Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Statistical coursework that uses data from Mayfield High School. Essays

Statistical coursework that uses data from Mayfield High School. Essays Statistical coursework that uses data from Mayfield High School. Essay Statistical coursework that uses data from Mayfield High School. Essay Essay Topic: High School Middle School I have chosen to do this statistical coursework that uses data from Mayfield High School. Although this is a fictitious school, the data is based on a real school. As the data has been collected for me, it is called secondary data. I believe that this coursework will allow me to illustrate my ability to handle data, use specific techniques and apply higher level statistical maths by being able to use a variety of methods in order to analyse and compare sets of data. During this project I will be examining the relationships between the attributes of the pupils of Mayfield High School. My aim is took produce a line of enquiry which has two or more statistics regarding the pupils which are related to each other. This table shows how many boys and girls there are in each year group at Mayfield High. Year Group Number of Boys Number of Girls Total 7 150 150 300 8 145 125 270 9 120 140 260 10 100 100 200 11 84 86 170 The total Number of students at the school is 1200 Data is provided for each pupil in the following categories: * Name * Age * Year Group * IQ * Weight * Height * Hair colour * Eye colour * Shoe size * Distance from home to school * Usual method if travel to school * Number of Brothers or sisters * Key stage 2 3 results in English, Mathematics and Science From the abovementioned, I need to pick several types of data to base my investigation on. However, I have decided to pick only two (at the maximum 3) pieces of data, as time is a limiting factor in this coursework. When deciding my data categories, there are a few things that I need to bear in mind. I need to use quantitative data, so I am able to apply all higher level statistical maths to my results. I also need to make sure that the data I choose are closely related, so I can analyse my results thoroughly. There are several lines of enquiry at this point that I may wish to follow up. These are: * The relationship between IQ and Key stage 3 English results * The relationship between height and weight * The relationship between shoe size and height Through basic observations of the people in my surroundings, I believe that there may be a strong relationship between a persons height and weight, not only with people in general, but between separate genders. However, I also feel that age is an affecting factor, and intend to look into that later on in the coursework. I have made this decision based on the fact that each of these pieces of data is interrelated and they are continuous (quantitative). As previously stated, my line of enquiry will be the relationship between height and weight (with the introduction of age). I predict that there are several hypothesis that are related to this investigation. * Boys will be taller than girls * As height increases, so does weight * Girls are heavier than boys However, you must also take into consideration that relationships will be different when genders are treated separately. In order to collect the data, it would take too much time and energy to unnecessarily include every person from the whole school. Therefore, a type of sample is needed. I have decided to take a sample rather than use the whole of the population, as it is quicker to take samples than to collect information from the whole population. Because time is a limiting factor, sampling will help me very much. It is important to choose the sample without bias so that the results will represent the whole population. There are many types of sampling, and I now need to find out which type suits my investigation best. Random Sampling In a random sample, every member of the population has a chance of being selected. * Advantages: Every member of the population has a chance of being selected. * Disadvantages: Due to its unpredictability, anomalous results can sometimes be obtained that are not representative of the population. In addition, these irregular results may be difficult to spot. For our purposes, there wont be the same amount from each year and equal amounts of both genders. Systematic Sampling In a systematic sample, every member of the sample is chosen at regular intervals from the list. * Advantages: Can eliminate some sources of bias * Disadvantages: Can introduce bias where the pattern used for the samples coincides with a pattern in the population. For our purposes, there is a guarantees representative sample of year groups but not of gender Stratified Sampling A population may contain separate groups or strata. Each group needs to be fairly represented in the sample. The number from each group is proportional to the group size. The selection is then made at random from each group. * This form of sampling will work well for our purposes Quota Sampling As with stratified samples, the population is broken down into different categories. However, the size of the sample of each category does not reflect the population as a whole. This can be used where an unrepresentative sample is desirable (e.g. you might want to interview more children than adults for a survey on computer games), or where it would be too difficult to undertake a stratified sample. * Advantages: Simpler to undertake than a stratified sample. Sometimes a deliberately biased sample is desirable * Disadvantages: Not a genuine random sample, and is likely to yield a biased result. For our purposes it is not very reliable because it depends on the interviewer to choose the sample Cluster Sampling Used when populations can be broken down into many different categories, or clusters (e.g. church parishes). Rather than taking a sample from each cluster, a random selection of clusters is chosen to represent the whole. Within each cluster, a random sample is taken. * Advantages: Less expensive and time consuming than a fully random sample. Can show regional variations. * Disadvantages: Not a genuine random sample. Likely to yield a biased result (especially if only a few clusters are sampled). After looking at all of the advantages and disadvantages of each types of sampling, I have chosen to use stratified sampling, as this form of sampling will work well for our purposes. The reasons are stated above. As I have now decided on my line of enquiry and type of sampling, I now need to decide how big my sample size will be. As different sizes of sample will affect the reliability of my results and conclusions, it is imperative that I make the correct choice when deciding the size of my sample. The bigger a sample, the more useful the data will be. I you select a lot of people, your results will be closer to the actual results for the whole school. However, if you choose too many people the data becomes too difficult to analyze and takes too long to collate and sort. 5 10% is usually a fair representation of population, so I have decided to use a 9% sample, which is 54 people. In my opinion, I think this will be a good representation of population and is also a reasonable figure to manage. When collecting my data, I need to check for outliers and anomalies. I will need to check my sampled data for untypical values which appear to lie outside the general range. (E.g. weight: 1kg/600kg and height: 0.01m/10m) Once I present my results in a graph it will be easy to see where the outlier resides: If these outliers were included in my calculations or graphs they would distort the data, disrupt the correlation of graphs, and therefore effect my conclusion, and whether or not my hypothesis is correct. This is why it is crucial that I disregard any information that is blatantly incorrect. Sampling Method (In Detail) In order to produce my results, I need to know how my sampling method works. 1. Count boys and girls per year group 2. Work out sample size 3. Find the fraction of pupils in each year 4. Find how many people there are in each year out of 54 (9% sample) 5. Use same method to calculate amount of girls and boys in each year for sample 6. Use random sampling to choose correct number of boys and girls per year group and enter results in tables 7. Identify and anomalous data/outliers. Reselect data item Mathematical Techniques In order to thoroughly analyze and evaluate my data, there are many mathematical techniques, diagrams and graphs I will need to use. Here is a list of them: Diagrams: 1. Histograms A histogram is constructed from a frequency table. The intervals are shown on the X-axis and the number of scores in each interval is represented by the height of a rectangle located above the interval. 2. Box Plots A box plot provides an excellent visual summary of many important aspects of a distribution. The box stretches from the lower quartile to the upper quartile and therefore contains the middle half of the scores in the distribution. The median is shown as a line across the box. Therefore 1/4 of the distribution is between this line and the top of the box and 1/4 of the distribution is between this line and the bottom of the box. 3. Scatter Diagram A type of diagram used to show the relationship between data items that have two numeric properties. One property is represented along the x-axis and the other along the y-axis. Each item is then represented by a single point. 4. Cumulative Frequency Graphs A cumulative frequency graph can be used to estimate some useful statistical measures. 5. Line Of Best Fit Single line drawn through a series of data points as a best representation of the underlying trend. Can be a straight line or a curve. Calculations: 1. Mean 2. Mode 3. Median 4. Mean Modal Class for Grouped Continuous Data This calculates the mean for grouped continuous data. 5. Interquartile Range The distance between the upper and lower quartiles. As a measure of variability, it is less sensitive than the standard deviation or range to the possible presence of outliers. It is also used to define the box in a box-and-whisker plot. 6. Standard Deviation It is the most commonly used measure of spread. 7. Normal distribution Normal distributions are a family of distributions that have the same general shape. They are symmetric with scores more concentrated in the middle than in the tails. Normal distributions are sometimes described as bell shaped. 8. Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient The Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient is used to discover the strength of a link between two sets of data. 9. Equation of Line of Best fit Equation of line that shows underlying spread. Collecting the Data In order to find my results, I will need to sort the data and put it into tables. As I am using stratified sampling, I have had to count up the amount of boys and girls in each year and work out my sample size. Once I have done this, I will record my results in two separate tables (one for males, one for females), in year order. From there, I will then create separate tables for each year and then create 1 large mixed table. After I have finished sorting out the tables, I will then do various scatter diagrams. Firstly, one for males one for females, mixed and then one for each year (for both mixed and separate genders). Finding the Results As I have previously stated, I have decided to use a samples size of 9%, which in total is 54 people. I now need to apply that information to the investigation and work out my sample for each year, gender etc. Data: Year Boys Girls Total 7 75 75 150 8 65 70 135 9 62 68 130 10 51 49 100 11 41 44 85 Total 600 Sample size : 9% of 600 = 54 Now, I have to calculate how many pupils to examine within each year, because each year group varies in total amount of students. I will calculate the proportion of pupils from each of the year groups. Stratified Sample: Year Fraction of population /54 No. Of Girls in Sample No. of Boys in Sample 7 150/600= 0.25 13.5 75/150 x 13.5 = 6.75 (7) 75/150 x 13.5 = 6.75 (7) 8 135/600= 0.225 12.2 70/135 x 12.2 = 6.32 (6) 65/135 x 12.2 = 5.87 (6) 9 130/600= 0.2166666 11.7 68/130 x 11.7 = 6.12 (6) 62/130 x 11.7 = 5.58 (6) 10 100/600= 0.1666666 9 49/100 x 9 = 4.41 (4) 51/100 x 9 = 4.59 (5) 11 85/600 = 0.1416666 7.6 44/85 x 7.6 = 3.93 (4) 41/85 x 7.6 = 3.67 (4) Due to rounding, my sample size has been adjusted from 54 to 55. Given as a percentage, this would be: 55/600 x 100 = 9.166666667 = 9.2% I now need to randomly select, within the specified year and gender, the designated amount for each category. I will do this by using the random function on my calculator. I need to make sure the results are random, so that they will not be biased. Once I have done this, I need to check for any anomalies in my selected pupils weight/height. Boys Year Height (cm) Weight (kg) 1 7 1.48 44 2 7 1.59 52 3 7 1.49 43 4 7 1.52 45 5 7 1.54 43 6 7 1.55 40 7 7 1.59 45 8 8 1.57 48 9 8 1.67 51 10 8 1.71 46 11 8 1.66 43 12 8 1.59 47 13 8 1.42 40 14 9 1.67 54 15 9 1.8 48 16 9 1.75 63 17 9 1.46 45 18 9 1.5 70 19 9 1.82 66 20 10 1.8 49 21 10 1.6 50 22 10 1.62 52 23 10 1.65 50 24 10 1.77 59 25 11 1.91 82 26 11 1.62 56 27 11 1.74 50 28 11 2 86 Results Girls Year Height (cm) Weight (kg) 1 7 1.61 45 2 7 1.61 47 3 7 1.56 43 4 7 1.48 42 5 7 1.5 40 6 7 1.56 53 7 7 1.58 48 8 8 1.72 43 9 8 1.62 53 10 8 1.62 54 11 8 1.6 46 12 8 1.75 45 13 8 1.48 46 14 9 1.57 38 15 9 1.62 54 16 9 1.64 40 17 9 1.6 46 18 9 1.8 60 19 9 1.6 51 20 10 1.52 45 21 10 1.72 56 22 10 1.66 45 23 10 1.73 42 24 11 1.7 50 25 11 1.68 48 26 11 1.52 38 27 11 1.62 48 Organising My Results Although I have already presented my results into 2 separate tables, one for each gender, the results are not concise enough. In order to fully analyse my results, I will need to put my results into scatter diagrams and histograms etc. Therefore, my results need to be grouped into around 5-8 groups, which are the same for both genders. This is because when I put my results into the scatter diagrams (etc), I will need to compare both genders, thus requiring me to use the same groups for both sexes. Once I have chosen my groups, I will enter the information into the frequency tables and use those for me histograms and scatter diagrams.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Do You Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship

Do You Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Out of the 1.5 million juniors in the US who take the PSAT only about 7,600 will end up with a National Merit Scholarship of $2,500 through the National Merit Scholarship Program. So how do you qualify? If you do qualify, what are your chances of getting the scholarship? I am going to answer these questions by discussing the basic qualification for National Merit and laying out a timeline for the program. Qualification Guidelines There are four main qualifications for scholarship consideration: three basic and one PSAT score related. They are all equally important because if you do not meet all of the qualifications, you cannot participate in the program.The 3 basic qualifications you need to meet are: Take the PSAT during your junior year (3rd year) of high school Plan to enroll in college full-time by the fall after your graduate from high school Be a US Citizen or US Permanent resident who plans to become a US Citizen Then there is the test score related qualification. The exact score qualifications vary from year to year and state to state, but typically, the top 3% of students (about 50,000 juniors) qualify to be in the program. The top 1% of students have the best shot at winning the scholarship. How Does the Selection Timeline Work? Let's go through when each step of the National Merit selection occurs and how it will affect you if you're chosen. October of Junior Year: You take the PSAT. April of Junior Year: 50,000 students are notified that they are potential National Merit Scholars and are asked to select 2 colleges thatthe National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) will send a reference. September of Senior Year: â…” of the 50,000 students (about 34,000) will receive Letters of Commendation (recognizing them for their academic achievement, but notifying them they are no longer in the running for a scholarship). The remaining â…“ of students (about 16,000) will advance as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Semifinalists typically have PSAT scores of at least 201 to 222 (on the old 240 point scale). Again the reason for the large point discrepancy is that the winners are chosen by state. If your state has lower scores on average, you will be able to qualify with a lower score than in other states with higheraverage PSAT scores. The Semifinalists are asked to submit applications for scholarship considerations. I will not go into detail on the scholarship application in this article. For more information on what is required for the National Merit Scholarship application and how to craft the strongest application read our other article. February of Senior Year: Semifinalists who advance to the Finalist round will be notified. About 15,000 of 16,000 Semifinalists advance. March of Senior Year: The 8,900 Finalists who are selected for a scholarship (out of the 15,000 Finalists) will be notified. NOTE: not all of these 8,900 Finalists receive a $2,500 one-time National Merit Scholarship. Through the program, students may be offered a National Merit Scholarship, a Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship, or a College-Sponsored Merit Scholarship. (I will explain how students are selected for scholarships in more depth below.) How Do You Know If You Probably Won’t Get a Scholarship? Obviously, if you are not notified in April or if you receive a Letter of Commendation in September, you know you will not be advancing to the Semifinalist round. Therefore, youwill not be in contention for a National Merit Scholarship or one of the other scholarships. Additionally, if your score is not in the top 1%, you don't have a great chance of advancing to the Semifinalist round (the â…” of students who receive Letters of Commendation and do not advance to Semifinalists typically have scores in the top 2-3%).Once you have advanced to the Semifinalist round, you have about a 50-50 chance of receiving a scholarship (since half the Semifinalists receive scholarships: 8,900 of 16,000). How Do You Know If You Have a Good Chance of Getting the Scholarship? If your score is in the top 1% (for your state), you have a good chance of getting the scholarship.However, the final step in consideration for the scholarship is your application and the National Merit Scholarship Program acknowledges that scholarship recipients are chosen â€Å"based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments.† Once you are selected as a Semifinalist and submit your application, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation takes all of the following into consideration when deciding on scholarships:â€Å"the Finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores [SAT and PSAT], the high school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the Finalist's own essay.† If you have a very strong transcript (as close to 4.0 GPA on 4.0 scale with challenging course load of AP or IB classes) and a very high SAT score (close to 2400 on the old scale or close to 1600 on the new SAT),in addition to having a PSAT score in the top 1%, you have a solid chance of receiving a scholarship. Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Make sure to make all aspects of your Semifinalist application as strong as possible to increase your chances of winning a scholarship.Get advice on that and more in our other article: National Merit Finalist - How to Win the Scholarship. Victory! What Is the Difference Between National Merit Scholarships and the Other Scholarships Offered? According to the National Merit website, National Merit Scholarships are $2500 single payment scholarships, which are awarded â€Å"without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans.†All Finalists are considered for this scholarship. I will give a brief explanation of the other types of scholarships, but for a more in-depth one,check out our other article. Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards are awarded based on each Corporate sponsor’s criteria.Some â€Å"designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.† The amount for these Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships varies by company. College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards are awarded to â€Å"Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by [through their application] that the sponsor college or university is their first choice.†You can only receive one of these College-sponsored Merit Scholarships if you were accepted to the university that you told National Merit was your first choice. Also, if you were accepted to your first choice college and choose not to attend that university, you will forfeit your scholarship. The amount of these scholarships vary by school, but each scholarship will be between $500 and $2000 per year. These scholarships are renewable up to 4 years. You have little control over which scholarship you will receive. All three of types of scholarships are equally prestigious and receiving one is no better than receiving another from an academic standpoint (though it may be better from a financial standpoint). Focus on trying to qualify to be a finalist and don't worry too much about which type of scholarship you will receive. What’s Next? Prepare to rock the PSAT if you haven't taken it yet: The PSAT Score Range (Updated for New 2015 PSAT) What's a Good PSAT Score for a Junior? PSAT Practice Tests: Free Questions and Full-Length Tests Get more advice on National Merit and other scholarships: National Merit Finalist - How to Win the Scholarship How To Get Merit Scholarships and Honors at State Schools How to Win a Walmart Scholarship: Strategy Guide How to Win a Gates Millennium Scholarship Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dora Seigel About the Author As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. No spam ever. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: '360031', formId: '2167ba30-e68e-4777-b88d-8bf3c84579af', formInstanceId: '2', submitButtonClass: 'btn-red-light btn', target: '#hubspot-container2', redirectUrl: 'http://ww2.prepscholar.com/blog-subscribe-thank-you', css: '.post-bottom .hs-form.stacked label {display:none;} .post-bottom .hs-form.stacked .field div.input {padding-top: 55px; padding-left: 300px;} .post-bottom .hs-input {width: 220px} .post-bottom .btn-primary, .hs-button.primary {margin-top:0px; padding-left:350px} .post-bottom .hs-form-field {margin-bottom:5px}' }); $(function(){ $(".exclusive-tip-form #hubspot-container2 label").hide(); }); function replace_tag(a, b){ $(a).each(function(index) { var thisTD = this; var newElement = $(""); $.each(this.attributes, function(index) { $(newElement).attr(thisTD.attributes[index].name, thisTD.attributes[index].value); }); $(this).after(newElement).remove(); }); } $(function(){ replace_tag($(".posts-by-topic h3"), "h2"); }) Ask a Question BelowHave any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply! Search the Blog Search jQuery(function(){ var $ = jQuery; var url = 'http://google.com/search?q=site:' + location.protocol + '//' + location.hostname + ' '; var $searchModule = $('.hs-search-module.21baeb73-e534-4d3f-a6b1-72893df5ce82'); var $input = $searchModule.find('input'); var $button = $searchModule.find('.hs-button.primary'); if (false) { $input.val(decodeURIComponent(location.pathname.split('/').join(' ').split('.').join(' ').split('-').join(' ').split('_').join(''))); } $button.click(function(){ var newUrl = url + $input.val(); var win = window.open(newUrl, '_blank'); if (win) { //Browser has allowed it to be opened win.focus(); } else { //Browser has blocked it location.href = newUrl; } }); $input.keypress(function(e){ if (e.keyCode !== 13) return; e.preventDefault(); $button.click(); }); }); Improve With Our Famous Guides SATPrep ACTPrep For All Students The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section: Score 800 on SAT Math Score 800 on SAT Reading Score 800 on SAT Writing Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section: Score 600 on SAT Math Score 600 on SAT Reading Score 600 on SAT Writing Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? 15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section: 36 on ACT English 36 on ACT Math 36 on ACT Reading 36 on ACT Science Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section: 24 on ACT English 24 on ACT Math 24 on ACT Reading 24 on ACT Science What ACT target score should you be aiming for? ACT Vocabulary You Must Know ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA How to Write an Amazing College Essay What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For? Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide Should you retake your SAT or ACT? When should you take the SAT or ACT? Michael improved by 370 POINTS! Find Out How Stay Informed Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Looking for Graduate School Test Prep? Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: GRE Online Prep Blog GMAT Online Prep Blog TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Character Archetypes in For Whom the Bell Tolls Essay

Character Archetypes in For Whom the Bell Tolls - Essay Example To begin with, Maria’s story essentially begins when the enchanting American professor, Robert Jordan, enters her life. Before that, she was a rebel, a broken character all but destroyed by the civil war. However, Maria is a survivor. Her very character is symbolic of the war effort in that she has endured the loss of her family, who were brutally murdered by a fascist group, was gang raped by the fascists herself, and then spent time as a prisoner of the fascists, during which time her hair was cut short to symbolize her forced renouncement of the Republican cause. She was an utterly broken woman. Stripped of her family, her dignity, and her inherent power as a woman, Maria was on the verge of giving up—and would have—if not for the shining light that Pilar represented and the sexual redemption found within Robert’s arms. Maria is an inherently sexual heroine. She and Robert make love three times over the course of the novel’s three days and their relationship is fast-forming. Almost instantly, despite the civil war erupting around them, they discover a deep and transcendent love for one another. She is able to, at least outwardly, overcome the monstrous act upon her body; though, psychologically it appears as though she is taking up a sexual relationship with Robert because she is seeking a parallel comfort to her agony. In being sexually hurt, she seeks sexual redemption in the arms of the strong male lead. As a character, Maria is stereotypical and does not experience much evolution during the course of For Whom the Bell Tolls. She is nineteen, and while many women grow to be stronger characters during times of crisis, she maintains a youthful mindset, unable to fully escape from the horrors of her past. It is only when she finds herself safely in the arms of Robert that she attains some semblance of peace. What her character does represent, however, is the archetypal fire of rebellion in the hearts of the rebels during the war. Like the rebels, her heart, while damaged, fought for freedom, seeking solace in the darkness, finding peace in redemption. Ultimately, Maria’s sexual search for self is a direct correlation to the passion of the rebellion and demonstrates that a person can find true peace—an almost transcendent immortality—when the fires of rebellion burn hot within them. On the other hand, Pilar is a diverse and challenging character. She claims she is à ¢â‚¬Å"so simple [she is] complicated† (Hemingway 156). She is tough, almost more so than the male leads of For Whom a Bell Tolls, and, more importantly, she serves as an archetypal symbol for the strength of the Republican cause during the Spanish Civil War. She is a woman unafraid of conflict, and will challenge any of the men for their character flaws, cowardice, and mistakes. Perhaps the most endearing quality to Pilar—and that which makes her more accessible a character than Maria—is that she is nearing fifty and no longer knows the love of a man. She becomes almost instantly jealous of Maria and Robert’s relationship and makes a point of telling Maria so, explaining that â€Å"I love thee and he can have thee, I am no tortillera but a woman made for men†

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Shirin Neshat & her work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shirin Neshat & her work - Essay Example This paper will discuss some of the exemplary works of Shirin Neshat. Research asserts that Neshat is one of the renowned filmmakers and photographers from Iran (Abramovic and Danto 12). Earlier on, she had started as a painter, but she later shifted and started exploring the Iranian Islamic roots and photography. Therefore, she used her films and photos in order to reveal some of the basics of the Iranian culture. She also experienced the effects of 9/11 when she was in New York with her son. The effects of this event had a vast impact on her as an American citizen from the Muslim culture. Currently, Neshat is working on photographs and poems that reveal various facts in the Iranian Muslim culture. During her interviews, Neshat highlights that she recently made three film installations entitled Passage, Pulse and Possessed (Abramovic and Danto 89). She also claims that most of her works are based on the Iranian society and their Muslim culture. Through most of her films, her audience can easily understand the Iranian culture from various perspectives. In Turbulent, Neshat presents two singers (Sussan Deyhim and Shoja Azari) who create a musical metaphor for the complexity of cultural power and gender roles according to the ancient Persian poetry and music. The voice of the woman in the video installation is rather evoking, but she does not have an audience as compared to the man whose music is appreciated. In fact, Neshat offers duality and complexity in the Iranian culture. This is incorporated by a realistic and mystic approach that is achieved by the use of films and photographs to portray the Iranian Muslim culture (Abramovic and Danto 187). In the other interview that was hosted by David Ross, Neshat also talks about her work in photography and the film industry. She extensively discusses the role of women especially in the Islamic society. In addition, she also talks about the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Effect of Interactivity with a Music Video Game on Second Language Vocabulary Recall Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Interactivity with a Music Video Game on Second Language Vocabulary Recall Essay This research has been done by Jonathan deHaan, W. Michael Reed and Katsuko Kuwada. Jonathan deHaan is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Shizuoka. He earned his Ph. D. in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University. His research focuses on second language learning and teaching with games and simulations. As for W. Michael Reed, he was a retired professor of Educational Communication and Technology at New York University and the IRB/IACUC Administrator for Radford University in Virginia. His research interests spanned over a 25-year period and focused on educational computing, problem-solving, metacognition, and composing processes. Meanwhile, Katsuko Kuwada is a doctoral student in the International Cultural Studies program at Tohoku University. She investigates language and culture; her current research compares the use of first-person subjects in Japanese and English based on different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this research is to know physical interactivity of a second language music video game is manipulated to investigate the effect of interactivity on vocabulary acquisition and cognitive load (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010) or in simpler way is to investigate whether the interactivity ( and simultaneously presented text, audio and animation) of video game is extraneous cognitive load (thus having a negative effect on learning) or germane load (thus having a positive effect on learning) (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010). Overview The research question that been highlighted here is to view interactivity of second language on music video game on recalling vocabulary. This research captured my attention due to the usage of media in teaching English as second language to undergraduate Japanese students. As we all know, multimedia technology has been implemented in language learning to attract as well as to motivate second language user to be able to perceive, learn and enjoy English language. This research is crucial to this aeon, in which multimedia is being integrated in language learning. Thus Professor deHaan, Prof. Reed and DR. Kuwada focus on what constitute a game rather then what can be added to a game to make it approachable and enjoyable in teaching and learning process. In this research it has depicted that ‘human cognitive architecture consists of a limited short-term memory’ (Baddeley, 1992, Miller, 1959), and a game’s complex elements (e. g. usic, subtitles and lyrics) can create an unalterable high demand on working memory (intrinsic cognitive load), it is important to understand whether a media features, such as interactivity, present a student with unnecessary extraneous cognitive load, which interferes with learning, or germane load, which enhances learning (deHaan, Reed Kuwada; 2010). Analysis This research has been done to see ‘video game interactivity would help or hinder the noticing and recall of second language vocabulary . (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010). Here the three researchers have used interactivity, language proficiency and video game proficiency as independent variables while cognitive load vocabulary written recall, and participant opinions as dependent measures, Eighty undergraduates in which 65 of them are males and 15 of them are females in a range of age around 18 to 24, from Computer Science University in rural Japan. Subjects’ mother tongue is Japanese and has 6 to 11 years of formal English education. Participants were paired and one participant in each pair was randomly assigned to either play or watch the video game, and this been conducted in laboratory, for 20 minutes long. Professor deHaan, Prof. Reed and Dr. Kuwada, instructed the participants to play or watch the game and learn the words of the rap. The video game level was repeated five times by all pairs. The participants were not allowed to take notes or use their dictionaries and even not allowed to see and what more to interact with one and another. The material that was used in this research was Parappa the Rapper 2. Straight after cease with the experiment, participants would be given topics from the game and were used as written cloze test, where participants were required to write the missing words from the game’s rap in the text’s blanks. This test been repeated again after 2 weeks. The result after the test depicted that ‘watchers of the video game recalled significantly more vocabulary items compare to the players. Thus because watchers focus only on the objects in the game and the sentences describing the pictures without even have to integrate with the game console. Meanwhile, the players have to both focuses on the integration with game and with console as well as their integration with the sentences describing the pictures, to such a degree the players are having cognitive loads. Critique and Evaluation This research is focus on effect of interactivity with music video game on second language vocabulary recall. After thoroughly read the research paper I have found out that Professor deHaan, Prof. Reed and Kuwada pay cogently attention to know whether ‘video game (multimedia technology) would help or hinder noticing and recall second language vocabulary. Here the three researchers focus on cognitivist perspective in which according to Jean Piaget (1977), mental process of an individual use in responding to their environment. Cognitivism deals with how people think, solve problems and make decisions. When the players interact with the game they are using their cognitive ability to engage with the steps that they need to ensue in order to move up to the next level of the game as well as to convene on the lyrics given in the game. Here the players are responding to their environment, however being cognitive loads between fixating on the game and engaging to the lyrics somehow has distracted them from focusing on the vocabulary. Thus has made them failed to recall the vocabulary during vocabulary recall test. Meanwhile, the watchers do not faced the cognitive load due to solely one way interaction (receiving the input) between them and the video game, thus has given them time to give great detail using memorization method, which is one of the 6 cognitive learning strategies (Rubin Wenden, 1987), to indulge in the game. Furthermore, this research has proven that by using video game can help to assist language learning in second language leaner. As been mention by Hubbard (1991), language learning may happen with video game as language is involved in the play. It is easy to accept language learning evolves through game as language and problem solving are correlated and what more students seem to enjoy it. Despite that, the research has significantly highlighted that by watching the media (game), in defiance of involving in it, can make the learners ‘notice and recalling more vocabulary items’ (deHaan, Reed Kuwada, 2010), as they have only to focus on the lyrics only. Hence consolidate that usage of multimedia technology (game) in language class does not hinder the language learning. However, teachers must scrutinize type of game that they want to use in their language class. Nevertheless, in learning second language it is not enough by just interact with game and the lyrics. To become competence in a language one must also portray the purpose of using the language rather than just merely know the language yet not communicate it in purposeful conversation to reinforce the learning, thus communication is important in language learning. Like what has been mentioned by Douglas Brown (2000), communication is not merely an event, something that happens; it is functional, purposive and designed to bring about some effect. Due to that, 2 weeks after the research has been done, the participants been called to attempt second test to evaluate their vocabulary in recalling the game lyrics. Here both players and watchers have shown drastically reducing of vocabulary if comparing to the previous test. This has proven that without purposeful learning students will not be able to sustain the vocabulary. On my behalf, I strongly believe that communicative reinforcement can enhance on language learning via technology, as one language learning and no purposeful practise will hinder the language learning process. Through this research I have learnt to acquiesce, without collaboration with learning strategies (between memorising, recalling and communicating via multimedia tool), the language learning will not become purposeful and will make one learning a failure. Conclusion It can be concluded that physical interaction of this game has extraneous cognitive load effect on the players, thus not conducive to learning and seemed to have unnecessarily diverted the players’ attention from the vocabulary and hinder recall. Meanwhile, the watchers of the game have not exposed to the additional extraneous load and have been able to devote more cognitive resources to the intrinsic load of the game and its language. As a consequence this research I have learnt that suitable game (multimedia) can assist language learning process as students seemed to enjoy such activity. In any respect with purposeful reinforcement such as germane communicative reinforcement can compensate language acquisition better. Moreover, implication of this research on future study, teachers will be more selective in choosing multimedia material for their classes and they will make sure balance input been given in the sense of interactivity and language learning so that no cognitive load will occur and hinder language learning via multimedia.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

the taliban :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I started to think about what aspect of terrorism I wanted to write a paper on, it occurred to me that I didn’t really know much about the Taliban group. Which is one of the major terrorist groups in today’s society. So I am going to try and explain this group the best that I can. In couple different aspects, one is what their rules are, two how they treat women, and three what types of terrorist acts they have committed. The Taliban group is a group of men who formed in 1994 in the country of Kandahar by Islamic students who took a radical approach to interpreting Islam. The Group also believes in strict Islamic rules. According to them the men must have beards four fingers in length, there shall be no music, Nintendo, and women should not be allowed to do anything other than stay home and watch the children and clean the house. This Taliban group when first started had about twenty to thirty thousand men i nvolved. The group now controls about 80% or two thirds of Afghanistan land. Prior to the war no one other than the NMA (Northern Military Alliance) has really put up a fight or even thought about taking down the Taliban. The only thing that has challenged the Taliban group is the Northern Military Alliance and the only positive gain they have had was to keep their one-third part of Afghanistan. The only thing left to do for the Afghan people is either to give in to the dominating Taliban group or turn to the NMA and help get their country back to the pre-Communist era that it was before the Taliban group took over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Taliban beliefs are strict and to the point. If you get caught committing a crime you are likely to get the extreme punishment for your crime. The Taliban is not afraid to show off their force when dealing with people that commit crimes. The Taliban regime has turned soccer stadiums into viewing grounds of executions. Men are running around the stadium with amputated hands as others cheer. The Taliban regime is not to be reckoned with. If a woman is out with out her veil her home will be marked and her husband will face punishment. The regime believes that a man must have a long beard and may not have his hair beatle-ly or he will have his head shaved along with being arrested.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

HR Management Roles

The Human Resources Department an important system to any organization and is a key component in the healthcare industry. It is the HR department that is built on skills, performance, and knowledge of the organization and is responsible for hiring and training the new employee’s healthcare services. â€Å"Human resources, when pertaining to health care, can be defined as the different kinds of clinical and non-clinical staff responsible for public and individual health intervention† (WHO, 2000). The roles and functions of the Human Resources Department (HR) management in the health care industry is to work closely with all staff to ensure each employee recognizes the needs and standards of the organization. Management is about planning, performance and team work. Planning is a vital in any organization and in healthcare it is pertinent for proper flow and function of the organization. â€Å"High- performance organization show a greater commitment and skill development† (Gomez-Mejia, 2010). This is the prime element in HR management roles the organization has opening positions, new programs for employees and creating a plan is essential for success. As a representative of management HR a plan to promote employees who show exceptional ability to lead. Management must look at these employees who show skill and focus on how to move them into positions that need their talent. Hiring new personnel for an organization includes providing extensive training for employee development. A program from management would include building proficiency requirements, develop mental skills of potential new employees. The functional roles of the HR department is to provide assistance to all managers who execute responsibilities of the health care organization. The department monitors daily functions of the healthcare organization to ensure the organization is running smoothly. It is their duty to oversee the organization success in practice. The HR department responsibility is to confirm that each employee has the proper skills and training required for the position. This guarantees that the organization is operated effectively day-to-day. The methods used in the HR department creates a team effort atmosphere for the organization. This set clear goals, standards and success in a healthcare organization this gives each employee something to accomplish. The HR department’s role in the healthcare industry is very important, and the functions of the department’s plans, skills, and programs help achieve the organizations goal success in the healthcare industry. Management is the center of the organizations achievements. Proper management in HR is crucial in delivering quality health care. Management in HR is needed to develop new programs and policies. Effective management keeps the healthcare industry in a position to provide quality care to patients.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Ophelia Foreshadowing

Queen Gertrude In-depth My impression of Queen Gertrude is that she is easily manipulated. Just after king Hamlet was murdered by king Claudius she easily fell for Claudius. Gertrude is a person that only thinks about her self and only thinks what she wants. She marries Claudius because she has to or eles she wouldn’t have the power of being called a queen of Denmark. She remarried so quickly one because she is easily manipulated so Claudius took her in because she would be moaning over king Hamlet.She also remarried so quickly because she wants power and she would have to marry Claudius to get it. Her role women portrayed was that women didn’t have power during the time and women didn’t have as much rights as men had. She lies to herself and people around her to keep herself safe. In the bedroom scene is finds out that Claudius killed King Hamlet but she doesn’t do anything about it. Her loyalties lie on herself because she only wants to protect herself a nd has to lie to do that. Ophelia ForeshadowingOphelia is the daughter of Polonius and whom Hamlet loves. Her role in the play was to be Hamlet's girl in the play. There was some foreshadowing that led to the dead of Ophelia. In the beginning of the play Hamlet starts to act a little crazy with meant Ophelia was gonna be treated differently. If Hamlet didn’t go crazy and mad , it wouldn’t have made Ophelia depressed making her kill herself later on in the play. Another foreshadowing of Ophelia deaf would be after Hamlet breaks her heart and then killing her father Polonius c

Thursday, November 7, 2019

What does Hou Hsiao

What does Hou Hsiao One of the foremost features of realist editing in cinema is directors’ utilization of particularly long takes, which are meant to ensure the spatio-temporal unity of the explored themes and motifs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What does Hou Hsiao-Hsien achieve through the use of the long takes in the film? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, by choosing in favor of long takes, as the integral element of realist movies’ spatio-temporal structure, directors are able to achieve a number of aesthetic objectives, such as ensuring the plausibility of movies’ semantic content, providing viewers with the in-depth insight into the workings of characters’ psyche, and allowing viewers to gain a better understanding of the explored themes and motifs’ significance. Moreover, according to Bazin, viewers’ exposure to the realistically edited movies, which feature an abundance o f long takes, helps them to address their innermost psychological anxieties, concerned with viewers’ strive to preserve the spatial three-dimensionality of existence.1 As it was noted by Nitzan, ‘The long deep-focused take, enhancing †¦ three-dimensionality of objects shot in close-up†¦ satisfies spectators’ craving for the mummification of being while positioning them in such a way that they could aesthetically experience the flowing passage of objective time’2 In this paper, I will aim to explore the validity of an earlier suggestion at length, while analyzing what appears to be the significance of utilization of long takes in Hou’s 2001 film Millennium mambo. The foremost aspect of how Hou went about providing the in-depth portrayal of film’s characters is the fact that, in Millennium mambo he refrained from emphasizing these characters’ singled-out psychological traits, while allowing viewers the liberty of interpreting t hem on their own, within the context of how the characters are being shown in the process of tackling life’s challenges. In its turn, this endows Millennium mambo with the spirit of intellectual honesty. After all, unlike what it is being the case with formalist/expressionist directors, in this particular movie Hou had made a point in treating audience’s members as such that are being fully capable of defining the semiotic significance of film’s themes and motifs, without a director needing to actively ‘assist’ them, in this respect. In its turn, this leaves very little doubt as to the fact that the specifics of Hou film’s editing are indeed being consistent with Bazin’s idea as to what accounts for the extent of a particular cinematographic work’s spatio-temporal unity, which according to this French movie-critic is being reflective of the extent of director’s willingness to treat viewers as ‘existential sovereigns ’, fully capable of relying on their own sense of rationale, when it comes to defining the essentials of film’s aesthetic/semiotic appeal.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, of course, reveals Hou as a devotee of realist editing, concerned with the absence of ‘expressionist tricks’, such as back-in-time flashbacks, the presence of abstractionist close-ups, and the deliberately undermined integrity of film’s temporal spatiality. As Totaro pointed it out, ‘Expressive editing invents meaning through juxtaposition of the images†¦This is trickery; it removes the freedom on the part of the spectator†¦ If the scene has only one simple meaning why insult the audiences intelligence with needless and obvious close-ups? Contrarily, if the scene is complex why presuppose only one meaning?’3 Nevertheless, even though there are no traces of expressionist editing in Millennium mambo, in this film Huo did succeed with revealing the whole scope of characters’ psychological traits – mainly, by the mean of ensuring the spatio-temporal soundness of characters’ ‘in-action’ representation. For example, the beginning of the movie features a rather prolonged take of Vicky walking down the sidewalk (00.02.06 – 00.04.37). Yet, despite the fact that this take is not being formally concerned with director’s intention to provide viewers with the better understanding of Vicky, as a character, by being exposed to the earlier mentioned scene spectators do in fact gain a certain insight into Vicky’s psychological constitution. The reason for this is simple – the manner in which Vicky walks (with the cigarette in her hand) implies her being a rather spontaneous person, who take life as it comes, while trying to enjoy it to the best of her ability. The watching of movie’s consequential parts does confirm the soundness of the initial insight into the essence of Vicky’s existential mode, provided by this particular scene. After all, throughout movie’s entirety, Vicky never ceases to position herself as an easy-going individual, who is being quick enough to forgive her boyfriend’s (Hao-Hao) verbal and physical abuses. As it was mentioned earlier, the realist editing, closely associated with directors’ willingness to utilize long takes, often results in endowing realistic movies with the spirit of perceptional authenticity/genuineness. The reason for this is apparent – by representing characters’ act in a spatially prolonged manner, directors encourage viewers to draw parallels between the ‘cinematographic reality’ on the screen and the reality of their every-day living.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What does Hou Hsiao-Hsien achieve through the use of th e long takes in the film? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given the fact that the reality of people’s every-day living often appears rather unsightly, in aesthetical sense of this word, it does not come as a particular surprise that many of realistically edited movies’ long takes represent reality ‘as it is’, even if such reality’s cinematographic representation appears to be detached from movie’s main idea. The scene, in which Vicky and her friends socialize in the bar (00.04.49-00.10.07), illustrates the legitimacy of an earlier suggestion. After all, the main feature of this scene is that the conversations, which take place between the partying individuals, do overlap to the point of being unintelligible to the viewers. This, however, does not lessen scene’s cinematographic appeal because, by being exposed to this particular take, viewers do get the genuine sensation of how they would feel, had they found themselves among the partying young people. Just as it is being the case in Orson Welles’s film Citizen Kane, which contains a number of spatially prolonged scenes, in which characters’ conversations can hardly be heard, due to the loudly played music in the background, the ‘bar scene’ in Millennium mambo cannot be referred to as being particularly appealing, if assessed through the lenses of classical editing-methodology. As Martin suggested, ‘Hou films his dinner-table or restaurant scenes (and bar scenes, we may add) with a kind of maximum suppression of expository, explanatory information, and by the same token a maximum openness to all the instant possibilities of interrelation, of reshuffling of intersubjective identities’.4 Yet, when analyzed within the context of what represents this film’s overall semiotic significance, the spatially prolonged take of Vicky and her friends being shown in the bar appears indispen sible, as it does provide audiences with a comprehensible insight into characters’ positioning in life. Moreover, viewers’ exposure to this particular take does convince them (on unconscious level) that, unlike what it is being often the case with expressionist directors, the ideologically-charged manipulation with the specifics of their psyche’s functioning never accounted for Hou’s subtle agenda.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the earlier mentioned take, director had left it for the audience’s members to define their own attitude to what they get to see on the screen – those who are being no strangers to socializing in the bar will be most likely to find the spirit, emanated by this take, appealing. Alternatively, moralistically minded viewers will be most likely to find the ‘bar scene’ as an implicit proof of characters’ moral depravity. However, the earlier outlined different categories of viewers will still find the ‘bar scene’ representationally honest. Apparently, Hou never ceased being aware of the foremost principle of realist editing, which presupposes the full appropriateness of cinematographic representation of reality proper. As it was noted by Wilson, ‘There is no reason why film presentation should not reflect certain aspects of the normal perceptual position. This alternative style would respect the complexity of the purely spatio-tempo ral integration of a field of action while being willing to leave, e.g., the psychological and causal integration of the action less articulated’.5 In Millennium mambo, the ‘actual reality’ appears to be the focal point of director’s attention – in full accordance with Wilson’s suggestion. The soundness of this suggestion can also be illustrated in regards to the film’s scene in which Vicky comes homes, undresses, spends some time in the shower, lights up a cigarette and ends up being annoyed by Hao-Hao’s trying to have sex with her (00.10.54-00.16.25). The whole earlier mentioned plot’s developments take place in a clearly consequential manner, with no montage cutting being applied, whatsoever. Moreover, while shooting this particular take, Hou had made a point in applying the ‘perceptually deep’ shooting-technique, made possible by director’s choosing in favor of using the camera with deep-focus lens es. In its turn, this allowed Hou to provide a clearly defined aura of three-dimensionality to the scene – even though that for duration of this scene, Hao-Hao mostly remains in Vicky’s background (in another room), viewers get to perceive him in a manner as if they happened to be physically present in Vicky’s apartment. This, of course, does add to the extent of take’s authenticity rather immensely. The same can be said about this scene’s sheer duration (6 minutes), which emphasizes the spatial particulars of a continually deteriorating relationship between Vicky and Hao-Hao. After all, as it appears from Millennium mambo, there were no many objective reasons for both characters to decide in favor of breaking up with each other for good (this is why the off-screen narrator tells that it has never taken too long for Vicky and Hao-Hao to reconcile, after having had a particular break-up). Yet, it also appears that the idea of breaking up with each o ther never ceased affecting both characters’ existential modes. The reason for this is simple – just as it is being shown in the earlier mentioned take, both: Vicky and Hao-Hao continued to co-exist in the state of an extreme psychological tension. And, it was namely by exposing viewers to the long take of Vicky and Hao-Hao dealing with their mutual annoyance of each other that the director was able to provide watching audiences with the clue as to where this tension had originated out of, in the first place. There can be little doubt as to the fact that, had Hou resorted to the classical or the expressionist editing-methodology, while striving to reveal the hidden roots of psychological incompatibility between Vicky and Hao-Hao, he would not be able to achieve the same effect. The reason for this is quite apparent – it is only when the essence of a relationship between both characters is being revealed to the viewers in a spatially plausible manner, that they c an grasp what amounted to the objective preconditions for this relationship to begin deteriorating. A good illustration to the legitimacy of an earlier statement can also serve the long-take scene in which Hao-Hao begins to grub in Vicky’s wallet and finds a long-distance calling bill, which in turn causes him to suspect her of having some affair on a side (00.33.15-00.37.38). Even though that, throughout this scene’s entirety, Hao-Hao continues to act as nothing short of a mentally deranged individual, viewers do not find Hao-Hao’s act as being utterly implausible, simply because scene’s spatio-temporal unity does help to accurately portray the subtleties of a process of an individual becoming gradually filled with the irrational anger. The foremost aspect of this process can be defined within what represents the conceptual framework of cause-effect dialectics, when one thing leads to another. After having found a long-distance calling bill in Vicky†™s wallet, Hao-Hao begins to grow ever more suspectful of his girlfriend – yet, there is a whole spectrum of emotions to this process. As it can be seen in this particular scene, Hao-Hao does try to prevent his irrational anger from taking over his rational being. However, at the scene’s conclusion, he fails at that rather miserably, while becoming enraged to the point of being ready to hit Vicky with his fist. The conversation that takes place between the two characters, heard in the scene, is helping to facilitate the extent of scene’s authenticity even further, ‘Hao-Hao: Who were you calling? Vicky: I told you, I called home! Hao-Hao: Who did you call? Vicky: I said, I called home†¦ Hao-Hao: You’d better not be lying†¦Vicky: Crazy! Why would I lie to you? Hao-Hao: I’ll fucking beat you, you know’ (00.35.48). It is needless to mention, of course, that Hou’s utilization of a continuous take (in this scene) was diale ctically predetermined, as it was the main contributing factor to ensuring scene’s spatio-temporal unity – hence, the heightened measure of this scene’s overall semiotic credibility. Nevertheless, it would be quite inappropriate to refer to Hou’s tendency to take advantage of long takes in Millennium mambo as such that is being solely concerned with director’s strive to emphasize the spatial realness of the explored themes and motifs. It appears that, by having an abundance of long takes in this particular movie, Hou also aimed to highlight the metaphysical significance of a theme of existential alienation, which is being integrally interwoven into plot’s very unraveling. There is a memorable scene in the movie, formatted as a single take, when Vicky is being shown sitting in front of the window, with viewers being exposed to the sight of passing trains outside (01.33.36 – 01.35.30). While referring to the significance of this particu lar scene, Hasumi states, ’All that is visible is a constant stream of trains passing back and forth outside the window by which she (Vicky) stands. Nothing tells her where he has gone. All she can grasp for in this foreign city is the absent shadow of his (Jack’s) treasured presence, but it has vanished into the distance’.6 It is understood, of course, that just as it is being the case with the earlier discussed movie’s scenes that feature a clearly defined spatio-temporal integrity, this particular one does help viewers to gain a better insight into Vicky’s state of mind. This, however, is not only the scene’s purpose. Apparently, while focusing camera on hotel’s window, so that viewers would get to see passing-by trains, Hou wanted to emphasize that the very passage of time results in ‘objectualization’ of people’s subjective desires and anxieties. Hence, tragic undertones to this particular scene – the p assage of time remains irrespective of how people position themselves within the reality’s spatial framework. Therefore, it will only be logical to assume that there is also a symbolical quality to how Hou went about incorporating long takes in Millennium mambo. The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated in regards to the movie’s final scene, which features a prolonged take of Yubari’s snowy street (01.38.36 – 01.39.42). Even though that there is no cinematographic action can be seen in this particular scene, it does convey the idea that the very subtleties of time’s passing naturally predispose people to continually revise their emotionally-charged attitudes towards the surrounding reality. In its turn, this idea correlates with the spirit of spontaneity, emanated by Hou’s film. The fact that Hou’s movie Millennium mambo appears to be extremely realistic may very well have to do with the particulars of director’s ethno -cultural affiliation. After all, Confucian (Apollonian) tradition does encourage its affiliates to reflect upon reality’s ‘vanishing’ emanations, as opposed to be contemplating upon how these emanations reveal the essence of some fixed ‘metaphysical’ reality, as it is being the case with Christian (Faustian) tradition, for example. Nevertheless, it would be much more appropriate to discus Hou’s cinematographic realism as such that is being reflective of his endowment of intellectual honesty and of his innate dislike of artificially sophisticate pretentiousness (the foremost feature of avant-gardist/formalist movies). In Millennium mambo, Hou positioned himself as an individual who firmly believes that, regardless of what accounts for the ethical undertones of objective reality’s manifestations, these manifestations represent the aesthetic value of ‘thing in itself’. Such Hou’s cinematographic positioning, of course, is being fully consistent with Bazin’s belief that the actual purpose of a cinematographic art is to help people to realize the full extent of reality’s aesthetic beauty ‘as it is’, without depriving this reality of its spatio-temporal unity, ‘A film form†¦ permits everything to be said without chopping the world up into little fragments that would reveal the hidden meanings in people and things†¦ without disturbing the unity natural to them’.7 Thus, it would only be logical, on my part, to conclude this paper by reinstating once again that it is namely the fact that in Millennium mambo, Hou succeeded rather marvelously in ensuring a spatial integrity of the explored themes and motifs, which accounts for this movie’s foremost aesthetic value. I believe that this conclusion is being fully consistent with paper’s initial thesis. Moreover, I believe that is namely the realist methodology of film editing, which will be inc reasingly resorted to by movie-directors in the future. The fact that, as of today, the genre of ‘auteur film’ (associated with directors’ utilization of the expressionist editing-methodology) continues to fall out of favor with the majority of moviegoers, leaves very little doubt as to the full validity of this suggestion. Reference List Adrian, M, ‘What’s happening? Story, scene and sound in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’,  Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, pp. 258-270. Bazin, A, ‘The evolution of the language of cinema’, in What is cinema?, University of California Press, Berkley,1967, pp. 23-40. Hasumi, S, ‘The eloquence of the taciturn: An essay on Hou Hsiao-Hsien’, Inter   Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, pp. 184-194.  Millenium mambo, [film], Palm Pictures, New York/Taipei, 2001. Nitzan, B, Film: The key concepts, Berg Publishers, Oxford GBR, 2007. Totaro, D, ‘Andrà © Bazin: Part 1, Fi lm style theory in its historical context’, Off  Screen, 2003, retrieved https://offscreen.com/view/bazin4 Wilson, G, ‘Film, perception, and point of view’, MLN, vol. 91, no. 5, 1976, pp. 1026-1043. Footnotes 1 A Bazin ‘The evolution of the language of cinema’, in What is cinema?, University of California Press, Berkley,1968, p. 36. 2 B Nitzan, Film: The key concepts, Berg Publishers, Oxford GBR, 2007, p. 13. 3 D Totaro, ‘Andrà © Bazin: Part 1, Film style theory in its historical context’, Off Screen, 2003. 4 M Adrian, ‘What’s happening? Story, scene and sound in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, p. 263. 5 G Wilson, ‘Film, perception, and point of view’, MLN, vol. 91, no. 5, 1976, p. 1031. 6S, Hasumi, ‘The eloquence of the taciturn: An essay on Hou Hsiao-Hsien’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, p. 192. 7 Bazin, p. 38.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Doing Penance

Doing Penance Doing Penance Doing Penance By Maeve Maddox In current usage, penance is associated with spiritual practice as a form of self-imposed punishment: penance noun: The performance of some act of self-mortification or the undergoing of some penalty as an expression of sorrow for sin or wrongdoing. When the word penance came into English from Anglo-Norman, it applied to secular punishments as well as penalties assigned by religious authorities. In modern usage, punishment is the usual word associated with a penalty imposed by a secular authority, whereas penance retains the idea of a religiously assigned or self-imposed act of retribution. Post-classical Latin agere paenitentiam translates as â€Å"to do penance,† and the verb â€Å"to do† remains the idiomatic convention in modern English. For example, â€Å"Though still a promising star, Lohan will have to do penance before shes forgiven for this boring, unfunny feature.† Recently I have noticed the unidiomatic â€Å"to pay penance,† chiefly in the context of sports: Pro football continues paying penance for some players involvement with domestic violence.- Steve Inskeep, NPR. Pay your penance, and all is forgiven- ESPN headline. Fordham is  still paying penance  for the colossal mistake it made when it left the MAAC to join the Patriot League in 1990.- New York Daily News. People â€Å"pay for† their sins,† but â€Å"do penance† for them. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?Latin Words and Expressions: All You Need to Know5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Is China's rise an opportunity or a threat to world Essay

Is China's rise an opportunity or a threat to world - Essay Example Munakata (2003) has discussed the impact of China’s rise from a Japanese perspective. He points out that China is viewed as an economic threat because of the high level of imports from China, the rise in foreign direct investment and the inexhaustible supply of low cost hard working laborers, as well as educated engineers and researchers. However, it also provides an opportunity for Japan, because it is the fast growing export market, the profitability of Japanese investments in China has improved considerably, and increased mergers between Chinese and Japanese companies have resulted in a financial windfall for Japan, thus this author concludes that China’s rise is more of an opportunity rather than a threat. According to Lampton (2007), the United States is not making an accurate assessment of China’s rise, since it is focusing on China’s military might. It views China as an emerging military power because the country is too big to compel cooperation, however this could result in unnecessary squandering of resources. Lampton (2007) suggests that instead of viewing China’s rise mainly in terms of its growing strength, there is a need to pay attention to its growth in the economic and intellectual domains. He suggests that the U.S. should focus on ways to improve cooperation and ally with China instead of entering into conflict. Restall(2007) is of the view that China’s military build up is not of a magnitude as to be a source of concern to the United States. The important aspect of this growing military strength is that China is taking on the role of providing military protection to smaller Asian States, which was once the U.S. role. As a result, China poses a threat to the United States hegemony in Asia. It is also entering into pragmatic partnerships with Asian countries and capitalizing on the desire among Asians for self reliance and freedom from outside interference. Therefore China appears poised to play a

Friday, November 1, 2019

CS 5 Skype Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CS 5 Skype Analysis - Essay Example These include: the balancing feedback loop and the reinforcing feedback loop. The balancing loop makes effort to shift the manner things are (present state) to an objective or goal (preferred state) by use of whatever that can be done or used (Some course of action) to attain the goal by the company. The balancing loop is one of the two essential system structures by Skype. This feedback loop is an embodiment of any condition where there is an objective and course of action it is implemented to attain that specific goal. For instance, if one makes a decision to enhance the sales by say 15%, he or she has merely established a balancing loop; same to one who makes a decision to create a new product or service (Bellinger, 2004c). This can be illustrated by the balancing loop diagram below; Source: (Bellinger, 2004b) The preferred state relates with the present condition to create a gap. The preferred condition is taken as fixed or constant in this perception. The gap produced by the ran ge between the preferred condition and the present state is actually inspired for action, and the bigger the gap the higher the tendency to result into an action. The course of action considered contributes to the present condition. The present condition deducts from the gap, therefore minimizing it. ... The feedback loop stresses on entirety as opposed to sections or divisions. It also does stress on the circular feedback as opposed to linear foundation and outcome. Besides, it has a unique terminology that defines the behavior of systems such as the feedback that regulates change and fosters a system to uphold stability. Effective Strategies That Might be used in This Feedback by Skype To efficiently make use of this balancing loop, Skype must ascertain that there is an explicit well comprehended and accepted description of the preferred condition in the company system structure. If the employees are not aware of the final goal they are trying to get then any course of action can lead them somewhere. The company must also see to it that there is an objective or goal as probable description of the current condition. It is the connection amidst the preferred state and the present state that creates the foundation for planning and corresponding course of action. In case the planning i s faulted there is an excellent opportunity the consequent course of action might be irrelevant to shift the present state to the preferred state (Bellinger, 2004a). Last but not least, since the course of action is reinforced by the magnitude of the gap there is a normal behavior for the degree of action to decrease as the current condition looms towards the preferred state. This behavior accounts for the reason that as majority of the projects by Skype come to a finishing point it tends to be more and more complicated to create development towards the end. To surmount this tendency, the inspiration for action must emanate from some point apart from the gap. In connection to the completion of the project the