Tuesday, August 20, 2019

History of, and Impact of Cinema

History of, and Impact of Cinema INTRODUCTION Cinema is one of the few mediums which have managed to successfully depict the true reality of society in general and our lives in particular. As like other art forms, it depicts the multiple realties that one is faced with. It explores one of the most discarded yet eternal truths which every individual experiences and that is isolation. Each individual longs for social ties despite belonging to organized societies; it is what each one of us is ultimately reduced to. A Short filmis a technical description originally coined in theIndian film industryand used in the North American film industry in the early period ofcinema. The description is now used almost interchangeably withshort subject. Although the North American definition generally refers to films between 20 and 40 minutes, the definition refers to much shorter films inEurope,Latin AmericaandAustralasia. InNew Zealand, for instance, the description can be used to describe any film that has duration longer than one minute and shorter than 15 minutes. The North American definition also tends to focus much more on character whereas the European and Australasian forms tend to depend much more on visual drama and plot twists. In this way, the North American form can be understood to be a derivation of the feature film form, usually acting as a platform for aspirant Hollywood directors. Elsewhere, short films tend to work as showcases for cinematographers and commercial directors. (Short Film) A short film manages to tell the same tale as a full length feature film, but in a shorter duration of time. It is characterized by the directors reflection of the existing social, political and economic conditions. A short film narrative is one which can easily be created by people from all walks of life, it has universal applicability. It enables directors functioning on a small budget to tell their stories to the world. The talent in creating a short film lies in communicating the message of the film to the audience in a very limited period of time. The transitions in a short film are of critical importance. What I find intriguing is how any person imbibes from their existing social conditions and produce work which is effectively communicable to most individuals. Another reason to dwell into this topic of research is that many youngsters and amateurs start by making short films and use it as a path to grow. AsDaniel Wiernicki states, â€Å"Short films are often popular as first steps into the film industry among young filmmakers. This is because they are cheaper and easier to make, and also their length makes shorts more likely to be watched by financial backers and others who want some demonstration of a filmmakers ability. Many things can be achieved by creating a short film so are an ideal opportunity to get recognized and get into the industry.† (Wiernicki) Through this dissertation, I aim to explore the world of short films in the context of movies which have won the CannesShort Film Palme dOr(French:Palme dOr du court mÃÆ' ©trage), which is the highest prize given to ashort film at theCannes Film Festival. These short films are a representation of different cultures, ideologies, people, religion, economic background, and political thoughts and history from across the world that come together on one platform and showcase their art. The cinema is not an art which films life: the cinema is something between art and life. Unlike painting and literature, the cinema both gives to life and takes from it, and I try to render this concept in my films. Literature and painting both exist as art from the very start; the cinema doesnt. Jean- Luc Godard LITERATURE REVIEW Throughout our history, humans have looked for different forms of expressing themselves. These expressions were in the form of poetry, literature, songs, plays, dancing, etc. films are one of the latest forms of expression that has been adopted by the people around the world to portray their views on their surroundings, any event, or moment that captivates them and they want to show it to the world. The beauty of the films nowadays is that you can detract from reality and present something beyond the human imagination at the same time one can present the harsh realities of life that some dont know about. Films as a medium of communications can be used to spread ones message or view across the world. History of Cinema(History of Film) The birth of the films happened in 1878, when Eadweard Muybridge recorded a horse running in fast motion using a series of 24 stereoscopic cameras. With the development of technology came of the ‘Silent era. Till the 1920s movies were silent, though at times they were accompanied by musicians, sound effects, or even commentary at times. 1940s to 60s- War and Post War Cinema The wartime saw immense change in the cinema as more focus was given to propaganda and patriotic films. Films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Citizen Cane were pieces of this period. The cold war era brought movies filled with paranoia such as Invading Armies of Evil Aliens and anti- communist movies such as the Manchurian Candidate. The onset of television in the post war era also threatened the cinematic industry as a medium of watching films. During this Period, Asian Cinema specifically saw a golden age. Some of the greatest masterpieces of the Asian cinema were produced during this period. These include works like: Yasujiro OzusTokyo Story(1953),Satyajit RaysThe Apu Trilogy(1955-1959) andThe Music Room(1958),Kenji MizoguchisUgetsu(1954) andSansho the Bailiff(1954),Raj KapoorsAwaara(1951),Mikio NarusesFloating Clouds(1955),Guru DuttsPyaasa(1957) andKaagaz Ke Phool(1959), and theAkira Kurosawa films Rashomon (1950), Ikiru(1952),Seven Samurai(1954) andThrone of Blood(1957). 1970s: Post-classical cinema This term is used to describe the period following the decline of thestudio systemduring the 1950s and 1960s and the end of theproduction code. During the 1970s, filmmakers increasingly depicted explicit sexual content and showed gunfight and battle scenes that included graphic images of bloody deaths. The 1980s were filled with movies releasing with sequels like Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones. The audience also started to watch movies on their VCR at home during this period. 1990s to present: Contemporary Cinema The 1990s saw the development of the independent cinema with commercial success. Special effects also ruled during this period as it was being heavily used by the successful movies of the period like: Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991) andTitanic(1997). During the 2000s, documentary genre of film making also rose as can be seen with the success of movies such as March of the Penguins, and Fahrenheit 9/11. Increase in the problem of digital distribution due to infringement of copyrights, and piracy also has reached heights during this period. Cinema as a whole during this decade has become more global with foreign-language films gaining popularity in English-speaking markets. Films such as City of Gods (Portugese), Lagaan (Hindi), and the Passion of the Christ (Aramaic). â€Å"Some have described the prevailing style of the period aspostmodernbecause many contemporary films are apolitical, ahistorical, intertextual, and less tied to the conventions of a single genre or culture. The transnational circulation and genre hybridity of contemporary films is exemplified by the increasing global popularity of non- English speaking cinema.† (Film Studies, 2009) Major Genres of Films: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime Gangster films, Drama, Epic/ Historical films, Horror, Musical, Science fiction, War (anti- war), Western, and Eastern films. Theyare broad enough to accommodate practically any film ever made, although film categories can never be precise. By isolating the various elements in a film and categorizing them in genres, it is possible to easily evaluate a film within its genre and allow for meaningful comparisons and some judgments on greatness. Films werenotreally subjected to genre analysis by film historians until the 1970s. All films have at least one major genre, although there are a number of films that are considered crossbreeds or hybrids with three or four overlapping genre (orsub-genre) types that identify them. (Dirks) History of Short Films ‘Short subject a name initially given to Short Films came into existence in the 1910s when the majority of the feature movies were being made into loner run-time editions. The name ‘short subject is an American film industry term, which was assigned to any film within 20 minutes long or running two reels. Short subject films could be comedy, animated, or live action. One of the best known users of short subject was Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin. In 1930s came the slowdown of the short subjects, basically produced by Warner Bros and Famous studios that owned their own theatres to showcase the films. By 1995s, the rise of television led to the strangulation of the live action- short and at the same time the fall cartoon short. Since the 1960s, majority of the directors of short films have been special studio projects or independent film makers. Since the 1980s, short film term was being used for short subject. Short film as a term describes the non- commercial film that is much shorter in time length than a feature film/ an analogy that can be drawn for short film to a feature film is that of a novella and a novel. The short filmmakers heavily depend on the short film festivals and art exhibitions to showcase their short films. At the same time, these film makers have more freedom to take up more difficult topics than normal feature films as the risks are lower. Short film making is now a growing as more and more amateurs, students, common man, and enthusiasts are taking this up because of the affordability of the technology to make such films. At the same time one can showcase his work to the world by uploading it on web portals and sharing it with others. It is an area where people are turning to as a hobby, as an art, to achieve their form expressions. (Wiernicki) Festival de Cannes The Festival is an apolitical no-mans-land, a microcosm of what the world would be like if people could contact each other directly and speak the same language. Jean Cocteau Being first large international cultural event after the World War II, the Festival de Cannes opened on 20th September, 1946. The Palme dOr was created in 1955. Palme dOr became the enduring symbol of the Cannes Film Festival, awarded each and every year since to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition. At present, Festival de Cannes invites film makers from around the world to present their work in one place and exchange cultural experiences. The selections for the awards are done from a nomination of films from all over the world, from different socio-economic backgrounds, different cultures, and different historical backgrounds. Cannes offers an opportunity to determine a particular countrys image of its cinema. Festival de Cannes is a melting pot of global cinema and filmmakers. This is the reason why I have undertaken the study of the award winning short films at festival de Cannes. (Festival History) KNOWLEDGE GAP Looking at the current literature review, we see that there is a knowledge gap regarding the study of Short Films in the contemporary cinema as a communication medium. This subject requires an in-depth analysis and more research to come up with some perspectives in this area. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To take selected works of Short Films of contemporary cinema, last ten years winner of Cannes Palme dOr du court mÃÆ' ©trage (1999-2009), and analyse the context and form of Short films. Content of the winners of the Cannes Short Film awards (1999-2009) in context of political, sociological, economical, and historical backgrounds. To study the narrative codes in the films to arrive at a deeper understanding of the short films. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The Qualitative research methodology is used in this study. The method would involve content analysis (Roland Barthes), text/narrative analysis and semiotic analysis of the movies. The Sample: The Short Film award winners of Palme dOr du court mÃÆ' ©trage (Cannes Short Film Palme dOr) in Festival de Cannes in the last 10 years (1999-2009). The following Short Films have been selected for the study: Arena Megatron Ver Llover Sniffer Podorozhni Trafic Cracker Bag Eso Utan Bean Cake Anino Why the above Sample? The above following sample has been chosen for the reason being that theFestival de Cannes(le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1946, is one of the worlds oldest, finest and most prestigiousfilm festivals which has a very good representation of directors from across the world from different cultural, political, historical, religious, economical, and sociological backgrounds. This provides us with a variety of content for our study. The above movies are selected also on the basis of them being a part of contemporary cinema. How to Study Short Films Some of the salient points/ questions that will be used to do this study of short films are as follows: 1. Who is telling the story? Why is it being told? Does it appear to have a purpose? (media agencies, authorial voice, writers and auteurs, marketing, economics, ideology) 2. How is it experienced? Who consumes it, where and in what way? (readers and media audiences- private and public experience, narrative structures) 3. How is it made? (film technology, publishing and episodic publishing-the differences they make to the production process as well as to the finished product) 4. How does it construct meaning? (film language and written language-expectations of audiences and readers, codes and conventions, narrative structures) 5. How does it represent its subject- especially with reference to period? (representation, use of stereotypes, representation of the past) (FILM STUDY GUIDE FOR TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, 2003) 6. Three Ways of Thinking Talking About Films(Wilder, 1997) Literary Aspects Dramatic Aspects Cinematic Aspects Who are the characters in the film? Did the actors make you forget they were acting? How? What vivid visual images did you note? What did they make you feel or think about? What is the films setting? Were costumes, make-up, and set equally important to the success of the film? What sounds or music do you remember? What did they make you feel or think about? What are the main plot elements? In what scene was an actors voice (pitch, volume, expression) particularly effective? What scenes can you understand even without dialogue? Why? From whose point of view is the story told? Select a scene that must have been difficult to act. How did the actor make his or her body movements appropriate and convincing? What scene has very effective or unusual editing? What is the theme of the film? Describe a scene in which facial expression was important. What feelings were developed? Were words necessary? If the film uses special effects, do they add to or detract from your enjoyment of the film? What is the mood of the film? Did the actors establish their characters more through dialogue or through movement and facial expressions? What symbols did you notice? How is this film like or unlike other films by the director? Does this director have a recognizable style? Was there anything about the acting, set, or costumes that bothered you or interfered with your watching of the film? EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION Given that the art of making Short Films is on the upward trend it is necessary to analyze the current trends, narratives, and the context of the Short Films genre in our contemporary cinema. We have enough knowledge on feature length movies but we lack information on the Short Films of our age. The study of this medium is important as Short films are a highly effective medium of communication and will gain importance going forward. As more and more people are turning towards Short Film making due to accessibility to technology, it is one field that needs attention in our world of cinema. A study of its content will give us a better understanding of the Short Films and world around us through their camera scope is imperative.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Martin Ritt’s Norma Rae Essay -- Capitalism Factories Essays

Martin Ritt’s Norma Rae Martin Ritt’s Norma Rae portrays the plight of the Southern factory worker during the 1970’s. As the film progresses and Norma Rae fights for her rights, it is difficult to believe that economic system under which she works is that of capitalism. Yet, the very idea that she is able to advocate for her self and for others, as workers in a factory with the support of a union organizer, demonstrates the role of the worker in a capitalist society. Norma Rae was able to form a union because the system maintained that she had the authority to do so. The formation of the factory was based in capitalism. Financial capital is used to gain access to resources. The textile factory that employed Norma Rae may not have been a purely capitalist environment, but the society in which it was constructed was fundamentally capitalist. That society permitted establishment of a union in the factory to ensure workers rights. The Textile Workers Union of America sent a representative to the factory to ensure that the company was obeying the laws of the greater capitalist society. Those laws were established with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act) which protects workers rights to unionize. The representative, Rueben Wychofsky, understood the provision of this law and its subsequent amendments and used his rights and the rights of the workers to create a union. This process occurred with the help of Norma Rae, an employee who rallied the other workers to exercise their rights. Society’s sanctions in the form of labor laws forced the factory to obey the conventions of capitalist society in the form of better working conditions and a fair wage. A capitalist society is rooted i... ...ervisory position, thereby attempting to buy her silence through rewards of an increased wage and responsibility. The textile factory portrayed in Norma Rae, was not a pristine example of capitalism, since the factory was steeped with bad practice. Throughout the film, the supervisors and managers manipulated regulations in order to maintain an infer-structure that maximized profits. This film is an example of the system of checks and balances that have come to exist in capitalist society. These checks and balances permit manufacturing facilities to earn a fair profit and remain in business while, at the same time, provide workers with fair wages and decent working conditions. Because competition exists, both in terms of the labor market and the market for goods, the greater society is able to demand that industry conform to certain collective standards.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Idealism in the Knights Tale Essay exampl

Idealism in the Knight's Tale      Ã‚   Despite its glorified accounts of the chivalrous lives of gentlemen, the Knight ¹s Tale proves to be more than a tragically romantic saga with a happy ending. For beneath this guise lies an exploration into the trifling world of the day ¹s aristocratic class. Here, where physical substance is superseded by appearance, reality gives way to disillusioned canon and emotion is sacrificed for honor. Naà ¯ve idealism emerges as the dominant characteristic of the seemingly flawless knight and we, as the reader, are asked to discern the effect of this fanciful quality on the story as a whole.    To further investigate this argument one basic premise must be established as the groundwork: Theseus is the character with whom the knight most closely associates himself. Upholding "trouthe and honour" in their conquests of battle and noble rule, both epitomize the sacred rite of "chivalrie". In the Knight ¹s Tale, nearly all the attributes with which he is praised in the Prologue are directly used in correlation with the duke. Thus, the language and actions of Theseus throughout the story can be superimposed onto the knight. These connections, along with the selective narration of the knight, allow the reader to observe the essence of their gallantry and the disparities that exist in this lifestyle. Undoubtedly Chaucer intended this to be a biting attack on the aristocracy, which to so many seemed impeccable.    Generalized and idyllic, the voice of the narrator offers the first clue into the puzzle of the knight. With well-chosen words, he tiptoes through the plot, careful never to pass any judgement on the characters and their actions. His high language all but excludes ... ...ered a gypon Al bismotered with his habergeon, For he was late ycome from his viage,    Works Cited and Consulted Elbow, Peter. "How Chaucer Transcends Oppositions in the Knight's Tale." Chaucer Review. Vol. 7. No. 2. Ed. Robert Frank. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, 1972. Finalyson, John. "The Knight's Tale: The Dialogue Of Romance, Epic, And   Philosophy." Chaucer Review. Vol. 27. No. 2. Ed. Robert Frank. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, 1992. Frost, William. "An Interpretation of Chaucer's Knight's Tale." Chaucer Criticism. Vol. 1. Ed. Richard Schoeck. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1960. Roney, Lois. Chaucer's Knight's Tale and Theories of Scholastic Psychology.  Ã‚   Tampa: University of South Florida Press, 1990. Spearing, A.C. The Knight's Tale. London: Cambridge University Press, 1966.   

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Oil Refinery and Norwegian Petroleum Directorate

Chartek 59, marketed the world’s first intumescent epoxy material, is a production from the Apollo Program conducted by NASA, in which spacecraft was tested in every aspect to ensure that the astronauts and the spacecraft themselves can withstand the harsh condition of space and the extremely high temperatures of re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The material is used in the heat shield of the Apollo. When re-entering, the shield will burn because of the high temperature due to friction. However, Chartek chars, dissipates heat through burn-off and creates a protective coating which prevents the heat from penetrating anywhere further than the outer surface of the spacecraft, keeping the inside cabin at a comfortable temperature of 21oC. When exposing to high temperature heat or flame, Chartek expands in volume, acting as an insulating barriers. Although there is not yet any serious fire accident reflecting its quality, Chartek is considered an effective material used in modern fireproofing systems, based on the results of tests on stability, integrity and insulation conducted by the Underwritten Laboratories (UL) and Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). The following table shows some comparison fire endurance times for various composite panels. The black bar shows 60 minutes for the time endurance of a Chartek-coated panel, which is relatively long. It is constantly improved and recently has been marketed out in form of intumescent paints and foams; its innovations are critical fire-proofing materials in such industrial facilities as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, as well as in commercial infrastructures and such public buildings as schools, hospitals, airports and shopping malls. Chartek and one of its innovations, Interchar, contribute largely to the development of safer workplace and public buildings. In normal condition, Chartek coating provides a resilient and smooth finish to the exposed steel structure. In emergency fire events, the materials offer longer time of fire protection, slowing down the process of collapsing and providing more time for the building occupants to evacuate safely. The use of Chartek in fireproofing systems significantly benefits the economy. The infrastructures are so effectively protected in fire events that the cost of repairing the buildings is greatly reduced. The material also acts as a corrosion protection layer, increasing the durability of the inner material, which can save a great deal of money on maintaining the buildings in good condition. In addition, human damage and injury payment can be considerably cut down since the workplace is much safer. Some of Chartek innovations, such as Chartek 3, Chartek 7 and Chartek 1709, are used in the fire-proofing systems of offshore structures as in the oil refinery platform of Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and Caltex Lytton refinery in Brisbane, Australia.

Nature of the Gods in the Iliad

The Homeric gods know they are better than the mortals that serve them and do not care much when they fight and have quarrels. The gods can always withdraw from the battle and never have to worry about dying or suffering that the humans live with every day during the war. This is where we see the motivations of the gods, their relationships with mortals, relationships with each other and the power and authority of Zeus.The motivations of the gods differ greatly throughout the Iliad, including the legislations they have with soldiers who were fighting in the war. For example, Aphrodite has a special relationship with the Trojan hero, Paris. When he is wounded In a battle with Menelaus, she † whisked Paris away with the sleight of a goddess. (3, 370-400)† She took Paris away from the fighting because she liked him because he chooses her as the prettiest over Hear and Athena in an earlier part of the myth. She saved him out of her own honor, not for Paris' life. Selfishness was one of the motivations of the gods.When the priest of Apollo has his daughter taken by the Greeks and they refuse to give her back he prays to Apollo saying â€Å"Hear me, Silvereye, Protector of Cherry†¦ Grant me this prayer: Let the Damns pay for my tears with your arrows. Apollo heard his prayer and descended Olympus' crags pulsing with fury, bow slung over one soldier, the arrows rattling In their case on his back as the angry god moved Like night down the mountain. † (1 , 45-50) Because Apollo valued prayers to him he sent arrows that rained down on the Greeks for nine days causing many of them to die from the plague.The reason Apollo retaliates is cause he feels insulted that the Greeks do not respect his priest and In return himself. He starts killing the Greeks out of selfishness and the desire of Keels_ Even the gods wanted honor. This motivated them to go to war with the mortals. The gods also value control and power. They use the heroes of each side as paw ns in their war to see which gods will win and see which are stronger. The gods' motivations differed from one god to the next, and this occasionally caused conflict between them. The gods are displayed as one big, dysfunctional family.The gods' relationships with each there are based on distrust and hatred between each other. The gods have conflict about everything Just like most humans do. Their conflict usually plays out in the mortal world and Is willing to fight each other to affect the outcome of the war. Even though Zeus is the most powerful and threatens the others often, they still continue to go against him Just not in fighting him. Hear tricks him, Athena helps some of the heroes, and Poseidon helps the Greek side when Zeus is knocked out. They do this to show that they think they are smarter than Zeus and want power.Zeus realizes this ND says â€Å"Hear you scheming blotch, this trick of yours has taken Hector out and routed his army. (10, 15-MOM' Zeus becomes furious w ith Hear because she tricks him into falling asleep for a long enough time while she and Poseidon help the Greeks, which were against Zeus because he was helping the Trojan. This was only a simple trick and did not Involve fighting Like most of the war. Athena says she will protect Dimmest, son of Études, and she stands on Greeks' side. Athena agrees to do this because she doesn't like Ares because Ares turned Trojan and abandoned theI OFF his spear home to the pit of Ares' belly, where the kilt-piece covered it. † Athena seriously injured the god Ares but could not kill him because he is immortal. This made him back out of the war and gave the Greeks the upper hand once again. The gods were always against each other because of personal reasons and this caused many humans to die because of what they chose to do. The gods seem to have a unique relationship with the mortals in the epic poem. The gods do not actually care much about what happens to the humans.The gods do not allow something to append to the mortals based on this outside force that predestines everything. The gods, especially Zeus, believe heavily in fate. Zeus tells the other gods that fears something may interfere with fate, â€Å"If Achilles is the only fighting out there, the Trojan won't last a minute against him†¦ I fear he may exceed his fate and demolish the wall. (20, 20)† He sent the gods into the war to stop Achilles from destroying the Trojan army before it was foretold. This causes much more death but that does not matter as much as fate to the gods.Not even the all and powerful Zeus would try to sees with fate. Zeus wishes to alter the destiny set for his son, and despite his superiority to the other Olympian (not to mention the other minor gods and goddesses), he is unable to resist the authority of his daughters, the Fates. Hear even makes him not go against fate. Zeus says â€Å"Fate has it that Sarandon, whom I love more than any man, is to be killed by Pat rols. Shall I take him out of the battle while he still lives? (16)† Hear says â€Å"A mortal man, whose fate has long been fixed, and you want to save him from rattling death. 16)† So Zeus understood that he should to change the fate for even his dear Sarandon. This shows us once again that fate is more powerful than all of the gods. Zeus does care some about the Trojan, but he is just repaying a favor to Thesis, Achilles' mother. Thesis begs Zeus â€Å"Give the Trojan the upper hand until the Greeks grant my son the honor he deserves† (1, 540-541) and Zeus does it. He made the Trojan army start winning battles Just because of a personal debt to a goddess. This shows us how much he really cared for the outcome of the war.Zeus was the strongest of all of the gods and the mortals did not mean ere much to him. The power and authority of the leader of the gods, Zeus, is very prevalent throughout the Iliad. Zeus focuses on having the upper hand compared to all the ot her gods when it comes to power and authority. He never gives up the chance to remind the other gods who is the strongest of them all. Zeus was undoubtedly stronger than all of the other gods put together. He is even so certain of his power as to say that he could take them all on without breaking a sweat.Zeus tells the other gods â€Å"These two hands are more powerful than all the gods on Olympus imbibed† (8, 462-463) Zeus bragged throughout the entire myth about his power. All of the other gods knew not to fight against Zeus so they all tried to outsmart him which worked on occasion. [Zeus to the other gods] â€Å"Come on. Hang a gold cable down from the sky. All you gods and goddesses holding the end couldn't drag me down from the sky to earth Zeus the Master, no matter how hard you tried. † (8, 20-30) He knew he was that much stronger than all the others. When he told the gods they could interfere they did.When he told them they couldn't they listened for the most art. His authority was unmatched by any of the other gods. Affect the gods at all except it excites them into doing battle with each other and choosing a favorite side. They gods may have fought the battle but their ability made them unable to die and they did not suffer making them far superior to the mortals that were fighting for their lives on the battlefield. The nature of the gods is seen in the epic through their motivations, how the mortals where treated by the gods, how they saw each other as gods, and Zeus' strength and prowess above all the other gods.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Social Experience

Social Experience Social experience is a lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture. The interaction of humans has been studied through the ages by thinkers of all types Darwin, Watson, Freud, Meade and Paigets. They all came up with a different view of how we develop socially. How important are the roles of family, school, peer groups and the media on our personality development or is it all preordained and instinctual. There are two different theories of what happens in the beginning.Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud believed that human behaviors were biologically based, that we have instinct for human competitiveness, sexual and emotional bonding, and aggressive behavior. The other school of thought as studied and proven by John B. Watson, Jean Paigets, and George Herbert Meade was that behaviorism or instincts are learned. Home is where the heart is and the beginning of the most important part of our skill set in interacting with oth ers and molding our personalities? Family is where we look for nurturing in the early childhood stages.Ideally family would be the foundation where the child would be given a safe and caring environment, teaching them skills, values and beliefs. In situations that lack this there are various levels of dysfunction that appear. This was proven by Harry and Margaret Harlow in the study of social isolation of young children. Total isolation of the child for six months or less will cause them to become passive, anxious, and fearful when introduced to groups of people, anything longer than that and the child will never fully regain the ability to function in society.Young children learn from their environment and are in the sensorimotor stage as Jena Paigets proclaims in the theory of cognitive development. They experience the world only through their senses in the ages of 0-2 years. Preoperational stages follows after that from 2-6 years using symbol, language and the beginnings of imagi nation and mental thought. The progression of learning in the family teaches us about our race and class in society. People born into a lower class family are not only affected financially but expectations can be lower.Families in struggling environments push conformity to help the family get by but these stresses of social inequality can make disobedience more prevalent. Families of higher standings or wealth can focus on good judgment, creativity and looking to the future. Schools become the second agent of socialization. It enlarges the social world of the child. Gender roles start to emerge. Boys tend to engage in more physical activities outdoors and behaviors inside the classroom can become more aggressive. Girls on the other hand typically do chores like help the teacher. They are quieter and better behaved.This brings into play the concrete operational stage of cognitive theory when children become aware of their surroundings. They focus on the how and why of things. Schools also teach an education curriculum some of which is apparent but there is also a hidden curriculum, such as spelling bees teaching children there are winners and losers, sports teaching skills of cooperation and competition. School is the first exposure to how the bureaucratic world works with the impersonal rules and strict schedules. This gives them the skill set to cope with the large organizations that may employ them.The third agent is the peer group; a social group whose members have interests, social position and age in common. George Herbert Meade has a theory of the social self. The Self or personality is composed of self awareness and self image; it develops only with social experience. It requires imagining the situation from the others point of view. The peer group can facilitate the knowledge of forming relationships outside of the family. It gives individuals a chance to discuss things of interest that might not be interesting to a parent or a partner.It produces soci al ties that lead to loyalty and pride in their peer groups which can lead to putting other groups down. We strive for anticipatory socialization which is the learning that takes place to help a person achieve a desired position, like Eagle Scout in Boys Scouts. The power of peer groups can be positive or negative to an adolescent. Challenges of gaining their identities in the absence of the family can leave the peer group as their only source for information. Teenagers are growing up faster every day because of divorce and both parents working.They become self sufficient sooner out of necessity rather than choice. The mass media it’s everywhere 24/7 and it is teaching our children. Is that bad? Socialization through the media is with us for good. There is one set for every person today. We spend half our free time watching it. Critics on both sides of the political arena have reservations about it. The liberals feel television plays a part in promoting racial and ethnic ster eotypes. The conservatives think television is dominated by the liberal elites and their message. The true concern for socialization is the amount of violence on the airways.Can it be healthy for a young child to watch people killed or better yet play a video game and be the one doing the killing? Media should never become the babysitter, parent and friend. The mind will become an unimaginative place if we stare to long at someone else’s imagination. It is already taking a toll on the health of our children with obesity rates getting higher every day. I can remember playing outside on the neighborhood streets till dusk. Riding bikes and walking to the local grocery store. Television is a good form of entertainment I fear based on the material in the book.It is becoming an obsession. The most important part of socialization will always be the family. This is where you should be able to go to feel safe. This is where you start and can continue to have a foundation to life. In t he reading of the many theorists there is development along the way but none of it as important as the things you learn in the beginning. Family is your tribe, your survival group. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a blood relative but the socialization needs to begin somewhere with someone for us to become a responsible member of society.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Review of Related Literature and Studies Essay

This chapter deals with the review of Literatures and Studies. It also presents the synthesis of the review and its relevance to the present study. Related Literature AMA student Kariz Reinalyn B. Galano (et. al. Don Ricardo C. Lazaro, Rozmaigne Ann L. Sebastian, Kevin Patrick E. Viesca) (2012) cited in their approved thesis proposal at present ACLC has three hundred sixty five students enrolled. The institution is currently using a manual system in their Library and has weak security. Students can borrow books but need to return it within 5 school days. There is no proper monitoring on books being returned. There are no penalties imposed to the students as well. The only way the librarian will find out if there are still pending books not returned is during the end of semester at the inventory period. The librarian then will not sign the clearance of the students who failed to return the books. Another problem is the list of inventory of books. The students need to go and ask for the librarian’s assistance in order for them to search for the books. Karen Foss (2010), Library Director of the Catawba County Library System in Newton, North Carolina has expressed that it is difficult to find materials to help new public library managers cultivate their professional development. Most of the research and writings on library management have focused on academic libraries and only recently has there been more interest in the administration of public libraries. The skill and style of public library managers – the directors, branch managers, and department and service managers who are leading these institutions – strongly affects the culture of a public library. Library staff looks to these managers to help them navigate through the rapid changes that are occurring in public libraries as these changes in technology, roles, and user expectations strongly alter their daily routines of public service. Contemporary library managers need a wider array of skills and attributes than their earlier and more traditional counterparts and will need to seek continual professional development to remain effective as public libraries transition into the twenty-first century. These managers will also need to distinguish between management and leadership skills and learn to identify and mentor leaders within their staff who can assist in the transition. According to Alvin javelosa (2011) library is a collection of books, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. The term â€Å"library† has itself acquired a secondary meaning: â€Å"a collection of useful material for common use,† and in this sense is used in fields such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, electronics and biology. this study will help the library personnel or the librarian in monitoring the books accurately. Further, the use of cataloguing will be made easier through an advance system provided by this study. The librarian is encountering problems in doing transactions like borrowing books, checking the availability of books, returning and accessioning of books because all the transactions are being done manually. The process is time consuming. This proposed system will provide their library a computerized system making it more organized and easy to access. The advantage of this study is to make their current system more effective and efficient. This computerized library system is a transaction processing system (TPS) that will provide a convenient cataloguing, inventory, monitoring, accessioning, borrowing, returning, security and retrieving of records. html) According to Mohd Fairuz Anwar Bin Mahadi (2005), The Library management system will store all the books and members information that consist book number, book title, author name and racks to the system database. The system also provides search function to help students find the book by number of book. Search functions will search through the books database to look for the book and view where the book is situated. For the administrator user, only librarians have access to view or edit data from the system databases. Administrator user will handle administrative functions such create new LMS user account and decide the number of days allowed for the borrowed books. User needs to enter correct password and user id before user can access this function. From here, user can add, delete or update the book and borrower database. (http://library. utem. edu. my/index2. php? option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=3761&Itemid=208) According to Donna M. Salinas (2010) Library is the best place in the school where the students review and study. It is the place where students study so our group aims to improve the manual operation of the library system. We thought of something that makes the time of students and library personnel decreases for searching and borrowing of books. (http://www. scribd. com/doc/56632694/library-system) Related Studies: According to Shelagh (2001) Fisher library management system is becoming marginalized in the context of ICT developments currently taking place within the library sector because suppliers have failed to keep up with such developments, or have been more concerned with keeping up with the changes in the core functions. The aim of this research, therefore, was to determine the feasibility of developing and disseminating a model system specification which could be used to assist and guide libraries in the procurement of library management systems. The premise was that if a core set of requirements for library management systems, as articulated by purchasing libraries, could be identified, it followed that it would be feasible to develop a model specification or ‘toolkit’ on which procuring libraries could draw. Identification of a potential core set of requirements could be identified primarily by undertaking analyses of  specifications produced by libraries for the tendering process in acquiring a library management system. Thus forty-one specifications were collected from libraries which had recently acquired a library management system, and these were subjected to various levels of analysis. The results are reported in Section 4. Secondly, it was decided that as library system suppliers were in receipt of large numbers of specifications produced by procuring library authorities they were in a strong position to comment on the feasibility, and desirability, of developing a model specification. Thus, a survey of UK system suppliers was undertaken to determine the collective view of suppliers on the role, content, quality and usefulness of the specification as a procurement tool. The results of the survey are reported in Section 5. A detailed account of the methods used in this Study is provided in Section 3. The next section (Section 2) provides a review of the literature on the role and content of specifications, and identifies weaknesses in approaches to producing specifications for the purchase of library systems. (et. al. Rachel Delbridge, Sian Lambert) (http://www. cerlim. ac. uk/projects/harmonise/harmonise. pdf). According to Veronica Adamson (2008) Changes in society and technology are impacting significantly on UK HE libraries and consequently on their management systems. Demographic changes, political and economic drivers are affecting university services and funding structures, and a ‘new realism’ of pragmatic economic and business considerations presides. (JISC & SCONUL LMS Study Report, March 2008) Library management systems have developed in response to technical advances and user requirements, mainly in developing electronic interfaces, refining standards and access protocols, purchasing and acquisition processes and cataloguing systems. Increasing globalization of goods, services and communities means that technical platforms are now developed on an international basis and implemented for a worldwide network of users and contributors. A new market for library services and information provision has emerged, with Google and Amazon as a de facto paradigm and metaphor for discovery and delivery. Perceptions of the role and function of the university library are changing, developing and often conflicting, particularly in relation to the provision for collection and circulation, resource discovery, ownership and control, personalization  and seamless access to resources. Enhancing usability and accessibility for an increasingly diverse user community is of increasing importance for libraries. Today’s library users expect speed and immediacy of information discovery, one-stop access to aggregated services, user-generated open content, and personalized, workflow-related delivery to the desktop. (et. al. Paul Bacsich, Ken Chad, David Kay, Jane Plenderleith) (http://www. jisc. ac. uk/media/documents/programmes/resourcediscovery/lmsstudy. pdf). According to Herrera C Rocio (1987) the work habits of users in any activity requiring information, the importance they attach to obtaining it and the facilities at their disposal, their knowledge of these facilities, their assessment of their value and the possibility of their obtaining what they are looking for are the factors that affect user behaviour in the quest for information. The behaviour of the users of university libraries specifically is affected, in addition to the above factors, by others directly related to the university environment, such as teaching methods and the type of education provided. The country’s education system is a teaching-learning process largly consisting in an essentially repetitive pattern in which the student consumes and reproduces the concepts transmitted by the teacher. This model is mainly based on the university lecture system, in which the teacher simply gives a course of study and provides the pupil with a brief bibliography consisting basically of texts. The result has been that education has not become a critical and creative process and library resources have accordingly been under-utilized. As regards the response to the information services provided by university libraries, it can be said that research workers do not use the services properly since the role of the library as an agent for the transfer of information has been disregarded in the research process, this type of user tending to acquire information through informal channels of communication, such as personal contacts with other colleagues. In its turn, the library has neglected its task as a constituent part of the research enterprise, forgetting that one of the priorities of the university, in addition to its teaching role, is that of research, which is the source of much knowledge of benefit not only to the university but also to the community in general. The university library should pay special attention to ascertaining not only the specific information needs of each type of user but also user behaviour patterns in the information retrieval process, in order that these needs may be met and the factors responsible for the non-use of the library restricted to a minimum. This will be achieved through an appropriate methodology for conducting user studies, which will then provide guidelines for the organization of user training or instruction courses aimed at the various groups. These courses will influence the future response of users to information services. Since user behaviour in the information retrieval process determines the level of library-user interaction, continual monitoring by the librarian of changes in that behaviour is necessary. These changes are dependent not only on information needs but also on the possible impact of the introduction of new services. This shows that, over and above the matter of training in the use of library resources, user behaviour presents a number of special features, largely reflecting the fact that the information needs of those concerned are not well defined and that their request for information are consequently vague and very general. It follows that library staff should bear in mind their active role in promoting and publicizing their services and resources since, despite the continual emphasis placed on the role of information in development, it has been shown that users tend to dispense with non-essential information, the usual practice being to rely on memory, to evade the problem or to solve it with vague or incomplete information. However, it should not be overlooked that there is another group of users who consult libraries actively and effectively in order to satisfy their information needs; although accessibility influences the use that they make of resources, the most important thing for this group is their confidence and faith in the information system. (c Loreto M. Libia and Rua R. Ivan) (http://www. unesco. org/webworld/ramp/html/r8722e/r8722e0l. htm) According Neelakdan,B (2010) a sincere attempt has been made towards finding out ways and means for automating activities in the School of Chemistry Library. The objective of this study is to use the Koha Open Source software system for the automation of the major day ­ to ­day activities of the various section of the School of Chemistry Library, which is tiresome and cumbersome. After the investigation, the researcher has found that Koha Software is more suitable for the library Automation. This project had the basic objective of designing a bibliographic database for the School of Chemistry library, with which the automation of circulation routines is carried out. From this point of view it may be concluded that Koha is a useful package for the creation of a database and for information retrieval. This set of Manuals for the automation of circulation section is tested with the database created from the collection of chemistry department library. A sample database for a few thousand works and a database of the users/borrowers are created. With that test sample the Manuals for each function of the circulation section is tested with the available computer system. Koha is an integrated software system with all the required models for small to very large libraries. It is found that this automation projects will serve as a model for any library. (http://www. ipublishing. co. in/jarvol1no12010/EIJAER1014. pdf) According to Dio P. Doble (2011) A college strengthens its educational level through the advancement of its library. The Botolan Community College Computerized Library System aimed to enhance the procedures of the library, from manually operated to a computerized system. This proposal’s purpose was to ease the transactions in the library, i,e. , leading of books, storing of books, search engine for books, manage members of the library and secure the library system. The librarian and the library users still use the manual way of transacting of borrowing and returning of books. The librarian use log books in listing the books. They use library cards and card catalogues in searching for reading and reference materials. (http://www. scribd. com/doc/99431218/Computerized-Library-System).