1897, along with the influx of silent films. In 1912, films about Jose Rizal emerged, with rising of artists like Edward M. Gross and Albert Yearsley. This had motivated local artists in entering the filmmaking industry in the Philippines, for them to be able to voice out their stories the way that these artists did. This had escalated during the "artistic breakthrough" of films in the golden age of the Philippine Cinema in the 1950s, where the cinematic techniques of filmmakers had developed.
However, this breakthrough had deteriorated with the arrival of foreign films with “violence and soft-core sex” as their main themes. These films were produced with a high budget and mainly aimed for a higher profit. This had resulted to the decline in the production of local films, not only because of the shift in the market’s preference, but also due to the lack of artistic motivation of the filmmakers to create films that will cater to the demand of the public.
At present, Philippine films, mainly focusing on mainstream films, are mostly profit-oriented and commercialized. Also depicted as the “Third Golden Age of Philippine Cinema”, this era promotes the diversity in style and genre of filmmaking. Indie films, which have a relatively lower budget funding and are mostly sponsored by private institutions or organizations, are starting to get recognition in different film festivals and other film institutions. Different filmmakers are taking this opportunity to create contemporary films with genres and themes that cater to the demand of the new generation.
The Ideological Film Theory is rooted in ideology, a “body of ideas reflecting the social needs of an individual, group, class, and culture”. In 1796, this term was coined by Antoine Destutt de Tracy. This also focuses on our social understanding of the world, as well as the beliefs present in our society and how these shape our culture. Through the formation of ideologies, we are able to recognize the explicit and implicit meanings manifested in films, and how they were able to present these meanings. In exposing them to different perspectives regarding a certain culture or political belief, people would be able to easily interpret symbols and meanings associated with certain ideologies in films. Also, these ideologies may represent the filmmaker’s own beliefs, with the main goal of expressing oneself as well as the stories that they wanted to share.
Through the ideologies present in the film, we can form certain "assumptions" which explain the truthfulness of a certain value or belief. Considering that these assumptions are universal, we tend to associate them with the existing values and beliefs in our society, thus being able to compare the film's ideologies to the reality of our own culture. This may also help us in evaluating the things that we should value, as well as our motivations in establishing our own beliefs. Hence, using different “narrative techniques and rhetoric devices”, films would be able to fully describe the true meaning of ideology.
On the Job is a crime-thriller film directed by Erik Matti, which illustrated different social issues faced by the country. This included issues on government corruption, violence, and abuse of power, among others. With a simple story plot and a bit of suspense, this film was able to highlight the different political crimes and atrocities present in the Philippines. Its central theme focused on government corruption and violence, represented by the conflict between politicians and policemen. Daniel and Mario, the main characters in the film, are paid to perform different crimes outside of prison due to certain orders from their boss Thelma. Because their life depended on it, they had to willingly follow their commands in order for them to provide for themselves and for their families while they are in prison.
One of the ideologies present in the film is the abuse of power and government corruption, presented by the politicians who strive to protect their image and to hide their crimes from the general public through manipulating the police force. This was made possible by paying prisoners to kill those who are trying to reveal their secrets. It can be seen how this ideology explains how powerful politicians can be when it comes to controlling different institutions in the country and manipulating people into performing heinous crimes and covering their corrupt acts. Also, politicians have control over people in the lower classes, because they have the power to manipulate them through the use of money, which is a necessity for these people. For example, General Pacheco’s desire to earn a higher position in the government urged him to perform such actions for him to be able to gain more support from the general public.
This can also show how unjust the society is in the treatment of the lower class, wherein they always get on the wrong side of the justice system. The parallelism between Daniel and Atty. Coronel’s actions explained how “dirty” and unjust the political system is and the reality that those who prefer to do what is just ends up on a tragedy. This can be explained by the deaths of the two characters as well. It can also be seen how Joaquin Acosta remained in his position and had not been promoted despite all his efforts in solving different cases and in maintaining a just attitude among the police force. Hence, it is evident how government corruption and abuse of power affect different social classes and manipulate people's beliefs and perceptions regarding the justice system and the government in general.
In addition, the film showed how violence remained rampant in the society, not only due to the influence of drugs but also because of different motivating factors that lead people into harming others. This ideology had formed a notion that violence is “normal” and that it is inevitable. In the film, different forms of violence were shown, which was mainly represented by the heinous crimes performed by the Mario and Daniel. Also, it can be seen how Daniel was trained to be an assassin, sacrificing innocent people in order for him to handle his uncertainties and “be ready” to take part in a bigger crime outside the prison. Because of this, he would be able to pass the job on to the succeeding generation of prisoners. This just shows how violence is an innate characteristic especially to those who were born in slums or has experienced violence and abuse in their early years. It explains how these values shape the people’s perception of violence in the society as well as its effects on one’s own values and beliefs.
Another example is Mario’s desperation to keep his job inside the prison, which motivated him to kill his partner Daniel. Because he had a family to support, and he knew that it would be dangerous for him to be back outside of prison, he had chosen to commit another crime to extend his stay. Also, the fact that his daughter already resented him and that his wife had already cheated on him despite his efforts of keeping his family intact became another motivation for him to stay in prison. This explains how the desperate tendencies of a person in complicated situations influence the way they act toward others. It can also be seen how these tendencies can shape one’s beliefs, considering that there is no other choice but to resort to violence, thus reiterating that violence is indeed inevitable and is innate to a person.
Government corruption and violence had been prevalent in the country, as well as the notion that these are inevitable and cannot be changed. The unjust political and justice system also adds up to the complications that give a negative effect on the society. Moreover, one's perception and belief about a certain issue or concept can easily be affected by the changing values of a person as well as the people around them. Hence, the ideology of violence and corruption in a society can create certain tendencies that make a person resort to committing heinous acts against others and change their perception of the world.
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Get custom essayIn conclusion, there are certain ideologies in films that help us form a deeper understanding of the values and beliefs of a certain society. On the Job had been able to describe how these ideologies affect the lives of people as well as their behavior and perception of social issues, specifically regarding government corruption and violence. Moreover, the characters in the film were able to present the different instances that influence a person's life whenever they encounter injustices in relation to the government and politics, as well as in dealing with violence in a certain type of society. Lastly, it can be said that the Ideological Film Theory can help us understand the society more as well as the different elements that may influence one’s values and beliefs.
Feudalism, also known as feudality or feudal system, was a political, economic and social system that flourished in medieval Europe during the Middle Ages between the 9th and 15th centuries. Feudalism emerged as a result of the decentralisation of empires, especially the Carolingian empire.
Get original essayFeudalism was characterised by the absence of a public authority and the exercise of judicial and administrative functions by lords. The feudal system's main feature was its pyramidal or hierarchical structure, with the king at the topmost level of the hierarchy. Below him were the nobles, also known as lords, followed by the knights. The knights were the backbone of the medieval European armies. They represented an elite caste of warriors that fought on behalf of their feudal lords. Symbols and ceremonies such as the accolade confirmed their status as knights. The accolade involved the king or lord touching his vassal on the shoulders with a sword to confer knighthood. At the lowest strata of the feudal system were the peasants and farmers, also known as serfs. Around ninety per cent of the population were serfs. The condition of the serfs was a bit better than the slaves.
Another essential feature of feudalism was vassalage, in which a person (the vassal) had a mutual obligation to an immediate superior like a lord or king. The obligations often included military services. The king assigned parcels of lands (known as fiefs) to his nobles. In return for the land, the nobles swore their loyalty to the king and promised to perform various duties like financial support, counsel, and military services. So if the kingdom were threatened or new territories were to be conquered, the nobles were obliged to provide troops and fight alongside their king. These nobles then further apportioned parts of their fiefs to knights or to more minor nobles, who in turn performed military duties and swore allegiance to the lords. The vassals received lands and protection (sometimes in the form of legal support) from their superior, if and when required.
Fiefs were the central element of feudalism. These were heritable property or rights granted by a feudal lord or king to his vassal, who held it as a fee in return for a form of allegiance and service. These fees were often revenue-generating lands or anything else of value, such as tax farms, offices, or trade rights. However, the granting of lands to a vassal did not relinquish the lord's rights over his property. The lords still had ultimate ownership over the fiefs and could recover it in case of disloyalty or death of the vassal. Fiefs became hereditary by the middle of the 10th century, meaning that the eldest son of the deceased vassal could inherit the fief after paying homage, swearing allegiance to the nobleman and paying a relief for the land. The relief served as monetary recognition of the lord's continuing rights over the property. A fief virtually constituted an independent kingdom inside a kingdom.
Feudalism encouraged the decentralisation of authority. The king was obliged to share power with his nobles. The nobles, in turn, shared power with nobles lower in the hierarchy. Feudalism was always an arrangement between individuals, not between nation-states and citizens. However, this led to general disorder and endemic conflict as there was no strong legal tradition to prevent the lords from declaring war on each other. The feudal system's consequence was the creation of localised groups of communities that owed loyalty to a specific lord who exercised absolute authority in his domain. Vassals often swore allegiances to more than one lord, and as a result, their loyalty was often entangled when these lords declared war on each other. There was also no sense of loyalty to a particular race or a geographic area, only loyalty to a person that too would terminate upon that person's death.
Another characteristic of the feudal system were the castles. Castles were fortified bases from which a feudal lord could dominate the land. The castles served as a dwelling place for the lords and as the seat of the local court of justice. Once ensconced inside, an uncooperative nobleman was extremely difficult for anyone to dislodge, even for the king.
So how and when did feudalism originate? As stated before, feudalism emerged as a result of the decentralisation of empires in medieval Europe. Feudalism contained elements of Germanic custom, mixed with the late Roman practice of gifting lands to barbarian groups in return for military service. The early origins of feudalism can be traced back to the inability of the successors of Charlemagne to protect the Carolingian dynasty. They quarrelled among themselves and divided the empire. The continued subdivision of the empire among their heirs drained the dynasty's strength. Simultaneously, the Viking raiders' growing threats from the north and the incursions of the Magyar from the south further undermined the Carolingians' authority. The resulting insecurity of life and property led free men to place themselves at the mercy of powerful landlords and pledge their services to them in return for protection. This led to the institution of vassalage about which I have discussed before. There was also a decline in overseas trade, resulting in the medieval economy being increasingly dependent on revenue generated from lands. This was why the payment for services' were paid in terms of lands rather than monetary payments.
Feudalism was essentially based on the mutual aid between a lord and his vassal, but as that system became more complex over time, this relationship weakened. As the feudal ties weakened and monarchs tried to assert direct control over their lands, the age of feudalism was coming to a close, finally ending in the 16th century.
We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from the government. When people fear surveillance, whether it exists or not, they grow afraid to speak their minds and hearts freely to their government or to anyone else. The basic constitutional rights that once protected even the frail and feeble are now being eroded in the name of fighting a “war against terrorism.” But is this really a war on terrorism, or is this a war waged on the people of the United States of America by its own government? If anyone has decent respect for the very founding principles of this great nation, they will not allow a government to destroy their constitutional liberties. We have fought numerous wars abroad and sacrificed thousands of our men in order to “make the world safe for democracy.” As Americans, it is now our duty to make our nation safe for democracy. In one of the most adulated documents in American history, the Declaration of Independence, there is a clause that states “that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.” The people of this great nation should not fear the government, for it is in fearing the government that our ideas and protests are suppressed. However, it is our duty to change and limit the capabilities the government possesses to perform surveillance on the American people. To quote the great statesman Thomas Jefferson, “when the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.”
Get original essayFollowing the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Congress and the President enacted legislation to strengthen the intelligence gathering community’s ability to combat domestic terrorism. Entitled the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001" (USA Patriot Act), the legislation’s provisions aimed to increase the ability of law enforcement to search email and telephonic communications in addition to medical, financial, and library records. (Bamford, 2002) One provision, section 215, permits law enforcement to obtain access to stored voicemails by obtaining a basic search warrant rather than a surveillance warrant. Obtaining a basic search warrant requires a much lower evidentiary showing which in essence allows the government to perform surveillance work at any level with few to no limitations. A highly controversial provision of the Act includes permission for law enforcement to use “sneak-and-peak warrants.” A sneak-and-peak warrant is a warrant in which law enforcement can delay notifying the property owner about the warrant’s issuance. In an Oregon federal district court case that drew national attention, Judge Ann Aiken struck down the use of sneak-and-peak warrants as unconstitutional and in violation of the Fourth Amendment. (Slobogin, 2007)
The Patriot Act also expanded the practice of using National Security Letters (NSL). An NSL is an administrative subpoena that requires certain persons, groups, organizations, or companies to provide documents about certain persons. These documents typically involve telephone, email, and financial records. NSLs also carry a gag order, meaning the person or persons responsible for complying cannot mention the existence of the NSL. Under the Patriot Act provisions, law enforcement can use NSLs when investigating U.S. citizens, even when law enforcement does not think the individual under investigation has committed a crime. The Department of Homeland Security has used NSLs frequently since its inception. By using an NSL, an agency has no responsibility to first obtain a warrant or court order before conducting its search of records. As we can see, many of the provisions stipulated under the Patriot Act leave a lot of space open for possible corruption or misuse of surveillance tactics.
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America provides, "[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." The ultimate goal of this provision is to protect people’s right to privacy and freedom from arbitrary governmental intrusions. However, there is a very relevant and important moment in American history in which we can see a clear violation of this constitutional liberty and that is during the tenure of J. Edgar Hoover as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Logically, our government’s capacity to assemble, keep and share information on its citizens has grown exponentially since the days when J. Edgar Hoover collected files on political leaders and activists to enhance his own power and influence in American politics. Nonetheless, Hoover used means of his time that were both illegal and infringe upon the constitutional principles expressed in the Fourth Amendment. Just like the muckrakers did nearly a century ago, a handful of activists took it upon themselves to expose the terrifying truths regarding the operations carried out by the FBI. On March 8, 1971, they broke into the FBI’s field office in Media, Pennsylvania., and left with volumes of incriminating documents. Over the next several months, they began to publish what they had learned in several newspapers all over the country. The program they exposed was called COINTELPRO (short for “counterintelligence program”), known today as the most nefarious of the many notorious secret operations authorized by Hoover. Under COINTELPRO, federal agents engaged in an astonishing array of abuses, not only widespread surveillance of law-abiding American citizens, but also active “disruption efforts against political organizations and activist leaders.” (Theoharis & Cox, 1988) The most famous is perhaps the FBI’s bugging of Martin Luther King’s hotel rooms, an effort that captured King in a variety of sexually compromising situations. When the press refused to publish the sex stories, the FBI sent King an anonymous note urging him to drop out of politics, and potentially to commit suicide. “You are done,” the letter declared. “There is but one way out for you.” (Theoharis & Cox, 1988) It was also revealed that Hoover kept files on almost every prominent personality in American politics, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John and Robert Kennedy, and Attorney General Harlan Stone and Homer Cummings. (Theoharis & Cox, 1988) In 1925, Hoover secretly began to maintain an "Obscene File" in the FBI laboratory and two other files in his office that were kept separate from the FBI's central records system and that recorded accounts of sexual activities and damaging personal information on dissident activists, prominent leaders and personalities, even presidents and first ladies. Many of Hoover’s actions were motivated by his own ambitions rather than in the interest of national security. In addition, Hoover had his aides keep "summary memoranda" on members of Congress, reporting on their "subversive activities" and "immoral conduct." He would later use this information to his own convenience and gained political favors. Hoover also had aides create office files in which memoranda labeled "Do Not File" itemized illegal break-ins by agents authorized by Hoover. These "files" were also kept apart from the Bureau's central records and were regularly destroyed. (Theoharis & Cox, 1988) Having a historical background on what can happen if surveillance is not regulated is very important in making any decisions in the present-day. If J. Edgar Hoover was able to accomplish all of those remarking feats in blackmailing and surveillance, one can only imagine what someone as cynical as Hoover could do today. Hoover is the very definition of why we should regulate the government’s capabilities in terms of surveillance.
In the course of history, there has been a growing question in American society: Where do we draw the line between national security and intrusion into the lives of private individuals? In the greatness that America has achieved, we have reached a tipping point. The power of the federal government has grown exponentially, not just in spending, but in its reach and involvement in the daily lives of average citizens. Government intrudes into virtually every aspect of our daily lives, from the type of material that is taught in schools, to the mix of fuel we put in our cars, to the kind of light bulb we can use. The monumental degree of the U.S. government's surveillance of Americans' phone records was laid bare by documents leaked by Edward Snowden in the first hard evidence of a massive data collection program aimed at combating terrorism under powers granted by Congress in the US Patriot Act. The aggressive nature of the National Security Agency program represents an unwarranted intrusion into Americans' private lives. To understand to what degree the government performs surveillance, we must first analyze the data exposed by NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden. One of the most controversial programs, XKeyscore, gives analysts the ability to easily search through the staggering amount of internet data collected and stored by the NSA every day. Using XKeyscore, an NSA analyst can simply type in an email address or IP address of a “target” and access their emails, search history, visited websites, and even Facebook chats. XKeyscore also has the ability to analyze HTTP data allows it to see “nearly everything a typical user does on the Internet.” (Bamford, 2002) Snowden boasts that he “had the authority to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if he had a personal email.” A second program known as PRISM utilizes extensive data mining efforts to collect information and analyze that data for “patterns of terrorist or other potential criminal activity. “ (Bamford, 2002) A third government surveillance program, FASCIA, works by storing cellular location data when it is passed along the cables that connect different mobile networks. An NSA analyst sitting at a desk in Maryland can then search through this stored data to track the location of a specific phone user. This undermines our very principles of freedom and places the government in a position where the people find themselves being oppressed. Programs such as Optic Nerve, in which the UK’s surveillance agency GCHQ collaborated with the NSA, automatically stores webcam images of users chatting on Yahoo Messenger without their consent. Like FASCIA, another government program called Dishfire targets cell phones. More specifically, it collects nearly 200 million text messages daily around the world, using them to view financial transactions, monitor border crossings, and meetings between unsavory characters. According to the Pew Research Center, 54% of Americans disapprove of government surveillance. Are we not living in a society where the majority rules and decides what they want and do not want in their government?
Many of those who argue that anything that is in the interest of national security should be a priority regardless of anything else use the recent St. Bernardino attack and the battle between Apple and the federal government to show that increased surveillance is positive. This whole case has brought government surveillance and its monumental grasp of power to the national stage. Apple protects iPhones against brute-force passcode attacks by limiting the number of attempts to ten. However, the passcode attempt counter is stored in NAND flash memory. If you copy the contents of that memory, make your ten attempts and then copy it back again before the next round of attempts, you can repeat that process as many times as needed to reach the correct passcode. Anyone who is relatively tech-savvy is able to hack into an iPhone or an Apple device given these revelations. When the government asks a private company, Apple, to hack its own users and undermine decades of security advancements as well as the trust between the consumer and the manufacturer, it is a slap to the faces of tens of millions of American citizens. Technology companies such as Apple have long-worked to protect its users from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals; now, our biggest threat is our own government.
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Get custom essayIn a democracy, people are entitled to know what techniques are being used by the government to spy on them, how the records are being held and for how long, who will have access to them, and the safeguards in place to prevent abuse. As the people of this great nation, we must send a direct message to the federal government with the purpose of pushing for greater legislation to regulate the presence of government surveillance in our quotidian lives. We should be disgusted at the government’s trampling of our constitutional liberties and it is our duty as such to bring these important issues to the table so that We The People of the United States can work together against the intrusions posed by the government.The American people should be informed of the degree to which the government has intruded upon their civil liberties. The world we are living in is changing around us. The individual is no longer the most important unit of society and that is something that the American people must be aware of. We are being turned into a collective, in no small part due to the startling disregard for privacy today. Technology is changing, allowing the government to track our location and mine information, all without our consent. The invasion of our lives is simply not worth the apparent benefits it may provide. As the Chief Executive of the Privacy Council, Larry Poneman once said, “The bottom line is that for now, privacy will take a backseat to security.”
GrabTaxi Holdings Pte. Ltd. (branded as simply Grab) is a Singapore-based technology company that offers ride-hailing, ride sharing, and logistics services through its app. Now spread across 40 cities in 7 countries across Southeast Asia (as of April 2017), Grab is expanding rapidly around the region, to enable users and drivers with its mobile application to provide a seamless experience for moving people and food (recently introduced) from one place to another.
Get original essayGrab is an e-hailing service and not a transportation company. It is easy to say that through the application, which can be downloaded on the phone, a person can register/login through IC number for local Malaysians and passport number for expatriates. Then through the menu, one can enter the location and the destination for the goal address and the driver can pick and drop the person.
Grab has given great quality work of the taxi requesting application, the versatile application interface, as well as its administration. The server application gets client information, formulates it, sending to the specific administrations and applications. This relationship between various components of the versatile application framework makes it conceivable and successful. The company has claimed to have over 68 million app downloads with having achieved 1 billion rides and 66 concurrent rides in 1 second across seven countries, occupying 97% market share in third party taxi hailing market and 72% in the private hailing market. In today’s disruptive market, grab has taken a stand in addressing the needs of the customers by introducing Grab Rewards which helps their consumers in various ways for example rewards can be used to reduce fare rides, subscription to Spotify etc., giving them an edge over its competitors, hence the advantage in gaining a large market and are making strides every day in improving even though the company is still incurring a huge loss.
Grab has identified itself as the prime e-hailing service which stands for three broad terms- speed, safety and certainty. It has used its user friendly application in making sure that each consumer is personally catered to keeping in mind time, time taken not just during the journey but also time taken before it (when a consumer books a ride, he/she should not be waiting for long for a grab driver to pick him/her up). They have also kept in mind that safety of the consumer is given the top-most priority as seen the opposite with it competition like Uber. They have personally made sure to not go through a problem to take preventive measures by installing a panic button in the Grab car, in case of any emergency and also have made sure to appoint drivers whose details are with Grab. The phone numbers of the consumers are not given to drivers but instead they have a private chat box for any communication is needed. Grab has also made sure that once a consumer opens the application to book a Grab car, he/she is certain to have no cancellations without any valid reason by having extensive share of drivers been given at need.
Grab has made sure to cater to the needs of not just the younger generation by introducing just for individuals but also for family by having a Grab 6-seater option for example a Toyota Innova instead of a Myvi and also they have a Grab car premium and Grab Taxi executive for an option for consumers to have a luxurious car for higher rate. They have targeted a market from 18 years of age to 50 years and above as well but surprisingly all this market has been captured by Grab without spending a lot on advertisements. Until recently, Grab had only used social media platforms like Facebook and twitter in reaching out to its consumers. Now it is seen to use advertisement banners on the sides of the Grab car, giving them a chance to tap into a side they haven’t yet fully utilized to the fullest which could result in high amounts of funds being invested.
The most misconception amongst many is that having great marks in school and college implies great success in their future. Many studies have been done in this respect but none of the studies could find any strong link between the two aspects of grades and work success. Getting superb marks in school and college does not ensure impressive career progression opportunities in the future. Career progression opportunities depend solely on the person and his skills. Success can be measured as success in personal life such as happiness and peace of mind or success in the work field such as great salary and promotions or service to the community and mankind. However none of the enlisted categories of success can be assured through high grades in school or college. Having low grades does not reduce the chances of career progression opportunities developing for any student in the future.
Get original essayCareer progression opportunities may seem to prosper for a student with good grades only if the student is planning to dwell in the academic field of being a teacher, researcher or professor. People need to realize that mugging up bookish knowledge and scoring greater marks in school does not bring out the true potential of the student but only portrays the memorizing capability of the candidate. What employers look for hiring is practical knowledge of the candidate, his skill sets and willingness to work and ability to learn on the job. Low grades do not signify anybody as being a failure in life. It is just a social structure that has captivated the entire world within its grasp. Some tips to career progression opportunities include.
Simply memorizing every line of the book instead of taking the time to understand the logic behind it only helps in getting marks. As the student learns nothing new, he fails to implement his academic knowledge in the work field making him lose valuable career progression opportunities.
One must give up when he gets low marks in school. One should try to keep on improving that marks not by mindless memorizing skills but through careful understanding of the topic. Though this might take time when concerned about increasing marks, but it comes more in handy in the future where the practical ideas backed by theoretical knowledge ensures career progression opportunities.
Studying all day and thinking spending time of hobbies as a waste of time is the first sign of failure in the future. Spending time on one’s hobbies helps the mind relax and focus on other things except books and opens up valuable career choices filled with success and happiness in the future.
Even if everyone keeps pointing to a person as a total failure due to low marks, one must never doubt himself and keep on grinding in what he feels is giving him happiness and a scope to learn and prosper. If still in doubt, some notable people who were horrible in their academic scores but managed to succeed at great level in life include Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Robert De Niro, Elton John, Ronald Reagan and many others.
The technical innovations of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane range from the depth of focus to his lightning mix. He utilized graphic and acoustic matches to depict the narrative of a man’s meteoric rise to power and his painful slip into oblivion. Director Mike Nichols implements many of Welles’ tools to create the world of Benjamin Braddock’s affair in The Graduate. With these techniques the director creates a distortion of the narrative and their characters, but through this distortion paradoxically comes a clarity that illuminates subtle meanings, which contribute to the larger symbolic fabric of the film.
Get original essayIn the beginning of Citizen Kane, a snow globe rolls out of the recently lifeless fingers of Charles Foster Kane and shatters. The next shot comes from a low vertical perspective with a fish-eye view through the broken globe glass as a nurse walks into the room to attend to Kane. A similar distortion occurs in The Graduate, except this time it is shot through a fish tank after Mrs. Robinson devilishly tosses Ben’s car keys into the tank’s water. Both objects that create the distortion have symbolism in the films: the snow globe of Kane symbolizes his childhood, while Ben’s fish tank symbolizes the constraints of the upper middle class suburban life style. Although the image on screen becomes distorted in these shots, they bring clarity of meaning to the overall narrative.
Welles utilized the graphic match as a transition technique in Kane. A dissolve transported the audience from the address number of the building to a newspaper photo of the building the next day after Kane’s affair with Susan Alexander. By merging two images into a distortion, Welles allows for a fluid motion of subtly connected scenes. On the other hand, Nichols implements a graphic match as symbolism for Ben’s life. The scene comes at the end of a long montage where Benjamin flows in and out of his life at home and in the hotel. At home, Benjamin springs from the pool water and lands on his raft, which instantly becomes Mrs. Robinson back in the hotel room. This functions as a symbolic match because he has been drifting on his raft and through life with his affair with Mrs. Robinson. Soon the audience hears the stern voice of Mr. Braddock, “Ben, what are you doing?” leading them to believe that Ben has been caught in his affair, however in actuality it is an illusion in the form of a comic sound bridge as Nichols cuts back to poolside where Mr. Braddock’s voice synchronizes. In this moment the audience gains a glimpse of the possible repercussions of this affair and a preparation for the fallout that looms in the future. Nichols interchanges images for each other as well as dubs a scene in order to build audience anxiety. The scene gives a clearer picture of the Ben’s undertaking of this affair in such a sheltered, yet conformity policing society.
Welles invented the lightning match, which he used to show the passage of time in young Kane’s life with Thatcher. Years pass by in an instant with the simple phrase “Merry Christmas…” finished off by “And a Happy New Year” a substantial amount of time later. The time warping allows Welles to condense a man’s whole life into two hours, cutting out minor details that were inconsequential to Kane’s life. Nichols also uses the lightning mix, not to illustrate a substantial gap in time, but instead as a simple transition and comparison. The transition takes place after Benjamin lies to his mother about where he goes at night and as she starts to walk away and he yells, “Wait a minute, wait a minute…” and he continues this phrase in the bedroom with Mrs. Robinson as he asks, “Mrs. Robinson, do you think we could say a few words to each other first this time?” It sets a contrast in that Benjamin does not wish to speak to his mother, who wants to speak with him, whereas he wishes to speak with Mrs. Robinson but she has minimal interest in conversation. His desire to speak with Mrs. Robinson marks his search for love in what Mrs. Robinson believes to be a purely “business” transaction. He rejects the caring love of his mother in order to pursue it from a source not willing to give it. The scene shows a clear division between the overbearing mother and the cold-hearted lover. Neither fulfills what Benjamin wants and this leads to his love for Elaine. By opposing these two older women in a lightning mix it reveals Benjamin’s predicament in his parents’ society.
In the depth of focus that Welles brought to the silver screen, he allowed the viewer to be democratic and choose his own line of action. He used three planes of action and the viewer could actively choose where to focus, thereby conjuring their own meaning for the narrative. Welles would place characters in the foreground, middle ground, and background all in the same shot, all in focus, and all actively participating. Nichols places a creative twist on this formula, especially in the scene from Elaine’s bedroom. In this sequence shot, Benjamin takes his place in the background and Mrs. Robinson dominates the foreground, however there appears to be an absence of a character in the middle ground. In the place of a character is an object, in this case the bed, a sight of future action, which completes the three planes. Nichols’ allusion to future action continues as the audience notices the portrait of Elaine behind Benjamin. Nichols distorts Welles’ three planes of action and transforms it into planes of action and future action, creating a microcosm of the movie’s syuzhet.
Another innovation on the planes of action arises when Nichols alternates the characters’ grounds within the scene. Near the middle of the film, Benjamin lies face down on his raft as his parents swim on both sides of him in the pool. His father swims to foreground with Ben’s mother in pursuit, as they demand to know why Ben refuses to ask Elaine on a date. The mother then enters the foreground and the father makes his way to the background as Ben stays in the middle. Their circular movement around Ben is reminiscent of sharks circling prey, consistent with their oppressive and domineering nature toward their son. By constantly changing the structure of the scene, Nichols alters the perception of the characters and depict them as closer to what they truly are.
Distortion to achieve clarity has prominence in both Citizen Kane and The Graduate, and when Nichols distorts Welles’ innovation his narrative and characters reveal their true nature.
Hello everyone! My name is David Jones and I would first and foremost like to congratulate the class of 2016 on a fantastic four years and for finally graduating high school and also to thank all of you for allowing me to speak up here today.
Get original essayThe last four years with all of you have truly been a pleasure and I will cherish every moment of it for the rest of my life because these four years are quite possibly going to be the most unique four years of our lives. I remember seeing some of you at the freshman orientation. We were all so short (well most of us) and looked so young and were still at that stage where we cracked “yo mama” jokes. Then sophomore year came and things started to get more serious as we started to focus on school a little more, but deep down we were all still our immature selves. Junior year was the real grind and I remember almost everyone stayed up until 2 or 3 every night which was a huge shock coming from 11 o'clock bedtimes in sophomore year. Junior year was also especially important in that all of us found what we were truly passionate about and started to formulate our dreams and ambitions for the future. Finally, we have senior year where everyone matured immensely and started thinking about their time in high school and their futures, including college and career path. I feel honored and blessed looking at such a talented class of students that not only includes engineers and math wizards, but writers, artists, and talented speakers as well. We really are a diverse class and we should be proud of that.
20 years from now, when we all look back at our four years of high school, it will be nothing but memories, memories that we all hope to remember and store in our brains forever. One of my fondest memories of high school has to be spending lunch with squad everyday. We always crack so many jokes and laugh so much that I seemed to always leave the lunch table with my stomach in pain. I hope to remember my memory of lunch with squad forever, my friends, their faces, the jokes, the atmosphere, the food, all of it. Just like me, I’m sure all of you have a memory or memories of high school that you wish to remember forever and that is completely natural because after all, it’s what makes us human. Although many other species on the planet have memories and the capability of retaining them, no other species wishes to store them forever as much as humans do and that is what makes us, us.
Now I want all of you to think of your fondest memory of high school. It doesn’t have to be in school. It can be at home, outside of school, vacation, anything. Think of this memory and immerse yourself in it. Try to remember the smell, the faces, the dialogue, the sights, the sounds, everything. Try to remember as much as you possibly can and become a part of the memory because as sad as it may sound, that memory, 20 years from now, will not be as clear as it is right now. Even though we all strive to remember everything we learn, everyone we meet, and everything we do, unfortunately, it is impossible to do so. Enjoy your memories while you can still fully enjoy them. Enjoy your final two hours of high school while you still can. And finally, enjoy your final moments with all your friends and family before you all go off to do incredible things with your lives.
Thank you and good luck to you all.