Technical and Narrative conventions Essay Example

Technical and Narrative conventions Essay Example Technical and Narrative conventions Paper Technical and Narrative conventions Paper In soap operas the term realistic is when a soap opera makes us believe that what is happening is taking place in real time, continually, to ordinary people in an ordinary location in a close community. Soaps use melodrama so that it can have sensational plots which appeal to the audience through, exaggerating the narratives, Cliff hangers, cinematography and the editing. Social realism is drawn on by soaps to make the soap more realistic by referring to realistic social issues of the working class people such as unemployment, sexuality and racial issues. My question is With reference to specific soap opera texts that you have studied, discuss how far they may be considered to be realistic', and I will answer this with references to the soap operas Coronation Street East Enders by giving examples from these texts which relate to the question. I will also define and talk about social realism, how the soap narratives and technical conventions promote realism, and I will also discuss how elements of melodrama are used in the soaps. Social realism is capturing in a truthful way, the everyday life of the working class people so it represents the social issues of these working class people such as unemployment, teenage pregnancy, abortion, crime, single-parent families, sexual health and sexuality making it more realistic as it is portraying the significant things in society and in the news at any one time, so the soap has issues the audience can relate to. Examples of social realism in East Enders, is when Ian (before he got married to Janie) was looking after his kids alone representing an issue in the present society, and when Zoe has an abortion with Dens child. Little Moe also is a social realistic issue as she has been raped, but carried on the raise the child and she also became a single parent after she split up with billy, Jules as a drug deal is also a social realistic issue, then he dropped dealing in drugs and went to work in Ians cafi. Melodrama is a text with a sensational plot which is used to appeal to the audiences emotions such as in East Enders, when Billy told everyone about Alfie and Little Moes relationship, there was a cliff hanger when Kat attacks Little Moe. Also when Johnny sends a hit man to deal with Peggy, and was stopped by Phil and Grant, Johnny was waiting silently for a reply from the Hit man, but as there was complete silence, the audience knows that there is trouble. When Alfie and Kat takes Nanna to see the queen is an example of an extra ordinary Event as the narrative rarely leaves East Enders. Also in coronation street, when Sunita finds out that Dev has been sleeping with other women who are looking after his shops, is an example of an exaggerated narrative. In these soaps, the main narrative and technical conventions are that they are Ongoing, where they have no beginning and no end, this makes it more realistic as the soap not going to stop so it is always going to show the lives of working class in their set locations. The soaps also establish the setting at the beginning, to remind the audience that it is still in the same location and also begins at the start of the day working to the end of the day, this adds to the realism as it shows the characters day to day activitys from morning to night. Dramatic irony is also a narrative convention, where the audience knows things that the characters do not know, such as when Den was murdered, only a few characters (Zoe, Chrissy and Sam) know about it and also the audience this relates to the hierarchy of knowledge (who knows what first). As the soaps are dialogue driven most of the time, adding to the realism of working class peoples everyday lives so they would use shots which make the camera as invisible as possible, using establishing shots, over-the-shoulder shouts two shots, mid close ups and extreme close ups. And also they when there are interweaving storylines, they need moving of the camera from one narrative to another. The editing in soaps is also simple where there are no dissolves, fades just pure hard cuts making it more realistic as it is just taking us from one storyline to another naturally. Sounds used in soaps are mainly digetic except for the theme tunes, this makes it more realistic. The soaps would be mainly conversation orientated and this would be digetic sounds, and also when they are in pubs (Coronation Street, East Enders) there would be background sounds such as the stereo in the pub playing a music album which would relate to the present time music making it more realistic. The lighting used is conventionally naturalistic lighting this adds to the realism as it represents the real world and also the use of Mise-en-Scene, where costumes and props, e interior and exterior design, and the layout is realistic such as a school uniform that Ians kids wear in East Enders, and the casual present day outfits the characters in both East Enders and Coronation street wear, are realistic as it reflects what normal working class people wear in the real world. Representations also promote realism, as the representations of the characters are supposed to represent the working class society in real life. Examples are Patrick, a race issue, as he owns a news agent and also in Coronation Street, Dev owns newsagents as well representing these job roles are a non-white role. Also the black characters are stereotyped such as when Jules entered East Enders, he was a drug dealer and also Paul Trueman was a drug dealer. Also when Patrick entered East Enders he was stereotyped to be a traditional African where he liked drinking alcohol, and was a girls man. The women are also represented as house wives and those who look after the kids such as Rosie Miller, who looks after the house while her husband does nothing. To conclude my opinion for the question With reference to specific soap opera texts that you have studied discuss how far they may be considered to be Realistic', is that they make the soaps as realistic as possible using Technical and Narrative conventions stated above, where everything from camera shots to sounds are used to make the soaps more realistic such as no non-digetic sound tracks during the soap and putting it in as digetic sound in environments such as pubs. Representations of the Ethnicity adds to the realism of these soaps and the issues that are brought up in the narratives of the soaps add to the realism as these issues are dealt with in everyday life of working class people in the society.

Jeffersons Views on Education essays

Jeffersons Views on Education essays Thomas Jefferson believed that universal education would have to precede universal suffrage. The ignorant, he argued, were incapable of self-government. But he had profound faith in the reasonableness and teachableness of the masses and in their collective wisdom when taught. He believed that the schools should teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. Also, the children should learn about Grecian, roman, English, and American History. Jefferson believed the nation needed public schools scattered around, for all male citizens to receive free education. By 1789, the first law was passed in Massachusetts to reaffirm the colonial laws by which towns were obligated to support a school. This law was ignored. Private schools were opened only to those who could afford to pay them. In the middle states religious groups opened most schools. Not many schools or institutions were opened to the nonwealthy people. The women, blacks, and Indians were not able to go to school. It was not until the early 1900s that the Nation began making academies for females, because government thought that they needed to be educated mothers to educate their children. Jefferson believed in the Republican Mother. Later, many 19th century reformers believed in the power of education to reform and redeem- to release a blame or debt, to buy back- backward people. As a result, they generated a growing interest in Indian Education. Jefferson and his followers believed that the Native Americans were noble savages, they hoped that schooling the Indians in white culture would uplift- to improve the spiritual, social, or intellect condition- the tribes. But the states and local government did little to support education. Unlike the women and Indians, blacks had no support at all. There were no efforts to educate enslaved African Americans, mostly because their owner ...

Symbolic interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Symbolic interaction - Essay Example One should watch carefully and correlate it with the findings of earlier studies. Then it'll be possible to reach in new conclusions. For reaching the next stage the same exercise is to be repeated. In short, both reading and observation are inevitable in understanding mind. Discussions and meetings with experts in this field too will be of very great help as its common to all other studies. I've tried to explain much of my ideas on mind in the work "Mind, Self and Society". It may be helpful to get a basic idea about the role of mind in human life. In my view, an individual starts his understanding of the society of which he's a part, through "play" and "game". As far as a child is concerned everything it sees and experiences in the world from the time of birth onwards is new and afresh. When we think of a child's stages of development, first and foremost is nothing but "play". In a way, in almost all "plays" the child is trying is to imitate the "adults" in the society. For example, when it plays "Cops and Robbers" the child takes the role of both policeman and robber alternatively. Through this it understands the role of both cops and robbers in society. This in turn helps it to understand basically that man will have to play different roles in life. The child also understands the reason for different persons doing different jobs. "Game" helps child entirely in a dif ferent way. "Game" is more related with "the generalized other" concept. "The generalized other" concept tells of the character formation of a child when it remains part of a group. The group explained here may be anything like a football team, family, class or a meeting hall. These are actually social settings from where the child both knowingly and unknowingly feels that it's expected to behave in a particular way by others in the society. The child learns what others expect from it. While playing a game all players have to perform following the rules strictly. No point in explaining the importance of rules of a game to grown ups. But for a child, it's new information and an important step for joining the society. Later it finds that like the rules of games in the court, there are socially accepted ways in behaving in different situations. Here, I should say something of the "I" and "me" concepts. The "I" stands for one's own very personal views and concepts. It creates one's individuality. Thus it's important. At the same time "me" is related to "the generalized other" concept. "Me" is actually the understanding of "the generalized other" concept. Now, let me come to my views on the relationship between an individual's mind and social contacts. It's to be noted that an individual is the product of society. And the development of one's self depends on his social contacts. So for remaining as the member of society, what an individual should do is get involved deeply in different positions in it. Through this exercise one would catch the perspective of other persons and it'll make the individual self-conscious. In short, my concept is that individual mind can exist only with the happy co-existence and sharing of other minds. It should be noted that this concept remains to be the backbone of the theory of symbolic interaction. Of course, so many other thinkers had made enough value additions and further findings on this concept. Still this is a topic which is being studied and being revised accordingly, but only in tune with the basic concept. Highlights of

Group Counseling Observation Personal Statement

Group Counseling Observation - Personal Statement Example His name is "PB". "PB" is the husband of my supervisor and he was more than willing to take me to a meeting and show me what Alcoholics Anonymous was all about. Before leaving for the meeting, I asked "PB" several questions. They ranged from the length of the meeting to specific problems some of the members. He told me not to be surprised if there were some members who were admitted alcoholics and narcotic addicts. As I questioned him further, he said that many of the people in that predicament were also former criminals. One person in particular was so involved with both drugs and alcohol that he nearly died at the emergency room from an alcohol overdose. Now that my questions were answered, I felt much more at ease and ready to go to the meeting. The building where the meeting took place is located in a school basement. It is dismal but there is an inviting scent of coffee with friendly voices. I don't know whether this is a cheerful setting but I quickly learned that the setting didn't matter. When "PB" and I arrived, he introduced me to all of the members who made me feel welcome. As I surveyed the participants, I noticed that they were from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. As the meeting started, we began with a serenity prayer and read the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The second step was the focus of the meeting. ... The first speaker was named Jack. Jack is a successful attorney and has been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over ten years. He relayed his story about how his Power restored him to sanity. Jack said that prior to becoming a member, he knew everything. "I could do anything I wanted to when I wanted to. If anyone disagreed with me, I would do whatever it took to have that person agree with me. It was my way or the highway." With those statements, Jack admitted that when he was drunk, his temper got the best of him. After becoming a member, Jack along with many of the members of the group was able to complete the first step with ease. The second step, however, was going to be a problem. "When I looked at that sign, I was scared because I have been an atheist for most of my adult life." He was hoping that he could skip step two and return to it later, but he was told that he had to complete it before he could advance. Jack said it took quite some time but that higher Power did come to him and it wiped out the "insanity" that was ruining his life. After listening to his speech, I was wondering to myself why these members felt they were "insane". If I saw one of these people on the streets, I would never know that they were alcoholics or they were "insane". I marveled at how they all seemed to speak their own language and somehow have the same experience. Mike was celebrating his second anniversary. He is a parolee and in addition to fighting his demons, is walking the line to make sure he does not go back to jail. He too though mentioned the word "insanity" in reference to discovering a higher Power. The words he used were: "I came, I came to and now I believe." To me, it seems as

Energy - What Next Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Energy - What Next - Essay Example Offshore wind firms are more complex, inclusive of turbines, platforms, grids, cables, substations, interconnection and related construction activities. Currently, construction activities have centered in many rejoins of the U.K, representing over 3300MW of the entire capacity (Jay, 2008). I support the construction of these offshore winds with long-term charters of numerous highly specialized construction vessels and facilities to put up with the increasing dimensions of contemporary support structures, wind turbines, and balance of plant. Offshore wind farms are vital in their contribution to energy supply If these firms are constructed, they will be a suitable technology to meat the growing electricity demand, in a clean and sustainable way. Such firms will have minimal environmental impacts if they are logically well located relative to the places of electricity need. Further, higher wind speeds will increase energy production, since energy production is a purpose of the cube of the wind speed. I expect that a significant part of the future widely spread wind energy usage in U.K will be from offshore sites. Huge offshore wind farms are already in the planning phase of construction in several countries and especially in Europe. Just like Hirts put it, financial payback or economic viability of the farms depend largely on the renewable obligation Certificates, as well as on favorable wind conditions as compared to the sites constructed on land, I argue that the higher energy outcome has to recompense the extra installation and continuance costs. In constructing these farms, particularly siting large projects, a reliable and efficient offshore wind prediction is crucial (Burton & Jenkins, 2011). Present estimates based partially on U.K experience indicate that offshore wind energy can cost less than six cents per KW. In addition, capital costs are about 30-50 percent higher than those onshore because of bigger machine sizes, transporting and installing costs a t the sea, particularly offset by high-energy productions. However, just like onshore, I expect these prices to drop as technology advances and managers get more experience. As the European Wind Energy Association (2012) affirms, most offshore farms will be sited on monopiles or constructed on gravity foundations, there will be concrete structures stabilized by water or sand to allow the turbine towers to fit in. Monopiles must be included in these installations. They are long steel pipes, which are stroked, vibrated or drilled into the seabed to security levels then towers and platforms are installed on top of them. They will have a technical difficulty in mounting turbines on floating constructions, and monopiles get more expensive as one progress deeper into the water. In my opinion, technology has been growing rapidly for the past years and I can predict that technical advancements may make suspended offshore wind farms to be economically realistic in the future. Offshore wind f arms are important in energy providence. I support the construction of these farms basing on several factors. The resource, which is wind energy indirectly from the sun is extremely large, the costs of energy, though originally higher than those of onshore are affordable than most renewable technologies, and the associated risks are low. Constructing wind turbines at sea will limit the restraints that can be

Emergence Of The Buddha Essay Example for Free

Emergence Of The Buddha Essay A). Outline the social, political and religious background from which Buddhism emerged. (10) Buddhism is one of the major religious traditions of the human race today. Buddhism was influenced by many different cultures over the thousands of years. This essay will outline the social, political and religious issues surrounding the background and the emergence of Buddhism in Indian Society. In the 1920s archaeological excavations of the ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in North West India revealed the existence of an urban civilisation. This is called the Indus Valley Civilisation. (Buddhism Dominique Side) The background from which the Buddha emerged from stretched as far back as C2700 in a place called the Indus Valley. This was the first sign of civilisation to live on the Indian subcontinent. People were attracted to the Indus Valley because of the of the River Indus. The River provided a good source of vegetation; there was also flat land, stones and trees. The Indus Valley was an Egalitarian society, which meant that everybody living inside the society were all equal and they worshipped both Gods and Goddesses. They believed and worshiped in Brahman, who they believed was the most looked up to and modest God. Archaeologists found statues with engraved scriptures of Gods and Goddesses on; the finding of these pots is where it is believed that the Religion began, although there were never any findings of temples to prove this. Artefacts show its Religion to be related to the forces of nature the worship of a mother Goddess, sacred trees and fertility symbols. (Buddhism Dominique Side) The valley was believed to have been a strong central government and to have two main political centres, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. The Indus Valley civilisation began to move out, many people today still believe this was because of a natural migration. After the civilisation of the Indus Valley had left, Aryans then began to set up home on their land. Aryans were nomadic; they travelled around a lot, never staying in one place for very long. They brought animals with them and built up a strong military. They were thought to be good at building and carpentry. The official religion of the Aryan conquerors of India is referred to as the Vedic religion after their holy books or Vedas (knowledge). The priests of this religion were known as Brahmans or Brahmins and are often mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures. The Aryans were unquestionably tough people, military strong, and they were fierce and war like. Their culture was oriented around warfare, and they were very good at it. The Aryans were a new start in the Indian culture; they adopted almost nothing of Harappan culture. They built no cities, no states, no granaries, and used no writing. They worshipped a pantheon of gods and were mostly connected with forces of the natural world, especially those powers on which humans were dependent. (Buddhism Denise Cush) The Indian caste system began to develop and the civilisations were placed into the category that they belonged too. Each mans duty was to follow the profession suitable for his social class. (Buddhism Dominique Side) Even today the values of the caste system are held strongly, it has kept a sense of order and peace among the people. The caste consists of six different levels, and as a pyramid starting from the highest and working down. The highest being the Brahman, then Kshatriya, Valishya, Shudra, Harijans and the Untouchables. Within each of these levels are the actual castes within which people are born, married and die into. They all have their own place among each other and accept that it is the way to keep society from disintegrating to chaos. The system has worked well for Indian people and still has a major role in modern India. The Aryan society was patrocol, which means it was all male. It was now no longer an egalitarian society. Indus Valley people and Aryans began to mix, which is how the Indo-Aryans were formed, this was the beginning of Hinduism, which was a mixture of Indo and Aryan beliefs and practices. From these two religions they made a relationship and formed the Indo- Aryan people. Like a mighty river, created from mainly tributaries that fed it, Hinduism is an amalgamation of the beliefs of the many people who settled in India in ancient times. (A beginners guide to Buddhism, Gillian Strokes) People now did not sacrifice animals for their religion but would now give gifts to their God called offerings; these would consist of flowers and vegetables. The Indo Aryans did not have or worship a holy scripture, however they did have Vedic hymns that were sang and collected, and which were later written down in the Veda. This means they have a cultural importance. They also worshipped a pantheon of gods. They believed in the highest form of God, the Brahman who was the highest level of the caste system. There was an amalgamation of Indo and Aryans that became the religion Hinduism. Women now did not have any power; men now did everything, women were now considered inferior to men. As a belief in the caste system, you were only allowed to marry within your level of the caste system. The political organisation was hierarchical and centralised. Kingdoms varied in size and kings were no more than village leaders. Some people believe that Hinduism began with the Indo-Aryans, while others believe that it began with the Indus population. Hinduism has no founder and no single moment of beginning. The emergence of Buddhism was now falling into place. Hinduism is the largest religion of India. The religion is based on prayers and believes in many gods and goddesses. However, one God named Brahman was more significant than the others. There were special priests known as Brahmin who were used to help you worship this special God, they helped to channel peoples faith. Asceticism defined as the practice of self-disciple, voluntary undertaken, in order to achieve a higher or spiritual ideal began. People didnt agree with Brahman priests, they wanted to live a simple life in the forest. Hinduism also believes in reincarnation, this is rebirth the cycle of life. It consists of Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth; you undergo the cycle over and over again. It is thought that if you live a good life you will be born into a better caste in your next life. You will achieve good karma if you do your duty well which is determined by the caste you are born into. Good karma means a good next life and bad karma means a bad next life. The only way to get out of the cycle is to have continuous good rebirths, which means you will enter Nirvana. All these backgrounds lead to the emergence of Buddhism in some way. Ascetics would move away to the forests and leave all their family and objects behind, even the idea of the caste system. They wanted peace of mind and to achieve enlightenment. The best way to do this was to meditate. They also wanted to get out of the life cycle and achieve Nirvana. Siddhartha Gautama was an ascetic, he was born a Hindu but wanted to escape the life cycle. He emerged as the Buddha after achieving enlightenment and people began to follow his way of life. Political aspects were that people did not use the caste system and also rejected social and political values. They wanted an egalitarian society where everyone was equal and treated with the same amount of respect. One of the effects of these changes was the creation of new professions, such as state officials and traders, which had no place in ancient caste system. (Buddhism Dominique Side) Therefore in conclusion I can see how Buddhism has emerged over thousands of years and that Buddhism now does not have any thing in common with the earliest religion found. Buddhism needed the other religions to be in place in order for it to exist and without the other religions; it might not have existed today. I think Buddhism has become the fairest religion, as it believes in equality. Therefore it has adapted out of the many religions that came before it. B). The Buddha turned his back on all the Religious teaching of his age. Assess this view (10) Buddhism is an Eastern Religion that is over two thousand years old. Buddhism as a religion was influenced by this historical context. The origins of Buddhism are closely connected with the origins of Hinduism. Buddhists dont believe in a God they just worship the highest in the caste system, the Brahmin. The Buddha is a highly respected person in the Buddhists Society. Buddhism is an amalgamation, an adaptation of Religions over time. This part of the essay requires assessing the view of how the Buddha turned or didnt turn his back on the religious teachings of his age. The Buddha lived and taught in the Northeast India about 2,500 years ago and the development of the Religion was influenced by this historical context. He lived for around eighty years, somewhere between the 4th and 6th centuries BCE. Siddhartha Gautama developed most of his ideas for Buddhism from Hinduism. He changed and developed them to suit his new religion. He took some but changed them. He was born a Hindu and born into the Kshatriya Caste. He became an ascetic. I believe that the Buddha turned his back on his religious teachings for an important reason; therefore I believe this is because he wanted to get himself out of the life cycle. The Buddha wanted to go to the forests to meditate and reach Nirvana. The Buddha did not want his teachings to be taken as something sacred in itself, but as a means to an end. He made it clear that any teachings, including his own were not to be accepted without noticing but with faith and reverence, but should not be tested out in experience. The Buddhism religion was not just something to believe in or discuss, but something to try out to see if it worked. When you have tried it out it could make you a better person or takes you nearer to your spiritual goal. Siddhartha Gautama did turn his back on the previous teachings are the Caste system; the Caste system was a very important part of the social and religious life within India and Hinduism. When Prince Siddhartha went to find enlightenment he forgot all about the ideas of the caste system even though he was born into a good Varna. The Buddhas invitation was to come and see for yourself, join him in his meditation to reach Nirvana. The Buddha wanted to get out of the cycle of; life, death and rebirth and be enlightened to discover a new life. He didnt completely want to get rid of rebirth; he wanted to incorporate it into Buddhism. He believed in renunciation, which is what the ascetics believed in. They renounced with the Buddha to the forest. They gave up there existence. The Buddha did not want to pray to Brahman anymore, he wanted to break away from the priestly religion and become personal. Men and women both did this. Personal is being spiritual instead of Religious. The Buddha also incorporated Karma into Buddhism because its still the action needed for rebirth. He couldnt change that. He did turn his back on the caste system though as it was seen as a social class factor and not needed for the religion, as everyone was equal for him. The economic developments destabilised the Brahminical order. Prince Siddhartha still believed in the ideas of rebirth and the cycle of life, but came up with a way of escaping the circle.

British Imperialism and the Crisis in the Sudan Essay -- Darfur Region

British Imperialism and the Crisis in the Sudan Introduction One of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is currently unfolding in the Darfur region of the Sudan. For the past 22 months, more than 70,000 Sudanese have been killed, and nearly 2 million people have fled their homes to neighboring countries. This paper attempts to explore this present day civil war and genocide taking place in the Sudan. This is an event of epic proportions that will have vast implications for the future of the country and the continent. Understanding the history of European colonialism in Africa, as focused through the lense of the Sudan, is the purpose of this paper. Primarily, the paper will analyze the history of European imperialism in the region of the Sudan, and attempt to understand how the British occupation of the country provided the framework and foundation for many of the problems today. Furthermore this paper will explore the implications that this genocide will have in the international realm of politics; the lack of media expos ure of such an horrific event is another avenue of exploration in this paper. In present day Sudan the country is divided across political and religious lines that are so deeply rooted that a peace resolution does not seem likely in the near future. The world is simply waiting and hoping that the conflict will be resolved internally without aid from the outside world. The manner in which the world is responding to the conflict in the Sudan is indicative of the manner in which the world has always viewed Africa and its people. Dating back to as early the 1400s the world has always viewed the people of Africa as second-class citizens and have treated them as such. This mindset still p... ...aphy Anderson, G. Norman. Sudan in Crisis: The Failure of Democracy. Gainesville: University Press of Florida,1999. Khalid,Mansour. War and Peace in Sudan.London: Kegan Paul, 2003. Thomas, Graham F. Sudan: Struggle for Suvival. London: Darf Publishers Ltd., 1990. Voll, John O. Sudan: State and Society in Crisis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991. The Economist. 31 July 2004. â€Å"Human Rights Watch.† http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/08/27/darfur9268.htm 27 August 2004. â€Å"Socialist Party.† http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/sep04/ â€Å"Oxfam News†.http://oxfam.ca/news/Sudan/Q&A2.htm. November 2004. â€Å"Socialist.net†.http://www.socialistworld.net/index2.html?/eng/2004/09/07sudan.html. â€Å"BBC News†.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3496731.stm. â€Å"U.S. Department of State†.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5424.htm. October 2004.