Writing Assignment 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Writing Assignment 8 - Essay Example During all my research I failed to locate any negative reports that indicated abuse of the system or felt it was unworkable. I took the further step of contacting maintenance to get an estimate of plans, expense and materials. These are included in the report. They have assured me that it will be a simple task to transform an existing office into a Quiet Room. I have also contacted Human Resources and they are evaluating the project to assure it has proper oversight. Interviews with employees and the questionnaires that were returned indicate a highly favorable reaction to a Quiet Room. Though there was a healthy amount of skepticism, I think the report will alleviate any lasting concerns when the value of the program is understood. The construction of a Quiet Room will certainly aid in creating a more dedicated and productive workforce. Again, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explore this very valuable project. I feel the time was well spent and I look forward to getting the reaction of senior management. I would be glad to follow up any further issues or questions that may arise in the future with regards to this project. This report outlines the risk to health and well being we expose our employees to by creating a culture of sleepiness and perpetuating the fear of proper rest. It points out the benefits that are gained when workers feel free to get the necessary rest and relaxation they need while at the job. It proposes the construction of a Quiet Room where employees can take a quiet break away from their duties in the course of their workday. Health and psychologists have pointed out the need for proper rest and adequate sleep. The cost to companies in absenteeism, accidents, and lost productivity is enormous. Researchers have also found a correlation between short naps and marked improvement in alertness and mental ability. Resting quietly during the day can aid our physical health as well as our mental

Modern and Contemporary Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Modern and Contemporary Poetry - Essay Example The post World War 1 Western society according to Elliot is not an integrated unit of individuals. In fact, it is just â€Å"a heap of broken images† (22), which suggests that the individuals are detached from one another and fail to form a functional society. It is like â€Å"the dead tree† (23) that cannot provide shelter to anyone. It reflects an awry state of society whose foundations have crumbled and its individuals are left alone. This line evokes an innate desire of individuals to break away from the oppressive traditions of society and seek refuge in the mountains, where one can exercise the freedom of self. The effects of the First World War on society and individuals were irreparable and it has been portrayed by the gloomy imagery in this poem. â€Å"Unreal City, / Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,† (60-61) A quite depressing state of society that survives under â€Å"the brown fog† has been portrayed in these lines. It is quite possible that Elliot is metaphorically representing the society as the brown fog, which gives a sense of oppression and stagnation because this blanket of â€Å"brown fog† doesn’t let in light or fresh air. It is suffocating for the individuals to live in such society that doesn’t give them the freedom to grow. In the second poem, â€Å"rats’ alley† (115) could be a reference to modern society that has turned into a narrow place with no light or fresh air. It gives a sense of a place where the characters, values and lives of human beings are decaying. One also gets an impression that the society Elliot is talking about is so cold that it dampens the spirit and will of the individuals to move on in their lives. â€Å"But at my back in a cold blast I hear/ The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.† (185-186) However, the individuals are still hoping and waiting for a response from the society they are living in

The Silent Era Of Hollywood Film Studies Essay

The Silent Era Of Hollywood Film Studies Essay The Silent Era of Hollywoods History was a great milestone in paving the way for todays film industry. With great actors and innovative technology, silent films poked fun at society and helped America get through some tough times. Happening between the end of World War I and the beginning of the Great Depression, silent films helped American audiences sit back and relax for an hour or two and laugh at society. Slapstick comedy made fun of high society and authority, absorbing the audience. Actors like Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks took the audience on adventures beyond any they had ever seen. In a world of black and white, silent films brightened up the lives of Americans everywhere. Whether it was a comedy, horror, or suspense, on television or at the theater, everyone in America has seen at least one movie. But have they ever stopped to appreciate how far the movie industry has come to produce outstanding special effects, eye-popping 3-D, and out-of-this-world colors? Where did all the film studios come from? Who paved the way for todays actors? Advancements and dilemmas in a world of silent black and white helped shape the movie industry forever. Early Beginnings. In 1873, a photographer was asked to find a way to photograph running horses to study their gait. Eadweard Muybridge set up twelve cameras and snapped his pictures. Each one had a half-second period of movement. He never went on to create films, but he certainly paved the way for many others. Émile Reynaud built a toy he called the Projecting Praxinoscope in 1877. It was a spinning drum where viewers saw various images in mirrors. In 1882, he found a way to project moving pictures using a lantern and mirrors. In 1888, Kodak started introducing film on paper rolls. This caught the eye of inventor Thomas Edison. He and his assistant cut the film and punched four holes onto one side so that gears could pull the film strips through the camera (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 5-8). Early film was definitely primitive with choppy editing and jerky movements, but without it movies would have never come to existence. It took many years to perfect it, and by the time America needed enterta inment, film makers were ready. The Silent Era. Looking back, the roaring twenties was a great decade for directors, actors, and audiences in America. Post-World War I and Pre-Great Depression, America was the leading producer of movies, dealing with many of the societys problems and taboo topics. Scott Mintz of Digital History, described the silent movie era: American films were born in an age of reform, and many early silent movies took as their subject matter the major social and moral issues of the Progressive era: birth control, child labor, divorce, immigration, political corruption, poverty, prisons, prostitution, and womens suffrage. The tone of these films varied widely some were realistic and straightforward; others treated their subjects with sentimentality or humor; and many transformed complex social issues into personal melodramas. Yet there can be no doubt that many silent films dealt at least obliquely with the dominant issues of the time (2007). Film Studios. By 1926, over 400 feature films touching on societys problems were made and were emerging from eight different studios, five major and three minor. The Big Five produced 90% of films in America (Scott, 2005). Warner Bros. Pictures was the first of the five. Created by four Polish brothers, Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam, Warner became prominent after first introducing talkies in the latter half of the decade. The studio later became infamous with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes cartoons. The next great studio was Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in 1916. In 1935 it became known as Paramount Pictures, and generated many silent film stars such as Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and talking stars including Bing Crosby and Bob Hope (Dirks, 1996). Paramount made a total of 101 movies in 1921 (Scott, 2005). The third studio was known as RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures. It struggled in the 1920s until talking films came to the surface. The next studio is more commonly known as MGM o r Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Metro Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures Company merged together in 1924. They are best known for the Tom and Jerry cartoons. The final big studio was a merger of two big studios, Fox Film Corporation/Foundation and 20th Century Picture Company. It became known as 20th Century Fox (Dirks, 1996). The last three studios may have just been minor then, but today two of them are top-selling studios. Universal Pictures was formed in 1912 and became known for the Woody Woodpecker cartoons. The C.B.C Film Sales Company was founded in 1920 and later became known as Columbia Pictures. They established fame with the first Batman serials. The last of the little three was United Artists, formed in 1919 by the top film stars of the time, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W Griffith (Dirks, 1996). Movie Palaces. Not only did the film companies create innovative movies, they also constructed deluxe palaces to showcase their films. By starting these movie theater chains, the movie industry skyrocketed. Between 1922 and 1930, investment jumped from $78 to $850 million, and movie patrons doubled from 40 million people a week to 80 million (Thompson Bordwell, 1994). The Strand Theater opened in 1914 with 3,300 seats. The 6,200-seat Roxy Theater opened in New York City in 1927. It closed in 1960 and became known as Radio City Music Hall in 1965. On the west coast, Sid Grauman built three theaters in Los Angeles: the Million Dollar Theater (2,345 seats), the Egyptian Theater (1,760 seats), and the infamous Chinese Theater (2,258 seats). Grauman decided to start a tradition of Hollywood stars leaving their imprints in front of the theater (Dirks, 1996). Many of todays stars have their imprints at the theater, including one of the best known silent film stars of all time: Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin. Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London in spring 1889. His parents were both actors and singers, giving Charlie each a piece of their talents. Unfortunately, the sudden death of his father and the mental illness of his mother forced him out on his own at the age of 10. Having his first stage performance at the age of 14 in Sherlock Holmes, Charlie started doing vaudeville comedy and was immediately taken to America to showcase his talents (Overview). Easily recognized by the toothbrush moustache, bowler hat, and funny walk, Chaplin starred in 87 short films and became known for his trademark Little Tramp character (see figure 1) (Smith, Mini Biography). Chaplin became ambitious and starred in a drama that ridiculed high society. His audience, however, avoided a film without the Little Tramp. He brought the character back in two of his greatest films, The Gold Rush (1925) and The Circus (1927) (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 166-167). Figure : Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp Not only did Chaplin star in almost 100 films, he also wrote and directed, financed and produced, and composed all the music for them. During his spare time he wrote four books and composed many other songs. His films always focused on the economic and social problems of the time, making him relatable to the public while still being a comedian. He died on Christmas day in 1977. He was married and divorced four separate times and was survived by nine children (Smith, Mini Biography). Douglas Fairbanks. Another co-creator of United Artists, and a great actor in the action genre was Douglas Fairbanks. Born in Denver, Colorado in 1883, Fairbanks moved to New York in 1900. He made his Broadway debut there in 1902 and quickly prospered in his career. Wanting to move on to bigger and better things, he was under close watch of D.W. Griffith and became a huge movie star. He starred in many social and romantic comedies, making him very appealing to his audience. During a World War I Liberty bond tour, he met his future wife and equally popular actress Mary Pickford. After divorcing their respective spouses, they were married. Divorces were frowned upon during this era, but at the time they were so popular that America forgave and forgot their divorces. The couple was known as the king and queen, the royal couple of Hollywood. He is best known for action films such as The Mask of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921) (see figure 2), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924), and The Black Pirate (1926) (Stars, 2004). Figure : Douglas Fairbanks in The Three Musketeers In 1927, Fairbanks and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was founded. Together they created the Academy Awards, to acknowledge, appreciate, and reward excellence in film (Dirks, 1996). Fairbanks died suddenly of a heart attack in 1939, and was given a special Oscar for recognizing the unique and outstanding contribution of the first President of the Academy to the international development of the motion picture (Stars, 2004). Early Innovations in Color. Making these award-winning movies was no easy feat since technology was moving fast. In the 1910s, directors and cinematographers were placing semi-transparent fabrics over their lenses to give the shot a soft, blurry look. By the 1920s, special lenses were created that focused all attention on the main actors and scenery, while blurring out the background. Another major advancement was the development of panchromatic film stock. Film was only sensitive to purple, blue, and green. Yellow and red barely registered, making any object of that color appear black (like an actress lipstick, see figure 3), while blue and purple appeared white. The sky with clouds rolling by was hard to film since the blue washed out to white with the clouds. By 1925, Eastman Kodak starting producing panchromatic stock and film studios were quickly switching over (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 177-178). While vibrant shades of gray and black becoming popular, a world famous icon was still just an idea. Figure : Mary Pickfords lips appear black and she clearly stands out from the background A Mouse for All Ages. Walt Disney started his own arts firm in 1919. After many failed attempts at short cartoons, he and his brother Roy started the Disney Brothers Studios in Hollywood. It would later grow into one of the biggest corporations in the twentieth century. A character Disney created was taken over by another during a legal battle (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, p. 179). In retaliation, Disney created Steamboat Willie, starring Mickey Mouse for the first time in 1928. Steamboat Willie was also the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Strangely enough, the first sound was not Mickeys voice, but background noises and music. Mickey didnt speak until his ninth cartoon when he said hot dogs!, using Disneys voice for Mickeys (Dirks, 1996). Lets Hear it for the Movies. As the decade came to a close, the arrival of sound was a major disturbance. Silent films could be distributed all over the world, having no language barrier. Now that actors were beginning to talk, the movies had to stay strictly in the US and audiences started to realize the actors lacked an appealing speaking voice. Many directors had to have their actors imported from Broadway, knowing they already had excellent speaking voices. Cameras were bulky and created a lot of noise, and immobile microphones attached to the actors limited their mobility. Soon the silent film studios became almost extinct and boom mikes, mounted cameras, and sound-proof stages were the most innovative equipment (Dirks, 1996). With the new microphones, actors could move freely and speak at their normal pace, giving films a new rhythm. The Bell Howell Rotambulator was also invented, giving cameras movement they never had before. The dolly could raise the camera vertically from 18 inches to 7 feet and pannin g, tilting, and tracking were simpler and easier (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 241-242). Coloring a Black and White World Black and white was also becoming obsolete. People had tried in the past to paint or hand-tint the film strips, but their efforts were futile after realizing the films looked unrealistic. Kinemacolor was introduced and used alternating red and green filters, black and white film was projected through them. In 1915, the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation was developed. They added the green and red color to the negative film strips and printed them together. A two-color system starting in the 1910s had evolved into a three-color system in 1932, due to Technicolor (Dirks, 1996). Effects of the Great Depression In addition to new advancements slowly deteriorating the Silent Era, The Great Depression also hurt everyone, including the film studios and their palaces. Theaters could no longer afford ushers, and they started selling popcorn, soda, and candy as an extra means of income. Since audiences had very little money to spend outside of necessities, theaters needed to create new sales pitches. Theaters began playing double and even triple features. Even though the last movie was a short, cheap B movie, audiences felt they were getting more for their dollar. Prize giveaways were also done at the door, giving away anything from pillows to dishes. Each week a new dish was given away, further persuading patrons to come back every week to collect and complete their dishware set (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, p 240). Never Forgotten. Even though many Americans think of silent films as ancient, boring antiques, they are so much more. In addition to addressing major social and moral issues, early films were laced with anti-authority themes, poking fun at bumbling cops, corrupt politicians, and intrusive upper-class reformers. Highly physical slapstick comedy offered a particularly potent vehicle of social criticism, spoofing the pretensions of the wealthy and presenting sympathetic portraits of the poor (Mintz, 2007). Silent films let audiences know that it was alright to laugh at the morally corrupt world after the first World War. They opened the door for great actors and actresses to pave the way for todays movie stars. Silent films are a major part of Hollywoods history and should never be forgotten.

Contrary Interpretations of The Yellow Wallpaper -- The Yellow Wallpape

Contrary Interpretations of The Yellow Wallpaper   Ã‚   â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was first published in New England Magazine in 1892.   Charlotte Perkins Gilman, an advocate for the advancement of women, authored the short story.   She intended the piece to bring to light the inherent ineptitude of the Weir Mitchell â€Å"rest cure.†Ã‚   Though this subject is addressed, many other pertinent topics are broached, ever so subtly.   Other themes in the book include the role of women in a society dominated by men, the role of the mother, and how oppression can affect the mind of a creative individual.   These themes, however, can be altered merely by how the tale is edited.   I intend to point out some of the pertinent differences that exist between the full text of the story and an abridged version, describing how they give the same story contrary interpretations.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To better understand the differences I will be noting, one may find it helpful to be familiar with the basic plot of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.†Ã‚   Both versions relate the story of a woman losing her mind.   She has not been feeling well for some time, so her husband, a physician, decides a summer spent relaxing in the country would benefit her.   While there, she is forbidden to write in her journal, as it indulges her imagination, which is not in accordance with her husband’s wishes.   Despite this, the narrator makes entries in the journal whenever she has the opportunity.   Through these entries we learn of her obsession with the wallpaper in her bedroom.   She is enthralled with it and studies the paper for hours.   She fancies she sees a woman trapped behind the pattern in the paper.   The story reaches its climax when her husband must force his way into the bedroom, only to find... ...woman being driven mad by her position in life.   The wallpaper merely serves as a catalyst for her breakdown.   This interpretive discrepancy, as well as the loss of authenticity and finally the weakening of John’s power, ultimately leaves the two versions of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† open to varying interpretations.       Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins.   The Yellow Wallpaper.   Ed. Dale M. Bauer.   Bedford Cultural Edition.   Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998. ---. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.†Ã‚   Great American Short Stories.   Pleasantville: Reader’s Digest, 1977.   195-206. Works Consulted Golden, Catherine, ed. The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on "The Yellow Wallpaper." New York: Feminist Press, 1992 Kasmer, Lisa. "Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper': A Symptomatic Reading." Literature and Psychology. 36, (1990): 1-15.   

Playmobil Toysâ€the Secret to the Years of Toy Craze Essay

A little over a century ago, you wouldn’t believe that Playmobil, one of the most loved toy companies, started out as a lock and fitting company originally called Metallwarenfabrik. It was founded by Andreas Brandstatter, a locksmith in Zindorf, Germany. It had a few years of great track record and was not only manufacturing locks, they were even manufacturing cash registers, telephones and other various sheet metal products coincidentally to be used for toy establishments. In the 1950s, the current owner of the company, Horst Branstatter shifted the company into plastic manufacturing and joined in on the Hula Hoop Craze, which is incidentally the start of an international craze for Playmobil Toys. But one question comes to mind, why do kids and parents go crazy for these Toys? For one, the company’s ideal for toys stem from its roots of lock and metal fitting—collecting all the right pieces and fitting them together to complete a set. Its collectability is one of its greatest marketing strategy. Same for the kids, it is a matter of pride once you manage to complete a set. Typically, most toy sets would have one center piece for the set and have multiple accessories. Each and every piece would have its individual uniqueness. The fun of having a toy is being able to divulge into a world of imagination using it as a medium. A single piece has complete functionality to fulfil its role on the set’s storyline, having functioning parts that can interact with its fellow toy pieces. This allows children of all ages to use their imagination to its full extent, giving never-ending fun on the part of the kids and a satisfied smile on their parents’ lips.

Poverty Mother of All Crimes Essay

Does poverty cause crime? Are people criminal because they are poor, or are they poor because they are criminal? The latter is uncontroversial, given the time and professional and educational experience inmates lose, the difficulties they have finding a job after their release etc. But what about the former statement? Crime obviously has many causes, and poverty is most likely one of them in some cases. It seems likely that some poor people may sometimes have to resort to theft in order to survive. But the causal relationship between crime and poverty is only likely for some types of crimes. Other crimes, such as fraud, crimes of passion, serial murder etc. bear absolutely no link to poverty. There may be even an inverse link, since poor people are not in a position to carry out a crime like fraud or insider trading. This paper lists some of the statistics that show a possible correlation between poverty and crime – mainly property crime, more than violent crime. There is also the fact that African-Americans in the U.S. are overrepresented both in prisons and in poverty statistics (see here), indicating as well that there is a correlation. There is some anecdotal evidence (there are many news stories indicating a link, such as the stories about people stranded on a desert island, being subject to extreme scarcity and engaging in crime such as murder and cannibalism). But there’s also anecdotal evidence to the contrary. During the Great Depression, for example, crime did not increase significantly. Poverty can also be an indirect cause of crime. As it leads to under-education it may make the choice of a criminal lifestyle more likely. This graph shows the proportion of US inmates that is illiterate, compared to total US illiteracy: (source) I couldn’t find any data on previous illiteracy, so it may be that under-education (and hence in many cases poverty) is not the cause of crime, but the consequence; being in prison in principle doesn’t help you to get educated. Anyway, it seems intuitively acceptable that there is some causal link between crime and poverty, in both directions. So dealing with crime without dealing with root causes of crime such as poverty, and only focusing on punishment is indeed not the best option. However, none of this should imply: †¢that poverty somehow determines crime, or that crime is a necessary result of poverty; many poor people are not criminals, and many rich people are †¢that poor people are perhaps not predetermined to be criminals, but that they are more disposed to crime than other people; that would be insulting †¢that there are no other, perhaps more important causes of crime such as irresponsibility, immorality etc. †¢that poverty is somehow an excuse for crime, or perhaps even a justification; I think it’s not even a mitigating circumstance †¢that poverty should be reduced to a problem of crime; poverty, slums and homelessness should not be eliminated because they are so-called breeding grounds of crime, but because we have a moral duty to do so. Given the causal link, we should also accept that poverty, like a bad upbringing, is often abused as a false excuse for crime. A related question is the following: are poor inmates incarcerated because they are criminal or because they are poor and can’t escape the law as easily as the rich? Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights gives everyone the right to legal defense, without charge if necessary: Everyone shall be entitled to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment by him in any such case if he does not have sufficient means to pay for it