Friday, January 24, 2020

Television as We Know it Today Essay -- Essays Papers

Television as We Know it Today The Power Rangers, RoadRunner, Bugs Bunny and Yo Sammity Sam. What do all of these have in common? They are all shows upon which we build our child’s playtime. You sit your child in front of the television for hours at a time. They stair at the screen with glossy eyes and total amazement. Yet what is it that they are learning from these shows? It is the hidden message of violence and dysfunction, which keeps children entertained. If you look at all of the shows, which I have mentioned above, they seem to have a common theme. Violence. Whether this message is intended or not is another issue, however, the violence is there. The Power Rangers for example, their mission is to save the planet from evil space monsters. How do they achieve this? By killing the monsters, thus becoming heroes. The RoadRunner, every week he tries to kill Wielly Coyote. He instead gets killed each time, but it is only temporary. Finally we come to Bugs Bunny and Yo Sammity Sam. Each time, Yo Sammity Sam, tries to kill Bugs Bunny, chasing after him with a shotgun. What type of message is this sending to our youth? Children see violence as their entertainment. As adults we know the difference between what is real and what isn’t. Do children know this difference as well? When a character dies but only for a second, do children know this is not how it really is? In one study by a scientist named Linne (Condry p.89) it was found that television these cartoons do effect how children think. Cartoons how the person with power to come out on top as the triumphant winner-of - all. After exposure to violent cartoons children were less likely to share with one another and more likely to use aggression as a means to... ...following that pattern out of belief that we too posses these characteristics. By constantly viewing violent shows we have learned to believe that we live in a violent culture. It allows us to view our own acts of violence as well as others as being normal and acceptable. When we turn on the television we turn on more than just entertainment. We turn on a part of ourselves that is almost subliminally derived. We allow ourselves be impressed upon by the notions of violence being common and acceptable. This notion is something that we keep with us. You may push a button on your television set and watch the screen go dim. However the ideas in your head will long remain once the show is done. Works Cited Condry, John C., The Psychology of Television. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., New Jersey. 1989. www.geocities.com/dreampackers, April 20, 2000

Thursday, January 16, 2020

“Ode to The West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley Essay

I chose the poem Ode to The West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley because I was attracted to the many images Shelley painted in the poem. Nature is a very interesting and powerful force and the way Shelley portrays it in this poem really caught my attention. Shelley also emphasizes the importance of words and their potential impact on a society if shared. This is a concept I found quite intriguing. In my research, I found that when Shelley wrote this poem he was visiting Italy. Throughout the poem, I noticed many references to Italy such as his account of the â€Å"blue Mediterranean† and Baiae’s bay in stanza III. I also noticed a large theme surrounding the topic of death and new life. Shelley wrote this poem shortly after the death of his son. He will often use winter as a metaphor for death. In the last line of the poem he asks for new life by saying â€Å"O Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?† He also mentions Heaven in stanzas IV and II, transformi ng the wind into a divine being. When Shelley wrote this Ode he was not only grieving for his son but the lives lost in his home country of England as this was also written shortly after the Peterloo Masacre. Shelley considered himself to be a revolutionary and wanted his words to be spread and make a change. I saw this in the last stanza of the poem when Shelley describes his hopes that his words will be spread throughout the universe â€Å"Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!† He hints at this once again in lines 68 and 69, telling the wind to prophesize his words to â€Å"unawakened Earth†. In the poem Ode to the West Wind, Percy Bysshe Shelley uses imagery, personification, and metaphors to describe the Wind as a fierce and powerful being who has the ability to give or take life. Shelley also has a strong desire to be like the wind so that his words will be spread throughout mankind. Shelley uses imagery in many different ways throughout this poem allowing the reader to activate his or her senses and feel the impact of the wind. When describing the leaves Shelley uses colors like yellow, red, and black to spark the strong feelings within the reader that these colors are often associated with. Yellow might make a reader think of sickness, while black is often associated with death or a dark power. Shelley shows this at the end of Stanza II when he describes the â€Å"Black rain† that will burst open the tomb of the years passed. This gives t he reader an image of sheer power  produced by the Wind. He also uses color to portray a more peaceful setting. In Stanza III Shelley uses blue and azure (often used to describe the blue sky) to depict a sleepy scene by the Mediterranean. Although as the Stanza progresses, Shelley uses gray to transition into a darker image. The reader experiences the image of a beautiful, pure sky quickly being taken over by a more unpleasant, fear inducing gray scene. Shelley’s descriptive language and use of color to provoke emotion in the reader contributes to the overall theme of the poem. Also adding to Shelley’s powerful portrayal of the Wind is his use of personification. Shelley had so much respect for the power and beauty of the Wind that he writes about it as though he is writing about a lover. The reader can observe this right away in the title and the type of poem Shelley has written. Odes are typically written about people therefore Shelley has made a pretty substantial statement about his feelings towards the Wind by writing an Ode to it. Not only does Shelley personify the Wind through the title and structure of the poem, but also in the way he describes it. One example of this can be found in the first line of Stanza I. â€Å"O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being†. T he use of the word â€Å"breath† here is very powerful because it associates the wind with human’s natural necessity to breathe. Shelley once again gives the Wind a human quality at the end of Stanza III when he says, â€Å"the oozy woods†¦ know Thy voice†. Giving the Wind a voice that is recognized and feared contributes to its overall power. This line also provokes the reader to think about the many beautiful sounds of the wind and its unique qualities, just as human voices are unique. Personifying the Wind helps the reader to understand Shelley’s appreciation for it and how powerful he felt the Wind was. To further contribute to his theme, Shelley uses many metaphors throughout his Ode. As mentioned earlier, Shelley mentions death and new life quite often. Stanza IV is the perfect example of Shelley’s use of metaphors to express a dying wish. In the beginning of this Stanza, Shelley uses nature as a metaphor for himself. He tells the Wind that he wishes to be carried away by it but cannot because he is sadly only human. Shelley expresses a sadness of the limitations we have as humans and our inferiority to the Wind in this Stanza as well. In line 54 Shelley gives a metaphor describing human limitations in the form of thorns when he says â€Å"I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!† In the Last two lines of the Stanza Shelley uses a metaphor  to enhance the readers understanding of why he is so infatuated with the Wind. â€Å"A heavy weight of hours has chained and bowed One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud.† Shelley is expressing his wish to be unbound by limitations that the Wind does not have to experience. The poem Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley uses imagery, personification, and strong metaphors to convey the author’s love for the Wind and his desire to be like it. Shelley wanted his words to change people’s opinions and drive a powerful force, like a strong wind. He admired the Wind’s ability to spread everything around it so quickly. He also admired its power. The reader can feel this sense of admiration and love through Shelley’s writing in this poem.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

A Comparison of Kate Chopins The Awakening and Grand...

A Comparison of Kate Chopins The Awakening and Grand Isle Grand Isle is the movie adaptation of Kate Chopins 1889 novel, The Awakening. Turner Network Television (TNT) made the movie in 1991, and it stars Kelly McGillis as Edna Pontellier and Adrian Pasdar as Robert Lebrun. To say that this movie is based, even loosely, on The Awakening is an insult to Kate Chopins colorful literary work. A reviewer from People Weekly calls it a tedious melodrama and sees it as Kelly McGilliss vanity project because she is star, producer, and narrator (Grand Isle 13). Grand Isle is an example of how Hollywoods ratings scramble can tear apart a striking piece of literature. This movie misses the novels subtle commentary on†¦show more content†¦In the movie, we are left wondering how this man came to be in Ednas world. The movie does not show the development of the relationship at all. It does not speak of the pain that both Edna and Robert have to endure. In the novel, Robert loves Edna deeply, but he tries to deny his love because she is a married woman. It is what drives him to Mexico and back again. He says, I couldnt help loving you if you were ten times his wife; but so long as I . . . kept away I could help telling you so. (Chopin 142) The movie does not address the pain and indecision that paralyze Robert and Edna. It treats their relationship as a lack of self-control based on lust and the heat of the moment. The movie leaves out a crucial part of the novel that is a peak of Ednas independence. This peak is Ednas dinner party, at which she invites ten friends to a celebratory final dinner in Leonces house before she moves into the pigeon house. The party is Ednas last grand gesture. It is visual, social proof, accompanied by approval and joy, that Edna is moving out, an artist on her own. (Skaggs 96) This party symbolizes Ednas freedom from her sheltered, unhappy life in her passive role. She is even dressed the part. Her gold satin gown and jewelry suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone. (Chopin 118) This vital scene in Ednas awakening isShow MoreRelatedResearch Paper on Kate Chopin and Her Works2380 Words   |  10 Pages Kate Chopin is best known for her novel, The Awakening, published in 1899. After its publication, The Awakening created such uproar that its author was alienated from certain social circles in St. Louis. The novel also contributed to rejections of Chopins later stories including, The Story of An Hour and The Storm. The heavy criticism that she endured for the novel hindered her writing. The male dominated world was simply not ready for such an honest exploration of female independence, a frankRead More Comparison between Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz Essay726 Words   |  3 Pages Comparison between Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz In order to help to get a point or idea across it is not uncommon to provide two stark contrasts to assist in conveying the point. Writers commonly use this technique in their writing especially when dealing with a story that concerns the evolution of a character. An example of such writing can be found in Kate Chopins The Awakening. The novel deals with Edna Pontelliers quot;awakeningquot; from the slumber of the stereotypical southernRead MoreThe Awakening by Edna Pontellier Essay1104 Words   |  5 Pageslove, the hunger of lips, we are always alone† (Chopin 581.7). In Kate Chopin’s story The Awakening, not only is this the quote that Edna Pontellier identifies with when Mrs. Ratignolle plays piano for her, but it is also the perfect description of the struggle in which Mrs. Pontellier faces. Though, The Awakening was considered sexually charged and risquà © for its time, when one analyzes this quote and the original title of Kate Chopin’s story, A Solitary S oul, they come to the realization that thereRead MorePsychoanalytical Perspective of the Awakening1738 Words   |  7 PagesPsychoanalytical Perspective of The Awakening: The True Desires of Edna Pontellier Stacey Berry South University Online The True Desires of Edna Pontellier In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the emotional and sexual awakening is exemplified by a significant revelation in regards to the main character. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is a young woman caught in a loveless, but pampered marriage with husband, Là ©once. Stirrings of independence began one summer after obtaining a friend in