Fight club - analysis of a sequence essays

Fight club - analysis of a sequence essays Analyse a sequence of a film using film language and narrative concepts. The film I have decided to analyse in this essay is Fight Club (1999) directed by David Fincher (Se7en) and based on the novel by Chuck Palahunk. The film points fingers at numerous issues in society, namely the effect of consumerism on peoples lives, and how it is gradually taking over those lives. The story is told trough the eyes of a narcoleptic named Jack, played by Edward Norton (American History X,). Jacks only joys in life are the possessions he owns, until he meets Tyler Durden played Brad Pitt ( Se7en). Tyler believes that it is self-destruction that makes life worth living, not self-improvement. The very same night they meet, an explosion blows up Jacks apartment and possessions. Tyler offers Jack a place to stay but on one condition Tyler I want you to hit me as hard as you can. Despite Jacks doubts about hitting Tyler he does and discovers that fighting for recreation can give the ultimate high. This leads to them setting up Fight club which gradually sweeps across America taking with it Tylers influence and philosophy. The big shock of the story comes when Jack realises he is Tyler, and he came to life as a means of escaping his agonizingly boring life. When he realises this he must deal with the dramatic consequences of Tylers actions. The narration is restricted as its told by Jack, and therefore has a voice over. The films structure is un-conventional as its cause and effect is told in a non-linear narrative, looking at the decisions Jack has made and how they has effected the plot. The sequence I am analysing made up of four sections. The first is in the parking lot when Tyler asks Jack to hit him, the second is in a movie projection booth where Tyler splices sex organs into films, the third is in the Pressman hotel dinner area and kitchens where Tyler urina...

How to Be Prepared for Freshman Year of College

How to Be Prepared for Freshman Year of College Did you know, that approximately one third of students who enrol in college drop out during or immediately after their freshman year. This can largely be attributed to the fact that starting college is such a huge transition for students. It can often be the first real taste of independence a young person has and that comes with responsibilities they might find overwhelming. College life is very different to high school, but if you start out having made appropriate preparations for Freshman year then you are more likely to survive! What to Bring with You to College One of the big questions that most new college students have is what they should bring to college with them and how to pack all that. For many Freshmen this will be their first time living away from their parents, so it can be a pretty overwhelming prospect! A great way to prepare is to make a list of things that you think you will need at college. Start with the basics. You will need things like: bedding for your dorm room crockery and silverware to eat of and of course things like cleaning supplies, towels and other basic items. However, you are also going to need a selection of personal items too. These will include: clothing toiletries books music and other personal belongings. A tip for students who move to another city: If you are moving out of state for college then you are also going to need to take appropriate clothing items. If you know there will be cold winters, then pack a warm coat and boots. Similarly, if there is likely to be a hotter climate than at home you will need lighter clothing. Take a Piece of Your Home With You Everything that we have mentioned so far has been fairly practical in nature. However, one of the most important things that a freshman student needs to pack when heading off to college is going to be a special item that reminds them of home! This could be an ornament with sentimental value, a favorite family photograph or maybe even just something that represents your home town. It is perfectly natural to feel a little bit home sick when you head off to college. However, having a small token to remind you of the people you love will bring you some comfort. How to Prepare for Studying in College So, you are all packed up and you have everything you need for college life, but are you prepared for the actual academic aspect? Many freshmen are astounded by just how different college is to high school and it is a good idea to do some research so that you fully understand what you are getting yourself into. How many classes should you even be taking in Freshman year? The first thing to so is choose which classes you are going to take. However, that might be easier said than done. The answer is highly personal. However, as a general rule most colleges recommend 12 to 15 credits for Freshman year. Classes tend to be worth 3 credits, which means you should be looking to take 4 or 5 classes during that first year of college. How to choose your classes? Once you know how many classes to take, the next step if knowing how to choose your classes. If you already know what you are going to major in, then it makes sense to start with some of the classes you require for that. It is also wise to opt for the introductory classes and prerequisites in your first year if for no other reason than to get them out of the way quickly. If you are not too sure what you want to major in then why not spend some time looking at course catalogs to try and shortlist the topics that catch your interest. It’s not even just choosing the classes that can be a little bit daunting. Making the transition from school to college can be completely different to what you were expecting. We advise trying to do as much preparation as possible before you get there. Here are a few basic steps you can take to be better prepared for your college studies: Research what the teachers and professors are like. Look for forums and social media groups where you can meet other students. Study the requirements and learning outcomes for your chosen classes. Start working on your time management and prioritizing skills. Set yourself some goals you hope to achieve during freshman year. Housekeeping for College Freshmen It is also important to get to know your new home. That’s why researching some general housekeeping tasks is also important to prepare you for freshman year at college. Some of the things you might want to find out about include: Finding out where to do laundry. Is there a place in the dorm or do you need to go off campus? Mapping out the local stores you will need to visit including grocery stores, coffee shops, book shops and restaurants. Look for places with a student discount or special deals to help stretch your money a little further. Checking out some of the on-Campus facilities like the library, canteen and other amenities you might want to make use of. Is there a pool or a student gym? Find out some of the college rules and regulations, especially linked to the dorms. Are you allowed visitors? Is there a sign in system? Are there restrictions over common areas? Most colleges will have a student handbook that covers these types of questions. Some of the listed items we have added to our college freshman survival kit before. Havent you seen it yet? Building Your Social Life A big part of college life is of course socializing. Everyone has heard of the legendary dorm parties! Of course, your college social life doesn’t just revolve around partying! One of the big things about college is the sheer diversity of the people you will meet on campus. It can be scary to go off to college and leave your high school friends behind, but college is really the best place to make new friends! Start building your social life by joining some of the many clubs and organizations that are on campus. Whether you are into sports or science you are sure to find a suitable group to join. There are also lots of social events on campus, so you will have plenty of opportunity to meet new people. If you are struggling to make friends during freshman year, you can also think about joining study groups to get to know your classmates a little better – plus as an added bonus it is sure to help your grades too! In conclusion, if you are getting ready to start college it is a good idea to make sure you are as prepared as possible for freshman year. Heading off to college is a big transition and it is easy to get overwhelmed. You will be amazed at just how much a little preparation can help make things easier! Hopefully, these tips and other freshmen tips (infographic) you can find on our website will help you to get things ready before college begins.

Quantitative Reasoning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quantitative Reasoning - Essay Example The following paragraphs will separate the results obtained after employing descriptive statistic tools to the pair of observations. These tools figure out the mean and the median percentage of smokers in the population, distinguished on the basis of gender. Mode has been ignored in this respect since it is irrelevant to figure out the maximum percentage to assess the average characteristics. The mean as well as the median percentage of smokers is lower for females than for males. An obvious implication from the same is that males are more inclined towards smoking than their female counterparts. Here mean is the weighted average implying approximately 19% and 27% of the female and male populations in any nation to be regular smokers, respectively. On the other hand, the median value indicates that among all nations taken collectively, in half of the cases, more than 18.9% of the females are found to smoke, in contrast to 24% among the males (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2008). Measures of dispersion indicate the degree to which the observations are scattered around the mean value. The higher the value of the measure, greater will be the dispersion about the mean and thus, the applicability of the mean value as a core feature of the population will be disturbed. Significance of standard deviation is almost equivalent to that of variance given that the former is the positive square root of the latter. The percentage of female smokers distributed among various groups in the entire population differs from the mean value so calculated, though it is lower than the degree of dispersion of the male smokers. The variance and standard deviation statistics yield that percentage of male smokers in some nations is much higher as well as lower than the mean percentage of male smokers so calculated. However, similar statistics for females rule out such extremeness. The adjoining diagram compares the percentage of male and female smokers in the entire

Interview Reflection Worksheet Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interview Reflection Worksheet - Coursework Example My weak point is in competence that majorly rises from my inability to make some decisions under pressure effectively. Competence will improve when I gain the necessary work experience and gain more knowledge in my area of operation. The assessment of people to some extent showed me the various points of weakness. I realised that I need to improve on competence and efficiency in decision-making. The alignment of people’s perception and mine shown that i am ethical similar to my personal assessment. My surprise was the knowledge of other people that i am incompetent due to the minimal experience I possess. It was not easy to stay open minded and non-defensive during the interview. The questions were touching on my personality and i felt like faking and lying about some aspects of the issues under discussion. I achieved this by trying to be ethical and comprehensively cooperative. I am being perceived this way because am truthful to my acts. My partner was ethical and tried to corner my answers but due to professionalism and adhering to the set standards, he got the right information that provided the right illustration of my characters. However, the results were not as per my expectations but they are a true reflection of my

An Introduction to Genre Theory Essay Example for Free

An Introduction to Genre Theory Essay An Introduction to Genre Theory Daniel Chandler 1. The problem of definition A number of perennial doubts plague genre theory. Are genres really out there in the world, or are they merely the constructions of analysts? Is there a finite taxonomy of genres or are they in principle infinite? Are genres timeless Platonic essences or ephemeral, time-bound entities? Are genres culturebound or transcultural? Should genre analysis be descriptive or proscriptive? (Stam 2000, 14) The word genre comes from the French (and originally Latin) word for kind or class. The term is  widely used in rhetoric, literary theory, media theory, and more recently linguistics, to refer to a distinctive type of text*. Robert Allen notes that for most of its 2,000 years, genre study has been primarily nominological and typological in function. That is to say, it has taken as its principal task the division of the world of literature into types and the naming of those types much as the botanist divides the realm of flora into varieties of plants (Allen 1989, 44). As will be seen, however, the analogy with biological classification into genus and species misleadingly suggests a scientific process. Since classical times literary works have been classified as belonging to general types which were variously defined. In literature the broadest division is between poetry, prose and drama, within which there are further divisions, such as tragedy and comedy within the category of drama. Shakespeare referred satirically to classifications such as tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comicalhistorical-pastoral (Hamlet II ii). In The Anatomy of Criticism the formalist literary theorist Northrop Frye (1957) presented certain universal genres and modes  as the key to organizing the entire literary corpus. Contemporary media genres tend to relate more to specific forms than to the universals of tragedy and comedy. Nowadays, films are routinely classified (e. g. in television listings magazines) as thrillers, westerns and so on genres with which every adult in modern society is familiar. So too with television genres such as game shows and sitcoms. Whilst we have names for countless genres in many media, some theorists have argued that there are also many genres (and sub-genres) for which we have no names (Fowler 1989, 216; Wales 1989, 206). Carolyn Miller  suggests that the number of genres in any society depends on the complexity and diversity of society (Miller 1984, in Freedman Medway 1994a, 36). The classification and hierarchical taxonomy of genres is not a neutral and objective procedure. There are no undisputed maps of the system of genres within any medium (though literature may perhaps lay some claim to a loose consensus). Furthermore, there is often considerable theoretical disagreement about the definition of specific genres. A genre is ultimately an abstract conception rather than something that exists empirically in the world,  notes Jane Feuer (1992, 144). One theorists genre may be anothers sub-genre or even super-genre (and indeed what is technique, style, mode, formula or thematic grouping to one may be treated as a genre by another). Themes, at least, seem inadequate as a basis for defining genres since, as David Bordwell notes, any theme may appear in any genre (Bordwell 1989, 147). He asks: Are animation and documentary films genres or modes? Is the filmed play or comedy performance a genre? If tragedy and comedy are genres, perhaps then domestic tragedy or slapstick is a formula. In  passing, he offers a useful inventory of categories used in film criticism, many of which have been accorded the status of genres by various commentators: Grouping by period or country (American films of the 1930s), by director or star or producer or writer or studio, by technical process (Cinemascope films), by cycle (the fallen women films), by series (the 007 movies), by style (German Expressionism), by structure (narrative), by ideology (Reaganite cinema), by venue (drive-in movies), by purpose (home movies), by audience (teenpix), by subject or theme (family film, paranoid-politics movies). (Bordwell 1989, 148) Another film theorist, Robert Stam, also refers to common ways of categorizing films: While some genres are based on story content (the war film), other are borrowed from literature (comedy, melodrama) or from other media (the musical). Some are performer-based (the Astaire-Rogers films) or budget-based (blockbusters), while others are based on artistic status (the art film), racial identity (Black cinema), locat[ion] (the Western) or sexual orientation (Queer cinema). (Stam 2000, 14). Bordwell concludes that one could argue that no set of necessary and sufficient conditions can  mark off genres from other sorts of groupings in ways that all experts or ordinary film-goers would find An Introduction to Genre Theory acceptable (Bordwell 1989, 147). Practitioners and the general public make use of their own genre labels (de facto genres) quite apart from those of academic theorists. We might therefore ask ourselves Whose genre is it anyway? Still further problems with definitional approaches will become apparent in due course. Defining genres may not initially seem particularly problematic but it should already be apparent that it is a theoretical minefield. Robert Stam identifies four key problems with generic labels (in relation to film): extension (the breadth or narrowness of labels); normativism (having preconceived ideas of criteria for genre membership); monolithic definitions (as if an item belonged to only one genre); biologism (a kind of essentialism in which genres are seen as evolving through a standardized life cycle) (Stam 2000, 128129). Conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings) and/or form (including structure and style) which  are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them. Alternative characterizations will be discussed in due course. The attempt to define particular genres in terms of necessary and sufficient textual properties is sometimes seen as theoretically attractive but it poses many difficulties. For instance, in the case of films, some seem to be aligned with one genre in content and another genre in form. The film theorist Robert Stam argues that subject matter is the weakest criterion for generic grouping because it fails to take into account how the subject is treated (Stam 2000, 14). Outlining a fundamental problem of  genre identification in relation to films, Andrew Tudor notes the empiricist dilemma: To take a genre such as the western, analyze it, and list its principal characteristics, is to beg the question that we must first isolate the body of films which are westerns. But they can only be isolated on the basis of the principal characteristics which can only be discovered from the films themselves after they have been isolated. (Cited in Gledhill 1985, 59) It is seldom hard to find texts which are exceptions to any given definition of a particular genre. There are no rigid rules of inclusion and exclusion (Gledhill 1985, 60). Genres are not discrete systems, consisting of a fixed number of listable items (ibid. , 64). It is difficult to make clear-cut distinctions between one genre and another: genres overlap, and there are mixed genres (such as comedy-thrillers). 2 Specific genres tend to be easy to recognize intuitively but difficult (if not impossible) to define. Particular features which are characteristic of a genre are not normally unique to it; it is their relative prominence, combination and functions which are distinctive (Neale 1980, 22-3). It is easy to underplay the differences within a genre. Steve Neale declares  that genres are instances of repetition and difference (Neale 1980, 48). He adds that difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre (ibid. , 50): mere repetition would not attract an audience. Tzvetan Todorov argued that any instance of a genre will be necessarily different (cited in Gledhill 1985, 60). John Hartley notes that the addition of just one film to the Western genre changes that genre as a whole even though the Western in question may display few of the recognized conventions, styles or subject matters traditionally associated with its genre (OSullivan et al. 1994). The issue of difference also  highlights the fact that some genres are looser more open-ended in their conventions or more permeable in their boundaries than others. Texts often exhibit the conventions of more than one genre. John Hartley notes that the same text can belong to different genres in different countries or times (OSullivan et al. 1994, 129). Hybrid genres abound (at least outside theoretical frameworks). Van Leeuwen suggests that the multiple purposes of journalism often lead to generically heterogeneous texts (cited in Fairclough 1995, 88). Norman Fairclough suggests that mixed-genre texts are far from uncommon in the mass media (Fairclough 1995, 89). Some media may encourage more generic diversity: Nicholas Abercrombie notes that since television comes at the audience as a flow of programmes, all with different generic conventions, means that it is more difficult to sustain the purity of the genre in the viewing experience (Abercrombie 1996, 45; his emphasis). Furthermore, in any medium the generic classification of certain texts may be uncertain or subject to dispute. Contemporary theorists tend to describe genres in terms of family resemblances among texts (a notion derived from the philosopher Wittgenstein) rather than definitionally (Swales 1990, 49). An individual text within a genre rarely if ever has all of the characteristic features of the genre (Fowler 1989, 215). The family resemblance approaches involves the theorist illustrating similarities between some of the texts within a genre. However, the family resemblance approach has been criticized on the basis that no choice of a text for illustrative purposes is innocent (David Lodge, cited in Swales 1990, 50), and that such theories can make any text seem to resemble any other one (Swales 1990, 51). In addition to the definitional and family resemblance approach, there is  An Introduction to Genre Theory another approach to describing genres which is based on the psycholinguistic concept of prototypicality. According to this approach, some texts would be widely regarded as being more typical members of a genre than others. According to this approach certain features would identify the extent to which an exemplar is prototypical of a particular genre (Swales 1990, 52). Genres can therefore be seen as fuzzy categories which cannot be defined by necessary and sufficient conditions. How we define a genre depends on our purposes;  the adequacy of our definition in terms of social science at least must surely be related to the light that the exploration sheds on the phenomenon. For instance (and this is a key concern of mine), if we are studying the way in which genre frames the readers interpretation of a text then we would do well to focus on how readers identify genres rather than on theoretical distinctions. Defining genres may be problematic, but even if theorists were to abandon the concept, in everyday life people would continue to categorize texts. John Swales does note that a discourse communitys nomenclature for genres is an  important source of insight (Swales 1990, 54), though like many academic theorists he later adds that such genre names typically need further validation (ibid. , 58). Some genre names would be likely to be more widely-used than others: it would be interesting to investigate the areas of popular consensus and dissensus in relation to the everyday labeling of mass media genres. For Robert Hodge and Gunther Kress, genres only exist in so far as a social group declares and enforces the rules that constitute them (Hodge Kress 1988, 7), though it is debatable to  what extent most of us would be able to formulate explicit rules for the textual genres we use routinely: much of our genre knowledge is likely to be tacit. In relation to film, Andrew Tudor argued that genre is what we collectively believe it to be (though this begs the question about who we are). Robert Allen comments wryly that Tudor even hints that in order to establish what audiences expect a western to be like we might have to ask them (Allen 1989, 47). Swales also alludes to people having repertoires of genres (Swales 1990, 58), which I would argue would also be likely to repay  investigation. However, as David Buckingham notes, there has hardly been any empirical research on the ways in which real audiences might understand genre, or use this understanding in making sense of specific texts (Buckingham 1993, 137). Steve Neale stresses that genres are not systems: they are processes of systematization (Neale 1980, 51; my emphasis; cf. Neale 1995, 463). Traditionally, genres (particularly literary genres) tended to be regarded 3 as fixed forms, but contemporary theory emphasizes that both their forms and functions are dynamic. David Buckingham argues that genre is not simply given by the culture: rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change (Buckingham 1993, 137). Nicholas Abercrombie suggests that the boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable (Abercrombie 1996, 45); Abercrombie is concerned with modern television, which he suggests seems to be engaged in a steady dismantling of genre (ibid. ) which can be attributed in part to economic pressures to pursue new audiences. One may acknowledge the dynamic fluidity of genres without positing the final demise of genre as an interpretive framework. As the generic corpus ceaselessly expands, genres (and the relationships between them) change over time; the conventions of each genre shift, new genres and sub-genres emerge and others are discontinued (though note that certain genres seem particularly long-lasting). Tzvetan Todorov argued that a new genre is always the transformation of one or several old genres (cited in Swales 1990, 36). Each new work within a genre has the potential to influence changes within the genre or perhaps the emergence of new sub-genres (which may later blossom into fully-fledged genres). However, such a perspective tends to highlight the role of authorial experimentation in changing genres and their conventions, whereas it is important to recognize not only the social nature of text production but especially the role of economic and technological factors as well as changing audience preferences. The interaction between genres and media can be seen as one of the forces which contributes to changing genres. Some genres are more powerful than others: they differ in the status which is attributed to them by those who produce texts within them and by their audiences. As Tony Thwaites et al. put it, in the interaction and conflicts among genres we can see the connections between textuality and power (Thwaites et al. 1994, 104). The key genres in institutions which are primary definers (such as news reports in the mass media) help to establish the frameworks within which issues are defined. But genre hierarchies also shift over time, with individual genres constantly gaining and losing different groups of users and relative status. Idealist theoretical approaches to genre which seek to categorize ideal types in terms of essential textual characteristics are ahistorical. As a result of  their dynamic nature as processes, Neale argues that definitions of genre are always historically relative, and therefore historically specific (Neale 1995, 464). Similarly, Boris Tomashevsky insists that no firm logical classification of genres is possible. Their de- An Introduction to Genre Theory marcation is always historical, that is to say, it is correct only for a specific moment of history (cited in Bordwell 1989, 147). Some genres are defined only retrospectively, being unrecognized as such by the original producers and audiences. Genres need to be studied as historical phenomena; a popular focus in  film studies, for instance, has been the evolution of conventions within a genre. Current genres go through phases or cycles of popularity (such as the cycle of disaster films in the 1970s), sometimes becoming dormant for a period rather than disappearing. On-going genres and their conventions themselves change over time. Reviewing evolutionary change in some popular film genres, Andrew Tudor concludes that it has three main characteristics: First, in that innovations are added to an existent corpus rather than replacing redundant elements, it is cumulative. Second, in that  these innovations must be basically consistent with what is already present, it is conservative. Third, in that these processes lead to the crystallization of specialist sub-genres, it involves differentiation. (Tudor 1974, 225-6) Tudor himself is cautious about adopting the biological analogy of evolution, with its implication that only those genres which are well-adapted to their functions survive. Christine Gledhill also notes the danger of essentialism in selecting definitive classic examples towards which earlier examples evolve and after which others decline (Gledhill 1985, 59). The cycles and transformations of genres can nevertheless be seen as a response to political, social and economic conditions. Referring to film, Andrew Tudor notes that a genre defines a moral and social world (Tudor 1974, 180). Indeed, a genre in any medium can be seen as embodying certain values and ideological assumptions. Again in the context of the cinema Susan Hayward argues that genre conventions change according to the ideological climate of the time, contrasting John Wayne westerns with Clint Eastwood as the problematic hero or anti-hero (Hayward 1996, 50). Leo Baudry (cited in Hayward 1996, 162) sees film genres as a barometer of the social and cultural concerns of cinema audiences; Robert Lichter et al. (1991) illustrate how televisual genres reflect the values of the programme-makers. Some commentators see mass media genres from a particular era as reflecting values which were dominant at the time. Ira Konigsberg, for instance, suggests that texts within genres embody the moral values of a culture (Konigsberg 1987, 144-5). And John Fiske asserts that generic conventions embody the crucial ideological concerns of the time in which they are popular 4 (Fiske 1987, 110). However, Steve Neale stresses that genres may also help to shape such values (Neale 1980, 16). Thwaites et al. see the relationship as reciprocal: a genre develops according to social conditions; transformations in genre and texts can influence and reinforce social conditions (Thwaites et al. 1994, 100). Some Marxist commentators see genre as an instrument of social control which reproduces the dominant ideology. Within this perspective, the genre positions the audience in order to naturalize the ideologies which are embedded in the text (Feuer 1992, 145). Bernadette Casey comments that recently, structuralists and feminist theorists, among others, have focused on the way in which generically defined structures may operate to construct particular ideologies and values, and to encourage reassuring and conservative interpretations of a given text (Casey 193, 312). However, reader-oriented commentators have stressed that people are capable of reading against the grain. Thomas and Vivian Sobchack note that in the past popular film-makers, intent on telling a story, were not always aware of the covert psychological and social  subtext of their own films, but add that modern film-makers and their audiences are now more keenly aware of the myth-making accomplished by film genres (Sobchack Sobchack 1980, 245). Genre can reflect a function which in relation to television Horace Newcombe and Paul Hirsch referred to as a cultural forum, in which industry and audience negotiate shared beliefs and values, helping to maintain the social order and assisting it in adapting to change (Feuer 1992, 145). Certainly, genres are far from being ideologically neutral. Sonia Livingstone argues, indeed, that different genres are concerned to establish different world views (Livingstone 1990, 155). Related to the ideological dimension of genres is one modern redefinition in terms of purposes. In relation to writing, Carolyn Miller argues that a rhetorically sound definition of genre must be centered not on the substance or form of discourse but on the action it is used to accomplish (Carolyn Miller 1984, in Freedman Medway 1994a, 24). Following this lead, John Swales declares that the principal criterial feature that turns a collection of communicative  events into a genre is some shared set of communicative purposes (Swales 1990, 46). In relation to the mass media it can be fruitful to consider in relation to genre the purposes not only of the producers of texts but also of those who interpret them (which need not be assumed always to match). A consensus about the primary purposes of some genres (such as news bulletins) and of their readers is probably easier to establish than in relation to others (such as westerns), where the very term purpose sounds too in- An Introduction to Genre Theory strumental. However, uses and gratifications researchers have already conducted investigations into the various functions that the mass media seem to serve for people, and ethnographic studies have offered fruitful insights into this dimension. Miller argues that both in writing and reading within genres we learn purposes appropriate to the genre; in relation to the mass media it could be argued that particular genres develop, frame and legitimate particular concerns, questions and pleasures. Related redefinitions of genre focus more broadly on the relationship between the makers and audiences  of texts (a rhetorical dimension). To varying extents, the formal features of genres establish the relationship between producers and interpreters. Indeed, in relation to mass media texts Andrew Tolson redefines genre as a category which mediates between industry and audience (Tolson 1996, 92). Note that such approaches undermine the definition of genres as purely textual types, which excludes any reference even to intended audiences. A basic model underlying contemporary media theory is a triangular relationship between the text, its producers and its interpreters. From the perspective of many recent commentators, genres first and foremost provide frameworks within which texts are produced and interpreted. Semiotically, a genre can be seen as a shared code between the producers and interpreters of texts included within it. Alastair Fowler goes so far as to suggest that communication is impossible without the agreed codes of genre (Fowler 1989, 216). Within genres, texts embody authorial attempts to position readers using particular modes of address. Gunther Kress observes that: Every genre positions those who participate in  a text of that kind: as interviewer or interviewee, as listener or storyteller, as a reader or a writer, as a person interested in political matters, as someone to be instructed or as someone who instructs; each of these positionings implies different possibilities for response and for action. Each written text provides a reading position for readers, a position constructed by the writer for the ideal reader of the text. (Kress 1988, 107) Thus, embedded within texts are assumptions about the ideal reader, including their attitudes towards the subject matter and often their class, age, gender and ethnicity. Gunther Kress defines a genre as a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of a (frequently repeated) social occasion, with its characteristic participants and their purposes (Kress 1988, 183). An interpretative emphasis on genre as opposed 5 to individual texts can help to remind us of the social nature of the production and interpretation of texts. In relation to film, many modern commentators refer to the commercial and industrial significance of genres. Denis McQuail argues that: The genre may be considered as a practical  device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers. Since it is also a practical device for enabling individual media users to plan their choices, it can be considered as a mechanism for ordering the relations between the two main parties to mass communication. (McQuail 1987, 200) Steve Neale observes that genres exist within the context of a set of economic relations and practices, though he adds that genres are not the product of economic factors as such. The conditions provided by the capitalist economy account neither for the existence of the particular genres that have hitherto been produced, nor for the existence of the conventions that constitute them (Neale 1980, 51-2). Economic factors may account for the perpetuation of a profitable genre. Nicholas Abercrombie notes that television producers set out to exploit genre conventions It makes sound economic sense. Sets, properties and costumes can be used over and over again. Teams of stars, writers, directors and technicians can be built up, giving economies of scale (Abercrombie 1996, 43). He adds that genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience which becomes used to seeing programmes within a genre (ibid. ). Genres can be seen as a means of controlling demand (Neale 1980, 55). The relative stability of genres enables producers to predict audience expectations. Christine Gledhill notes that differences between genres meant different audiences could be identified and catered to This made it easier to standardize and stabilise production (Gledhill 1985, 58). In relation to the mass media, genre is part of the process of targeting different market sectors. Traditionally, literary and film critics in particular have regarded generic texts (by which they mean formulaic texts) as inferior to those which they contend are produced outside a generic framework. Indeed, film theorists frequently refer to popular films as genre films in contrast to non-formula films. Elitist critics reject the generic fiction of the mass media because they are commercial products of popular culture rather than high art. Many harbor the Romantic ideology of the primacy of authorial originality and vision, emphasizing individual style  and artistic self-expression. In this tradition the An Introduction to Genre Theory artist (in any medium) is seen as breaking the mould of convention. For the Italian aesthetician Benedetto Croce (1866-1952), an artistic work was always unique and there could be no artistic genres. More recently, some literary and film theorists have accorded more importance to genre, counteracting the ideology of authorial primacy (or auteurism, as it is known in relation to the emphasis on the director in film). Contemporary theorists tend to emphasize the importance of the semiotic notion of intertextuality: of seeing individual texts in relation to others. Katie Wales notes that genre is an intertextual concept (Wales 1989, 259). John Hartley suggests that we need to understand genre as a property of the relations between texts (OSullivan et al. 1994, 128). And as Tony Thwaites et al. put it, each text is influenced by the generic rules in the way it is put together; the generic rules are reinforced by each text (Thwaites et al. 1994, 100). Roland Barthes (1975) argued that it is in relation to other texts within a genre rather than in relation to lived experience that we make sense of certain  events within a text. There are analogies here with schema theory in psychology, which proposes that we have mental scripts which help us to interpret 6 familiar events in everyday life. John Fiske offers this striking example: A representation of a car chase only makes sense in relation to all the others we have seen after all, we are unlikely to have experienced one in reality, and if we did, we would, according to this model, make sense of it by turning it into another text, which we would also understand intertextually, in terms of what we have seen so often on our screens. There is then a cultural knowledge of the concept car chase that any one text is a prospectus for, and that it used by the viewer to decode it, and by the producer to encode it. (Fiske 1987, 115) In contrast to those of a traditionalist literary bent who tend to present artistic texts as nongeneric, it could be argued that it is impossible to produce texts which bear no relationship whatsoever to established genres. Indeed, Jacques Derrida proposed that a text cannot belong to no genre, it cannot be without a genre. Every text participates in one or several genres, there is no genre-less text  (Derrida 1981, 61). Note *In these notes, words such as text, reader and writer are sometimes used as general terms relating to texts (and so on) in whatever medium is being discussed: no privileging of the written word (graphocentrism) is intended. Whilst it is hard to find an alternative for the word texts, terms such as makers and interpreters are sometimes used here as terms non-specific to particular media instead of the terms writers and readers. 2. Working within genres John Hartley argues that genres are agents of ideological closure they limit the meaning-potential  of a given text (OSullivan et al. 1994, 128). Robert Hodge and Gunther Kress define genres as typical forms of texts which link kinds of producer, consumer, topic, medium, manner and occasion, adding that they control the behavior of producers of such texts, and the expectations of potential consumers (Hodge Kress 1988, 7). Genres can be seen as constituting a kind of tacit contract between authors and readers. From the traditional Romantic perspective, genres are seen as constraining and inhibiting authorial creativity. However, contemporary theorists, even  within literary studies, typically reject this view (e. g. Fowler 1982: 31). Gledhill notes that one perspective on this issue is that some of those who write within a genre work in creative tension with the conventions, attempting a personal inflection of them (Gledhill 1985: 63). From the point of view of the producers of texts within a genre, an advantage of genres is that they can rely on readers already having knowledge and expectations about works within a genre. Fowler comments that the system of generic expectations amounts to a code, by the use of which  (or by departure from which) composition becomes more economical (Fowler 1989: 215). Genres can thus be seen as a kind of shorthand serving to increase the efficiency of communication. They may even function as a means of preventing a text from dissolving into individualism and incomprehensibility (Gledhill 1985: 63). And whilst writing within a genre involves making use of certain given conventions, every work within a genre also involves the invention of some new elements. An Introduction to Genre Theory As for reading within genres, some argue that knowledge of genre conventions leads to passive  consumption of generic texts; others argue that making sense of texts within genres is an active process of constructing meaning (Knight 1994). Genre provides an important frame of reference which helps readers to identify, select and interpret texts. Indeed, in relation to advertisements, Varda Langholz Leymore argues that the sense which viewers make of any single text depends on how it relates to the genre as a whole (Langholz Leymore 1975, ix). Key psychological functions of genre are likely to include those shared by categorization generally such as reducing complexity.

Progressivism Essay examples -- Progressivism American History Essays

Progressivism The Progressive Movement in the late nineteenth century, early twentieth century presented quite a situation for historians to conquer. At the turn of the twentieth century political questioning was the norm. Practically every historian that writes about this time period has a different opinion of what made up â€Å"Progressive Movement,† some even going so far to beg the question if it was actually a movement or if it was more of an â€Å"era.† The two are interchanged so often that they have in many ways come to mean the same thing although according to some they are distinctly different. The four works, Richard Hofstadter's The Age of Reform, Peter Filene's "An Obituary for the Progressive Movement," Richard McCormick's "The Discovery that Business Corrupts Politics," Paula Baker's "The Domestication of Politics" all discuss the Progressive â€Å"time period† in varying degrees of depth. The four historians all wrote after the 1950’s when the age in question was clearly over. Richard Hofstadter’s book discussed all facets of the age from the mid to late 1800’s to the early and middle 1900’s he touches on the politics, the economics and the social and societal conditions of the age. The Age of Reform, specifically, covers the time period from the 1870’s to the 1940’s. He includes populism, progressivism and the New Deal as main topics in his book and it is mainly biographical in nature. He discusses which groups attempted certain reforms and the part of the era it occurred during. He attempts to explain why they attempted when they did and the political atmosphere. He even notes the geographic locations of specific â€Å"pushes† in some cases. Hofstadter, like most historians agrees that reform is the defining feature of th... ...gument that there was no actual â€Å"movement.† Anyone with a political affiliation or any interest in politics at the time championed one of the ideas of the progressives. The progressives were the people seeking reforms in all agencies and aspects of life. With the changing time and with the wavering leaders and growing uncertainty of the party politics everyone was attempting to change what they could. The time period between the mid nineteenth century and the mid twentieth century did not house the progressive movement, it was the progressive era. Sources: Richard Hofstadter's The Age of Reform Peter Filene's "An Obituary for the Progressive Movement" (Article 1) Richard McCormick's "The Discovery that Business Corrupts Politics" (Article 2) Paula Baker's "The Domestication of Politics" (Article 3) *all three articles were taken off of the database JSTOR

Being Virtuous Though Confucius, Krishna and Socrates Essay

From the beginning of time, the quest of all humans has been to discover how to live the good life. What is a good life exactly? This term will mean different things to different people, and yet I believe there are the same ingredients that all â€Å"good lives† share, even from the classic Eurasian time until present day. Virtues of character, which are also called ‘moral virtues’, seem to be more complex and are an integral part of the completeness of life that is said is necessary for a good life. There seems to be a pattern with people of always trying to achieve being a good person. Is being a good person the answer to having a good life? The Author, Robert W. Strayer makes the point that Confucius, Krishna and Socrates had opinions of ways to a good life but they are all different from one to the other. I will argue that there is a pattern between the three and that the belief to the good life is the same throughout the writings. The saying that history repeats itself is certainly true, but it is also true that people all want to live good lives. Confucius believes living a good life is being virtuous and treating others with respect creates the kind of person that then is given the good life. Being a leader he believed that ruling under an iron fist didn’t create people that respected him and that listened to the law, instead using kindness and sincerity gave the people an example of how to live. He says, â€Å"Let him be ? nal and kind to all; then they will be faithful to him. Let him advance the good and teach the incompetent; then they will eagerly seek to be virtuous† (pg. 218). He also goes on to describe forgiveness which is an essential component in all of the opinions on what is a good life. If one is not being virtuous they can change, which tells us that people are never intended to be perfect but to continue to strive for goodness is always better than to never attempt to be good. That same ideal is true to our modern world. â€Å"To subdue one’s self and return to propriety is perfect virtue. If a man can for one day subdue and return to propriety, all under heaven will ascribe perfect virtue to him† (pg. 219). According to Confucius seeking to be virtuous will bring the good life. In Strayers words he associates the ideas of Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as being different than those of Confucius. I believe that essentially they are one in the same. Krishna says, â€Å"a man possessed of a pure understanding, controlling his self by courage discarding sound and other objects of sense, casting off affection and aversion, who frequents clean places, who eats little, who’s speech, body, and mind are restrained who is always intent with meditation and mental abstraction and has recourse to unconcern who abandoning egoism, stubbornness, arrogance, desire, anger and all belongings, has no thought that this or that is mine, and who is tranquil becomes fit for assimilation with the Brahmah† (pg. 21). Krishna is telling us that controlling one’s self and the environment one keeps one’s self in, the abandonment of being stubborn and arrogant all contributes to a virtuous soul, which in turn leads to the good life. This point is exactly what Confucius and Krishna share the same opinion finding that mean or middle ground, that balance or yin and yang, is essential to establishing a completeness which develops virtue is vital in order to lead a successful, fulfilling life ultimately leading to happiness. Socrates also collaborates these same thoughts He states, â€Å"For I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons and your properties, but ? rst and chie? y to care about the greatest improvement of the soul† (pg. 223). He spent his life trying to convince people to strive to be better people. This is one of the most important things to do in order to find happiness. Socrates believed that the state of one’s soul is the answer to happiness and that there is always improvement that can be made to one’s soul. His mission was to encourage people to think for themselves and thus become more virtuous. Socrates was sentenced to death and as he is near his final moments He says, â€Å"The dif? culty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness† (pg. 223). He also shared the same ideas of Confucius and Krishna that living righteously is the key to the good life. In conclusion what creates a good life for an individual person? It appears to be the same answer that Confucius, Krishna and Socrates had during each of their lives. They learned the same thing that people look for and believe in today. We continue to search for the same answers, but I think the answers are very clear in what history tells us and we learn from these brilliant men, Confucius, Krishna, and Socrates. To be virtuous is having a life with moral integrity and having or showing moral goodness or righteousness. It means being honorable to others and yourself in which will gain the honor and respect from others. Virtue is a belief used to make moral decisions. It does not rely on religion, society or culture; it only depends on the individuals themselves. Virtue has more to do with the character of a person than their earthly riches and possessions. As people continual strive to become a better people, practicing virtuous acts regularly helps develop the good life and they are examples to others striving for the same thing. I believe in what Confucius, Krishna and Socrates taught us, that being a good person is the foundation on which everything else in life is built on, and this I believe is the answer to having the good life.

IFRS Article Review

The title of the article that I choice to discuss for the article review is entitled â€Å"IFRS Adoption in the U. S. : Why the Postponement? †, written by Qun and Kenneth Hiltebeitel. The article came from the The CPA Journal, November 2010 Issue . In the article the writer’s main focus is on IFRS, which are principles based Standards, Interpretations and the Framework adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board. The article most importantly analyzes the survey results of the targeted audience to decide if IFRS will be ready by the proposed date.The SEC initially created a proposed Roadmap, which outlined when IFRS, would be put into transition by small and large public companies to be changed from financial reporting based on the U. S. Generally Accounting Principle being in 2014 to 2016. The proposed roadmap stated if the filings of 2014 from large companies be made they would be required to include a certain amount of balance sheets, income statements, s tatement of cash flows, and changes in stockholder’s equity for specific dates. Also, those companies adopting IFRS for the first time would have to present a beginning balance sheet, v. . a. the date of transition. The IFRS adoption for the year of 2014 could really mean as early as 2012. After this decision made by SEC in 2008, just as any major decision in the U. S. , more than 200 letters and surveys were submitted by people in and affected in the accounting or financial world. These surveys helped to shape the decision of the SEC in regards to the date of transition. Hiltebeitel discusses three different types of surveys from different places and people: a survey of executive officers, a survey of accounting professionals, and a survey of accounting educators.In the survey of executive officers three accounting firms were discussed in â€Å"Exibit 1† of the article. Each firm wad asked different questions but the overall message was conveyed as the same. The surve y conducted at Grant Thorton LLP, it was taken of financial executives and CFO’s. When asked the question â€Å" Do you believe the U. S. should require the use of IFRS† 50% of the executives selected the answer of â€Å"in 5 years or longer†. The second firm of the study was Pricewaterhouse Coopers.The survey was directed to manager’s directors and CFO’s. 51% of the company was at the learning stage. Most of the companies’ executives had knowledge about the change to IFRS but had no plan to action for IFRS. Deloitte was the third to be surveyed and what was found out was quite the similar to the first two firms findings. After one survey was completed Hiltebeitel was already concluding in the article that most of the U. S. companies would not be ready for the switch in 2014. The second survey was conducted with accounting professionals.The AICPA took an â€Å"IFRS Readiness Survey†. The survey was both done in the year 2008 and 2009 and were to be completed online. The percentages of the survey increased and decreased between the two years with regards to the many questions but the main one of if firms would be ready for the transition. Moreover, eventhough CPA’s were preparing for the change with IFRS, they still had a lot of evident work to do before the change. Lastly, the third survey in the article was of the accounting educators.Educators argued points about not up to date textbooks, extensive needed case studies, and college administrators last minute and not so serious attitude, being the main issue for their hold up in regards to the transition into IFRS in the education sector. Educators were on the side that IFRS should indeed be apart of the curriculum (80%) due to the foresight of â€Å"the first graduating class of accounting students to enter the work force with a substantial knowledge of the IFRS education will be the class of 2015†. With that being said a lot of work needs to be d one in the education side as well.In conclusion, the SEC responded to all of the surveys, comments, and letters by a published statement . The surveys presented in this article helped to bring about the points of this article and helped to shape the most important factors of will the U. S. be indeed ready for the transition in 2014. The answer according to the writer is no. The surveys , comments, and letters did help to influence the SEC decision of IFRS ( as of Feb. 2010), and the exact date of timing of the transition of IFRS is unsure. Will the public companies, accounting firms, and educators be ready?

Impact of the Civil War essays

Impact of the Civil War essays War, for the most part, has been glorified. The stories have been packed full of honor and bravery in the face of danger. Join the Army, its an adventure, the government tells me and my peers. Though if you sat down with someone whos seen war, the blood soaked battle fields, their dead friend with a bayonet sticking out of his chest, theyll tell you a different story about war. Stripped of its honor and bravery its nothing more butchery. As horrible as it may seem I regretfully think that its here to stay. Well just keep making bigger and better weapons until we blow each other to hell and wipe the Earth clean of all human life. Allan Nevins feels that war is atrocious and overly glorified. He spoke of the Civil War in particular. Possibly one of the bloodiest in our history and the sod thing is that we were killing our own people. Nevins believes that war had two sides the glorious and the terrible. The glorious is represented in things such as statues, poems, and novels (Nevins pg 212). The terrible is represented in pictures of the battlefields and the stories told by those that were there. The battlefield surgical facilities during the Civil War were of the same caliber of those in Napoleons time(Nevins pg 215). Many of the wounded soldiers received no attention for at least a couple days. By that time many had died of shock(Nevins pg 215). From a passage out of Battles and Leaders , General John D. Imboden speaks of soldiers in his forces saying things like,My God! Why cant I die?,My God! Will no one have mercy and kill me?, and Stop! Oh, for Gods sake stop just for one minute; take me out and leave me to die on the roadside.(Nevins pg 216) The war brought with it immorality and neglect. Many large cities were equipped with saloons, brothels, and casinos (Nevins pg 220). Perhaps the largest impact of the war w ...

Definition and Examples of Secondary Data Analysis

Definition and Examples of Secondary Data Analysis Secondary data analysis is the analysis of data that was collected by someone else. Below, we’ll review the definition of secondary data, how it can be used by researchers, and the pros and cons of this type of research. Key Takeaways: Secondary Data Analysis Primary data refers to data that researchers have collected themselves, while secondary data refers to data that was collected by someone else.Secondary data is available from a variety of sources, such as governments and research institutions.While using secondary data can be more economical, existing data sets may not answer all of a researcher’s questions. Comparison of Primary and Secondary Data In social science research, the terms primary data and secondary data are common parlance. Primary data is collected by a researcher or team of researchers for the specific purpose or analysis under consideration. Here, a research team conceives of and develops a research project, decides on a sampling technique, collects data designed to address specific questions, and performs their own analyses of the data they collected. In this case, the people involved in the data analysis are familiar with the research design and data collection process. Secondary data analysis, on the other hand, is the use of data that was collected by someone else for some other purpose. In this case, the researcher poses questions that are addressed through the analysis of a data set that they were not involved in collecting. The data was not collected to answer the researcher’s specific research questions and was instead collected for another purpose. This means that the same data set can actually be a primary data set to one researcher and a secondary data set to a different one. Using Secondary Data There are some important things that must be done before using secondary data in an analysis. Since the researcher did not collect the data, its important for them to become familiar with the data set: how the data was collected, what the response categories are for each question, whether or not weights need to be applied during the analysis, whether or not clusters or stratification need to be accounted for, who the population of study was, and more. A great deal of secondary data resources and data sets are available for sociological research, many of which are public and easily accessible. The United States Census, the General Social Survey, and the American Community Survey are some of the most commonly used secondary data sets available. Advantages of Secondary Data Analysis The biggest advantage of using secondary data is that it can be more economical. Someone else has already collected the data, so the researcher does not have to devote money, time, energy and resources to this phase of research. Sometimes the secondary data set must be purchased, but the cost is almost always lower than the expense of collecting a similar data set from scratch, which usually entails salaries, travel and transportation, office space, equipment, and other overhead costs. In addition, since the data is already collected and usually cleaned and stored in electronic format, the researcher can spend most of their  time analyzing the data instead of getting the data ready for analysis. A second major advantage of using secondary data is the breadth of data available. The federal government conducts numerous studies on a large, national scale that individual researchers would have a difficult time collecting. Many of these data sets are also longitudinal, meaning that the same data has been collected from the same population over several different time periods. This allows researchers to look at trends and changes of phenomena over time. A third important advantage of using secondary data is that the data collection process often maintains a level of expertise and professionalism that may not be present with individual researchers or small research projects. For example, data collection for many federal data sets is often performed by staff members who specialize in certain tasks and have many years of experience in that particular area and with that particular survey. Many smaller research projects do not have that level of expertise, as a lot of  data is collected by students working part-time. Disadvantages of Secondary Data Analysis A major disadvantage of using secondary data is that it may not answer the researcher’s specific research questions or contain specific information that the researcher would like to have. It also may not have been collected in the geographic region or during the years desired, or with the specific population that the researcher is interested in studying. For example, a researcher who is interested in studying adolescents may find that the secondary data set only includes young adults.   Additionally, since the researcher did not collect the data, they have no control over what is contained in the data set. Often times this can limit the analysis or alter the original questions the researcher sought to answer. For example, a researcher who is studying happiness and optimism might find that a secondary data set only includes one of these variables, but not both. A related problem is that the variables may have been defined or categorized differently than the researcher would have chosen. For example, age may have been collected in categories rather than as a continuous variable, or race may be defined as â€Å"white† and â€Å"other† instead of containing categories for every major race. Another significant disadvantage of using secondary data is that the researcher doesnt know exactly how the data collection process was done or how well it was carried out. The researcher is not usually privy to information about how seriously the data is affected by problems such as low response rate or respondent misunderstanding of specific survey questions. Sometimes this information is readily available, as is the case with many federal data sets. However, many other secondary data sets are not accompanied by this type of information and the analyst must learn to read between the lines in order to uncover any potential limitations of the data.

Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Assignment - Research Paper Example It is advised that one confirms to know whether or not test results belong to him/her based on their full names and other identifying information. It is encouraged that if staff doesn’t ask such information, the patient should speak up and asks to see the labels on the tests. Patients are encouraged to ask the healthcare worker why a given test is being done. In order to ensure that the test ordered by the doctor is actually obtained, patients are advised to take the test order copy from the doctor to the test. Again, if one feels the test being done is the wrong one, it is important that clarification is sort from the staff. The brochure further highlights the need for filing complaints about a lab or a facility if mistakes are identified. This is one way of improving the services offered by such facilities. Finally, the brochure lists some of the questions patients need to ask the doctors and the staff performing the tests. These questions help the patient adequately prepare for the test and ensure that the test is done in the right manner. For instance, the patient may ask the doctor questions regarding the foods to be taken before a test, if there is need for prior medication and the reason for taking the test. Through such questions, communication between the patient and the healthcare workers is greatly enhanced. In this article, information is precisely and to the point, making it easy to be understood by many patients. In addition, the questions written at the end of the brochure are good triggers for communication between the patient and the healthcare provider, thereby enhancing the quality of care. However, the article needed to provide more information on how one needs to prepare for a medical or laboratory test. In particular, the article needed to provide basic steps one has to follow from preparation to the final