Arts & academic Essay Example for Free

Arts academic Essay First of all, I have the diligence, determination, and aptitude to take on an Arts degree and make the most out of it. In such a large university, the ability to interact with peers and mentors both on academic and social levels is of also prime importance for survival. I am fortunately blessed with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills that allow me to be able to interact well in diverse groups. I can speak out my mind politely and explain my thoughts clearly and comfortably to make my peers and mentors understand my ideas accurately. However, the quality in me that I believe above all else would make me a success in a university Arts program is my strong vision of what I intend to be in life. This vision of mine has guided me throughout my education, keeping me in track with what I want out of life. My vision gives me an exact sense of personality, and through it I derive meaning and originality. I know what I want and I know that I have what it takes to make it happen, and that will eventually make me a success in your Arts program.

Film Contributions of the Sixties Essay -- essays papers

Film Contributions of the Sixties Beginning roughly with the release of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Loved the Bomb in 1964, and continuing for about the next decade, the â€Å"Sixties† era of filmmaking made many lasting impressions on the motion picture industry. Although editing and pacing styles varied greatly from Martin Scorcesse’s hyperactive pace, to Kubrick’s slow methodical pace, there were many uniform contributions made by some of the era’s seminal directors. In particular, the â€Å"Sixties† saw the return of the auteur, as people like Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kubrick wrote and directed their own screenplays, while Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in his own films. Kubrick, Coppola and Allen each experimented with characterization, narrative and editing techniques. By examining the major works of these important directors, their contributions become more apparent. Dr. Strangelove (1964), an adaptation of Peter Bryant’s novel Red Alert, although still bearing the usual traits of a Kubrick film, is something of a departure for him in terms of editing and spatial strategies. The film’s run-time more or less corresponds with the fictional or represented time in the story. This direct correspondence between fictional and real time adds to the sense of temporal compression induced by the film’s insistent editing patterns. Although Dr. Strangelove employs many long takes, it contains the shortest average-shot-length of any Kubrick film. The film consists of roughly 700 shots and has a run time of 94 minutes for an average-shot-length of 8 seconds. Despite the rather short average-shot-length, Dr. Strangelove still resorts to crucial long takes to slow down the rapid momentum of the story (Falsetto, 35). Several spatial and temporal procedures are at work in Dr. Strangelove, such as the use of the long take. Conversely, the B-52 sequences, often accompanied by various versions of â€Å"When Johnny Comes Marching Home,† employ different editing patterns than the rest of the film. These edits reinforce the film’s theme of inevitability. Through editing, the B-52 sequences display a strong cinematic rhythm. The shots are generally shorter than the other sections of the film, and they significantly contribute to the film’s shorter average-shot-length, despite Kubrick’s deliberate use of long takes (Falset... ...ng shots, all three experimented with elements of characterization. Kubrick used both subjective and objective points of view quite deliberately in his films. Coppola took the Mafia, and humanized them more so than previous gangster movies, in addition to redefining what a sequel should be. Woody Allen took comedy back to its roots, and in the process, was able to created some of the most groundbreaking comedy since Charlie Chaplin. In addition, this return of the auteurs paved the way for many of today’s prominent filmmakers. Without Kubrick or Coppola, there would be no Quentin Tarantino, and without Woody Allen, there would be no Kevin Smith. Coppola, Kubrick and Allen have each made enduring films, and continued to do so well after the â€Å"Sixties† had ended. Bibliography: Falsetto, Mario. Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. 1994. Girgus, Sam B. The Films of Woody Allen. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1993. Johnson, Robert K. Francis Ford Coppola. Twayne Publishers, Boston, 1977. Mast, Gerald and Bruce F. Kwan. A Short History of the Movies. Allen & Bacon, Boston, 2000.

Dbq U S History Section 2

During the 1600’s many ideas and values affected the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies (specifically from 1630 through the 1660’s) . The puritains had a close kinship, for example â€Å"working as one man†, and entertaining eachother in brotherly affection. The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England. The designation â€Å"Puritan† is often incorrectly used, notably based on the assumption that hedonism and Puritanism are antonyms: Historically, the word was used to characterize the Protestant group as extremists similar to the Cathari of France, and according to Thomas Fuller in his Church History dated back to 1564, Archbishop Matthew Parker of that time used it and â€Å"precisian† with the sense of modern â€Å"stickler†. They were blocked from changing the system from within, but their views were taken by the emigration of congregations to the Netherlands and later New England, and by evangelical clergy to Ireland and later into Wales, and were spread into lay society by preaching and parts of the educational system, particularly certain colleges of the University of Cambridge. Initially, Puritans were mainly concerned with religious matters, rather than politics or social matters. They took on distinctive views on clerical dress and in opposition to the episcopal system, particularly after the 1619 conclusions of the Synod of Dort were resisted by the English bishops. They largely adopted Sabbatarian views in the 17th century, and were influenced by millennialism. The main influences to the new England colonies were that puritans Stressed education, which meant formation of schools such as Harvard to train ministers. Also, Motivation for success, it was â€Å"God's will† that the New England colonies flourish. Third, a diverse working class, farmers as well as artisans, created from families that immigrated instead of just young men who settled Jamestown. Fourth, democratic values, which meant, town hall meetings, which began with the Puritans, Fifth separation of church and state, which was one of the first issues that tore at Puritan society. And lastly, the first forms of rebellion, leading to the independence of the United States. One of the most dominant Puritanical beliefs that still lingers, to a large extent, was its categorization of God. Simply put, the Puritans had a very demonizing view of the divine and the role of humans within such a scheme. The Puritans believed strongly in original sin, and to this extent, ended up ensuring that humans never deviated from the belief that they were naturally sinful. Such a belief ended up affecting New England, and all of America to a degree, with a challenging view of God. On one hand, individuals sought to believe in redemption because of the democratic experience that they had inherited, a political system that stressed the idea of â€Å"forming a more perfect union† and trying to â€Å"get it right.    Yet, this was opposite of the Puritan point of view regarding spirituality where God was proverbially unhappy with individuals regardless of acts. Both were set on a collision course by the Puritans, revealing a division in how individuals viewed themselves and the world. What the Puritans did in Massachusetts was embodied by all of the New England Colonies, resulti ng in a very paradoxical view of religion and a conflict, to a certain extent, in the New England Colonies.

A Group of Baboons Is Not a Congress

A popular meme contains a picture with several baboons playing in the snow captioned: Did you know that a large group of baboons is called a Congress? As the meme goes on to explain: We are all familiar with a herd of cows, a flock of chickens, a school of fish and a gaggle of geese. However, less widely known is a pride of lions, a murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an exaltation of doves and, presumably because they look so wise, a parliament of owls. Now consider a group of baboons. They are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates. And what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons? Believe it or not ... a Congress! I guess that pretty much explains the things that come out of Washington! The meme does explain one thing: The person who posted or sent it does not know what a large group of baboons is called. It’s a ‘Troop’ National Geographic says, baboons form large troops, composed of dozens or even hundreds of baboons, governed by a complex hierarchy that fascinates scientists. According to the Oxford Dictionaries list of proper terms for groups of things, organized gatherings of kangaroos, monkeys, and baboons are all called â€Å"troops,† while the only group called a â€Å"congress† is Congress.   An Expert Weighs In In an email to PolitiFact, Shirley Strum, director of the University of Californias Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project in Nairobi, Kenya, agreed that a group of baboons is known as a â€Å"troop.† â€Å"I have never heard the term congress used for a group of baboons! she wrote, adding, I would prefer to be governed by baboons than the current Congress! They are more socially committed, abide by the golden rule and are generally nicer people. Baboons are socially sophisticated and incredibly smart and among primates, no species is as dangerous as humans. Only baboons who have been spoiled by humans feeding them are dangerous and are never as aggressive as humans. The Point The point the meme is trying to make is that the U.S. Congress has pretty much degenerated into a largely ineffectual collection of lifetime professional politicians, typically  trusted by only 10% of the American people, that spends more time arguing, running for re-election and on vacation than it does tending to its real job of carrying out the legislative process in a way that helps Americans happily pursue life and liberty.   In 1970, for example, the troop called Congress passed its very own Legislative Reorganization Act, which among other things â€Å"required† both the House of Representatives and the Senate to take the entire month of August off every year unless a â€Å"state of war† or â€Å"emergency† exists at the time. The last time Congress decided to take a break from its break was in the summer of 2005 when lawmakers returned to Washington just long enough to pass legislation authorizing aid for victims of Hurricane Katrina. But the fact remains that a gathering of baboons is not a congress.