Identifying the Common American Sycamore

Minority Report Film Analysis - 1070 Words

Stephen Spielberg’s 2002 science fiction mystery thriller Minority Report, is an interesting commentary on the age old struggle for human beings to find a balance between our desire for freedom and our need for security. The premise of the film is that in the future, 2954 to be exact, the city of Washington, D.C. has instituted a pre-crime police unit which harnesses the â€Å"powers† of three young people with precognition to detect murders before they happen. The main character is police chief John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, and when the PreCogs foresee him killing someone, he goes on the run and attempts to clear his name. The film ends up dealing with issues not only about freedom and security, but also about the ethics of the criminal†¦show more content†¦Each actor is exceptional in playing his or her role, but Cruise is a stand out. He is widely known for his roles in action films and his performance here shows why. His character is nuanced, not just a macho police officer, and Cruise plays the role well, displaying a vulnerable, flawed, well-intentioned, and well-rounded hero who the view can really get behind and root for. The mis-en-scene and costume design are interesting because they display what life could very well be like in the near future. The environment is riddled with facial and iris detection technology, sleek flying cars, and familiar brands like Gap and Ben Jerry’s. The inclusion of these brands creates a world that is almost believable. The costume is also a mix of contemporary clothing and futuristic, with civilians generally wearing normal clothing and police wearing exo-suits with jetpacks and helmets. The colors in the environment are generally dark and shadowy. Even in scenes that take place during the day time, while the colors may be bright, the overall feel of the film is dark and gray. The editing and camera work of Minority Report are what really make the film feel like a detective movie from the 1950s updated for the turn of the 20th Century. Visually, the film has a hazy, soft quality to it, which gives the viewer a false sense of peace and calm. This, coupled with the use of the color blue, along with black, white and gray, create a seemingly peaceful, comforting environment. This isShow MoreRelatedMinority Report Film Analysis1427 Words   |  6 PagesThe film Minority Report catalyzes a specific message through its usage of film effects and actors. Dystopian films are created through the film’s plot, often enforcing an over-arching method of government corruption and control through its setting, actors, and specific lighting. These key elements utilize the overall tone of the film, and it is the specific use of actors and technicians that ultimately set the film up for success. Minority Report exploits this usage of blocking and setting in orderRead M oreFilm Analysis: The Minority Report Essay1596 Words   |  7 Pages The Minority Report is a film that tries to stop crimes before they happen, with the enlistment of 3 teen pre-cogs. These pre-cogs predict future murders and the authorities swoop in and arrest the would-be murders, before they have the chance of committing the crime. Even thing goes great until Anderton, a cop played by Tom Cruise, is suspected. Written by Philip K. Dick and then turned to film by Steven Spielberg in 2002, the short story to film became a success. Though there are many differencesRead MoreFilm Analysis of Minority Report Essay968 Words   |  4 Pagesaction and another, his freedom to seek good and avoid evil. The animal has no freedom, but is determined by physical and biological laws; like a machine, the animal responds whenever the appropriate stimulus is present† (Bolles 1963, p.182). In Minority Report (2002) one of the main issues is free will versus determinism. Is there some point that people can and do change their mind while committing an act? I n the movie, the police have the right to arrest and charge citizens that have been determinedRead MoreGendered Medi The Influence Of Media On Views Of Gender, By Julia T. Wood1405 Words   |  6 Pagesrepresent an environment of equal opportunity for both sex. However, the majority of women that are currently represented on television are Caucasian female. Additionally, there’s still an absence of diversity and inclusion as there’s not a lot of minority group being portrayed in television. For instance, when other groups such as Latinas are represented in television they are portrayed in a negative way unlike Caucasian females. Not only are Latinas negative portrayed, but when they are representedRead MoreGraduation Speech : Senior Honors Program1321 Words   |  6 Pagesmothers and how they have been depicted in film over the past sixty five years. Over the time period of 1950-2015, single mothers are continuously addressed throughout American politics in relation to both economic and moral conditions of the country. For an honors thesis I would be interested in researching the possibility of a relationship between the way single mothers are addressed and mentioned in politics, how they are subsequently portrayed in film, and how the general public conceptualizesRead MoreThe Reason Why Minorities Are Often Suspected First Of Doing Violent Crime1525 Words   |  7 Pages The following paper will try to discover the reason why minorities are often suspected first of doing violent crime, instead of their counterparts. A general reason why trying to understand this phenomenon is important is for the consequences it brings. When an individual, in this case minorities, are suspected of doing violent crime, they are more often targeted more than usual. This leads to mostly minorities being in prison, and in most states, they are not allowed to vote. This is crucial forRead MoreThe Help Film Analysis Essay1686 Words   |  7 PagesHannah Struzynski Film/Documentary Analysis Paper: The Help ERS 100 Section 8 For my film/documentary analysis paper, I chose the movie The Help. This movie was actually originally a book written by Kathryn Stockett, but then in 2011, a screenplay was written and directed by Tate Taylor. I selected this film because it directly relates to some of the topics we talk about in class. Some of them being segregation and discrimination. In society today, segregation and discrimination play a huge roleRead MoreMovie Analysis : Crash 1055 Words   |  5 PagesMohamed Abdi Professor Opse English 1108 23 November 2015 Movie Analysis Although the movie Crash aired in 2004, the movie does a phenomenal job at depicting social conflicts that are still evident in 2015. Crash, also deals with wide range of controversies and offers multiple narratives. And since narrative is always a two-way street, the movie does a great job of showing two perspectives of everything. More specifically, it challenges our ethical and moral beliefs in a sense that many of theRead MoreDefining Socially Conscious Film Making Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pagesresponsibilities that our progressive films champion because the ends justify the means? The system is not working. And while it may be seemingly impossible to change, this does not absolve us of our responsibility to critically examine a system that, like many others in our global economy, which can be classist, ageist and exploitative. Let’s look at the elephant in the room constructively, bravely, honestly and in the spirit of discovery. Before hearing the report on NPR today, I contemplated applyingRead MoreMedia s Negative Portrayal Of Minorities903 Words   |  4 Pagesthat technology is vital to the facilitation of everyday living. In today’s media, minorities are constantly being represented in a negative light. Those who fall victim to this tend to be Latinos and African Americans. In the news, there are many aired reports of acts of violence that are portrayed as being committed either by an African American or a Latino. Entertainment media also does its part in showing minorities through negative stereotypes and are underrepresented in important leading roles

Annotated Bibliography on Introduction to Sociology-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theAnnotated Bibliography on Introduction to Sociology. Answer: Essay plan The discipline of sociology emerged as a response to the changing social events and the task of the sociologist to identify and explain those events through a critical analysis of the events (Cragun et al. 2014). Sociology is premised on the principles of debunking, disrespectability, relativization and cosmopolitanism (Wolfe Callahan, 2017). The study of sociology enables an individual to contextualize the everyday social interactions and personal troubles in the broader spectrum of issues that have been part of struggles in history. Sociology is the science of examining social events through a critical lens. This essay on introduction to Sociology aims to introduce the readers to the world of sociology and the various tenets, contributions and propositions made by sociologists. It outlines the quintessence of sociology and in what ways it may be different from natural sciences. There is a discussion on the methodological framework that has been undertaken by Durkheim. Sociology has progressed through the years and have responded to the changing vents like the bane of urban life to the critique of modernity. The scathing critique of modernity underlines that the generalized image of modernity an emancipatory project is an illusion and conceals the social, political and political evils that have been promoted and perpetuated. It concludes with the post-modernist and post structuralist approach envisaged by Foucault about the modern institutions and how power is infused in the body of the individuals. The literature (annotated bibliography) selected for the essay plan have been found through the library research catalogue and the suggested readings in the assignment. It is expected that the essay would be enriching to understand sociology by anyone interested to engage with the subject and at the same time these readings are widely cited for the study of sociology. Berger, P. (1963). Invitation to sociology.New York: Anchor,1, 963. Invitation to sociology Peter Bergers Invitation to Sociology is apt for the reading of the scientists who want to understand the fundamental distinctions between the discourses of natural sciences and social sciences. Penned in the year 1966, the book provides the reader an insight into the essence and contents of sociology. The books major strength lies in its ability to focus and critically examine the things that are closer to us. He exhorts the sociologists to not to look at the cultural artifacts as de-contextualized and unpoliticized objects whereas on the contrary those should looked with a critical lens. Mills, C. W. (2000).The sociological imagination. Oxford University Press. Sociological Imagination C W Mills Sociological Imagination underscore on the distinction between personal trouble and public issue. According to Mills, the very notion that individual troubles are isolated events is a facade. Our personal troubles are situated in the broader context of public issues all over the world. History is the manifestation of the individual trials and tribulations. Individuals fail to understand that their personal failures are not unique and are located in the larger society in which they live. The strength of the book is that it enables the reader to contextualize their everyday issues and the weakness may be the strict intellectual parameter set by Berger. Bauman, Z. (1989).Modernity and the Holocaust. Cornell University Press. Modernity and holocaust Liquid modernity is a seminal text in the discipline of sociology that locates the xenophobic attitude meted out to the Jews in the broader context of the essence of modernity. The text brings out Baumans social location as a Jewish critical social scientist who always had to be in the periphery because of his ethnic minority position. The author argues that the theoretical complacency that has surrounded the event of holocaust. The strength of the book lies in its reinterpretation of modernity and the identification of modernity as a bureaucratic-rational event. The shortcoming of the text is that is a synthesis of different themes that have been already addressed earlier by sociologists. Bauman, Z. (2013).Liquid modernity. John Wiley Sons. Liquid modernity In Liquid modernity, Bauman encapsulates the nature of modern relationships as fragile, loose and lacks the intense bond that had existed before the pre-modern era. Bauman also emphasizes on the increasing fear of the stranger that is permeating into the society. Spatial differentiation is growing in correspondence with social differentiation. This text is the legacy of Baumans ethical or normative sociology. Bauman argues that the lack of ethics in society is leading to disintegration of relationships both at the micro level as well as the macro-level. The strength of the text lies in its befitting response to understanding the nature of modernity whereas the possible drawback may be the presence of too many themes in one book, quintessential to Baumans work. Durkheim, E. (2013).Durkheim: The rules of sociological method: And selected texts on sociology and its method. Palgrave Macmillan. The Rules of Sociological Method Emile Durkheim is considered as one of the key figures in the functionalist school of sociology. For Durkheim, sociology is the scientific study of society where reality is understood as sui generis. It underscores on the view that there are social facts that a sociologist needs to intervene. Durkheim proposed that social facts are to be derived through the pre-determination of legal facts. The strength of the text lies in its detailed account of methodology. The drawback of the text lies in its positivist and functionalist orientation of placing too much importance on the structure and overlooking the micro-level everyday human interactions. Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in.Butler, Bodies that Matter. The presentation of self in everyday life Goffman, a micro-sociologist and important figure in the domain of symbolic interaction argued that social interaction is the performance of roles. He used the analogy of the front stage and back stage to underscore on the motivation of human action. In the front stage, the social actors act according to the norms and expectations of the society. In the back stage, the individual retreats from the given role. The strength of the text is that Goffman criticizes the structuralist and functionalist theoretical strands and his contribution of dramaturgical sociology. His weakness lies in not using the gender perspective to understand the dramaturgical tenet. Foucault, M. (2012).Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. Vintage. Foucault Discipline and Punish Discipline and Punish highlights Foucaults post-modernist approach towards the existing issues in society. Foucault recognized that power is infused in the everyday social relationships and the body becomes the site to manifest that power. In the pre-industrial society the nature of punishment unveiled its power relationship with the body. The exertion of ones power through corporeality remains the same and has taken the shape in disciplining the bodies in the industrial societies. The strength of the book lies in its nuanced approach of identifying power and the possible critique would be the invisibilization of discussions on gender, body and power. Horkheimer, M., Adorno, T. W. (2006). The culture industry: Enlightenment as mass deception.Media and cultural studies: Keyworks, 41-72. Enlightenment as mass deception by Adorno and Horkheimer The concept of culture industry proposed by Adorno and Horkheimer is a critique of the project of enlightenment. It was believed that enlightenment would be emancipatory and pave the path for progress. On the contrary, enlightenment induced modernity, bureaucratic rationality and capitalism has caused more harm than good. The aspect of culture has been turned into a commodity, manufactured and sold in the capitalist market. This had culminated to a culture of consumerism. The strength of the text lies in its critique of popular culture through a neomarxist approach. The drawback lies in it ability to recognize the subjectivity of the individual in preventing themselves to be cultural dopes. Simmel, G. (2012). The metropolis and mental life. InThe urban sociology reader(pp. 37-45). Routledge. The metropolis and the mental life Simmel also known for his formal sociology has highlighted about the impact of mental health on the individuals residing in the metropolitan cities. Simmel encapsulates the disposition of the modern urban culture. It emphasizes on the psychological implications on the lives of individuals. In metropolis human interactions are short and there is an increasing of animosity and doubt among the people. The strength of the book lies in its critique of the implications of health in the backdrop of urban megalopolis whereas the weakness of the book may be argued as Simmels pessimistic view about the society much like Weber. Weber, M. (2013).The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Routledge. Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism In Protestant ethic and spirit of capitalism, Weber makes an interesting analysis by linking Protestantism and the rise of capitalism. According to Weber, the prevalence of capitalism and entrepreneurial venture among the protestant believer may be attributed to the specific qualities in the religious sect. Protestants believe that they should not engage in hedonistic life and rather save the money made from the business venture. There is also an emphasis on predestination and calling that is compatible with the temperament of capitalism. The strength of the text lies in its ability to identify a phenomenon with specific values shared by the group. The weakness lies in the overgeneralization of the explanation. References Bauman, Z. (1989).Modernity and the Holocaust. Cornell University Press. Bauman, Z. (2013).Liquid modernity. John Wiley Sons. Berger, P. (1963). Invitation to sociology.New York: Anchor,1, 963. Cragun, R., Sumerau, J. E., Friesen, B., Carter, K., Cragun, D. (2014). Introduction to sociology.St. Petersburg, FL: Wikibooks. Durkheim, E. (2013).Durkheim: The rules of sociological method: And selected texts on sociology and its method. Palgrave Macmillan. Foucault, M. (2012).Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. Vintage. Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in.Butler, Bodies that Matter. Horkheimer, M., Adorno, T. W. (2006). The culture industry: Enlightenment as mass deception.Media and cultural studies: Keyworks, 41-72. Mills, C. W. (2000).The sociological imagination. Oxford University Press. Simmel, G. (2012). The metropolis and mental life. InThe urban sociology reader(pp. 37-45). Routledge. Weber, M. (2013).The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Routledge. Wolfe, C., Callahan, J. S. (2017). Introduction to sociology.

NAFTA Essays (903 words) - International Trade,

NAFTA Mexico and the United States along with Canada have entered into a trilateral free trade agreement called the North American Free Trade Agreement otherwise known as NAFTA. NAFTA has got to be the largest trading agreement in history; the agreement creates a single market of 370 million consumers. The people of NAFTA talk about potential gains from increased free trade between Mexico and the U.S. as the two countries remove tariffs, other trade barriers and restrictions on investment so that businesses would have access for goods, service and investment. They argue that the U.S. stands to gain from the agreement as Mexico offers trade potential in a growing market, more investment opportunities, low cost labor, abundant natural resources, and geographical prospects and growing markets for American goods. On the other hand, outsiders argue that the agreement would further encourage American businesses to move their production facilities to Mexico in search of low cost labor so that the U.S. would lose a lot of jobs along with money. They also claim that the pollution in the environment, which is already bad to begin with, will be worsened by the agreement. These opposing arguments need to be sorted out so that the potential benefits and costs of the agreement can be identified. A free trade area is formed when countries remove tariffs and other barriers to trade among them while maintaining tariffs and other commercial policies against non-member nations. This selective trading arrangement would appear to be a movement toward freer trade and therefore, greater economic efficiency. The trade barriers among the member countries are removed while others remain. There are other potential benefits to members of a free trade area. Successful businesses within the trade agreement can take advantage of the economy as their market expands. Another source of benefits comes from increased competition. Competition increases managerial efficiency, worker productivity, and higher rate of investment by low-cost firms. The development of more efficient economies, in turn, creates more jobs and increases standards of living in the member countries. In addition, reduced tensions and an increased likelihood of peace may be another benefit from a trade agreement. There are several components in the agreement. One component deals with market access. Issues such as tariffs, non-tariffs barriers, rules of origin and governemnt procurement are addressed under this category. Trade rule components deal with issues such as subsidies and health and safety standards. The agreement also deals with issues facing specific industries such as the automobile, textile, energy and agriculture. The financial and telecommunications industries are the two areas of conflict. The other components include investment, intellectual property, and dispute settlement. There are four major issues in NAFTA: rules of origin, labor, agriculture and environment. Rules of Origin. Any regional free trade agreement is subject to a "transshipment problem." Without a Rules of Origin clause, a business from a non-member country could import unfinished products into the member country with the lowest tariff rates. The foreign company could then assemble its products in the member country and ship them to the remaining member countries, avoiding their higher tariffs. The Rules of Origin, also known as local content requirement, can be defined as ?the minimum percentage of a country's exported product the must be produced or substantially transformed within the border of the exporting country" (Aguilar 1993). Labor. Among those who are strongly against NAFTA are labor unions who fear that American workers will suffer as U.S. businesses move their business to Mexico in search of lower labor cost. In 1991, the average manufacturing wage rate in the U.S. was $15.45 per hour while that of Mexico was only $2.17. Agriculture. Currently the majority of agricultural products traded between the U.S. and Mexico consist of grains, livestock and oilseeds. Mexico also exports sugar for refining and cattle for feed lots, which are re-exported for sale. The U.S. has tariffs on fruits and vegetables. Overall, the average tariff on Mexican farm products to the U.S. is about 6 percent. Environment. The environmental issue has taken a backseat to many of the economic concerns Mexico has had to address in the past. In the 1980's Mexico faced a debt crisis. In order to revitalize the Mexican economy the Mexican government allowed an increase in foreign investment within its borders. However, this investment also meant increased pollution. The pollution that has been allowed for so long has escalated into a serious problem that Mexico must address as they face increasing free trade with the U.S. and Canada . NAFTA introduced a major breakthrough in the history of trade among the three North