Auteur Critics Cinema

The auteur theory can be summarised most simply as an acknowledgement of the director as the primary and shaping force behind a film (Craig Keller). How is Godards primary and shaping influence detectable, if indeed, it is? Introduction The auteur theory was a principle developed in the 1950s by a group of French film critics namely: Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. It was their belief that an auteur was the single individual most responsible for whatever personal expression (if any) a movie yielded up under critical analysis. This definition has become the most universally understood of the auteur theory and therefore the one which will be referred to during this dissertation. These critics wanted to see an end to la tradition de la qualit of conventional cinema of the 1930s and 1940s a period coined le cinma de papa. They viewed films produced at that time to be literary, lifeless and not truly cinematic. Inspired by fellow film critic Alexandre Astrucs camera-stylo theory arguing that filmmakers should use their equipment as spontaneously, flexibly and personally as a writer uses a pen these young critics began to break the constraints of conventional cinema. Prior to the development of the auteur theory, a large majority of films were produced, shot and edited in similar styles. Large studios, with fixed cameras and scriptwriters having overall control were common, thus creating a rigid style of film production. However, in the 1950s and 60s, a period labelled the Nouvelle Vague, French cinema was completely revolutionised. During this time films moved away from the confines of the big studios and artificial lighting; to outside, using light weight Arriflex cameras which sped up the film process. During this period directors began to experiment with several new cinematic techniques whilst implementing their own personal artistic values in films. These directors came to be known as auteurs becoming the primary and shaping force behind their films, manipulating scenes to fit their style rather than employing the traditional method of following scriptwriters prompts. In terms of the auteur theory Jean-Luc Godard was seen as the truly radical auteur. By most he is today seen as one of the most innovative and artistic directors having created his own Godard style. As Godard himself suggests, les vrais auteurs des films sont les producteursle cinema na davenir que si la camera finit par remplacer le stylo. Godard epitomises a director out to challenge traditional cinema. Through such films as Vivre sa Vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962) and Une femme est une femme he began to interrogate and illuminate conventional cinema via new cinematic and artistic techniques. This dissertation will assess the extent to which Jean-Luc Godards primary and shaping influence is detectable in his films. In the main body of this dissertation I will consider Godards ability to implement his own cinematic style through several inventive techniques. I will consider his ability to challenge the barriers between off screen and on screen reality. Furthermore, I will analyse his use of camera shots, editing techniques, colour and sound so as to demonstrate his pivotal influence on the shaping of his films. I will however, also argue that any kind of definition of the auteur theory oversimplifies the realities of a film making process and can therefore not be seen as a definitive theory. Andrew Sarris explains, one of the premises for an auteur is that the director must exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style which serve as his signatureover a group of his films. I will, therefore, make reference to four of Godards films: A bout de Souffle (1960), Une femme est une femme (1961), Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962) and Le Mepris (1963) to demonstrate how Godard yields personal influence in his films. One of Godards premises as a film director was his belief that realism was a pivotal part of film making. Godard believed that realism attempted by conventional cinema was never exactly the same as reality, and in cinema it is of necessity faked. It was therefore Godards intention to continually experiment with new ideas and make his actors improvise in certain scenes in order to encapsulate what he believed would be the closest thing to real life. Following the release of A Bout de Souffle actor Jean-Pierre Melville who played Parvulesco in the film said Godards movie was anything shot anyhow. Godard himself confirmed that on A Bout de Souffle I used to write the evening before shooting. According to Godard, the reason for him doing this was because I liked to be surprised. If you know in advance everything you are going to do, it isnt worth doing. If a show is all written down, what is the point of filming it? What use is cinema if it trails after literature? Godards obsessive need to shape the smallest minutiae made him standout amongst his peers by firmly embedding him as the autonomous force behind all aspects of the film making process. In addition, if one reads the script of Le Mpris it clearly shows his belief in improvisation to encapsulate real life. In the thirty minute apartment scene in which Camille and Paul argue, the only direction is man in hat. Man in towel. Blond woman. Woman in black wig. Sheets on coach. Sheets off couch. Dishes on table. Love. Anger. Contempt. Tenderness. This therefore forced the actors to improvise in the hope that the scene would be more realistic than just learning their lines by heart. This idea of filmmaking was revolutionary at the time and was a way in which Godard was implementing his own directional style to his movies. As Kreidel suggested in 1980 [N]o one has yet made a more modern cinema than Godard. For those familiar with Godards work the quote used above anything shot anyhow should strike a chord. His use of the camera to manipulate scenes to exert his own artistic influence over his movies was just one of the ways in which his primary influence was detectable. Godard employed a range of new cinematic techniques in an attempt to escape the classical idea of a passive audience. His work was heavily influenced by Bertolt Brechts theory of Brechtian distanciation which encouraged the audience to make their own interpretations of what they were experiencing rather than them being simply led through a piece of theatre. Godard was influenced by Brechts theory in encouraging the active engagement of his audience, he breaks the illusion of the fourth wall in order to communicate directly with the audience, usually in such an enigmatic way that he seems to be satirising the whole of communication. In a key scene in A Bout de Souffle Michel, one of the lead protagonists, is filmed having a conversation with himself whilst driving. Traditionally this type of scene would be shot using a fly on the wall technique, Godard instead, by making Michel talk directly at the camera, creates the impression that Michel is directing his words at the audience. Manipulating the camera lens to involve the audience was just one of the techniques that Godard employed. In the opening scene in Vivre sa Vie he utilises a very different technique alienation. Rather than filming this scene in the traditional head-on format Godard places the camera lens behind the lead characters heads. In doing so the audience feels alienated from the conversation between the characters Nana and Raoul especially as their reflection in the mirror distances themselves even more from the audience. In addition, Godard never films the two characters in the same shot which not only highlights the divide between the characters but also the audience from the characters conversation. As Godard himself suggests I also converge with the theatre through language: in my film one must listen to people speaking, particularly as their backs are often turned so that one is not distracted by their faces. By shooting this scene from behind Godard does just that. He forces the audience to interpret the scene through what they hear and not what they see. By exploiting these techniques Godard is undoubtedly heavily exerting his influence on these films as an auteur. Godards use of the camera to exert a primary influence on his work often manifests itself in less obvious ways. He frequently extends the length of a single shot or slows down his camera movements to provide the viewer with adequate time to concentrate on a specific image. In Le Mpris Godard is forced to do a slow panning shot in one of the final scenes of the film when Odysseus returns home to Ithica. Godards use of colour is so bold in this scene that if he quickly panned across the scene it would not give his viewers adequate time to concentrate on the composition of the colours. The scene is filmed in such a way that it adds to its artistic content. In much the same way as a writers style of writing changes or a painters brush strokes alter throughout their career, Godards style evolves throughout his films. He employs different techniques in each film but the one constant is his shaping influence on each of his works. In conventional cinema, colour was generally used in order to increase the commerciality of films. When it was occasionally used, it enhanced the mood in separate scenes. Godard employed a far more ambitious use of colour in his work. In his first two colour films Une femme est une femme and Le Mpris he predominantly used primary colours due to his interest in modern art: straight color, pop art. Godard used bold primary colours to indicate the characterisation and narrative development in his films but in such a way that it did not act upon the viewer in a directly sensual way. In Godards first colour film Une femme est une femme, Angela is intent on having a child with her husband Emile. Emile however, is not so keen on the idea and appears rather blas about the subject; he predominantly wears blue in the film which symbolises his rather laid back nature. After being repeatedly refused by Emile on the topic of having a baby, Angela goes to Emiles friend Albert to have an affair in the hope to conceive. Albert despite being happy to oblige feels no real affection for Angela and this is shown as he mainly wears grey symbolising his disinterest in her. In Godards second colour film Le Mpris, he continues the pattern of using colour to represent characters personalities but tends to also use colour to depict how characters emotions towards each other evolve throughout the movie. In the opening scene, Camille is lying in bed with Paul asking him if he loves different parts of her body. In this scene, Godard uses colour filters which are seen as a representative of what is going to happen in the film. If one considers that red symbolises love, white incertitude and blue coldness then it maps out what happens in the film, love to ambivalence to contempt. Furthermore, Godard manipulates colour to mirror personalities. Paul the scriptwriter in the film is seen in a grey suit with blue specks highlighting his passive personality. Jerry the ambitious American film producer is mostly seen in a blue suit, red tie and driving a red sports car which in turn suggests his dominant personality and his lust for Camille. In addition, Camille is shown in several coloured dresses throughout the film so as to emphasize her continual change of emotions. Finally Francesca, Jerrys secretary wears a red jumper in the scene when she seduces Paul which again emphasizes Godards attempt to symbolise emotional currents in the film. It is important to note that several critics have suggested that Godards use of primary colours can also be seen as a referent to American musicals, a genre which fascinated Godard. This referent is most evidently seen in the opening credits of Une femme est une femme when bold colourful words flash up on the screen like neon lights, reflecting the lavishness of the American musical. Furthermore, other critics suggest that the primary colours are a referent to either the French flag or American flag. The extensive analysis of these critics suggests that they themselves acknowledge Godard as playing a decisive role in the production of his films. One of Godards most revolutionary impacts on French cinema was his use of editing. Prior to the Nouvelle Vague, directors were focused on attempting to reduce the awareness of the film making process for the audience; enhancing what directors felt was reality. They would therefore use techniques such as continuity editing which prevented the audience from being aware of any cuts in between scenes, enabling them to be swept up in the film. Godard however, had a strong belief about the basics of cinema in which mise en scne (the content of individual shots) is continually inflected, articulated and transformed by montage (the editing that drives a film from one shot to another. With this strong belief Godard began to edit using techniques such as the jump-cut. The jump-cut was employed by Godard in his first motion picture A bout de Souffle. Due to a need to reduce the length of the film, Godard systematically cut out whatever could be cut, while trying to maintain some rhythm. An example of his use of jump-cuts was in the scene when Michel, the criminal, is recognised by a police officer and therefore Michel decides to shoot him. In this scene Godard zooms in on the barrel of the gun which is about to be fired by Michel. Suddenly, when Michel fires the gun there is a jump-cut and the next image is the police officer falling to the ground having been hit. Another notable example of his use of jump cut came later in the film when Patricia is riding in a stolen convertible with Michel. In this scene there are up to seven jump-cuts of Patricias head, creating discontinuity in the scene in a very clear Godard style. Whilst many critics at the time found his use of jump-cut confusing and disruptive to the flow of the film; many others recognized his jagged unruly montage heightened the jagged, unruly mood of a story propelled more by the whims of his characters than the dictates of a predetermined story, which is something evident in his film A bout de Souffle. As has been demonstrated it is clear that Godard exerted considerable influence over the editing process. It is clear that Godards films are characterised by a set of stylistic methods. Principally amongst these methods is his use of sound. Prior to the Nouvelle Vague, sound was employed in film to replicate audibly the visual emotion of a scene in order to captivate the audience and make a scene appear more realistic. Martin Heidegger highlights this tradition by suggesting that viewers have become accustomed to sounds elegant effects and thus treats them as real. Godard however, firmly believed that in faking sound to captivate the audience, one is taking away the realism that he wanted to convey in his films. A point agreed by Richard Roud who suggested that even in the most so-called realist film, sound has always been an exception. It was therefore Godards intention to restore sound so that it would captivate real life by refusing to edit or remix any previously recorded track, which he defined as sonic realism. One of Godards most notable examples of this was seen in A Bout de Souffle. Due to the sound being naturally recorded there are several scenes in the film when some of the characters conversations are muffled by natural noises. The use of natural sound reaches a peak during the scene in Patricias apartment when the noise of the sirens bellowing in through the open window actually drowns out the characters dialogue. Rather than being a distraction that takes the viewer out of the moment, the use of natural sound here, and throughout the film, only heighten the realism. After all, in life, it would be unrealistic to sit in a room with an open window in the centre of Paris and not hear any intrusive sounds. Jean Collet praises Godards creation of realism through sound stating [Godard applies] to sound the same demands as for the pictures. [He captures] life in what it offers to be seen-and to be heard-directly. Godards artistic use of sound did change in his career with the development of post-synchronised sound. Prior to the Nouvelle Vague, direct sound was used in films such as A Bout de Souffle. However, with the development of post-synchronised sound Godard was able to talk to the actors whilst filming so as to direct them and after synchronise the sound with the film footage. This also enabled him to implement his artistic Brechtian style of filmmaking in which he alienated his audience. In the opening scene in Vivre sa Vie, Godard uses the soundtrack in ten to twenty second bursts. The scene shows shots of Anna Karinas face at different angles. In conventional cinema, music would generally play consistently throughout this scene to highlight the emotional state. Godard however, plays it in bursts creating discontinuity in the scene as the soundtrack stops at random intervals. As has been demonstrated, Goddard employs a wealth of techniques in his films to manipulate sound. In playing such a pivotal role, he firmly entrenches himself as the key player in his work. Rarely before had cinema seen someone wield such a crucial influence over all aspects of the film making process. Second Section It is undeniable that Godard has produced some of the most inspiring and innovative films through his use of story line and cinematic techniques. His exploitation of light, colour, and sound, editing and alienating the audience showed Godard had revolutionised traditional French cinema and in doing so has inspired modern day film directors such as Quentin Tarrantino. However, in using Kellers summary that an auteur is simply the primary and shaping force of his films it is unquestionably oversimplifying the realities of the film making process. As Godard changed so much in his films compared to traditional cinema it is not possible for him to be praised for every aspect of his films creation. Godard said in an interview in 1983: I find it useless to keep offering the public the auteur. In Venice, when I got the prize of the Golden Lion I said that I deserve only probably the mane of this lion, and maybe the tail. Everything in the middle should go to all the others who work on the picture: the paws to the director of photography, theface to the editor, the body to the actors. I dont believe in the solitude ofthe auteur with a capital A. Furthermore, Godard admitted that him and the likes of Truffaut, Rohmer and Rivette whilst taking the plaudits for the auteur theory, exaggerated the significance of the theory so as to establish personal expression as one of the primary values in Nouvelle Vague films. Several theorists have also raised doubts as to the significance of the auteur. Foulcault and Roland Barthes suggest that all creative ideas are moulded by the social and political forces that surround us. They go on to state that ideas are contrived from the knowledge that one has gained from past experiences. If one puts this in the context of Godards films it would suggest that Godards cinematic ideas and techniques were influenced by what he has learnt from past experiences. An example of this can be seen in his indirect use of Brechtian distanciation. Whilst it is evident that he was inspired by Brechts idea of alienating the audience to prevent them from being passive observers can one really claim that Godards cinematic techniques were not the result of Brechts indirect influence? Furthermore, when analysing many of Godards films, Godard refers to several quotes from the likes of William Faulkner and Edgar Poe. These are quotes which could have been easily edited but instead Godard taste for quotation suggests that he is not the primary and shaping force in his films. Language One of Godards obsessions as a director was his use of language and his belief that words could represent anything. Whether his characters are just mouthing words or when they say one thing and then immediately contradict it, it exhibits his desire to become a writer through his films. In doing this he is challenging the use of words and at the same time expressing his desire to be an author, similar to that of being a novelist or playwright. He wants to aspire to the status of being a writer as though cinema is some sort of parvenu that can find legitimacy by talking about poetry of cinema and therefore elevating it to that status. Godard therefore investigated how meaningful words can express the way you feel, through his use of subtitles, language through signs and translation. Vivre sa Vie is a good example of this as the characters speak different languages and therefore need an intermediary, Francesca to put their views across. Furthermore, in one of the final scenes of Le Mepris Camille and Jerry, despite not speaking the same language use signs to express their thoughts. Camille states that she likes to type by gesturing her fingers typing on an imaginary typewriter and Jerry who gestures his reaction to this with his hands stating that she is crazy. One could also suggest that Godard is expressing his own views through the use of language. In certain scenes of Vivre sa Vie it almost appears as if Godard is either articulating his opinions through voiceovers or, uses the characters as mouth pieces of his thoughts. When Nana speaks to the philosopher she says that we are all responsible for our actions, we are free, I am responsible (which she repeats five times)you only have to take an interest in things, things are what they are, life is life. Furthermore, in the scene when Raoul reads an extract of Edward Poes bookwhich is in fact Godard doing a voiceover. This Godard style is also a very good alienating technique, as whether he is speaking implicitly or explicitly he is constantly reminding the viewer that he is making a film of which he is the director. So you are therefore never able to simply surrender to the naturalistic credibility of the language in films which was the case in conventional cinema. Rather he is deliberately making the viewer aware of the film making process.

Equality Between Indigenous And Non Indigenous Australians

Australia has achieved to a certain extent equality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. While many Aboriginal civil rights have been won, Work still needs to be done to achieve equality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Equality has been achieved for Indigenous Australians from the following events; The right to vote 1962, The 1967 Referendum, Acknowledgement of the stolen Generation 1920s – 1970s, Apology 2008, and Closing the Gap 2008. Due to our varied history, the date 26th January has a different meaning. For some it is a celebration of the landing of the first fleet at Sydney Cove (1788). To others it is marked by the civic celebrations of the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year. However this†¦show more content†¦The first phase of the Post-World War II Aboriginal rights movement was focused on the political and civil rights of Australia’s Indigenous people. Because of this, issues of the law, citizenship, voting rights and the role of the federal government were important. (The right to vote 1962) The British system was that when they conquered a country, the previously existing law of that country would remain in force. Places which were peacefully settled would have British law applied to them. The British said that New South Wales had been peacefully settled, and that therefore indigenous law would be displaced by British law – although it is unlikely that the first white settlers acknowledged that there was a system of Indigenous law anyway. The new Commonwealth of Australia came into existence on 1 January 1901. Service in the armed forces by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders during World War Two was a powerful argument in favor of their right to vote. Many people felt ‘if they were good enough to fight and die for their country, they are good enough to vote in its elections’. In 1949 there was a compromise – the Commonwealth Parliament granted the right to vote in federal elections to Indigenous people who had completed military service or who already had the right to vote in their state (Commonwealth Electoral Act 1949). In March 1962 the Commonwealth Electoral Act was amended to provide that Indigenous people could enroll to

Character Helped Shape America - 901 Words

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Ben Franklin Essay On White Example For Students

Ben Franklin Essay On White Ben Franklin: Early Life In his many careers as a printer, moralist, essayist, civic leader, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, and philosopher, for later generations of Americans he became both a spokesman and a model for the national character. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 17, 1706, into a religious Puritan household. His father, Josiah, was a candlemaker and a skillful mechanic. His mother, Abiah Bens parents raised thirteen childrenthe survivors of Josiahs seventeen children by two wives (#1). Printer Writer Franklin left school at ten years old when he was pressed into his fathers trade. At twelve Ben was apprenticed to his half brother James, a printer of The New England Courant. He generally absorbed the values and philosophy of the English Enlightenment. At the age of 16, Franklin wrote some pieces for the Courant signed Silence Dogood, in which he parodied the Boston authorities and society (#3). At one point James Franklin was imprisoned for his libe ral statements, and Benjamin carried on the paper himself. Having thus learned to resist oppression, Benjamin refused to suffer his brothers own domineering qualities and in 1723 ran away to Philadelphia (#1). Soon Franklin found a job as a printer. After a year he went to England, where he became a master printer, sowed some wild oats, amazed the locals with his swimming feats, and lived among inspiring writers of London. By 1726 Franklin was tiring of London (#1). He considered becoming an itinerant teacher of swimming, but when a Quaker merchant by the name of Thomas Denham offered him a clerkship in his store in Philadelphia, he decided to return home (#5). Returning to Philadelphia in 1726, he soon owned a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, and began to print Poor Richards Almanac. 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At home from 1762 to 1764, Franklin traveled throughout the colonies, reorganizing the American postal system (#2). The crisis caused by the Stamp Act (1765) launched Franklin into a new role as chief defender of American rights in Britain. At first he advised obedience to the act until it could be withdrawn, but news of violent protest against it in America stiffened his own conflict. After an abolition of the Stamp Act, Franklin reaffirmed his love for the British Empire and his desire to see the union of mother country and colonies secured and established, but he also warned that the seeds of liberty are universally found and nothing can eradicate them (#2). He opposed the Townshend Acts (1767) because such act s of oppression would sour American tempers and perhaps even hasten their final revolt. When the British Parliament passed the Tea Act (1773), that hurt the colonial merchants, Franklin protested in a series of finely honed political essays, including An Edict by the King of Prussia and Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One. As these sarcasms circulated in England, Franklin wrote his sister: I have held up a Looking-Glass in which some of the Ministers may see their ugly faces, and the Nation its Injustice (#4). From April 1775 to October 1776, Franklin served on the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety and in the Continental Congress, submitted articles of confederation for the united colonies, proposed a new constitution for Pennsylvania, and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. He readily signed the declaration, allowing him to become a revolutionist at the age of 70. For seven years he acted as diplomat, purchasing agent, recruiting officer, loan negot iator, admiralty court, and intelligence chief and was generally the main representative of the new United States in Europe. Though nearly 80 years old, he oversaw the dispatch of French armies and navies to North America, supplied American armies with French munitions, outfitted John Paul Jones and secured a succession of loans from the nearly bankrupt French treasury (#1). Though in his 80th year and suffering from painful bladder stones, he nonetheless accepted election for three years as president of Pennsylvania and resumed active roles in the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, the American Philosophical Society, and the University of Pennsylvania. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, although he was too weak to stand, Franklins good humor and gift for compromise often helped to prevent bitter disputes (#2). Franklins final public pronouncements urged ratification of the Constitution and approved the inauguration of the new federal government unde r his admired friend George Washington. He wrote friends in France that we are making Experiments in Politicks, but that American affairs mend daily and are getting into good order very fast. Thus, cheerful and optimistic as always, Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia on Apr. 17, 1790 (#3). His keen mind and eloquent tongue made him a truly inspirational speaker. Many of his quotations and maxims conveyed important truths relevant to modern society. Franklin, hailed as an outstanding contributor in the fields of science, politics, and literature, was also renowned for his witty tongue and humorous perspective on life (#4). The Critique The Autobiography and Other Writings of Benjamin Franklin by Frank Donovan contains the complete text of the Autobiography, generous sections of Poor Richards Almanac, and Franklins best writings from the Junto. In the autobiography, Benjamin began with the first twenty-four years of his life, penniless and unknown as he struggled to overcome the lack of a formal education. The adventures of a friendless and humble indirect character continued in Philadelphia and London. Along the journey he established his own printing press, the beginning of a financial success, and started his own newspaper. His purpose in life gradually changed as he grew older. Analyzing his behavior contributed to his personal growth: he focused on his faults and tried to rectify them. He was content in an imperfect state. He gave advice on how to achieve a successful and useful life. Ben was particularly writing to instruct the young people. Benjamin attempted to achieve virtuous excellence through the art of virtues. To acquire moral perfection a person must concentrate on one virtue per week. These virtues include temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquillity, chastity, and humility. The Autobiography is not the full story of Franklins life. It terminates approximately in his f ifty-third year, before he became Americas greatest diplomat. Poor Richard was an uneducated but experienced homespun philosopher, created and edited by Ben Franklin from 1732-1757. Although Poor Richard of the early almanacs was a dim-witted and foolish astronomer, a round character soon replaced him who was a rich source of prudent and clever aphorisms on the value of economy, hard work, and the simple life. .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 , .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .postImageUrl , .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 , .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:hover , .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:visited , .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:active { border:0!important; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:active , .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82 .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue71c72d313e4354f55f685f5a0f38f82:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Budget Cuts Essay WORKS CITED1. Benjamin Franklin. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1998 ed. CD-ROM. Danbury: Grolier Interactive Inc., 1998. 2. Franklin, Benjamin The Autobiography and other writings of Benjamin Franklin. Donovan, Frank, ed. New York: Dodd, Mead ; Company, 1963. 3. Ketcham, Ralph Benjamin Franklin. Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia. Vol.8. New York: Lexicon Publications Inc., 1989. 282-284. 4. http://library.advanced.org/22254/home.htm 5. http://www-lj.eb.com/

Mining In Space Essays - Spaceflight, Outer Space, Space Technology

Mining in Space On December 10, 1986 the Greater New York Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the engineering section of the New York Academy of Sciences jointly presented a program on mining the planets. Speakers were Greg Maryniak of the Space Studies Institute (SSI) and Dr. Carl Peterson of the Mining and Excavation Research Institute of M.I.T. Maryniak spoke first and began by commenting that the quintessential predicament of space flight is that everything launched from Earth must be accelerated to orbital velocity. Related to this is that the traditional way to create things in space has been to manufacture them on Earth and then launch them into orbit aboard large rockets. The difficulty with this approach is the huge cost-per-pound of boosting anything out of this planet's gravity well. Furthermore, Maryniak noted, since (at least in the near to medium term) the space program must depend upon the government for most of its funding, for this economic drawback necessarily translates into a political problem. Maryniak continued by noting that the early settlers in North America did not attempt to transport across the Atlantic everything then needed to sustain them in the New World. Rather they brought their tools with them and constructed their habitats from local materials. Hence, he suggested that the solution to the dilemma to which he referred required not so much a shift in technology as a shift in thinking. Space, he argued, should be considered not as a vacuum, totally devoid of everything. Rather, it should be regarded as an ocean, that is, a hostile environment but one having resources. Among the resources of space, he suggested, are readily available solar power and potential surface mines on the Moon and later other celestial bodies as well. The Moon, Maryniak stated, contains many useful materials. Moreover, it is twenty-two times easier to accelerate a payload to lunar escape velocity than it is to accelerate the identical mass out of the EarthUs gravity well. As a practical matter the advantage in terms of the energy required is even greater because of the absence of a lunar atmosphere. Among other things this permits the use of devices such as electromagnetic accelerators (mass drivers) to launch payloads from the MoonUs surface. Even raw Lunar soil is useful as shielding for space stations and other space habitats. At present, he noted, exposure to radiation will prevent anyone for spending a total of more than six months out of his or her entire lifetime on the space station. At the other end of the scale, Lunar soil can be processed into its constituent materials. In between steps are also of great interest. For example, the MoonUs soil is rich in oxygen, which makes up most of the mass of water and rocket propellant. This oxygen could be RcookedS out of the Lunar soil. Since most of the mass of the equipment which would be necessary to accomplish this would consist of relatively low technology hardware, Maryniak suggested the possibility that at least in the longer term the extraction plant itself could be manufactured largely on the Moon. Another possibility currently being examined is the manufacture of glass from Lunar soil and using it as construction material. The techniques involved, according to Maryniak, are crude but effective. (In answer to a question posed by a member of the audience after the formal presentation, Maryniak stated that he believed the brittle properties of glass could be overcome by using glass-glass composites. He also suggested yet another possibility, that of using Lunar soil as a basis of concrete.) One possible application of such Moon-made glass would be in glass-glass composite beams. Among other things, these could be employed as structural elements in a solar power satellite (SPS). While interest in the SPS has waned in this country, at least temporarily, it is a major focus of attention in the U.S.S. R. , Western Europe and Japan. In particular, the Soviets have stated that they will build an SPS by the year 2000 (although they plan on using Earth launched materials. Similarly the Japanese are conducting SPS related sounding rocket tests. SSI studies have suggested that more than 90%, and

Free Essays on Leda And The Swan

William Butler Yeats’ poem â€Å"Leda and the Swan† is an awkward recreation of the Greek myth in which Zeus takes the form of a swan in order to seduce Leda. In this poem William Butler Yeats, known as one of the greatest twentieth century poets of Europe chose to use the sonnet format to retell this story. Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1965. He died at age 73. This Poem was written in 1924, just one year after Yeats won the Nobel Prize in poetry. Yeats, unlike many other poets, wrote this poem using a rhyme scheme. Leda and the Swan states two main charaters and doesn’t refer to the main event whatsoever. Leda and the swan refer to two characters and leaves the reader wondering what was the relationship that emerged and took place. Because the title doesn’t mention the rape, it brings out that a situation existed, but doesn’t put emphisis on the fact that the horrific act was invloved. The significance that the poem, even though it descibes the rape, more analyzes the relationship between Leda and the Swan In the first stanza of the poem, Yeats immediately brings the reader to the moment of supreme horror and doesn’t hesitate to let the reader know what is happening: a sudden blow, great wings beating still above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed, dark webs, her nape caught in his bill. Leda was a victim of a surprise attack. She is described as â€Å"a staggering girl,† â€Å"her helpless breasts†(Rosenthal, 115). The Swan is identified as overpowering- â€Å"the great wings,† â€Å"the dark webs,† â€Å"he holds her helpless breast upon his breast†(Rosenthal, 114). The first stanza describes this poem as a rape. The swan is not known for being a violent bird. It is a peaceful, beautiful bird. Perhaps this is why Zeus chose the swan as a disguise to surprise Leda. It was â€Å"a sudden blow.† She had no time to react, or defend herself. It seems as if she had no idea what was happening. This ... Free Essays on Leda And The Swan Free Essays on Leda And The Swan William Butler Yeats’ poem â€Å"Leda and the Swan† is an awkward recreation of the Greek myth in which Zeus takes the form of a swan in order to seduce Leda. In this poem William Butler Yeats, known as one of the greatest twentieth century poets of Europe chose to use the sonnet format to retell this story. Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1965. He died at age 73. This Poem was written in 1924, just one year after Yeats won the Nobel Prize in poetry. Yeats, unlike many other poets, wrote this poem using a rhyme scheme. Leda and the Swan states two main charaters and doesn’t refer to the main event whatsoever. Leda and the swan refer to two characters and leaves the reader wondering what was the relationship that emerged and took place. Because the title doesn’t mention the rape, it brings out that a situation existed, but doesn’t put emphisis on the fact that the horrific act was invloved. The significance that the poem, even though it descibes the rape, more analyzes the relationship between Leda and the Swan In the first stanza of the poem, Yeats immediately brings the reader to the moment of supreme horror and doesn’t hesitate to let the reader know what is happening: a sudden blow, great wings beating still above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed, dark webs, her nape caught in his bill. Leda was a victim of a surprise attack. She is described as â€Å"a staggering girl,† â€Å"her helpless breasts†(Rosenthal, 115). The Swan is identified as overpowering- â€Å"the great wings,† â€Å"the dark webs,† â€Å"he holds her helpless breast upon his breast†(Rosenthal, 114). The first stanza describes this poem as a rape. The swan is not known for being a violent bird. It is a peaceful, beautiful bird. Perhaps this is why Zeus chose the swan as a disguise to surprise Leda. It was â€Å"a sudden blow.† She had no time to react, or defend herself. It seems as if she had no idea what was happening. This ...

Challenges In Human Resource Management Of 21st Century Business Essay

Challenges In Human Resource Management Of 21st Century Business Essay With the advent of the IT revolution all over the world and globalization being the new mantra across the corporate sector, the Human Resource Management practices and policies have undergone severe changes. The challenges that are faced by the HRM today are totally new to what has been few years ago. This paper highlights the importance of HRM in meeting the new challenges. Our paper focuses on these challenges that are impacting the organizations all over the world. Challenges: Setting the uniform culture across the organization which has expanded all over the world HRM in defining the career progression and development for its employees HRM in handling the gender diversity and cultural differences Addressing the issue of employee turnover HRM and its role in implementation of the strategy with respect to the vision and mission of the organization Setting the Right Culture With most of the companies raring to expand in the international market, it has become a tough task to set th e right culture within the organization. With the hiring of employees from the global workforce, there is always a threat of diffusion of cultures and thereby losing the homogeneity in the culture of the organization. The biggest challenge for an organization is preserving its culture or maintaining the right culture for the 21st century. Therefore Storey defines HRM with respect to this aspect as: â€Å"a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques†. (Deanne N.Den Hartog, 2004). According to the HRM specialists a combination of â€Å"High Performance work practices† and â€Å"High Involvement work practices† improve the performance of the organization. To determine the right mix of â€Å"High Performance Work Practices† and â€Å"High Involvement Work Pract ices† the focus model of the organizational structure can be used (Exhibit 1). Exhibit 1: FOCUS Model on Organizational Culture (Deanne N.Den Hartog, 2004) The above model divides the organizational culture into two dimensions. Dimension 1 is based on the organizational focus. It varies between extreme poles of Internal to External. In internal focus of organization the stress is laid on organization, its internal processes and people’s skill sets and attitudes etc. In external focus of the organization the emphasis is laid on the relation of the organization with the external environment. Dimension 2 focuses on the amount of flexibility and control within the organization. Based on the above dimensions four orientations of the organization can be determined. They are: Support Orientation: The concepts like co-operation, trust, cohesion amongst the group members and colleagues and growth of an individual are given the utmost importance. For such kind of orientation of o rganization high performance work practices which aim to the development of an individual are needed. Innovative: This kind of orientation is characterized by self-motivated, accepting and willingness to accept change, creativity, and risk taking kind of environment. From the management perspective it needs employees who are self-motivated, who are willing to lead, and highly flexible. Therefore the work practices should be structured which emphasize flexibility, empowerment and openness