Sons and Lovers Essay Example for Free

Sons and Lovers Essay The first part of the novel focuses on Mrs. Morel and her unhappy marriage to a drinking miner. She has many arguments with her husband, some of which have painful results: on separate occasions, she is locked out of the house and hit in the head with a drawer. Estranged from her husband, Mrs. Morel takes comfort in her four children, especially her sons. Her oldest son, William, is her favorite, and she is very upset when he takes a job in London and moves away from the family. When William sickens and dies a few years later, she is crushed, not even noticing the rest of her children until she almost loses Paul, her second son, as well. From that point on, Paul becomes the focus of her life, and the two seem to live for each other. Paul falls in love with Miriam Leivers, who lives on a farm not too far from the Morel family. They carry on a very intimate, but purely platonic, relationship for many years. Mrs. Morel does not approve of Miriam, and this may be the main reason that Paul does not marry her. He constantly wavers in his feelings toward her. Paul meets Clara Dawes, a suffragette who is separated from her husband, through Miriam. As he becomes closer with Clara and they begin to discuss his relationship with Miriam, she tells him that he should consider consummating their love and he returns to Miriam to see how she feels. Paul and Miriam sleep together and are briefly happy, but shortly afterward Paul decides that he does not want to marry Miriam, and so he breaks off with her. She still feels that his soul belongs to her, and, in part agrees reluctantly. He realizes that he loves his mother most, however. After breaking off his relationship with Miriam, Paul begins to spend more time with Clara and they begin an extremely passionate affair. However, she does not want to divorce her husband Baxter, and so they can never be married. Paul’s mother falls ill and he devotes much of his time to caring for her. When she finally dies, he is broken-hearted and, after a final plea from Miriam, goes off alone at the end of the novel.

Audio-Visual Techniques for Communication and Expression

Audio-Visual Techniques for Communication and Expression Use of Audio-Visual Techniques in expression of ideas – an insight into the use of effective techniques Word Count: 2554 Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Introduction – Audi visual techniques and communication 1.1 Background of Study 2. Marry Me 2.1 Narrative 2.2 Characterisation 2.3 Genre convention and variation 2.4 Specific technical features 3. Photo Booth 3.1 Narrative 3.2 Characterisation 3.3 Genre convention and variation 3.4 Specific technical features 4. Conclusion References 1. Introduction – Audi visual techniques and communication The use of the different audio visual techniques in communication and expression of ideas has been widely regarded as an important and significant evolution of the different techniques used for communication that emerged from the use of print medium and incorporation of multimedia. Communication has always been an important part of human existence and throughout the history of mankind; the same has seen a transformation from mere papyrus sheets to the incorporation of the elements of sight and sound (Branston and Stafford, 2010). The opinion of experts on the transformation on the use of visual communication is diverse, but all of them are believed to be in affirmation with the fact that the use of different audio visual techniques in communication is considered to be the most effective and efficient by senders and receivers alike (Cunningham and Turner, 2010). The reason behind the same being the fact that the incorporation of the different audio visual formats helps in the presentation of the communication in a most concise manner, yet again enabling the sender to create a long lasting impression on the mind of the receivers (Chandler, 2004). 1.1 Background of Study The aim of this academic work is to highlight the importance of the different audio visual techniques and formats and its application to the creation of two astounding creations – short films, that have made it to the finals of Tropfest, considered being the most prestigious recognitions of Australian short film categories. What makes the feature more important and relevant is the fact that annually only 16 short films are considered by the jury as finalists from a pool of more than 700 entries annually. The two important finalists to the same event that have been selected for analysis in the study are director Michelle Lehmann’s Marry Me that had been adjudged the winner of 2008’s Tropfest. The other short film is that of Photo Booth, which had been directed by Michael Noonan (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The following sections of the academic work will be individually considering taking into consideration the narrative, characterisation, genre convention and specific technical features that have helped these short films receive the accolades (Cunningham and Turner, 2010) that have led to the popularity of the films in the Australian and International film circuit as well. 2. Marry Me Michelle Lehmann’s short film Marry Me that is of 7 minutes duration. The plot revolves around a little boy and girl with their individual attention and objects of interest. The following sections provide an insight into the narrative, characterisation, genre convention and highlight the technical features that have set the film apart from the rest of the entrants to the contest (O’Donnell, 1999). 2.1 Narrative The film is seen to revolve around the interest among two young individuals and the communication or the idea that has been expressed in the film has been carefully crafted, reflecting the different individual pursuits of two young people, which have been seen to have a strange co-incidence to real life drawing significant parallel to people’s needs and wants. The film depicts the girl is particularly interested in the boy who is overwhelmed by materialistic pursuits signified by the love for his little BMX bike. The message and expression of the idea of the film is clear through the emotions that have been captured through the girl’s expressions and gleam in eyes every time he sees the boy. The girl is depicted to have fallen in love with the bike riding boy and the same has been clearly expressed through the attempts by the girl to draw the boy’s attention through a number of different ways (http://tropfest.com, 2014). Many are of opinion that the film is about the complexities of emotions of the young, but it also subtly underpins the interest and love of two different people – love for the boy for the girl, and the boy’s (Jason) interest in nothing but the bike that he has. 2.2 Characterisation Michelle Lehmann had drawn crucial similarities to the character of the girl as she had stated that even as a 5 or 6 year old girl, she had experienced the same emotional tension as being attracted to a boy who had been her neighbour and like Jason, had been found to have a particular knack to materialistic pursuits that are considered to be natural (O’Donnell, 1999). The girl who is seen to endlessly pursuit her love interest in the film has been named Chloe and the boy Jason. In order to express her idea clearly to the audience, Michelle has carefully selected the two most astounding young actors in the roles of Chloe and Jason who have been able to win the hearts of the viewers through their childish charms and natural acting. For Jason, the need was to portray a character that was very much in skin of the role portrayed by him – a young BMX enthusiast and the ease with which Jason has been seen to express his disinterest for Chloe busy fixing the wheels of his little bike makes on feel as if it is almost real and not a short film. On the other hand, the role that had been portrayed by the young girl Chloe has been nothing less than au naturel. The determined look and the expression on her face towards the end of the short film as she approaches the high plank constructed by Jason leaves one spell bound and many would wonder whether the expression can be attributed to the next to impossible task in real life (http://tropfest.com, 2014). 2.3 Genre convention and variation The genre of the film is based on the complexities of human emotion and it needs to be highlighted that the message that has been attempted to be conveyed through the short film is largely based on the different emotional pulls and pushes one might experience at a young age. Much of the film is aimed at the general audience who would leave the screen enthralled and spellbound by the enigma of analysing the meaning and idea behind the short film. The convention of the genre is based on the fact that the theme of the film holds true for human beings in reality as well. Most individuals are often engaged in the tireless pursuit of something or the other in life that is perceived to have been difficult to attain for them. The same has been carefully highlighted in the feature film through Jason’s character as he is seen to remove the ancillary supporting wheels from his bike at first, failing to successfully ride his bike without the use of the same. In the background, the girl is shown being able to learn what Jason fails. A little later, Jason attempts a small jump off the plank created by him, which also leads to a fall. Chloe tries her best to impress Jason and draw Jason’s attention; successfully achieving the feats which Jason attempts to achieve a number of times (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The variation that needs to be highlighted in the same is that human beings sometimes become so engrossed in being able to achieve a particular job or accomplishment, that they end up undermining the abilities and success of other human beings that are near to him, failing to even to pay attention to any important or critical messages that the other might convey. The same has been specifically observed while Chloe tries to give her opinion to Jason about the bike and riding. 2.4 Specific technical features Though the film does not showcase any impressive graphic or video filming in conveying the message across, one cannot help but wonder about the smallest details that have been used in the film for spreading the intended message (Cunningham and Turner, 2010). For example, when Jason removes the red coloured attachments to the spokes of his bike wheel and expresses his disinterest in them, the emotional attachment of Chloe is also expressed through the same behaviour. In the same scene, if it is considered that Jason had been rotating the wheel simultaneously whereas Chloe is seen to focus more on Jason instead of her bike, the emotional quotient is carefully reflected. More camera focus has been devoted to capture emotions on Chloe’s face as it must have been found that the girl would be more expressive in terms of emoting by the director. These are small and important specifications that need to be captured and presented by any short film director to successfully convey the intended message and at the same time be able to keep the audience entertained. 3. Photo Booth Michael Noonan’s short film the Photo Booth is an interesting and contemporary take on the aspect of hope and despair that has been portrayed in the short film of around seven minutes’ duration. The film captures the important themes of human life and the message it tries to portray is an important aspect for critiques and short film enthusiasts around the world (O’Donnell, 1999). The short film revolves around three solders on a war torn landscape who suddenly find an abandoned photo booth in the middle of nowhere, whereby the pictures coming out as print carry messages for each of them. 3.1 Narrative The narrative of the short film revolves around three soldiers and their fate outside an abandoned photo booth in the middle of a war torn landscape that keeps the audience glued to the screen to wonder about the outcome and message of the film unlike that in the case of ‘Marry Me’. The narrative is unpredictable and has successfully incorporated one of the most critical elements of movie making – uncertainty and suspense. These are considered to have an everlasting impact on the viewer and many regard the same to have a lasting impact on the mind of the viewers as the key element of surprise and awe is always a key ingredient to the success of a film or small movie (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The narrative brings to light the plight of three soldiers who are trying their best to survive and do not know for themselves the future of their predicament in war. Suddenly, they are met with an unpredictable situation, that of a lonesome photo booth in top of a small hill. Curiosity is one of the most dignified and yet sometimes cursed traits of human behaviour and the same has been highlighted in the film as the soldiers wonder what awaits them at the photo booth and goes on to investigate, under estimating the threats of being exposed to enemy observation and gun point. 3.2 Characterisation The characterisation of the short film is an important attribute as it becomes the responsibility of the actors in the film to bring to life the relevance of each of the characters that are planned and incorporated in the film. The film revolves around the three soldiers and each of them is found to display three different emotions among human beings – adventure, curiosity and suspicion (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The first soldier who enters inside the photo booth is unsuspecting and is taken by surprise once the flashes of the camera start to go off. The second soldier is portrayed to have a trait of curiosity and wariness as he is seen to be cautious when he enters inside the photo booth after seeing what the first soldier had been presented with. The third soldier had to be portrayed to be suspicious of turn of events and this is the same reason why there have been extra alertness displayed by the first and the second soldier while guarding the booth as the third entered inside. The three of them have been shown to have different outcomes based on the character portrayed by them. The first one, unsuspecting and taking life as it is, is presented a picture which shows him part of a beautiful family comprising of a beautiful wife and twin daughters. The second soldiers displays mixed traits and is shown to receive a picture with only his companion who gradually disappears from the frames while the third is shot dead by enemy gunfire as he was the most suspicious one and enters the booth at the last. Through the characters, the director tries to portray the message that it is perception and thought process of individuals which leads to the outcomes. 3.3 Genre convention and variation There have been two specific genres displayed in the short film – that of human nature and the relation between the thoughts and outcomes faced by human beings in reality. It needs to be highlighted here the fact that initially the genre of the short film was thought to be related to war and the outcome of the film being rendered predictable. However, the message and surprise element of the film clearly unfolds when the pictures are presented to the soldiers (http://tropfest.com, 2014). In the end, what makes the film so interesting is that the film portrays a multitude of different factors that are related to human life and fate, and it is highlighted how the thought process of human beings influence the outcomes and fate that is met by individuals in the real world. Genre convention and variation is an important aspect of any communication to large section of viewers as the same enables the makers of the short films to captivate the interests of the audience and keep them glued to the outcome of the message to be portrayed in the film. 3.4 Specific technical features The film is considered to be richer in terms of the technical features that have been included in the film. The aim of the director was to include the elements of surprise more on the lines of shock and the same has been effectively incorporated in the sound designing of the film which makes the film more relatable to reality and one can identify the suspense and uncertainty that is faced by soldiers in the war field. Fear and anxiety has been portrayed well in the movie as the soldiers are successful in expressing the same feelings on their anguished faces (http://tropfest.com, 2014). Moreover, the loud snapping of the shutter of the camera has been effectively used to shock the audience which is considered to be an important component of film making. Especially in the last scene when the third soldier gets shot and there is an element of confusion clearly depicting the mental state and trauma of the soldier when he gets to see his picture in the photo is considered to be outstanding in highlighting the theme of despair as the soldier is shown to lose composure and his guard at the most critical time – in the face of enemy gunfire, when in the previous scenes, he is portrayed to be most suspicious of the circumstances. 4. Conclusion There are different factors and aspects that are considered to have an impact on the success of film making and the effectiveness of the director to incorporate these elements determine the ability of the production to captivate audiences and determine the outcomes of film making. This academic work was aimed at highlighting these specific factors in film making and the effective incorporation of the same in the two short films that have been highlighted in the study. References Branston, G. and Stafford, R. (2010). The media student’s book. London: Routledge. NB Chandler, G. (2004) Cut by Cut: Editing Your Film or Video. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Cunningham, S. and Turner, G. (2010). The media and communications in Australia. Sydney: Allen Unwin. Marry Me, Michelle Lehman (director), Australia, 2008  http://tropfest.com/au/2011/12/08/marry-me/ Morley, D. (1996) Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies. London : Routledge. ODonnell, P. (1999). The other 66 per cent? Rethinking the labour market for journalism graduates. Australian Journalism Review, 21(1), 123-142. Photo Booth,  Michael Noonan (director), Australia, 2012http://tropfest.com/au/2012/02/04/photo-booth/ Ruthven, K. (1998). The Future of Disciplines: A Report on Ignorance. In Knowing Ourselves and Others: The Humanities in Australia into the 21st Century. Australian Research Council Vol. 3, pp. 95-113.

Heterogeneous Space In Architecture

Heterogeneous Space In Architecture In Space Reader: Heterogeneous Space in Architecture, Michael Hensel, Christopher Hight and Achim Menges discusses the possible approach of heterogeneous space in contemporary architecture through examining the role of space in Modern and Post-Modern architecture, To understand what constitutes heterogeneous space, let us examine each term. Most simply, heterogeneous means something (an object or system) that consists of a diverse range of items or qualities, which can include differences in kind as well as differences in degree. These could be multiplicities of things, abrupt changes or smooth gradients. However, the dominant approach to such diversities draws from a Platonic lineage that sees all the variations in reference to a model or perhaps a norm; all apparent differences are here really only deviations from the model, their identity given by degrees of resemblance to a single uniformity. All diversity is seen as phenomena measured against this unity, which is seen as more real, even if it only exists as an ideal or statistical mean. This is true for dualism as well. Examples might be the traditional opposition of masculine and feminine, in which the latter is treated as a version of the first, or any number of racisms. Luce Irigaray h as shown that the logic of dualisms involves not two terms but only the semblance of two terms. Phallocentrism is the use of a netural or universal term to define both sexes: within this structure, there is not one term, man, ant another independent term that is denigrated, woman. Rather, there is only one term, the other being defined as what it is not, its other or opposite. Irigarays claim is that woman is erased as such within this logic: there is no space for women because taking their place is the specter or simulacrum of woman, mans fanciful counterpart, that which he has expelled and other from himself. Gilles Deleuze has called this the Logic of the Same, and while it may appear either benign or despotic, it nevertheless always forecloses the possibility of real difference. Implicit in the pervasiveness of structures of binarization is the refusal to acknowledge the invisibility or negligibility of the subordinated term, its fundamental erasure as an autonomous or contained term. The binary structure not only defines the privileged term as the only term of the pair, but it infinitizes the negative term, rendering it definitionally amorphous, the receptacle of all that is excessive or expelled from the circuit of the privileged term. Yet while attempting to definitively and definitionally anchor terms, while struggling for settled, stabilized power relation, while presenting themselves s immutable and givem dualisms are always in the process of subtle renegotiation and redefinition. They are considerablt more flexible in their scope and history than their logic would indicate, for each term shifts and their values realign, while the binarized structure remains intact. It would be a mistake to assume that these oppositional categories are somehow fixed or immune to reordering and subtle shifts. Therefore, something significant is at stake once one thinks of differences as a positivity rather than simply a variance from uniformity. Here we should distinguish between difference and diversity in the way Deleuze described for philosophical traditions of ontology and epistemology in Difference and Repetition (1968). Difference is not diversity. Diversity is given, but the difference is that by which the given is given. Difference is not a phenomenon but the noumenon closest to phenomenon. .. Every diversity and every change refers to a difference which is its sufficient reason. Everything which happens and everything which appears is correlate with orders of difference: difference of level, temperature, pressure, tension, potential, difference of intensity. Deleuze argues that rather than naturalise the Logic of the Sames presumption of an underlying uniformity, we should accept the diversity of the universe as such and not attempt to reduce it. Once one accepts that diversity is irreducible rather than simply variations on or resemblances to an ideal model of Sameness, the problem becomes not how to account for divergences but how to think through multiplicities and how they happen and are correlated through other differences. Deleuze argues that such differences are Real, not effects of our perception or cultural constructions. Indeed, these differences produce the events, objects, and qualities that produce affective phenomena (such as temperature changes). Everything is produced via events of differentiation, even coherences and order. That is, while heterogeneity was once understood as a divergence from an underlying uniformity of Being that needed explanation, now we need to explain any apparent uniformity and ordering via process es of differentiation. Difference is active production of apparently coherent Beings-as-events. Thus, heterogeneity is a condition where phenomena of coherences across diversities are produced by processes of differentiation and can be understood and apprehended as such. This runs immediately into common ideas of space as homogeneous and passive, ordered only by the imposition of form, movement, activities or boundaries understood as distinct from space itself. In other words, space is seen as the product of formal operations or as a neutral and uniform space for such relations. Such commonplace are incompatible with the immanent heterogeneity of things since space becomes an underlying or overlaying uniformity against which to read diversity. Obviously, the differentials sketched above occur in time but also in space. This field of relations transforms through time and space, indeed is spatially configures through temporal transformations (for example, heated air produced a different spacing of molecules). Heterogeneous space therefore neither pre-exists diversity, nor is it simply the effect of processes of differentiation; rather, it is the immanent field of relations between differentials. It is not static but always flux, and therefore might be more precisely understood as the spacing through which difference manifests and is constituted via other differentials. The nature of heterogeneous space and homogeneous space can be studied by looking at Deleuze and Guattaris discussion of smooth and striated space using chess and game of Go for comparison in A Thousand Plateaus. In chess, the pieces are hierarchically differentiated while the board consists of a simple grid that is almost neutral but polarized between two sides (analogous to battle fronts). The pieces move across the grid, but always with a bias to the two fronts. In occupying the spaces, the pieces change the strategic conditions of the game. However, the strategic space of the game is constructed by moving distinct objects in relation to one another across what remains an essentially homogeneous and static field. In the game of Go, on the other han, the pieces are minimally differentiated (they are only black or white discs). While chess pieces occupy the spaces of the grid as if they were enclosed territories, in Go the discs are located at cross-points of a much larger grid field. Instead of moving, pieces are placed and remain, only being altered when surrounded by pieced of the opposite color. Players do not advance in fronts, but can place discs anywhere to control the board from all sides, attempting to create conditions where the addition of one single piece might create a closed territory around many opposite colors and potentially instantly switch control of the board. Here, the pieces are not so much objects occupying territories within an otherwise homogeneous space as charges within a fluctuating field-space out of which territorial boundaries emerge or are held open across distances. What one manipulates in Go is thus the space of th game itself. While the typological pieces are dominant in chess, using translational dynamics to produce strategic effects, in Go space dominates the notational pieces, whose importance is determined purely by their relation to the space around them and is dynamic, holding the potential for a multiplicity of outcomes at any stage. Chess poses active objects moving through a static space that is basically homogenous. In Go, space itself is in flux and cannot be reduced to a static frame of reference or ordering measure. For Deleuze and Guattari these two games suggest different ways of understanding the relationship between identity, agency and space: chess pieces entertain biunivocal relations with one another, and with the adversarys pieces: their functioning is structural. On the other hand, a Go piece has only a milieu of exteriority, or extrinsic relations with nebulas or constellations as bordering, encircling, shattering. All by itself, a Go piece can destroy an entire constellation synchronically; a chess piece cannot (or can do so diachronically only) Chess pieces are actors whose roles are defined a priori of the temporal spatial relationships, while those of Go are produced through the playing of a game. To extend this analogy, in the heterogeneous space like that of Go, identity and agency is produced via contingent spatial relationship with many similarly informed but also thereby differentiated actors. In chess, on the other hand, identity is given and occupies a given role and space as a sovereign subject in relation to others. The queen is always the most powerful piece; a pebble in Go is critical or not only in relation to the space of the board it participates in constructing. The body politics of chess requires a static space through which to organize itself; the multitude of Go is at once constructed through space and a spatial construct. One plays Go by managing spatial differentials; one plays chess by deploying already defined differences in space. Heterogeneous space can thus be contrasted to an isotonic space through which one moves. Rather than defining difference against a constant measure, or metric, of space as a ground, differentiation is produced via the immanent unfolding of spatial processes. These differentiations could be sudden or gradual, or both at different locations. Moreover, there can exist within the same dimensions a manifold set of such relationships; these sets, or systems, might be intricately entwined or barely connected though they must be calibrated to each other in some way and not simply overlapped. In terms of design, this understanding of heterogeneous space would hold that differentiation of use and complexity of form arise from spatial qualities, and that these qualities are inseparable from its material conditions. This space could produce controlled but varied atmospheric effects as well as different performative capacities that are not determined by programmatic function. Such a space would necessarily be affective in relation to the actors and agencies that traverse it, enfolding subjective perception with its material conditions. Moreover, these spatial affects would not be distince or th result of formal organizations of matter but would be means through which material and programmatic organizations would be configured and manifested. Heterogeneous space in architecture is therefore neither difference produced by form within an overall uniformity (modern space) not a collage of distinct formal elements (Post-Modern space). Instead, the proposition of a heteroheneous sp ac would produce and permit differentiation and discontinuity of both quality and organization across multiple conditions within an overall coherency. In a certain sense, all of Deleuzes works, as Deleuze makes clear in his reading of Foucault, are about the outside, the unthought, the exterior, the surface, the simulacrum, the fold, lines of flight, what resists assimilation, what remains foreign even within a presumed identity, whether this is the intrusion of a minor language into a majoritarian one of the pack submerged within an individual. It is significant that Deleuze, like Derrida, does not attempt to abandon binarized thought or to replace it with an alternative; rather, binarized categories are played off each other, are rendered molecular, global, and are analysed in their molar particularities, so that the possibilities of their reconnections, their realignment in different system, are established. (desire) Can architecture inhabit us as much as we see ourselves inhabiting it? Does architecture have to be seen in terms of subjectivization and semiotization, in terms of use and meaning? Can architecture be thought, no longer as a whole, a complex unity, but as a set of and site for becomings of all knids? What would such an understanding entail? In short, can architecture be thought, in connection with other series, as assemblage? What would this entail? What are the implications of opening up architectural discourses to Deleuzian desire-as-production? Can is become something -many things other than what it is and how it presently functions? If its present function is an effect of the crystallization of its history within, inside, its present, can its future be something else? How can each be used by the other, not just to affirm itself and receive external approval but also to question and thus to expand itself, to become otherwise, without assuming any provolege or primacy of the one over the other and without assuming that the relation between them must be one of direct utility or translation? Architecture has tended to conceive of itself as an art, a science, or a mechanics for the manipulation of space, indeed probably the largest, most systematic and most powerful mode for spatial organization and modification. Deleuze claims that Bergson is one of the great thinkers of becoming, of duration, multiplicity, and virtuality. Bergson developed his notion of duration in opposition to his understanding of space and spatiality. This understanding of duration and the unhinging of temporality that it performs are of at least indirect relevance to the arts or sciences of space, which may, through a logic of invention, derail and transforms space and spatiality in analogous ways. Space is understood, according to Deleuze, as a multiplicity that brings together the key characteristics of externality, simultaneity, contiguity or juxtaposition, difference of degree, and quantitative differentiations. Space is mired in misconceptions and assumptions, habits and unreflective gestures that convert and transform it. Architecture, the art or science of spatial manipulation, must be as implicated in this as any other discipline or practice. According to Bergson, a certain habit of thought inverts the relations between space and objects, space and extension, to make it seem as if space precedes objects, when in fact space itself is produced through matter, extension, and movement: Concrete extensity, that is to say, the diversity of sensiblequalities, is not within space; rather it is space that we thrust into extensity. Space is not a ground on which real motion is posited; rather it is real motion that deposits space beneath itself. But our imagination, which is preoccupied above all by the convenience of expression and the exigencies of material life, prefers to invert the natural order of the termsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Therfore, it comes to see movement as only a variation of distance, space being thus supposed to precede motion. Then, in a space which is homogeneous and infinitely divisible, we draw, in imagination, a trajectory and fix positions: afterwards, applying the movement to the trajectory, we see it divisible like the line we have drawn, and equally denuded of quality. Space in itself, space outside these ruses of the imagination, is not static, fixed, infinitely expandable, infinitely divisible, concrete, extended, continuous, and homogeneous, though perhaps we must think it in these terms in order to continue our everyday lives. Space, like time, is emergence and eruption, oriented not to the ordered, the controlled, the static, but to the event, to movement or action. If we shut up motion in space, as Bergson suggests, then we shut space up in quantification, without ever being able to think space in terms of quality, of difference and discontinuity. Space, ineffect, is matter or extension, but the schema of matter, that is, the representation of the limit where the movement of expansion would come to an end as the external envelope of all possible extensions. In this sense, it is not matter, it is not extensity, that is in space, but the very opposite. And if we think that matter has a thousand ways of becoming expanded or extended, we must also say that there are all kinds of distinct extensities, all related, but still qualified, and which will finish by intermingling only in our own schema of space. It is not an existing, God-given space, the Cartesian space of numerical division, but an unfolding space, defined, as time is, by the arc of movement and thus a space open to becoming, by which I mean becoming other than itself, other than what it has been. It is to refuse to conceptualise space as a medium, as a container, a passive receptacle whose form is given by its content, and instead to see it as a moment of becoming, of opening up and proliferation, a passage from one space to another, a space of change, which changes with time.

Mcdonaldization: Health In A Fastfood Society Essay -- essays research

McDonaldization: Health in A Fastfood Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonaldization, is the term Ritzer derived from the McDonalds' fast food chain to describe the state of our society. Ritzer claims our social institutions have become completely dehumanized in the form of a bureaucracy. Health care is an example of one institution that is characterized by the four components of bureaucracy: efficiency, predictability, control and quantification.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the past, health care was more simplistic in nature. House calls were no unheard of, and doctors knew all of their patients and their families on a personal level. The doctor who delivered your parents would deliver you as well as your future children. Follow-ups were quite normal; doctors were concerned with your progress for their own peace of mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over time the modern health care system emerged into the bureaucratic organization that it is. All the characteristics depicted by Ritzer are easily seen when one examines health care. From a normal trip to the doctor for a routine check-up or even a specific ailment to rush trip in the emergency room predictability, control, efficiency, and quantification are obvious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quantification is easily seen when you first step into a hospital waiting room and a huge sign tells you a number before you are even able to speak to anyone. After waiting a while your number is called, you must give your health card number to the receptionist before continuing. You are then given a file number, which is your only identity for the time you spend within the hospital environment. After seeing the doctor you may come out with a few prescriptions which furthers your nameless ordeal. When you drop nameless ordeal. When you drop into a pharmacy to have a prescription filled the first thing they ask is if you know your prescription number. If you cannot remember it, your actual name is a secondary possibility as a means of identification. Before paying you may have to show your Blue Cross card number or other insurance cards as well, in all it is a very dehumanizing, impersonal process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Efficiency is another characteristic that is prominent in the hospital situation. To make sure things more smoothly you must call ahead and make an appointment with the reception... ...ike health care workers has come in the face of a demand for efficiency and quantification. It is hard to say who is victimized most by this dehumanization; the doctors who must deny their humanity or their patients who must go to them for treatment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion when one applies the four components of McDonaldization to our present health care system one discovers that they are aptly applicable. Quantification is seen when one thinks about how our medical identity is comprised of a series of different numbers. Efficiency is supposed to occur with phone-in prescriptions and appointments. Control is assured by a doctor's capacity to make life or death decisions. As for predictability it is common knowledge as to what routine one follows to receive treatment. The irrationality is how impersonal and inefficient the whole system can become through overworked doctors and other professionals. The iron cage is how the patients of these stressed doctors feel from these doctors' ignorance and neglect. In all it is true that the health care system is one social institution that does successfully meet all of Ritzer's requirements for a McDonaldized institution.

A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

Most stories’ titles give readers some insight of what the story will be about. This important concept is seen in the novel, A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles. In general the setting is its own separate peace. There are also specific examples of when characters in the novel try to create their own separate peace. The winter carnival is a good example, which shows the students at the Devon School creating their own separate peace. After being severely maimed, Finny enters his own state of mind, where there is no war occurring. He tries to put this state of mind into the other students’ minds. Finny starts a winter carnival during which the boys at Devon feel a degree of freedom in this time of war. At the carnival the boys drink cider and dance on the tables. They all feel that nothing matters anymore but their own fantasy world. Even the boys that were uptight about the war, like Brinker, loosened up and enjoyed the fantasy that Finny created. Finny successfully creates his own separate peace by creating a fantasy world. Gene and Finny create their own peace after there is a period of guilty tension. After Gene shakes Finny out of the tree, he feels guilt start to fall upon him. He is hesitant to tell Finny the truth about his accident, and as a result his guilt jumps to a higher level. Gene tries to tell him at the hospital that he is responsible for Finny falling out of the tree, but the doctor interrupts them. This tension between them builds until Gene admits to Finny what really happened. After that, Finny forgives him, and they resume their friendship, and their separate peace. A Separate Peace is shown through many examples in this novel.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Brett Easton Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” Essay

Explore the function of the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby† and Brett Easton Ellis’ â€Å"Less Than Zero† Published in 1925 by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, is considered a literary classic by many critics. The eponymous novel is set in the â€Å"Roaring 1920’s† post World War 1 and tells the tale of Jay Gatsby through the novel’s narrator, Nick Carraway. The exposition begins when we are told of the socio-cultural divide between the upper class of America, by a character who has just moved to Long Island from Minnesota. The clear separation between West Egg and East Egg is an idea explored by Nick, who is a resident of the â€Å"lower-upper† class West Egg. Throughout the novel, it can be observed that events that occur are a direct parallel to the life of Scott Fitzgerald, as he projects characteristics of both Gatsby and Nick that were similar to his own. It is widely believed that the book is written in a manner that is cynical of the American Dream and of the elitist society, in a biased fashion that favours Gatsby. Conversely, Less Than Zero is a novel set in the 1980s and tells the story of affluent college students, who lead hedonistic lifestyles with the security of their parents’ wealth. Brett Easton Ellis’ first novel in his oeuvre is written during the years following the Vietnam War of economic prosperity in Reagan’s America and highlights the fragmented society caused by passionless relationships between friends and family and the lack of morality present in upper class America. The two novels contrast in the cities that they are set in; The Great Gatsby is set in New York’s Long Island, whilst Less Than Zero is set in California on the opposite coast of America. However the behaviour of the two generations is quite similar, and is reflective of the influence of money on higher-class society during the respective periods. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is not only the narrator, but also a character that actively participates in the novel and it his opinion that dictates how the reader perceives other characters. One obvious example of this is in the novel’s title, as the epithet â€Å"Great† is used to describe a character that the reader has not yet met. This suggests that Nick Carraway idolizes Gatsby in some aspects and to some degree, aspires to what Gatsby represents. â€Å"†¦ Produced like the supper, no doubt, out of a caterers basket.† This short extract is taken from a section where Nick is describing a lavish party that is frequently held by Gatsby. The metaphor implies that Gatsby is almost God-like in the way he is able to throw extravagant parties yet remains anonymous to those that attend. During the 1920’s, there was a period of what was known as prohibition, where all alcohol was banned, and yet people are often described drinking throughout The Great Gatsby. This could be a condemnation of upper class society, as it suggests they are just as immoral, if not more so, than the lower classes. Fitzgerald himself went from a family of mediocrity to a sudden rise in splendor through his writings, and can therefore relate to the awe that one might feel when acclimatizing to such a society. Less Than Zero’s narrator, Clay, does not represent its author in the same way as Nick does, however Easton-Ellis uses Clay to magnify the issues that surrounded affluent college students during the 80s. Clay often negatively portrays the actions of other characters, which can be seen as an act of hypocrisy. For example, â€Å"Because you both stole a quarter gram of cocaine from me the last time I left my door open. That’s why.† At this point, Clay accuses his sisters of stealing his cocaine, which they put down to him â€Å"leaving his door unlocked†. This may be a reference to the lack of privacy or a lack of trust within society to such a degree that one cannot trust even their closest family. Nick Carraway is arguably a biased narrator, through his romanticized and idealized description of the novel’s protagonist and adversely, his foil, Tom Buchanan. On their first encounter Nick describes Gatsby’s gestures with authority for example, â€Å"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself† This quotation epitomizes Nick’s admiration for Gatsby before he has properly met him and implies that he has already formulated an opinion based upon rumours he has heard but also based on the party Gatsby invited him to. Once again, this is may be seen as a condemnation of American society by Fitzgerald who shows that capitalist and superficiality was a major factor in defining an individual. Gatsby’s flawless persona does deteriorate as the novel progresses and as Gatsby comes close to achieving his dream, however Nick appears to glaze over this and as a result, preserves Gatsby’s â€Å"greatness† to the reader. The use of the affectation â€Å"old sport† throughout Gatsby’s communication with Nick highlights a friendship that is neither formal nor informal but rather one of an illusionary nature. This is to say that Gatsby uses the affectation in order to evoke a more appealing, intellectual persona. Despite Nick seeing through his faà §ade, he chooses to ignore the matter, instead only becomes more infatuated with what Gatsby represents. â€Å"What part of the Middle West?’ I inquired casually.’ ‘San Francisco’ ‘I see† It is apparent that Nick knows San Francisco is not in the Middle West but rather on the west coast yet he chooses not to argue as if Gatsby’s word is unequivocally truth. Claire Stocks puts this infatuation down to a likeness that both men share which is that â€Å"[both men] seem to be the victims of insufficient or thwarted inheritances†¦ They are both forced to work for their living†. It can be suggested that towards the end of Less Than Zero, Clay wants to leave this society as he narrates, â€Å"My eyes keep wandering off the screen and to the two green exit signs that hang over the two doors in the back of the theater† This occurs whilst Clay, Blair and Kim are in the cinema watching a â€Å"gory† film and highlights that Clay does in fact have some form of morality despite the actions that he part-takes in. Easton-Ellis reveals a character that is torn between being moral or following the hedonistic life he is so easily acclimatized to. Fitzgerald also uses Nick Carraway as a way of criticizing the society that he strives to be a part of. This is evident in Chapter 2, where Nick spends time with Tom, Myrtle and Mr. Wilson, â€Å"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.† At this point, Nick may be referring to the â€Å"variety† of classes that are present, as Myrtle and Mr. Wilson are of a lower class, himself of middle class and Tom from the upper echelons of society. It may be seen that Fitzgerald could not stand the behavior of the people he became associated with, however realized that their behavior was a result of what he sought after, in terms of the â€Å"American dream† and therefore feels â€Å"enchanted† by the hedonistic nature of the upper class. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald also highlights the vast socio-cultural divide between classes and as such presents the reader with an ambiguous view of fractured relationships. Clay also presents his own society with undertones of disdain, being cynical of the netherworld through his direct and succinct account of various events that take place. He rarely places emotion or opinion in his description of events and as a result, it seems that he is more of a trustworthy narrator. This is most evident when he recounts the viewing of a â€Å"snuff† movie, â€Å"It looks like a toolbox and I’m confused for a minute and Blair walks out of the room. And he takes out an ice pick and what looks like a wire hanger and a package of nails and then a thin, large knife and he comes toward the girl and Daniel smiles and nudges me in the ribs.† The repeated use of polysyndeton gives the reader the impression that Clay is not properly viewing the movie; instead, he is almost analyzing it as if it were a novel. The lack of sensory description also implies that Clay is trying to distance himself from this and that he sees the crude and disgusting nature of what he is being shown. At this time, snuff films had just been exposed and were not an unknown phenomenon. Therefore, Easton-Ellis may be suggesting that society has lost its moral compass/guidance, being reduced to ignoring such shocking acts. However, in spite of this, Clay does offer himself as a more intellectual individual compared to other characters, by the way he looks at the billboard that is titled â€Å"Disappear Here†. Evidently he does not choose to â€Å"disappear† and instead stays amongst the morally obsolete society that he is attached to and this ultimately leads to the dà ©nouement in which he is forced to leave his society. Both novels differ in the tone in which they are written though the contexts are very similar despite being in diverse decades. On the one hand, there is Nick who is biased towards one specific character and seems to show disdain for the society that he once strived for, and on the other, Clay, who has a more direct approach to narration and more expressively communicates the plot to the reader. Overall, the two narrators are used to convey to very different ideas that are relevant to their contexts. The Great Gatsby is narrated such that the reader is almost forced into liking Gatsby despite his clear superficiality, which is upheld by trivial objects such as â€Å"real books† and medals with â€Å"authentic looks†. Less Than Zero poses are more critical view of society, with the narrator becoming confused by the moral ambiguity and generally growing to hate the society that he belongs to as it has been reduced to individualism and by an large a fractured society whereby â€Å"people are afraid to merge†.

Drexel University Dining

James Kirwan and Joey Mannarino John Borczon English 102 2/28/13 Drexel Dining Not Meeting Basic Needs As any college student knows, the quality of a school’s dining hall is extremely important. To be successful as students, it is an absolute must that a student is strong and healthy. One of the keys to being strong and healthy is a healthy and balanced diet, filled with a variety of foods. At Drexel, we are being deprived of this necessity. While we do have a dining hall that is open for most of our day, actually eating there is an issue. For all freshmen at Drexel, a dining plan is required.There are three different traditional meal plans, ranging from a hefty $1,830 to $1,915. All three traditional plans revolve around the Handshumacher Dining Center. The custom meal plans also provide various options, but in the end, focus around the Handshumacher Dining Center as well. The meal plans are outrageously expensive; however, considering the tuition most students are paying, th is is not the issue. The issue is the quality of food in the dining hall. It is one matter for students not to enjoy the food that they eat, but even more of a concern when the food they are eating is unsafe to be eaten.Just in the last few weeks, at least 10 people have been bed ridden for days due to, what they believe, to be food poisoning from the Handshumacher Dining Center. This is a major problem. Once a person has contracted a food-borne illness, participating in academics and/or extracurricular activities becomes nearly impossible, affecting students’ lives and grades severely. With students potentially in danger of becoming sick and being affected in their academics, this is more than just disliking the dining hall. The Handschumacher Dining Center is not clean by any means at all.After eating there a few times, occurrences such as finding a single black hair in our mashed potatoes and flakes of crude in our drinks became a regular ordeal. When trying to get soda fr om the soda machine there would be various particles coming from the machine itself. Once it comes out of the dirty machine, it will then go into one of the glass cups provided by the dining center. These are rarely cleaned properly and there always spots and other residue on them (see below). [pic] This is also a major problem with the utensils and even the plates.There is simply no excuse for this, as we are paying a good amount of money for the dining hall. The entire dining hall environment is a disgrace. Upon entering the dining hall, you are lead down a flight of stairs into a dull gray basement with next to no natural lighting. The area where the food is prepared for the student’s is not visible, and based on the food that is served, probably for good reason. Once our tray is filled with whatever sub-par food they have prepared for us, we are to go into a very poorly designed seating area. The eating environment is far from pleasant.Half the challenge is finding a tabl e that is clean enough to eat at, as the tables are not regularly cleaned off when students leave them. One could argue that it is the students’ responsibility to keep the tables clean, but this is simply illogical. If there are people being paid to clean the tables, a student is not going to go out of their way in making sure their area is cleaned. The lack of cleanliness of the dining center extends beyond the seating area. If what we see out in the seating area is bad, what goes on behind the scenes is even worse.In a December 2010 Pennsylvania Food Code inspection, there were â€Å"mouse feces found in the kitchens and storage areas, fruit flies observed underneath a self-serve beverage station and lack of a dedicated sink for mop-water disposal, among other violations† (Strauss). The Triangle, Drexel’s newspaper, has various accounts recorded about the Handschumacher Dining Center, one of which includes a student seeing a live mouse running around. In these conditions, it is just about impossible for any food prepared to possibly be sanitary.This January, The Triangle published another article that discusses students receiving food poisoning and even the norovirus from the Handschumacher Dining Terrace. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus usually transmitted through undercooked food and occasionally direct contact with an infected person. The student who contracted the norovirus ended up being sent to the ER. In the Drexel Facebook group there are posts weekly that complain about food poisoning or stomach aches caused from this dining hall. One of those students is Maggie Heath-Bourne.She â€Å"personally know[s] a good deal of people who have gotten sick† from this dining center. She was unable to attend her Wednesday classes. Maggie also positive that the dining center caused her illness â€Å"because [she] had been really rushed at the beginning of the week and only had time to go [to the Hans] on Monday and Tuesday, [an d she] got sick on Wednesday. † Since the university basically requires its freshman to eat at this dining hall, something needs to be done. There is no reason students should be scared for their health by eating at their own dining hall.The issues above are absolutely unacceptable for our dining hall, but in actuality, these are issues faced by quite a few dining halls around the country. In examining the various dining halls that have had problems there seems to be one common thread- the food production company Sodexo. We asked friends of ours how satisfied they were with their dining halls. Those who were happy with their dining halls went to schools that did not have Sodexo. Most of these students’ dining halls were controlled by Aramark. In further research, it became apparent that Sodexo is the root of our problems at Drexel.The same types of problems that we had at Drexel were faced by students at Fordham University, who also contracts Sodexo. An excerpt of the i nspection read: â€Å"The inspections unearthed evidence of mice, roaches and improper storage of food, shortcomings that placed Fordham eateries in the lowest grade bracket† (Ram Online). This is concerning not only for Fordham students but for any school that allows Sodexo to control its dining environment. The case at Fordham got so out of hand that the dining hall was required to be shut down for a little while. Once it was finally opened back up, the tudents decided to hold a protest. However, this protest got them absolutely nowhere. At Drexel, there has to be a solution that we can execute to get a decent selection of food in our dining hall. At Fordham University, the method of a protest failed, as Sodexo still stayed as the school’s main food supplier. Sodexo claims on its website that it has a board of students that overview it’s dining services. This board of students does not have a representative from Drexel University on it. If we had some input ab out our dining hall through this board, maybe there would be some action taken.Another solution we could execute is introducing a board of various students that oversees and works with the kitchen staff to make sure the meals are both well prepared and well varied. These students would need to be Drexel students who frequent the dining hall. By being on this board, they will receive no benefits towards their dining hall plans or anything of the sorts. It would be a totally transparent board also. This way, students would have an outlet to go to to complain about the problems in this dining hall. The way it is set up now, it is extremely hard to get a meeting with anyone in the dining hall.For the purpose of this paper we attempted to set up a meeting with the director of residential living on campus. It took us about an entire month to schedule a meeting with this man. For a campus environment that can be fair to all, the food staff needs to be much more accessible. It is ridiculous that we have to wait so long for a meeting with someone who can make a change for us. This student board could supervise Sodexo until its contract with Drexel University is over. However, as soon as possible getting Sodexo out of Drexel’s dining hall would be ideal.This company has proven time and time again throughout the country that it cannot maintain a dining environment. Sure, it can provide food, but not good or safe food. This student leadership board could take a look at other food companies that are doing a better job satisfying both students’ needs and also pass health inspections. Drexel has decent dining options outside of the dining hall. There is a second dining option, accessible only through our dining dollars which is kept fairly clean. The food choices are from chains across the country. The election of food is not the best, but at least it is kept clean. This would probably not be the direction for our dining hall to go in. Drexel has a faculty dini ng hall, run by Sodexo, which is treated in a different manner entirely then the Handschumacher Dining Center. Why should the students be getting second rate food when they are paying for a meal plan? Also, Drexel just received a large scale grant that is going to a renovation project for the area outside of the main building. With this money, Drexel could have begun production on a dining hall run by the 12th Street Caterers, also a Drexel company.With so many possible solutions why do we allow Drexel to continue to feed us the same dirty and poorly made food? We have to find some sort of way to make sure that Drexel implements the student’s opinions into choosing a new plan and direction for its dining hall. To start, we must set up some sort of board for students to voice their opinions directly to Sodexo. From there, we must see what we can do to get Sodexo out, and using this same board of students, create a new solution that pleases all students and also follows health standards. No matter what we do, we cannot keep going in the manner that we are going.