The American Dream The Aspects Of The American Dream

A hope, a wish, a dream, but certainly not reality. The proverbial American Dream consisted first of colonists emigrating to America and find a better life for themselves. The colonists could start from absolutely nothing and shoot to the top of the society. However, for most this dream is known more as a fallacy. The American Dream is Santa Claus. Some people are the beneficiary and believe in it and are filled with a sense of false hope, while others believe they have achieved it themselves and receive its gifts while in reality have done it single-handedly and blamed it on the American Dream. The American Dream gives people false hope, is a source of propaganda, and a global formula. People give themselves a feeling of false hope in†¦show more content†¦The American Dream still is and was not reality for either colonists in colonial America or immigrants today, but instead propaganda and incentive to go to America. Near Christmas time children hear the song â€Å"Santa Claus is Coming to Town†. In the song there are the lyrics â€Å"he knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake† (Gillespie). Those lines are propaganda and incentive for children to behave and have good manners. Santa Claus is itself an icon for receiving things and good feelings. Much like that of the American Dream. If the American Dream does not really exist, could not it exist as a global formula? If the American Dream is indeed a fallacy and does not exist in reality, would the American Dream exist as a formula? This formula could be applied to any place in the world that is not wartorn or suffering under a dictatorship. The Canadian Dream or the Australian Dream would essentially be the exact same thing. The only difference is the fact that the American Dream was the only dream that was advertised and present throughout many types of media. All of the dreams are fallacies, which is why the American Dream would be the same as any other Dream. Anyone could start from the bottom and got to the top in either one of those countries and many others. According to the Cambridge dictionary this is the definition of the AmericanShow MoreRelatedThe Causes And Aspects Of The American Dream1014 Words   |  5 Pagesthey wanted, and to be free. This idea would be known as the American Dream. Sadly, over the years, these big dreams have been dying and for many they’ve already passe d on with no chance of coming back. In all aspects, I’m in total agreement. Unfortunately, people cant get ahead financially, debt is crushing the life of students and regular working people, and important things are slipping away, such as medical care. If the American dream means having a reasonable rate of income growth, unfortunatelyRead MoreEssay on The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby1302 Words   |  6 Pagesjustify their actions, and it is what everyone longs for. This theme is better known as the American dream.The Great Gatsby is representative of the American dream in multiple ways. There are some aspects of the novel that symbolize the overall corruption of the American dream; there are others that signify the love of wealth, and the division of rich and poor. What exactly is the American dream? The American dream can be described as an idea, a concept, and a way of life. It can even be described asRead More The American Dream in Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, Two Kinds, and Sophistication1537 Words   |  7 Pages The American Dream in Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Two Kinds writer by Amy Tan, and in â€Å"Sophistication† by Sherwood Anderson. Working hard is the key to success. This struggle for success is most commonly called the â€Å"American Dream.† The aspect of the American Dream has been around forever and is often the underlying theme in many pieces of American literature. The theme of the American is especially presented in Of Mice and Men written byRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Death Of A Salesman755 Words   |  4 Pagesstruggle with their identity and demonstrate the concept of the American dream, which is the idea that every person should have an equal opportunity to be successful. Miller uses different characters throughout the story to exemplify the central theme of the play, the American Dream, and shows the readers how each character struggles with trying to pursue this dream. The first character who demonstrates the idea of the American Dream is Willy because he believes that personality and good looks areRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby Essay1490 Words   |  6 Pagesof the American Dream. However, upon deeper of his character has yielded that there are aspects of Jay Gatsby that call into question his so called success. As a result, I have concluded that F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, although still displays the overarching theme that is the American Dream it, in fact, portrays ‘The disintegration of the American dream’ through the character that is Jay Gatsby. The American Dream is the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, regardlessRead MoreOf Mice and Men, American Beauty Essay examples1159 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Steinbeck in 1937 and â€Å"American Beauty† directed by Sam Mendes in 1999, it is apparent that the concept of the American Dream is timeless and enduring. Mendes and Steinbeck use language techniques such as dramatic foreshadowing and filmic techniques to define the American Dream’s spiritual and materialistic aspects. However, from the context of the Great Depression explored in â€Å"Of Mice and Men† to the economic boom of 1999 which provides the backdrop to â€Å"American Beauty†, society has greatlyRead MoreThe American Dream767 Words   |  4 PagesThe American dream is defined as the idea that every American should have an equal opportunity to achieve their goal in life through hard work, determination, and initiative. The novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck explores this idea throughout his story. Through the characters in the story, it shows the many different hardships of each character trying to pursue their dream. John Steinbeck believes that the American Dream is a goal that every American has in life, but it is impossible to achieveRead MoreThree Symbols in the Great Gatsby1429 Words   |  6 Pagesthe â€Å"American Dream†. Typically the American society tries to follow the American Dream, which is a dream of a society that allows everyone, no matter what economic class they were born into, to be able to accomplish whatever they want with hard work. With this principle no matter their social class Americans should be able to accomplish anything. Fitzgerald thought that the American society wasn’t following the American dream; he successfully used symbols to criticize different aspects of AmericanRead MoreThe American Dream1246 Words   |  5 PagesSharing Is Caring, So Don’t Be Stin gy America The American dream is the ideal that every citizen of the United States can have an equal opportunity to achieve success by prospering through hard work, determination, and initiative. This concept has become an iconic part of American culture, and has led many immigrants to seek refuge under Lady Liberty. Therefore, living the American Dream can be obtained by anyone, regardless of race, gender, social status, or economic wealth, right? UnfortunatelyRead MoreMy Opinion of the American Dream701 Words   |  3 PagesWhat is the American Dream? Is a question that will be answered differently every time its asked to a different individual. Everyone has a different opinion regarding what is the American Dream and what it takes to make the dream a reality theres a simply explanation to this: People come from different places, and everyone has a different story to tell. No two lives are just alike, there are going to be people who have experienced different trials and tribulations, people who have seen what you

Bhopal, India Disaster Of 1984 - 1028 Words

Introduction This paper will examine the Bhopal, India disaster of 1984 focusing on the ethical responsibility of Union Carbide. In the rest of this document is the case that a corporation has a responsibility to behave ethically if for no other reason than increase in long term profitability. Background In 1969 the Union Carbide plan was built in Bohpal India. The plant was operated by Union Carbide India Ltd (Leonard, 2010). 50.9% of the plant was owned by Union Carbide (of which Union Carbide India Ltd was a subsidiary), 22% of the plan was owned by the Indian Government and the remaining 27.1% ownership was spread over approximately 23500 Indian Citizens (Trotter, Day, Love, 1989). In 1977 an additional plant began construction though before completion in 1979 some portions of the plant were redesigned. The plant was built to have a maximum annual production capacity of 5000 tons of Sevin though this production level was never reached. In 1982 an audit of the plant pointed out 10 safety deficiencies, of which 2 remained unresolved by 1984. However the plant managers at the plant had writing Union Carbide in the US stating that all problems from the 1982 audit had been rectified. (Trotter, Day, Love, 1989) The Union Carbide plant in Bhopal had been losing money and a number of cost saving measures were taken. These measures resulted including the reduction of equipment operators in 1983 from 12 to 5 employees per shift. This change caused many operators to quit whichShow MoreRelatedUnion Carbides Bhopal Disaster1301 Words   |  6 PagesUnion Carbide s Bhopal Disaster In 1984, as if in a nightmare, a cloud of poison gas reached out and snuffed the lives of thousands of people in the sleeping city of Bhopal, India. The residents awoke to a terrible disaster, a chemical explosion whose memory could never be erased. At the center of the tragedy was the Union Carbide pesticide plant, and surrounding the accident were doubts and accusations of negligence and unethical practices. The Disaster On December 3, 1984, one of the worldRead MoreEssay about Bhopal Ethical Issues1307 Words   |  6 Pages1. Introduction: In the morning of December 3, 1984 a tragic event occurred in the city of Bhopal, the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It has been known as the worlds worst industrial disaster. A Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL)s plant released 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas which instantly killed over 3,000 people and carrying on causing the death of more than 20,000. This tragic event involved not only the technical, safety issues at the time, but also ethical issues on the responsibilityRead MoreBhopal Ethical Issues1350 Words   |  6 Pages1. Introduction: In the morning of December 3, 1984 a tragic event occurred in the city of Bhopal, the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It has been known as the world s worst industrial disaster. A Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL) s plant released 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas which instantly killed over 3,000 people and carrying on causing the death of more than 20,000. This tragic event involved not only the technical, safety issues at the time, but also ethical issues on the responsibilityRead MoreBhopal Gas Disaster Of 19841247 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bhopal Gas Disaster of 1984 INTRODUCTION On the Night of December 2, 1984, there was a horrific accident at the Union Carbide Pesticide Chemical Factory in Bhopal, India. The factory produced a chemical called methyl isocyanate (MIC) also know by Union Carbide as â€Å"Liquid Dynamite†. It is an organic compound with the molecular formula CH3NCO MIC is a highly reactive intermediate chemical used to manufacture various pesticides. This chemical reacts exothermically with water and produces a poisonousRead MoreBhopal, Bhopal And Its Effects900 Words   |  4 Pagesyears ago in Bhopal, India, an accident at the Union Carbide pesticide plant led to around thirty tons of highly toxic gases to fill the air and spread through the nearby towns. When the accident occurred, over 600,000 people were exposed to the very deadly gas. Over the past years, 15,000 people have been killed by the disaster and it’s effects. (Union Carbide Corporation, 2001-2014) Toxic material still remains in Bhopal to this day. (Taylor, 2014) This accident occurred in 1984 at the Union CarbideRead MoreBhopal Gas Tragedy984 Words   |  4 PagesBhopal Gas Tragedy Product - Brand name Sevin (Union Carbide) - Third most used insecticide in US - Not fatal to people Carbaryl - Does not cause cancer Chemistry TLV = 0.02 ppm Methyl isocyanate Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) Clear, colourless, b.p. 39oC, odour threshold 2.1 ppm Effects of 0.4 ppm - Coughing - Chest pain - Breathing pain (dyspnea) - Asthma - Eye irritation - Nose, throat, skin damage Effects of 21 ppm - Lung oedema - Emphysema (damage of lung tissue) - hemorrhaging - bronchialRead MoreComparing and Contrast the Chemical Disasters at Bhopal in India and Seveso in Italy1362 Words   |  6 Pagessome serious mistakes which caused a huge damage and large amount of death to people. In this essay, I am going to write about the two disasters that caused a lot of injures by the explosion of poisonous chemicals, which located in India and Italy. According to Shrivastava (1996), on the night of 2/3 December 1984, an enormous accident happened in Bhopal, India, the highly poisonous and unbalanced chemical gas was escaped from the factory and continue to spread over the city which caused by theRead MoreThe Gas Leak Tragedy Of Bhopal1071 Words   |  5 PagesThe Gas Leak Tragedy of Bhopal, India is considered the worst industrial disaster in history. Originally, the Bhopal pesticide plants were to be some of the best and most beautiful plants which would have huge production capabilities. However, in 1984 there was a massive leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) which spread out to local communities and has negatively affected the health of hundreds of thousands of people. The reason why the pesticide plant was created was for the â€Å"Green Revolution† in theRead MoreThe Bhopal Disaster of 19846444 Words   |  26 PagesBulletin of Science, Technology Society http://bst.sagepub.com/ The Bhopal Disaster of 1984 Roli Varma and Daya R. Varma Bulletin of Science Technology Society 2005 25: 37 DOI: 10.1177/0270467604273822 The online version of this article can be found at: http://bst.sagepub.com/content/25/1/37 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of: National Association for Science, Technology Society Additional services and information for Bulletin of Science, Technology Read MoreBhopal Gas Tragedy : A Terrible Gas Leak1642 Words   |  7 PagesSutton November 11, 2015 Bhopal Gas Tragedy A terrible gas leak on December 2nd and 3rd, 1984 had some of the worst impacts on the central part of India. It happened in the late night and early morning hours on those days when the clouds where filled with gray smoke which contained Methyl Isocyanate(MIC), one of the most poisonous gases from Union Carbide plant in the city of Bhopal. It was called one of the world’s most dangerous environmental disasters. The people of Bhopal had no idea what was coming

A Cinematographic Vampire’s Tale Understanding the Symbolism Behind the Horror Icon Free Essays

Cinema is the place where we as viewers engage in sharing a collective dream. Certainly, horror movies enrich us as viewers with the most dream-like of plots. This is because they open a portal into another world where we are allowed to engage with our nightmares. We will write a custom essay sample on A Cinematographic Vampire’s Tale: Understanding the Symbolism Behind the Horror Icon or any similar topic only for you Order Now All over time various horror movies show us how normality is endangered by a monster, but the creature who has haunted the screen like no one is undoubtedly the Vampire. According to Ivan Phillips the figure of the Vampire has drifted and shifted through the pages of newspapers, travel journals, novels, poems, comics, and plays for 300 years, it has haunted cinema and television for almost a hundred, its shadow is creeping into the social, narrative and ludic networks of the digital’. The image of the Vampire is constantly present in the virtual and literature culture of the twenty-first century. Although this being moved from its folkloristic origins in which he appeared in works of J. Sheridan Le Fanu, John Polidori and Bram Stoker, the vampire still remains an iconic figure in Western Culture. This personage provides paradoxical fascination as it exists ‘at the edges of what is deemed normal, acceptable and safe, the vampire embodies the foreign and the unfamiliar’. Although, the vampire is often seen as a bringer of death, there are numerous metaphorical meanings and readings of this being. Through Marxist discourse the vampire is portrayed as the monster of monopoly capitalism and the agent of foreign ownership. This idea of the ‘bloodsucking capitalist’ is perceived in a negative way the Marxist community. In a xenophobic society this idea of the vampire embodies a general fear of the unfamiliar and may also constitute a racial difference. But the vampire not only represents the non-conformity it also alludes to an illicit desire. According to Jorg Waltje, this being is the embodiment of humanity’s ‘hopes and desires: beauty, strength, and immortality’. Although these elements do not express fear in the same way as the vampire’s link with death but in the same manner they express an external behaviour which puts at risk society’s stability. The vampire hints to a sense of ‘unsettlement’. Through his figure the viewer, in a quite troubled sense, comes face-to-face with the dramatization of humanity. As a creature, the vampire encompasses men’s vulnerability and his inability to alter the laws of time. As Sarah Sceats states ‘Vampires represent what we both fear and desire; they evoke a marginal world of darkness, secrecy, vulnerability, excess, and horror. Whatever they are, it is positively Other’. This notion of ‘excess’ was also tackled by Omar Calabrese in one of his chapters. According to Calabrese one could only escape from ‘a closed system’ through this notion of excess. The vampire represents this excess as he personifies ‘those aspects excluded or rejected by society, its existence in itself denotes excess’. In addition to this, Calabrese associates this vampiric excess to the exotic erotic which alludes to the scandal and breaks the boundaries of what is socially acceptable. In this sense the vampire’s bite is linked with the erotic. Further to this ‘explicit erotic act’ we have an unavoidable act with death. It was Bram Stoker which explored this notion in his novel Dracula. In the scene, where Lucy dies we see an excessive use of the erotic; ‘She seemed like a nightmare of Lucy as she lay there; the pointed teeth, the bloodstained, voluptuous mouth – which it made one shudder to see – the whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy’s sweet purity’. Through this, Bram Stolker illustrates us with an example of how death is linked to the erotic. The notion of ‘excess’ is repetitively used and reused by Stolker. In fact, he describes Lucy as a ‘nightmare †¦ hich it made one shudder to see’ As viewers, as film enthusiasts or as junkies of the silver screen, we have grown accustomed to think that nothing happens outside of the frame. Yet this idea seems to crumble to the ground when it comes to Dreyer’s, Vampyr. The latter haunts us with ‘a distinctly innerving sense of not knowi ng where anyone is, creating a feeling that anything culd be happening beyond the frame, in the ‘blind space’ in which the monsoter lurks’. Visually speaking, Vampyr resembles Jean Epstein’s La Chute de la Maison de Usher and Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou. Dreyer’s horror movie encapsulates ‘clear moments of crossover between the two movements’. Therefore Vampyr distinguished itself from other movies of the same genre because of the various artistic influences which left their imprint. Comparison can also be drawn between more contemporary movies which are not necessarily classified under an artistic movement but which are still relevant to vampire studies. Coppola’s movie is separated by decades from its predecessors and is more straight forward in the narration of events. Visual metaphors are central to its filmic structure and the American director’s interpretation is completely submerged in blood, but while this film is heavily conditioned by an erotic element, the scenes of blood in Vampyr are scarce. The ‘spots of blood’ carry psychoanalytic connotations. Barbara Creed states that the manifestation of horror is culturally and socially constructed through the ‘images of blood, vomit, pus. shit etc’. These images emphasize a split between the law of the father and the maternal influence. This division has to be viewed under a pre-Oedipal line of thought. In this stage there is a fierce attachment to the maternal figure. In Dreyer’s vampire movie, blood is linked to the maternal entity because Chopin ‘punctuates the flesh and transgresses the sanctity of the body’. Another overwhelming point stated by Creed is that the female vampire does not limit herself to mutating her victims into creatures which are one with the night. Her victims are testimony of the vampire’s ability to destabilize ‘traditional gender definitions’. Although lesbian connotations are often attributed to this particular flick, there is no real intimacy between Leon and Chopin. The scene in which Chopin ‘feeds’ upon her young prey, does not communicate a sense of desire. The village doctor who is at the service of Chopin, does not coincide with the medical man who represents a positive force in the traditional gothic horror narrative. In Coppola’s Dracula, based on Bram Stocker’s novel, Van Helsing is an educated individual and an adversary to the malevolent vampire. The doctor ‘sucks’ the blood from the living thanks to the transfusion equipment just as Chopin uses fangs. The victim of the doctor’s bloodsucking, artificial technique is Gray. He is the character who often looks at the actions taking place by standing behind doors or windows; ‘he is an outsider peering in’. In fact, Gray is removed from the narrative action even as he witnesses the first death. David Bordwell believed that Gray ‘is a curious character’ and he is more of a mediator than a provocateur of action. However, Gray still ‘possesses an active and enunciating gaze’. This male character’s progress is often hindered by other characters, by the props and also by buildings. What is so overwhelming about Vampyr is the collision between reality and the supernatural. Everything seems to take place within a dream-like state and the movie is ‘ephemeral, polysemic and shifting, provoking opinion and polarising debate’. The movie afflicts the viewer with dissonance and discomfort, especially when our gaze meet Chopin’s stare as Gray is sealed in the coffin. The latter is an artefact which shares an endless tradition with the general notion of vampirism. It is the space where these beings retreat and hide away from the daylight. The coffin is the body-fitting box where Dracula and Count Orlock patiently wait their time to rise while the vessel is sailing. This tomb or repository is ‘the most vampiric of all enclosure’. Gray finds himself trapped in a coffin and at this point in the movie’s chronology, ‘the spectatorial gaze is doubly trapped, within the confines of a sealed coffin and the immovable dead body’. As the coffin containing Gray’s corpse is being carried away, the procession passes next to Gray’s unconscious body. In Vampyr, the element of the doppelganger has a heavy resonation. Vampyr is venerated amongst lovers of the genre even though movie makers throughout those years did not have the present technological resources. Old, BW, silent movies may seem alien in form and content to younger generations, yet what some of these past flicks embody inextinguishable artistic and human values. We’ve already drawn remarks on Coppola’s remake of Bram Stocker’s narrative work into film. Long before the release of this movie, ‘the most haunting of any attempt to dramatize Bram Stocker’s novel’ was Murnau’s Nosferatu. There is a strong resemblance between Murnau’s vampire and the one lurking in the book. What is it that viewers find so terrifying about Nosferatu? Is it the vampire’s appearance and inhuman gestures? Does he embody the general notion that â€Å"we fear whatever we cannot explain or understand through rational thinking†? As consumers, for there is no better way to call genuine movie enthusiasts, we ought to dig deeper and deeper into the sequence of images. Most of the time denotations come with connotations and it is up to us to fish out such hidden meanings. The imagery in Murnau’s movie suggests the concept of repression and ‘the arch is a visual leit motif in the film’. Arches and similar structures try to stop the vampire from emerging. Count Orlock is therefore a repressed force who is also linked to Jonathan via these same arches. In a memorable scene in the movie, the Count emerges from under an arch and Jonathan from another as they meet for the first time. Jonathan is also linked to the menacing creature through the house which stands on the opposite side to his. Count Orlock purchases this house, thus becoming the young man’s reflection. Jonathan is a loving companion to Nina while Nosferatu becomes a ‘demonic alternative husband’. Nosferatu contains numerous references to ‘a number of traditional or cultural elements’. Myths about Persephone and Orpheus also produce an echoing effect through this vampire movie. Nosferatu was not meant to float in its own air bubble, separated from all other influences and ideas. Murnau transfuses into the motion picture ‘the product of a synthesis’. This adaptation of Dracula, which donated to all lovers of the horrific this ‘thin, repulsively bald’ being, dates back to ‘the heyday of expressionist fantasy’. What come into collision are the natural and the fantastic. These two distant realms are central to Nosferatu yet neither dominates the film. The viewer cannot but notice the obsession with filing space and the ‘obrusive sets’. Like Tabu, Nosferatu is primarily set in natural surroundings and both of Murnau’s movies deal with a menace. The latter diffuses into an ordinary world and out of a fantastic, paranormal world. Nosferatu portrays an animal-like being (a mixture between a rat and a human skeleton) who is ‘constantly associated with nature throughout the film’. Even Count Orlok’s movements does not coincide with those of a human being , in fact even his castle ‘is like a natural continuation of the rock’ thus the true protagonist in Nosferatu is Nature which is closely linked with its natural settings. In Nosferatu, Murnau used a sort of trick photography also with expressionist angle shots. As Gilberto Perez Guillermo suggests these specific techniques are used to illustrate a remote, fragmented and bizarre environment. Nosferatu is generally seen from distance and this gives us the impression that the nocturnal creature is merging itself with the surrounding nature. Murnau succeeded into creating an iconic- power image through which he shows Nosferatu as ‘seemingly immensely tall’. In particular the scene where the vampire is standing on the deck of the vessel which is no longer conducted by a human being. Murnau makes also the use of the negative image, this technique is ideal to express ‘mystery, fantasy, and unreality’. This negative image basically involves an X-ray photograph, in this film it was used when Jonathan was being carried into ‘the land of phantoms’ in Count Orlock’s weird carriage. The three movies which have been discussed so far are all based on similar, if not identical, themes. In each case the relationship between the female character and the parasite represented by the vampire is at the heart of the movie’s plot. Guillermo del Toro took on a different approach and directed a vampire movie which derailed from the norm set up by the previously discussed films. Narrative-wise, Cronos ignores the myth of the Count and focuses on a device that causes transformations to take place within the main character’s physique. The Cronos looks like an insect which shares some sort of a mutual parasitic relationship with its victim. Apart from a different take on the blood-sucking creature’s myth, Cronos proposes characters which are marked by an ‘implied absence’. Del Toro’s movie might ‘represent a nostalgic look at the past’ in the sense that the long-gone years receive a corporeal dimension belonging to the present. The main character in this Mexican Gothic is a perfect illustration of this notion. Jesus Gris is the ‘purveyor of antiques and guardian of the new dawn’ the latter being Aurora. What distinguishes Jesus Gris with Dieter de la Guardia, the dying industrialist who is aware of the Cronos’ true nature and powers are there past scars which must be dealt with in modern times. On the one hand the ‘scars’ of Jesus are related to family life while on the other Dieter de la Guardia is at the mercy of an ailing health. Above all else, the Cronos is a ‘fascinating hybrid of science and nature’ and the golden case is said to hold an insect which lives off human blood. In return the creature rejuvenates its bearer and prolongs his life, killing off the threat posed by ‘corruptible, material flesh’. The device is needed by de la Guardia because it surpasses the technology of modern times. Only the Cronos can achieve what technology has failed in. There also lies a fine parallelism between de la Guardia and the angel’s statue. The man’s body is full of holes just like the archangel’s interior which is infested by cockroaches and if the statue reminds us of the divine, the deteriorating human body indicates an inevitable ending. Erotism is a stranger to the film’s plot, yet del Toro’s work delves into universal dreams, such as eternal youth and the conflict between life and death. Jesus caries the device while de la Guardia holds the instructions; Jesus is the unsuspecting individual who comes across an artifact of mysterious powers and who ends owning itself to it. The Cronos dehumanizes him and his need for human blood becomes more prominent as the film unfolds. Just as the insect feeds upon the blood of the device’s holder, the latter ends up developing an appetite for human blood. Viewers have grown accustomed to having a female figure within vampire stories. Whether the woman is a prey, a victim or an object of desire, she has been instrumental to Dracula’s and Vampyr’s storyline. In Cronos, Aurora ‘plays the role of the love interest for which the monster must make his sacrifice’. Transformation and shifting of form does not limit itself to Jesus’ metamorphosis, but it also manifests itself in the relationship between the vampire and the female figure. The erotism is replaced by an ‘innocent, filial love’. Contrasting and comparing characters and plots allows us to point out what is present in one movie and absent in another. Some characters from different filmic works may share the same attributes or characteristics, while others may interpret the same role but in a totally different manner. The so-called â€Å"assistant†, the faithful follower who is at the service of his master, is present in all four films discussed so far. However Angel, the nephew of de la Guardia, is not as submissive as Renfield and the village doctor. Angel’s mode of thinking is simply capitalistic. He yearns for his uncle’s wealth and represents the ‘cynical angel’. In contemporary popular culture the power of the vampire’s bite did not vanish but in some manner it did change. We can see this notion through the creation of diverse pop culture vampires such as Angel and Spike in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). These modern vampires have been ‘desexualized and de-victimized’ because they only obtain and drink blood from butchers. Now the vampire is made more human and this highlights the fact that contemporary vampires have a more mundane appearance. In the new millennium the vampire seemed to have changed from a creature of fear to a creature of ‘sympathy and emulation’. This is made more evident in online discourse about the vampire. As argued by Mary Williamson in her book Lure of the Vampire, in the virtual world the vampire is perceived as a ‘forgivable outcast’ and thus we sympathize with him. In Facebook, a social network used by millions in the world the presence of this being is very strong. Through one particular application called Vampire application we see several imitations of the ‘folkloric tradition of the vampire’. This application is diffused from one user to another via a ‘virtual bite’. During this process a user is sent an invitation to enrol himself to such application, were the user gets to interact with other individuals who share their interest and curiosities about this subject. Users get to fight other vampires, fill their hunger or feed upon weaker vampires. Once cravings for this so called ‘virtual-violence’ are stated by many, users can also send gestures such as hugs to their nearest companions. Feeding and fighting are the highlight of this application were vampires get points and money for doing so which than they can be exchanged for weapons or to improve their senses or powers . In this application placing someone in a suit will result in losing all their fights for two consecutive days, which is quite a deal breaker. This application also embraces violence amongst friends. Some of the many options this application boasts are the way one can attack another throughout the Facebook community. This application is filled with the erotic; this notion solidifies the ‘traditional elements of the transgressive vampire’. At each and every single level the vampire’s abilities achieves a new rank and this creates a new type of vampire. As noticed by Mary Williamson in the virtual world this being is not perceived as an ‘outcast’ but rather a fundamental figure through which players communicate. In the online world the vampires have become a part of a different ritual, a social ritual by which relationships and friendships are maintained and expanded’. In this application, what used to frighten about this creature is eliminated and instead it is accepted. In fact, with the loss of penetration of the bite the vampire is ‘de-sexualized and sanitized’. Accordi ng to Calabrese, the vampire represents only a slight alteration beyond what is socially accepted and thus it represents; the shifting of limits. ‘When confronted by an ‘acceptable’ excess, the limit is simply moved (perhaps to a considerable distance) in order to absorb it’. When in the virtual world, elements like blood and the penetration of the bite are removed ‘the virtual vampire becomes the monster that is us’. In the twentieth century, sympathy for this being has grown bigger. In fact as stated by Williamson, this being has generated new implications and attitudes ‘towards the ‘self ’ in the twentieth century’. There is a great desire to imitate the vampire not as a rebellious figure but rather to imitate a ‘bohemian outsiderdom which locates the individual as the desirable outsider, the sympathetically alienated’. In the virtual context perception of the self becomes ‘fluid and flexible’. As it is no longer linked with the body but it is highly linked with the fulfilment of desires. In this sense identity is constructed as one desires. The virtual identity can be understood through the Lancian psychoanalytic theory. ‘In the online world the virtual identity is not reflected but is rather constructed; the subject is not created in the reflection but rather in the digital composite’. This leads us to do a parallelism between the vampire and the virtual identity. According to Shannon Winnubst, the site represents the mirror reflection in which an individual forms and constructs his ideas about the self. On the other hand the vampire ‘in lacking a mirror reflection, does not even register on the radar of identity-formation: he does not have the necessary condition for the possibility of becoming a subject’. Also Rhonda Wilcox explored this theme using the imaginative Id and the Jungian shadow. According to Wilcox the online body represents the negative aspect of one’s personality. In this manner the vampire is portrayed as the doppelganger of the victim before it was biten. Stoker’s Lucy and Angel in Buffy are the perfect examples, Stoker’s Lucy from chaste to ripely erotic, or perhaps the souled and soulless incarnations of Angel in Buffy – so too does the virtual body provide opportunity for the vampiric shadow to find form in cyberspace. As stated by Wilcox, the imaginative Id illustrates the unconscious which is repressed and which encourages the pre-vampiric identity to free itself. In this sense online where the personality is fluid the wishes of the Id can be fulfilled as there are no repercussions which constitute some sort of restriction in the corporeal world. When talking about horror movies there is a subtle difference between the onster and the human being. But as indicated in films by Dreyer, Murnau, Coppola and Guillermo del Toro a strong link exists between the two beings. The myth and the vampire have always been subjects of debates. Although there are number of similarities and differences between Vampyr and Nosferatu yet both films show us the vampire as being more than just a b lood sucking, nocturnal creature but it is also the representation of the darkest corners of the human psyche ‘For this is one of the functions of our monsters: to help us constrict our own humanity, to provide guidelines against which we can define ourselves’. How to cite A Cinematographic Vampire’s Tale: Understanding the Symbolism Behind the Horror Icon, Papers

Excavating Egypt Newsprint Essay Example For Students

Excavating Egypt Newsprint Essay This article tells of a typical working day for an archaeologist in Egypt. It tells of an experienced archaeologist named, Dr. David OConnor. He speaks of his working site, Abydos, and tells of what he has discovered since he started working on the site. In his 30 years of working there, he has uncovered 12 wooden boats, each about 60 feet long encased in 96-foot graves. He has also found the remains of an entire settlement covering about 16 acres. He annually spends up to $150,000 to pay of his fellow archaeologists and his laborers. He does receive funds from private institutions and government agencies to help support his effort in Abydos. In reading this article, I have become puzzled as to how so many people working there can split $150,000. It says that 20-25 scientists and 30-60 laborers are employed. I understand that he does receive funds from institutions, but I would not think that it would be upwards of enough money to support so many people. I have always respected archaeologists for what they do but now I have a deeper respect for Egyptian archaeologists. I do hope to visit Egypt someday though and experience what it is like firsthand. Article 2- Cosmetic Surgery Discovered on Ancient Roman Portrait Newsprint This article tells of artists in the modern day performing work on damaged ancient artifacts. It specifies on a head statue that was received as a gift by the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Scientists noticed some unusual features on the statues head and investigated it to discover that somebody had fixed it up before it was given to them. They used gamma-radiographs to find that somebody had fixed the heads broken neck with metal dowels and clamps. I found it pretty remarkable that some people may get away doing this without anybody knowing of it. It makes me wonder if some of the great artifacts that we have on display today have been tampered with and that they may not be 100% ancient. I dont see that there is anything wrong with this. Id rather look at a fixed up display than view one that has been badly damaged and is hard to make out. Article 3- Faking It: A Forgers Biography Newsprint This article tells of a modern day man, Alceo Dossena 1878-1937, and his ability to create artificial art pieces of ancient civilizations. He created sculptures in almost every style: Greek, Etruscan, Gothic and Italian Renaissance. He would sculpt them, then age them by giving them acid baths and then would proceed to bury them, allowing them to age. He was able to fool some of the greatest historians and scientists in the world. One of his art pieces was sold to a dealer who then sold it for $225,000, the highest price of any of Dossenas artworks. Dossena claimed that he did not make his art to cheat people out of their money. He then sued his dealer and won.  divided into three categories: domestic goods, tools and public art. In addition to all of the above listed, there are many other items to view at the museum. What I found interesting about this article was that the Romans had produced somewhat of an assembly line. I had no prior knowledge of anyone doing this before Henry Ford. I think that is really neat that they could create such an effect some 2000 years ago with the technology that they had.