Comparing Films About The Christopher Columbus Movie Review

Comparing Films About The Christopher Columbus - Movie Review Example This restraint is not felt by those individuals seeking new stories or new ways of telling old stories through the bright lights of Hollywood as a means of gaining consumer dollars. Approaches to historical subjects vary widely depending upon the motivations of the filmmakers in the creation of their film. This can be seen most clearly when comparing those films, typically classified as documentaries, that aim to educate rather than entertain and those films, appropriately labelled entertainment, whose primary function is to entertain an audience and bring box office dollars into the producer’s pockets. While each may contain significant similarities as the entertainment film is based upon fact or the documentary strives to keep its audience’s attention, there remain significant differences between the two types of film. Comparing A&E’s biography of Christopher Columbus with the 1992 Hollywood production entitled â€Å"Christopher Columbus: The Discovery†, significant differences can be found in style, reporting of sources, adherence to and limitation by verifiable facts, overall presentation and inclusion of created elements. Because of their different target audience, each type of film approaches their subject in its own unique style. The documentary presents its facts as snippets of individual interviews held with a panel of ‘experts’, presenting both the information and the credentials at one and the same time. The storyline is based upon a step by step relation of facts regarding Christopher Columbus’ life supported by a similarly open and straightforward style. Lighting is kept bright, allowing little or nothing to hide in the shadows. Tricks of the camera are kept to a minimum as well, typically focused from a stationary spot within the expert’s office or panning slowly across a picture or sketch.

Catch a Fire Essay Example for Free

Catch a Fire Essay The book â€Å"Catch a Fire† is a beautiful description of the Jamaican culture, the Rastafarian faith, the growth and development of reggae music and how it all added up to make Bob Marley’s life. All of those elements of what made Bob Marley â€Å"human† will be talked about and explained in this paper. The best artists are the ones who have passed but there work still lives on and Bob Marley left an unforgettable mark on modern music, both as a reggae creator and as a cultural icon. His beliefs and values helped him become a part of the Rastafarian faith and grow into a great musician whose music is still listened to today. The author, Timothy White, did an amazing job describing Bob’s background giving his readers a much greater appreciation for Marley and his music. Jamaicans are often stereotyped as carefree and fun loving. While most Jamaicans do value a sense of humor, as well as music and dance, they also have a tradition of hard work and a strong respect for education. Bob Marley, the son of a black teenage mother and much older white father, was born in Jamaica in the village known as Nine Miles. Born early in 1945, Bob was raised by his mother and relatives and was always surrounded by tales of mysticism and spiritual beings of the Jamaican culture that influenced his daily life. Around the time Bob was born, in 1944, Jamaicans gained the right to vote because of the new constitution. (1) During this time the population grew and there weren’t much job opportunities, leading to an expanding slum population. Class, color, and ethnicity were a big deal in Jamaica and would play a huge role of where you would fit in, work, or even shop. Bob once said, â€Å"I dont stand for black mans side, I dont stand for white mans side, I stand for Gods side. †(2) The Jamaican history has not been a peaceful one, but its struggles have created one of the strongest cultures. The Rastafarian faith was one of the biggest influences of why Bob’s music and the way he lived was the way it was. It all started with Marcus Garvey, who was responsible for bringing Rastafarianism to the islands. Garvey was famous for the saying Look to Africa†¦ (â€Å"Catch a Fire† pg. 8) This statement set the stage for what will be the making of Rastafarianism. Rastafarianism got so popular that when Haile Selassie came to Jamaica in 1966 over 100,000 Rastas surrounded his plane. The late 1960’s is when Bob truly began to find himself and accept his religion and put its beliefs into his songs like â€Å"Rastaman Vibration† and â€Å"Jah Live. † Not only did the Rastafarian faith help Bob with his music, it helped him find who he really was and grow as a person. He finally started to see the beauty in life. Marley started making music in ska and Rock Steady then eventually moved towards reggae as his music evolved. Much of Marleys early work was produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One then he signed to Chris Blackwells Island Records label in 1971. Marleys music was one of the main reasons reggae was accepted outside of Jamaica. Although Bob couldn’t escape all the troubles of the ghetto, without music, he would have been right there in Kingston with those rude boys and bad men causing trouble. Music brought out the best in Bob and showed him the true values of life. The â€Å"King of Reggae†, Bob Marley made such an impact on the music industry with his creativity and passion he put into his music and performances. As you can see, Bob would have never made it happen without his Jamaican cultural background, his Rastafarian faith or his love for music. His thinking and beliefs were always voiced in his songs speaking of love, peace, equality and his spirituality. And, after almost three decades since his death, his music is still listened to by millions of people around the world.

The Impact Of Cell Phones: GPA

The Impact Of Cell Phones: GPA Cell phones adopted by young generation in recent year, have become global phenomena around the world. Thus, with the emergence of this technology almost everyone has tried to adopt these cell phones. We found in this research that cell phone usage had a negative impact on students GPA. Students using their cell phone during class, they also receiving and sending text messages during their class so they were able to pay less attention to lecture and thus it had negative impact on students performance. Key terms: Cell phones usage, Academic performance, GPA Introduction Commercialization of cellular phone technology has increased its use in recent years. In Pakistan total subscribers for cell phones till 12 September 2012 have reached to 120,513,430 (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority). The adoption of cell phones by young generation has been a global phenomenon in recent years. It has become an integral part of adolescents daily life and has become one of the most popular forms of communication. In todays world almost every student is having cell phone in their pocket, clipped to a belt, or hidden in a brief case or purse and knows perfect usage of it. As technology is growing every day at very fast rate, and is bringing positive and negative effects for society and so is with cell phone technology that has brought both positive and negative effects. It is commonly observed that these cell phones have also become status symbol for youth and they have indulged themselves in the competition of having best and most updated cell phone with maximum fe atures. Todays youth prefer cell phones more as compared to internet or any other social activity. Young people own cell phone and also want to upgrade it as soon as new model is launched in the market. Cell phones are that much involved in our life that the person who own cell phone is tend to be thought socially connected, independent, modern and in demand by the society. One of the most used applications of cell phones by our young generation is text messaging and these cellular network companies have also played a vital role in negatively affecting our young generation by introducing a number of packages for text messaging and calls also. Students of today are master in fastest text messaging and are seen text messaging while at home, at university, traveling ,in classroom and specially while studying. Communication with fellow students, professors, parents, and everyone else is just a click away. Most of the students use it for chatting with friends. This research paper explores the impact of cell phones` usage on students academic performance. We examined the effect of mobile usage on the grades among university students. Literature Review Cell phones and academic performance: The invention of cell phone has brought revolutionary change in the world. And thus bought change in the lifestyle of people using it including students. In 2005, the number of cell phone subscribers worldwide will reach 2 billion (Deloitte Research, 2005). And in Pakistan total fixed phone subscriber by December 2011 reached to only 3,098,117, less than mobile phone subscriber that were 120,151,253 till December 2011 (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority). Surveys have consistently shown that cell phone is used and loved more than television or internet by students, whether they are using internet or watching television they are having cell phone in their hands. Through common observation we also evaluated that students need to return to their home if they forget to take it with them. Thus with the emergence of this technology almost everyone has tried to adopt these cell phones and are addicted to its usage that they think their work done become difficult without its services and t hey are unable to stay connected with their friends and family. The main issue for teachers is the disturbance created in class room due to cell phone calls and texting. Combining this with the ease of hiding the device due to its small size, makes it very difficult for teachers to control it. Students are excited to find out that who has called and what the message is, young people are reluctant to turn off their cell phone during class time. Usually students kept their devices on during lectures with themselves and also sometimes forget to turn profile silent during class and its ringing create disturbance in class. Campbell (2006) found that students and faculty view the ringing of cell phone in class to be a serious problem. It is clear that if students spend time texting, they will not be able to pay attention to class lecture, will not be able to understand the topic and will not be able to produce good result in class, this will have impact on their grade points. Through common observation it is observed that today students are busy with this technology, spends 90% of their time with cell phones and dont pay attention to their studies. And if they pretend to their parents that they are studying in their room, they are actually dodging their parents, it is such a small device that they can easily hide them and lie with their parents. Students are trying to make as many friends whether girl or boy as they can, keeping themselves busy all day and night, as these network companies for their own profit have introduced a lots of cheap packages for call and messaging. All these activities in which students have engaged themselves in todays world are demolishing their present and future. After explaining negative aspect there are some positive impact also, it helps students to stay connected with their group members when assigned some group work from their teacher and can also contact their teachers in time of having any difficulty regarding their assignments. In school it also helps teacher to tell their parents about any serious problem happened to the students and also helps teacher to text their parent if they are absent from school. Students are supposed to use mobile phones whole night texting their friends. It is interesting to note that there are few common family rules about young peoples use of the cell phone. In fact, many adolescents (58%) reported that there were no rules set by their parents about their cell phone use and only 12% reported that their parents used removal of their cell phones from them as punishment (Metthews, 2004). Probably because of the sleeping issue it has been found that parents have to take cell phone from their children at night while going to sleep. Some reported that parents had to ask their children to stop using phone at night as then students are unable to wake up early in the morning for their university, school or college or they feel sleepy during class and do not pay proper attention. Along with academic performance cell phones have also positively and negatively affected social relationships. With the emergence of mobile phones individuals are able to stay connected with their friends, family and relatives living abroad. In addition to keeping up with social relationships, individuals have also been able to increase productivity with their work because they can be hundreds of miles away from the office, and still have instant access to their e-mail, documents and contacts wherever they are (Tully, 2003). A trend that is becoming more apparent is present absences; this is the concept of how an individuals presence in a social setting changes regardless of their physical presence, they are only half-present (Fortunati 2008). Individuals attending any meeting with their friends, coworkers, boss or any type of social activity, they leave that place during conversation as soon as their cell phone rings or vibrate. Even when sitting with their parents they do not hesit ate to go ahead and answer the call without thinking that this could hurt them. Through observation, researchers have found that individuals typically will not hesitate to interrupt an ongoing conversation to answer the ringing of their cell phone. Cell phones have given a new way to individuals to form new relationships and to strengthen existing ones. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting was no longer an option, 47 percent of teens say their social life would end or be worsened especially among females (54 percent compared to 40 percent of males) (CTIA Survey 2008). Before the emergence of mobile technology, individuals have regular interaction with one another. As they have very little telephonic contact with one another so they are used to visit each other homes regularly. Even if any one of the family member is in hospital, their loved ones even if out of city make a visit instantly or the next day but now with the emergence of cell phones people are supposed to just ask about their health on phone call with their cell phones. Cell phones also create a factor of safety among parents. Parents feel satisfied if their children are having cell phone with them while going outside as they can contact them whenever they want. Even in the time of emergency they can call them. Not only parents can contact their children in the time of difficulty but children can also contact them in emergencies. But children also sometime misuse this device by telling lie to their parents and doing whatever they want to do outside, as their parents are satisfied with their lie. On the other side this device along with disadvantages has helped children and parents both to stay in contact when outside their home. As everything in this world have advantages and disadvantages both and it is upon us how we utilize it. Hypothesis Cell phones` usage will have a negative effect on students` academic performance. Model Cell phone usage Academic performance Methodology The data was collected by distributing questionnaire to students of different universities in Pakistan with the ages ranging between eighteen and thirty. A sample size of 150 students was taken in which 65 respondents were male and 85 respondents were female. The survey consisted of 24 questions, including cell phone impacts on students academic performance and social relationship. Multiple choice questions were asked. The reliability of the instrument was calculated by using SPSS. The instrument was personally administered to the sample. Demographic information (e.g., age, gender, university, degree, GPA) was also collected. Results After successfully collecting the data through distributing questionnaires in different universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, we have inserted that data in SPSS software data sheet and run desired functions necessary to know that what impact does independent variable (cell phone usage ) have on dependent variable (students academic performance). We have evaluated students academic performance by considering their GPA. From the correlation results as shown in TABLE 1, we have find that cell phone usage is having negative impact on students GPA i.e. (r= -0.303, p

Essay --

Candide is a famous French satire written by French philosopher, Voltaire. In this satire, Voltaire humorously ridicules Leibniz’s belief of optimism, the violence the military employ during war and the hypocrisy of religion. This essay aims to describe some of the techniques that Voltaire uses to satirize Leibniz through the character of Pangloss, the military through the Bulgarian War, and religious figures through the hypocrisy of the Grand Inquisitor and the Friar, showing how the humor is achieved in the description of the characters. One of the ‘important’ figures Voltaire satirizes would be Leibniz and his theory of philosophical optimism. According to Leibniz, we live in â€Å"the best of all possible worlds† and Voltaire ridicules this in his novel by introducing the character of Pangloss who also believed that â€Å"things cannot be otherwise than they are: for all being created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end.† (Chapter 1, p1) Throughout this novel, no matter the misfortunes Pangloss encounters, he would defend optimism by claiming, â€Å"all is for the best† then continue to justify the possible reasons for such an occurrence. One prominent example would be when Pangloss had unfortunately contracted syphilis from Paquetta, yet he reasoned that â€Å"it was a thing unavoidable, a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds; for if Columbus had not caught in an island in America this disease, which contaminates the source of generation, and frequently impedes propagation itself, and is evidently opposed to the great end of nature, we should have had neither chocolate nor cochineal.† (Chapter 4, p8) The foolishness and incessant belief of Pangloss' optimism is thoroughly displayed here as Voltaire uses the technique of irony ... ...ous figures in Candide seem to almost all be corrupted and deceitful with the exception of a few like Jacques, and the characters in Candide seem to be accustomed to such occurrences, displaying little shock at their ‘unholy’ behavior. Such a manner of portraying these characters further enunciates Voltaire’s view on various religious people. In conclusion, through techniques such as irony, exaggeration, parody and understatement, Voltaire effectively satirizes Leibniz, the military and religious figures, mocking Leibniz’s philosophy of optimism, disapproving the brutality of the military and criticizing the hypocrisy of religious figures. Humor was achieved through the irony and exaggeration he cleverly wove into his novel, making it much easier for the readers to swallow despite the novel being highly critical of his modern society, addressing many serious issues.

Comparing Othello and Volpone Essay -- Comparison Compare Contrast Ess

Similarities in Othello and Volpone      Ã‚  Ã‚   Upon reading Shakespeare's l604 tragedy, Othello, the Moor of Venice and Jonson's l606 comedy, Volpone, or The Foxe, a reader will notice both similarities and differences.   In both plays, we meet characters of "rare ingenious knavery." Indeed, Iago, Volpone, and Mosca are uncommonly similar in nature. An elaborate "con game" is practiced in each play through intriguing dramatic inventiveness. However, the focus of Shakespeare's tragedy is upon a noble and heroic figure; the focus of Jonson's comedy is upon a monster of depravity, a genius in crime. Comparisons between these great plays continues to pale when Jonson's script is held up to scrutiny. Whereas Shakespeare's seventeenth century work in comedy would turn continually toward soft edges, romance, and the pastoral, mixing both the serious and the humorous, Jonson established a reputation as one of the major social satirists of the English dramatic tradition. In fact, Jonson's comedies establish the tradition of social comedy on the English stage. In Volpone, although the satire is ultimately moral, its immediate aim is mostly social or legal. The play unmasks the artificial features of respectability, exposing vice and the manipulations of hypocrites. To his credit, Jonson did not altogether excuse the imperceptiveness of the victims in the play. Jonson's central characters are among the early models of "anti-heroes," a term generally restricted to characters found in Dostoevski, Sartre, or Camus. The specimens dramatized in Volpone are not merely fools, but money-hungry, lustful, morally despicable knaves. Their names immediately suggest their depravity because they are identified with the world of beasts. Thus, the lawy... ... Now, though the Fox be punish'd by the laws, / He yet doth hope, there is no suff'ring due, / For any fact which he hath done 'gainst you; / If there be a censure him; here he doubtful stands. / If not, fare jovially, and clap your hands." Works Cited and Consulted Barish, Jonas A. Ben Jonson: A Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice-Hall Inc.: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1963. Campbell, Lily B. Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1970. Dessen, Alan C. Jonson’s Moral Comedy. Northwestern University. Press, 1971. Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.   

multiple sclerosis :: essays research papers

Multiple Sclerosis My aunt has had Multiple Sclerosis for about 11 years now. She started showing symptoms when she was 27. I remember the day that I walked into my parent’s room to find my mom on the phone crying. I stayed to listen to the conversation and when she was off the phone she told me what was going on. All I could do at that point was remember all of the times we went on bike rides and had a lot of fun. It was a really bad feeling knowing that we would never have the chance to do any of that again. It was really hard for my uncle to handle and I am sure it still is, but when ever I go over they’re house everyone is cheerful and easy to talk to. Whenever I get the chance I talk to my aunt and she is still very intelligent and fun to hold a conversation with. So if you ever see a person with a disease, do not be afraid to talk to them for they are very wise. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system. Specific symptoms of the disease can not be predicted. The symptoms may range from tingling and numbness to paralysis and blindness. MS is a devastating disease because people live with its unpredictable physical and emotional effects for the rest of their lives. My aunt has to be feed, bathed; she cannot do anything for herself. MS is a well-known disease, but poorly understood. In the United States there are about 200 new cases diagnosed each week. MS is a common disease and not always caused by genetics. Therefore, I feel we all need to have a better understanding of this disease that has no cure yet. My aunt has been in my prayers and many other peoples for a long time. I just want to see her get rid of the nasty disease. I hope to make MS more understanding in my paper. In my paper I will explain what MS is, who gets MS, what MS has to do with the metabolism, what some of the symptoms of MS are, and some treatments for MS. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disabling illness that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. â€Å"Under normal conditions these nerve cells are surrounded by an insulating sheath made of fatty myelin, which speeds the passage of nerve impulses.

American Inequality in American Psycho Essay

Set in the Manhattan of 1989, Brett Easton Ellis’s novel American Psycho sketches the life of Patrick Bateman, an attractive 26-year-old Harvard graduate who earns a six-figure income on Wall Street. Bateman and his Ivy League educated friends enjoy all the luxury Manhattan has to offer, including expensive restaurants, exclusive nightclubs and excessive amounts of cocaine. However, what their money, education and beauty truly affords them is the right to humiliate, harass, and in Bateman’s case to kill, those in the social classes beneath them. The satirical, yet horrific, story that unfolds throughout American Psycho highlights the inequality between the richest and poorest Americans, a gap that widened substantially in the 1980s thanks in part to the economic policies of Ronald Reagan. In addition to reducing the tax rate on wealthy Americans from 70% to 28%, President Reagan authorized deregulation that encouraged corporate mergers and made cuts to social programs that left many Americans homeless (Foner 1037). By reducing the tax rate, Reagan intended to encourage sound private investments thereby creating jobs. However, many affluent Americans used the money saved in taxes to purchase luxury products instead. Corporate mergers, or more bluntly corporate takeovers, spurred the deindustrialization of America. While deindustrialization eliminated many high-paying manufacturing jobs and left several Americans unemployed, the corporate takeovers that spurred the deindustrialization created a tremendous amount of wealth on Wall Street. Reagan also reduced funds allotted for public housing and psychiatric hospitals. This fiscal decision only increased the number of homeless individuals across America, especially in urban areas such as New York City (Foner 1037-40). Throughout American Psycho Bateman’s Wall Street cohorts address the rampant homelessness in Manhattan with a mixture of contempt and amusement. In the first pages of the novel, Timothy Price, a young stockbroker on his way uptown, complains about his six-figure income as he counts the thirtieth homeless person he has seen that day (3-7). Leaving an exclusive nightclub, Craig McDermott, another rich stockbroker, teases a homeless woman and her child with a single dollar bill before setting it on fire (210). Bateman, however, is more sadistic than his friends are. Before mutilating and killing a homeless man, Bateman offers the man money but asks him why he does not get a job. When the man says he was laid off, Bateman asks rhetorically, â€Å"Do you think it’s fair to take money from people who do have jobs? Who do work?† (129-30) The text contains a strong theme of Social Darwinism. Bateman and his friends do not feel a twinge of guilt over their treatment of those less fortunate because they adhere to the belief that the underclass deserves the mistreatment society allots them, just as the privileged are entitled to the special treatment society grants them. Although Ellis addresses the gap between the rich and poor in America through mordant satire, his depiction of the yuppie lifestyle and how the homeless are treated is not entirely hyperbolic. While on vacation in New York City, I observed the hostile and often indifferent treatment the homeless receive. In the financial district of Manhattan only blocks from Wall Street, I saw a young, well-dressed professional woman nearly bump into a homeless man and, after glaring at him for a moment, remarked, â€Å"You’ve got to be kidding me.† In Patrick Bateman’s world, a world where the privileged enjoy a lavish lifestyle, no one asks why. Their sense of entitlement overrides their curiosity, so that not a single character asks why the homeless line the streets. In the preface to American Psycho Ellis quotes a lyric from a Talking Heads song that reads, â€Å"And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention.† In that novel, and perhaps outside it, things fell apart, and nobody paid much attention. Works Cited Ellis, Brett. American Psycho. 1st ed. New York City: Vintage, 1991. Print. Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! 2nd ed. Vol. 2. New York City: W. W. & Norton, 2007. 1037-140. Print.