American Beauty Sequence Analysis Essays

The Graduate/American Beauty Sequence Analysis Essays The Graduate/American Beauty Sequence Analysis Essay The Graduate/American Beauty Sequence Analysis Essay Essay Topic: American Beauty Sequence Analysis: The Graduate The Graduate is a subversive, wistful coming-of-age tale epitomizing the ambiguity of reaching adulthood, and the struggle of this experience. Robert Surtees, the cinematographer, successfully uses mise-en-scene to illustrate these particular themes. A variety of props are scattered throughout the opening sequence that allude to Ben’s melancholy and detachment. Additionally, the same sequence uses social and graphic blocking to depict the impedance Ben feels from his parents and their friends. The sequence begins with a scene of Benjamin sitting in front of his fish tank, submerged in thoughts of his future, and later confronted by his father. Fill lighting isolates Ben’s face from the dim background, and enhances the overall sense of glum and dispassion. Moreover, Ben’s impassive expression and wish for a ‘different’ future is also in strong contrast to the enthusiasm and conformity seen later at the party. The subtle placement of the sea-diver beside Ben only adds to this sense of alienation, while, at the same time, foreshadows the comical events at the second cocktail party later in the movie. In fact, the use of water is frequent throughout the film as tool to illustrate Ben’s self-reflection and wavering identity. Perhaps the prop most indicative of Ben, or at least humorous, is the black and white portrait of a clown frowning behind a painted smile, which is briefly shown before Ben’s parents lead him into the party. Clearly, the painting acts as a metaphor for Ben’s character within the sequence, yet, it is so outlandish that the mise-en-scene momentarily teeters from naturalistic to theatrical. However, this is characteristic of The Graduate as a whole. While the movie seems to maintain a certain level of absurdity throughout, it is always hidden behind a certain amount of reality, which is what makes the film’s message so poignant. The quintessential example of this is when Mr. McGuire informs Ben about â€Å"Plastics† at the end of the sequence. From a modern viewpoint, this advice seems to be downright elementary, but considering the film was released prior to the industrialization of plastic, a viewer at that time would find no more use of the information than Ben appeared to. Thus, the shallow dialogue exemplifies Ben’s lack of direction, while appealing to the despondent generation at the time. Surtees continues to build these themes and messages with the use of social and graphic blocking. At the beginning of the sequence, Ben’s father and mother are positioned in a way that blocks him within the shot, obviously representing their overbearing nature. His mother, in particular, consumes the entire frame when she enters the room. You can also see how tight their hold is on Ben by the claustrophobic camera shots at the graduation party later on. The following series of scenes within the sequence show Ben being grabbed and bounced back and forth between forced conversations. Altogether, these social and graphic blockings attempt to illustrate Ben being forced in a disappointing direction through a superficial society filled with high expectations. The sequence also serves as a strong parallel to the movie’s ending where Ben figuratively and literally overcomes these obstacles by pushing Elaine and himself through a furious horde of adults at the wedding. In this respect, the two sequences function as bookends, giving resolution to the controversies constructed within the movie. Sequence Analysis: American Beauty American Beauty successfully builds off of the themes in The Graduate, while also developing modern messages that appeal to a contemporary audience. The film follows Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in the middle of a mid-life crisis, as he attempts to free himself from his mundane and mediocre lifestyle. The mise-en-scene in the early sequence of Lester at his office effectively conveys this initial feeling of mediocrity and repression. One of the subtlest yet illustrative dimensions of the sequence’s mise-en-scene is lighting. For instance, the natural lighting in Lester’s cubicle is soft and consistent, signifying the monotony of his work duties. When the shot pans out to depict the entire office space, the grid-like pattern of desk lamps suggest a repetitive nature to his workplace, and the similar arrangement of overhead lights possibly indicates a similar pattern in upper management. The cinematographer, Conrad Hall, also uses harsh directional lighting later on when Lester enters Brad’s office. There is a small ray of outside light radiating from the closed blinds next to Brad’s desk that illuminates Lester throughout the conversation. This streak of light is used to highlight Lester’s face during key instances such as when Brad tells him that this is his one chance to save his job, thus creating a stronger emotional moment. In conjunction with lighting, the color within the sequence tends to add to the vapidity of Lester’s workplace. In strong contrast to the predominant and bold red frequent throughout the movie, Lester’s cubicle is consumed in bland neutral colors that are mirrored in other parts of the sequence. Altogether, Hall effectively uses soft lighting compounded with weak colors to create a feeling of mediocrity that fuels Lester’s future escapades. Comical props and costumes within the sequence lighten the glum ambiance in the sequence while also foreshadowing later events. Exemplary, Brad wears a classic business style suit with a dull blue shirt underneath, mirroring the bleak and repetitive colors in the office. Laughably however, he is also wearing a flamboyant tie that alludes to the person he truly is; a manager attempting to befriend his subordinates and reduce feelings of intimidation. In addition to this, Lester waives a pencil with an overly large soccer ball eraser when conversing with Brad. The funny pencil top hints at the immature state that Lester resorts back to while attempting to overcome his mediocre lifestyle. One could also argue that Lester’s sarcastic demeanor is also reminiscent of an adolescent and is epitomized when he states, â€Å"For you Brad, I’ve got five! † These blatant facades are exemplarily of American Beauty as a whole. Typically, the more troubled a character is, the more they attempt to cover their reality with an illusion. This is clearly an attempt to point out flaws in a modern superficial society. However, the funny props add a humorous touch to the film that makes its social messages less harsh. Hall uses camera angles within the sequence to display the hierarchy of authority in the workplace, which is also representative of the repression Lester tries to free himself of. For example, the camera is always looking up toward Brad while the opposite is true for Lester, obviously portraying Brad in a higher position of power than Lester. The high angel shot of Lester in his cubicle not only depicts him in a minor and passive manner but also places his coworkers within the shot. This gives the perception that Lester’s position and purpose within the workspace is relatively small and negligible. In contrast, Brad is isolated from his peers in the shot, enhancing his overall sense of superiority and reaffirms he is indeed above everyone. The following scene in Brad’s office enhances this effect with the use of perspective. The same camera angles are used for Brad and Lester; however, Brad is much larger in his shots while Lester appears significantly farther and hence smaller in the screen. Consequently, the hierarchical relationship is once again displayed.

Case study of HRM in China Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Of HRM in China - Case Study Example While the main aspect of Western HRM is the individual fixed-term contracts, individual performance evaluation, individual career development and freedom to recruit and fire, the Chinese HRM has also adopted these features into its people-management system (Yuan, 2013). However, the concept of HRM in China is not the same as in the West, despite its successful adoption. China has incorporated it in the new way of doing things. Thus, according to Shi (2010), HR experts in China are less engaged with the strategic activities and their role are also less strategic in comparison with their colleagues in the West. The HR measurement systems are also limited in function and HR information system is less automated and integrated. There is, however, a two speed system between the advanced HR systems of big State Owned Enterprises and smaller Local Private firms. Zhang (2012), states that such divergence feature as context-specific theories and practices of HRM can also influence the nature o f Chinese management practices. Thus, there is an effectiveness of paternalistic leadership in companies of China. In addition, Zhang (2012) claims that the hybrid model of HRM from Western societies has integrated into Chinese HRM with its traditional values. Thus, social order is associated with the harmony at work; hierarchy is considered as a beneficial effect within an organization. Chinese employees do not give critical feedback or suggest improvements, which is a part of high-performance HR trait within a Chinese firm. As an important element of China’s political and economic reforms, modernization of managing people was connected with the handling of personnel administration by the government. However, in the reform, the practice of managing personnel was changed and the management and the power were given to the enterprises. In the

Communication psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Communication psychology - Essay Example Adequate advertising and promotional activities are the key marketing strategies that increase the brand awareness of every individual product of an organization. Advertising is a tool of marketing communication that used to persuade, encourage and manipulate the Audiences to take some new purchasing decisions. Moreover, the purpose of advertising is to reassure the shareholders or employees that an organization is successful or viable enough (Silvera 2004). The desired result of advertising is to drive the consumer buying behaviour with respect to commercial offering. Commercial advertiser habitually seek to produce increased consumption of their goods and services through branding that involves relating a product logo or product name with certain qualities in the minds of Audiences. Non-profit organizations may depend on the form of persuasion, such as PSA. The non-commercial advertisers who spend capitals to promote their products and services other than consumer goods or services include interest groups, governmental agencies, political parties and religious organizations (Silvera 2004). There are various techniques used in creating an effective advertisement for a product in the market. Advertising is most evident on TV, radio, the internet, newspapers, magazines and many other places. Advertising targets specific people or an Audience in specific places like the billboards, the subway, buses, emails, mailings and in store announcements. Some products also act like advertisements themselves like T-shirts, video games, products in movies, vending machines just to mention a few. The advert aims are to reassure customers who have already purchased the product for its continuous production; customer loyalty, get the attention of non-users to start using, to create an image for a product in the market and finally to persuade the customer to purchase the product (Silvera 2004). Transfer of knowledge and

Critically Assess the View That We Are Not Responsible for Our Evil Actions Essay Example for Free

Critically Assess the View That We Are Not Responsible for Our Evil Actions Essay Many Philosophers, such as Hoderich and John Calvin, believe that humans do not have free will to act in moral situations and that all moral actions have uncontrollable prior causes. Hard determinists, therefore, follow the belief that humans can not be morally blameworthy for their actions, evil or not, because their actions are predetermined. However, this is a ridiculous stance to take as humans are free to make moral choices, meaning they are entirely responsible for their evil actions. Many argue that hard determinism is the best approach to take when assessing this hypothesis as once you abandon the outdated notion of freedom; you can create a much better world. B.F. Skinner supports this view by recognising that since people are ultimately the result of their conditions, â€Å"and will get conditioned by their upbringing and environments anyway†, we ought to control people’s upbringing and environments as much as possible to ensure that their conditioning is positive. Skinner argued that such a plan would be more helpful than the current situation, in which peoples conditions is ultimately dependent on to luck. The case of Leopold and Loeb demonstrates this idea perfectly. If you look at the case on the surface, it seems like an act of pure evil, both boys kidnapped Bobby Franks and demanded ransom from his family, when this failed, they murdered him by hitting him over the head with a chisel. Harrow, whom was their lawyer and a follower of hard determinism, argued that â€Å"they killed [Bobby Franks] because they were made that way. Because somewhere in the infinite process that go to the making up of the boy or the man something slipped†. If one looks into the background of these two boys, evidence refutes this point; both of these boys were from very privileged backgrounds, Leob was actually the son of the vice president. Despite this, Leob was fascinated by detective stories; he read about crimes, he planned them and he eventually committed them. Leopold, on the other hand, who was reading Philosophy at the University of Chicago, became attracted to Friedrich Nitezche and his criticism of moral codes; he believed that those who followed Nitezche were super human and did not have to abide by the moral laws that others did. Darrow argued that Leopold’s obsession with crime and Loebs fascination with Nitezhce was a form of rebellion against the well-meaning, but strict and controlling, governess who raised him. They can not be hold morally responsible for the murder of Bobby Franks because each â€Å"child takes one shape or another shape depending not upon the boy himself, but on what surrounds him.†. However, this is a weak view to take as it suggests that people do not need to feel guilty for their actions; they have no moral responsibility, as their actions are already determined. If people were not morally responsible for their evil actions, then the world by a chaotic place, people could commit evil crimes and blame it upon their surroundings. It is therefore clear that hard determinism is a ridiculous view to take when assessing this hypothesis, as it would lead to utter anarchy and the notion of sin would be undermined. Many argue that soft determinism is the best approach to take when assessing the question, as it does not rule out free will- the two are compatible and so moral decisions and moral debate remains possible. Followers of soft determinism believe that some of our actions are conditioned, while others have so complex a collection of causes that they may properly be described as freely decided or willed. Hume is the Philosopher who is normally associated with this idea. Hume believed that events are determined because of a casual link between objects. Take for example, in 2012, when the travellers were prevented from flying as a result of ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland. For Hume, this casual link is called the constant union of objects. For instance, the volcano’s eruption prevents you from flying; that is outside of the control of the individual. But the response to that situation produces free will. In relation to murder, one could argue that your upbringing is determined, but the way you respond is a result of free will. This is a differing view to that of Take for instance the case of Mary Bell in 1968 who was convicted of the murder of two toddles. She was subject to an awful upbringing; her mother was a prostitute who specialised in sado- masochism- Mary was forced to listen to her mother perform these acts. A soft- determinist could argue that although Mary was subject to an abusive upbringing, she must hold some moral responsibility for her actions. Although this view seems highly logical, soft determinists have not agreed on precisely what is and what is not a determining factor in human action. This means that contradictions between followers of soft determinists are highly likely. Many disagree that Libertarianism is the best approach to apply to questions surrounding moral responsibility. They believe that cause and affect is too apparent in the world for us to simply disregard it; it must have an impact on human actions. Take for instance, the idea of murder, if you are brought up in a family in which murder is regarded as a sin, you are less likely to commit such a crime as one understands that murder immoral. This demonstrates the idea of cause and effect perfectly; someone teaches you that murder is immoral; the cause, you understand this and therefore do not do it; the effect. Despite this, one could refute this weakness by arguing that these are just moral rules that coincide with the societal norm, they do not strip us of our free will. Even if we were not brought up with these moral codes, we can still abide by them as we posses free will. The idea of free will also makes logical sense to us. In our day-to-day lives, we feel as if we posses it; we make daily decisions based upon our feelings, not something that has already been determined. As put by Aquinas, â€Å"man chooses not of necessity but freely†. Peter Van Inwagen’s also follows this approach, he argues that we can see that we posses free will by the deliberation of two choices of action; if we are able to do both, then we must have it as it ultimately is our choice to do either or. Peter Van Inwagen used an analogy to demonstrate this idea; you are walking along a road with many branches on it, which branch you choose to go down is your decision. Therefore, in relation to moral responsibility, we should all be held responsible for any evil actions committed as they do not come about as a result of chance or random events. Some may be subject to events which could potentially alter their morality, but they are free to choose which path they take. To conclude, although hard- determinism has some strengths, the fact that it believes that we should not be held morally responsible for actions mean it is useless when looking at questions surrounding moral responsibility. Soft- determinism, on the other hand, is far too vague and would produce many contradictions. Libertarianism is the best approach to take as it makes logical sense; we can see we possess free will and we should therefore be punished if we commit evil actions.

Pragmatism Vs. Idealism (a Man :: essays research papers

Morality is often overpowered by materialistic pursuits. In â€Å"A Man for All Seasons†,Robert Bolt shows the corruption of those who put self interest above all other values. His use of such characters as Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, Chapuys and Wolsey help convey this corruption. There is yet another character who is a pragmatist that Bolt successfully represents. Thomas More is an idealist as well as a pragmatist, for he is prepared to give up everything for his beliefs and takes all precautions possible to make his case â€Å"watertight†. It is through this pragmatism and idealism that Robert Bolt shows the corruption of the times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas More believed in his ideals to such an extent that he was prepared to sacrifice his life for them, if the need arrived. He was a firm believer in the separation of Church and State. When the King tried to start the reformation of England and the Church by a simple Act of Parliament called the Act of Supremacy, Thomas refused to sign it. He believed that the indictment of the King was â€Å"grounded in an Act of Parliament which is directly repugnant to law of God. The King in Parliament cannot bestow he Supremacy of the Church because it is a Spiritual Supremacy! And more to this the immunity of the Church is promised both in Magna Carta and the Kings own Coronation Oath!†(Bolt, p. 92) The marriage was yet another reason why More refused to sign the Act. He knew that if he signed it then he would accept the King as the Supreme Head of Church and thus give the King the power to â€Å"dispense with the dispensation† which to him was against his morals and religion. Of course the marriage was associated with other things -attack on the abbeys, the whole Reformation policy-to which More was violently opposed. When told by Norfolk that his parish attire is a disrespect to the King and his office. More replies that â€Å"the service of God is not a dishonor to any office†(Bolt, p.26) Even though he loves the King to death as proved by Mores loyalty towards him, he values his morality and religion more. For his conscience is a â€Å"little area where I must rule myself†(Bolt,p.34). His position is perfectly described in his belief that â€Å"when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties... they lead their country by a short route to chaos.

Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty Essay

Shakespeare quotes â€Å"there is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. † These are words of wisdom, as Shakespeare had discovered centuries ago that are still relative to the daily events that occur for the average twenty-first century adult. People often waste too much time thinking about small negative aspects of their day which creates added stress that is not necessary. Like over analyzing every detail of a minor nuisance you’ve encountered. Stress from daily negative occurrences throughout the day everyday add up and have significant harmful effects on mental and physical health. Stress, however is subjective and lies in the eye of the beholder. Therefore stress really does not exist at all, it is all in your mind and you are the one that makes the decision to over analyze every little detail of a situation or not, which allows your thinking, perceptions, attitudes, and appraisals of events to determine what is stressful to you. What initially causes stress is anything that you look upon that is bad or negative in some way. It is how and what we perceive to be negative that brings upon stress on one’s daily life. A decision is based on one’s judgments of their own estimation of value, worth, and quality given a specific situation. According to Cannon-Bard’s theory of emotion, the response comes after the fear experience. Therefore one will experience fear, or stress from threats, illness, change, danger, pressure, conflict, long term frustration, or anxiety. Stress and fear can evolve from any form of threat that is real or perceived. Cognitive reactions are the result of Shakespeare’s quote, therefore the responses to stress after the initial threat or fear. Cognitive reactions teach you methods to change your perception of the way you think for future prevention. Neuroticism is the response that includes emotional, anxious, insecure, and vulnerable aspects regarding stress. Health consequences include both physical and psychological effects. Physical effects include hypertension, eating disorders, procrastination, low immune system, and high levels of cortisol. Psychological effects include impaired memory, impaired performance, and inability to respond to a situation. Health psychology is the most current approach to increase the potential of general well-being. Health psychologists believe in prevention rather than treatment. Therefore they help to predict the onset before an episode. Changing one’s behavior plays a huge role in the resolution of healthy living. Cognitive Therapy is the modern approach which involves changing the way you think and understanding the reason to abandon your old reasoning for a new different perspective on the same thought. The ABC model, where the B in the model stands for beliefs is the most crucial part when analyzing Shakespeare quote. The problem is that people have different believes, opinions, and perceptions of what is good and bad. Unconsciously we begin to form a belief system of what we believe is good and bad from parents, peers, and school. We use beliefs to interpret ourselves, other people and the world in general. In conclusion, the essence on Shakespeare’s quote is to never say anything bad about yourself therefore you avoid the entire idea of the negative pessimistic attitude. The power of positive thinking will change your perspective and feelings. From a cognitive perspective, you can create happiness by decreasing your negative thoughts and increasing your positive optimistic thoughts and views and reducing stress to live a healthy and positive life. When analyzing the question â€Å"is your glass half full or empty? † is hinting at how you view life in general either with an optimistic or pessimistic view. The decision is ultimately up to you.

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