Cultural Context Question - Rough Draft Essay Example for Free

Cultural Context Question Rough Draft Essay Q. â€Å"A reader can feel uncomfortable with the values and attitudes presented in texts† Compare the extent to which the values and attitudes that you encountered, in at least two texts on your comparative course, made you feel uncomfortable. A.The texts i have chosen to write about is the play Sive by John B Keane, the novel How Many Miles To Babylon? (Babylon) by Jennifer Johnson and the film Im Not Scared (INS) directed by Gabriele Salvatores. In the play Sive, Mena is a powerful women who controls her husband just as Alicia controls her husband in Babylon. Both of these women make me feel uncomfortable because the women can wield their household to the detriment of others. This is not apparent in INS. The manipulation of men by women is completely absent in INS. There is a lack of communication between Mike and Mena Glavin. This is due to how the marriage of the Glavins was convenient contract rather than a romance. This is also evident in the marriage of the Moores. Alicia Moore is a cold hearted women who dismisses her husband as a ‘ineffective’ man. Mike and Frederick are similar in this way. They are incapable of withstanding the pressures placed on them by their wives. They yield to these pressures. Men are depicted as weak and easy to manipulate or intrusive bullies like Major Glendinnig and Thomaseen Rua who are cruel cynics hat impose their wills on others with cruelty. In sive, Thomaseen Rua threatens Nanna. A corresponding moment occurs in Babylon when Major Glendinning threatens the soldiers before he battle. This is a very disturbing image to me because Major Glendinning is a callous and cruel man. Just as Thomaseen is to sive. The portrait of men in the play is just as negative as in the novel. In he film the image of men is exceedingly negative. The men are eiher brutal, hostile individuals or weak complicit allies of the sadistic Sergio. Sergio reminds us of Glendinning, he accuses the men of being imcompotent and stupid. Mike betrays his niece in order to gain money for his tremendous greed. He chooses to feed his gluttony instead of the truthful, right thing. The only decent male in the play is Liam  Scuab. He has courage and courtesy to respect Sive as she wants to be respected. Just as alec is an courteous man in Babylon. His heroic sacrifice is doneout of love for his best friend. He knows that he will die but does it anyway. In the book Babylon, the social class have a huge impact on the people. In sive it is not such this way. Alicia doesn’t want Alec near jerry because of the differences between the amounts of money their parents make. Although we observe the extreme poverty of Carthalawn and Pats Bocock and the relative wealth of Sean Dota, there is not the same division in the play as there is in the novel. He differences in social status does not create the same tension is Sive as it does in the novel. Alicia ensured her social position by marrying Frederick in much the same way as the Glavins are trying to marry Sive off to Sean Dota. Sive has a relationship with Liam scuab a local boy and the different social status is not an obstacle for them. The differences in social staus creates conflict. These are not only to do with money but religion, education and politics as well. In INS and Babylon, this issue is palpable. In both these texts, people are willing to kill for personal gain. The portrayal of men in both texts is a disturbing one. This is evident. Either the men are pathetic, feeble men or brutal animals. Frederick moore is a drained man. His wife is a malicious women who always gets her own way because Frederick is too old and tired to fight with her anymore. Just as mike is with mena. He choses not to fight anymore for a sense of peace in his life. He goes against his morals to give her what she wants out of greed and his timid nature towards mena. This theme of weak, feeble or mericiless, heartless men is typical of both texts. We see similar abusive cruelty in the film through the male gang members led by Sergio. While betrayal is conveyed in an interesting way in Babylon when Frederick lets Alicia get her own way despite alec’s protests, it is conveyed more intensely in sive when mike lets mena sell sive off to sean doa for their own gain. This is a very disturbing image. Betrayal is also a highly strong theme in INS. Sergio gets betrayed by his own son when Michele find filipo  hidden in the whole in the ground. He helps the young boy. This is seen as betrayal to Sergio. The values and attitudes presented in these texts are very disturbing. They will make you feel uncomfortable and edgy. Study the values and attitudes of these three texts has been an enjoyable experience and i have learned more about different social back grounds, different views on life and more. These three texts are a good example of how people may rise above society and what is expected to grow as a race and choose to change things around for equality.

Bongo.. Always American Made - Analysis Of Bongo Jeans Ad :: essays research papers

BONGO.. Always American Made - Analysis of Bongo Jeans Ad This ad for Bongo jeans is from the April issue of Seventeen magazine. The ad gives no written description of the product. Only symbols and hidden messages are used to draw in the reader and stir up interest in the product. There is an attractive young couple engaged in what appears to be a strip-poker game. The man is obviously losing. He is apparently nude behind a card table, wearing only his shoes, with his jeans draped over him. His briefs are on the floor under the table, reinforcing the fact that he is nude. He has a look of disbelief on his face, but at the same time, he looks happy and content. It is almost as if he is thinking, "Oh no, now I am nude. What will I do now?". The young lady has obviously not lost a single hand. She is fully clothed and seems to be in total control of the game and her life. This makes sense since the magazine the ad appears in is geared towards teenage girls. She sits in a somewhat sensual pose, leaning forward, with a look of confidence and achievement on her face. She obviously knows that her hand is a winner, and that her companion will soon be without even his shoes. On the table are two glasses of milk. This is one of the most powerful images in the ad. I believe they are there to counteract the sexual overtones and idea of risk-taking in the ad. Milk is included as if to say, "Even though these two young people are probably going to have sex when the game is finished, they are wholesome, good people." Milk works much better than using soft drinks, for example. If the makers of the ad had used cola for instance, the reader could not have really known if the liquid in the glasses was cola, dark beer, or liquor. By using milk, the people who produced the ad made certain that the reader could make no mistake about what the glasses contain. Surrounding the border of the ad are playing cards. I believe they represent the idea of gambling and a "Devil may care" attitude. The cards convey to the reader that its all right to gamble and take chances. They seem to say, "If you wear our jeans, you can take chances and still be in control." Teen age girls are looking for this type of message, so this ad is very effective in relaying this thought.

In Cold Blood Theme Essay

There are many prominent themes in the novel In Cold Blood, and they cover a wide spectrum of topics. They include the effects (if any) caused by environment in childhood, how a person of any of locale can be a victim of hostility, and the presence of contrasting personalities. Truman Capote gives the reader a detailed account of Perry Smith’s and Dick Hickock’s childhoods. Smith’s childhood was very problematic and scarred by years of abuse. He witnessed beatings of his mother by his father; as a result of the domestic violence, his parents divorced. Due to these problems he rans away from home, and he was â€Å"in and out of detention homes many times† (277). He is severely beaten and humiliated by a cottage mistress because of a mixuration malfunction. These violent episodes compelled his bitterness toward other humans. When Smith entered adulthood, he commited acts of thievery and acts of battery. While in the merchant marines, he once threw a Japanese policeman off a bridge and into the water. All these events had an impact on Smith, and his adulthood provided him with the opportunity to avenge the experiences that enraged him. Hickock’s childhood was marked by no horror stories. His years of childhood showed no signs of abuse or neglect, but his parents were a little overprotective. He showed no real contempt for his parents or his childhood. Dick’s inception into adulthood reveals his abnormal â€Å"tendencies,† (Reed 115) and in the novel proof is given by Hickock: â€Å"I think the main reason I went there [the Clutter home] was not to rob them but to rape the girl† (278). The two killers’ childhoods were obviously dissimilar, and their differences bring to question the formation of a killer’s mind. Is it childhood that affects the criminal mind’s mentality? Smith’s lack of companionship during his childhood led him to search for companionship in Hickock. Hickock took advantage of Smith’s need by promoting Smith’s fantasies. Hickock truly felt that Smith’s fantasies were ludicrous, but he supported his fantasies because he needed Smith’s aid to commit the murders. A second theme of In Cold Blood is the randomness of crime. The Clutter family lived in rural Kansas hundreds of miles from a major city, and people of this small community felt a sense of security. The Clutter family murder made national headlines because this crime fit no stereotype. The Clutter family was well loved and respected by the people of Holcomb, who would have never seriously considered a such a crime happening in their own backyard. The Clutter family was successful financially; they lived as well as any other family in town. However, there was no jealousy of the family’s success. This is another one of many reasons why this murder consternated the inhabitants of Holcomb, the investigators, and the rest of the nation. Another theme throughout In Cold Blood is the attraction of opposite personalities and what they can become once united. The reader sees these opposing personalities in Hickock and Smith. The first scene of Perry Smith is with a guitar and a set of road maps. The guitar appears to function as a feminine image and symbol. The reader also learns that part of what attracts Hickock to Smith is that Hickock fells â€Å"totally masculine† by this association. In one scene the contents of the criminals’ automobile is mentioned. One of Perry’s possessions is the guitar, and the â€Å"instrument that typifies his combative companion Dick†¦ a twelve gauge pump-action shotgun.† Another instance of Smith’s feminism is Hickock’s constant addressing of him as â€Å"sugar,† â€Å"honey,† and â€Å"baby.† Smith’s feminine qualities are evident; however, the reader is left to interpret their importance (Reed 113-114). In conclusion, there are many different themes throughout the novel. In Cold Blood discusses the issues of childhood influences, the randomness of a crime, and opposing personalities. These themes are unique in that they they can be molded into a nonfiction novel such as In Cold Blood.

Developing Self-Sufficiency Skills in Ladies Can Boost the Countrys Economic Growth Free Essay Example, 2250 words

Parents education especially women is concurrent with their children's performance because their education is more often significant than the father's. This is because many women spend much time with their children, unlike men. Women can thus influence their children s major behaviors and general skills. Statistics show that Hardworking and independent women are likely to transfer the same skills to their children. A learned mother's better influence in family negotiations may let her secure more possessions for her family. Educated women are more expected to be in the employment force, giving them a chance to pay some schooling costs, and maybe more informed of schooling returns. And educated women, averaging fewer children, can focus more concentration on each child. In addition to having fewer kids, learned women are less expected to have ill-timed or unplanned births. This has implications for education because unfortunate parents must often decide which of their kids to educat e. African women are used to the belief that women should interact less and only remain indoors taking care of their children and cooking for their husbands. This reduces women self-esteem because they see themselves as being less superior that men in their day to day interactions. We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Self-Sufficiency Skills in Ladies Can Boost the Country's Economic Growth or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page