Monday, January 27, 2020
March Of The Penguins | Analysis
March Of The Penguins | Analysis The emperor penguins have a unique and exhausting mating ritual, which is said to exemplify a traditional family life. While originally intended to be a simple nature documentary, March of the Penguins, turned into a phenomenon in the United States. Many people viewed the Emperor penguins dedication to their families and the mating ritual as a model for a traditional and conservative family that most Americans are lacking. Family values are a somewhat controversial issue due to its large basis in ethics. Ethics is a set of guidelines or morals that people or a culture use as a rubric for good or bad behavior and decisions. The family values promoted in March of the Penguins are ethical according to the American way of life. This film was produced by French filmmakers and narrated by Morgan Freeman. Furthermore, it was the second highest grossing film in the United States (Miller). After premiering in the United States, reviews began to circulate that raved of the conservation values pushed in the film as well as traditional family values. The documentary, March of the Penguins, was highly successful due to the interpretation of the portrayal of conservation in a non-scientific manner and the family values promoted by personifying the penguins in the film. March of the Penguins is a documentary created and produced by French filmmakers, Luc Jaquet, Michael Fessler, and Bonne Pioche, which documents the yearly journey of the emperor penguins in Antarctica. Narrating the American version of the film is by the infamous Morgan Freeman, who is notorious for his voice that can make any moment on film moving and meaningful. Utilizing him as the only human voice heard in the film gives it much more of an impact on audiences of all walks of life. The writers and producers created a film that document the incredible journey that these amazing animals make each year and their mating rituals that are unlike any other. Emperor penguins have many fine characteristics, that unless seen up close they would never be visible to the human eye. Emperors are the largest of all penguins-an average bird stands some 45 inches (115 centimeters) tall (Forsteri). Emperor penguins are the father of all penguins. Each summer the Emperor penguins hunt and feed on fish in the ocean. The penguins instinctively begin their journey seventy miles inland as a species to the mating grounds where they then find their perfect mate for the next year. While at the mating grounds, the female emperor penguin gives birth to a single egg. After she gives birth, she leaves for the ocean to feed again while the male emperor penguin remains at the mating grounds with the other males to warm and protect their egg all through the brutal winter. These penguins attain their physical features in order to survive the harsh habitat they have to reside in. The males wait until the females return in the spring when their young hatch from the ir eggs. The winter is extremely relentless and harsh in Antarctica, especially inland where the mating ground is. There are several sunless days and many more with little sunlight. The males have no food to eat and must rely on the fat they built up over the summer to feed them and keep them warm through the season. These penguins use many conservation tactics in order to survive in the worst of times. By the time the egg has hatched, emperor penguins will have fasted about 65 days through icy temperatures and they will have survived the brutal wind chills of inland Antarctica reaching as low -76ÂÂ °F (Forsteri). To help survive, the males all gather in a large huddle with their backs to the outside to keep warm. They rotate turns being on the outside where it is the coldest and being in the center where it is the warmest. By learning and utilizing how penguins conserve can only benefit everyone on a global level. Reducing our own carbon footprint will decrease the effects of Global Warming. One of the most important things we can do, as penguins do, is work in a group. Humans should help others and work with others in conserving energy, similar to the way emperor penguins work as a group to keep each other warm. Humans can cut down on the use of air conditioning and heat, for example, which will save a vast amount of energy. There are numerous ways for humans to conserve our habitat, similar to the way penguins conserve their habitat which will help our earth as a whole. The females then return in the spring just as their young are hatching so that they can feed them and relieve the males from their long months of protecting their offspring with no food. The mothers take the task of teaching the young penguin chicks about the world, because one day soon those baby chicks will have to carry on the tradition for the survival of their species (Anderson). As in traditional American families, the mother penguin is in charge of caring for their offspring after they emerge from the egg. The filming technique in March of the Penguins is impressive and gives the documentary a much more up close and personal feeling. There are many close-ups of the penguins throughout the documentary. Additionally, scenes reveal footage that have never been captured on film. One of the more touching moments occurs during the mating season, an Emperor penguin couple pose with their heads bowed down together in an almost kissing embrace. They were also able to capture the penguins as they were feeding underwater during the summer, preparing to make their amazing journey inland for the winter. Being able to see these creatures up close puts the viewers in their shoes, if they could wear any. The shots that these videographers were able to capture are breathtaking and captivating, in turn keeping the audience enthralled throughout an otherwise boring and straightforward documentary. The filming techniques in this documentary are most definitely a large part of the reason for its huge succe ss in the United States. The translation appears that the message of family values is a form of expression through the movie March of the Penguins. Let us assume that when groups of people watch or listen to a film, each individual will interpret the information differently. Peoples personal views are ethically different, depending on what he or she understands and perceives to be true and right. When interviewed by the London Times March of the Penguins director Jacquet, who has never made a film for the cinema before, is concerned that his documentary has been hijacked. For me there is no doubt about evolution. I am a scientist. The intelligent design theory is a step back to the thinking of 300 years ago. My film is not supposed to be interpreted in this way (Malvern). Yet by examining the film, its message reveals a strong suggestion of traditional family values and monogamy. For example, the films story of unswerving portrayal that penguins function in the same manner each mating season cycle. It reinforces monogamous heterosexual family makeup as a natural and necessary part of life. The story of the penguins depicts total parental sacrifice and dedication to the offspring and the traditional family structure. First, in the scenes in which the penguins are having intercourse are only implied. The director only reveals intimate shots of wings and beaks, as tender loving music plays in the background. This parallels the idea of traditional family values, rather than the actual act shown, as if the penguins intercourse is offensive. Furthermore, the film characterizes the penguin family as incomplete unless both parents and the chick are together, seeing that a single parent does not represent a traditional family structure. One scene in the film, a mother penguin loses her chick, Morgan Freeman expresses that the loss is unbearable and the film illustrate s painful flashbacks in reference to the moments that the mother cherishes with her chick. The insinuation of these scenes to many traditional families understandably personifies penguins, as if they are the perfect human. It is unspoken that mothers should only exist for the welfare of their children and family. Somehow a notion has taken root that there is a whole persona that you have to adopt to impress people and convince them you have the perfect family (Ferguson, 148). No individual is perfect, nor is any family by any means. Taking a closer look at this film assists families in evaluating their own family value system. As a scientist Jacquet realized, What I really discovered [in Antarctica] was my desire to be a storyteller, he explains. There are other people there who know the story; there are geologists and physicians and meteorologists and they experience all of this, but I felt like it was really my calling to be able to share this with the outside world (Grady). The film imitates human characteristics, such as the closeness of the family unit. The film portrays the story of the penguins as a love tale, displaying the unconditional love of the family dynamics through sacrifice, discipline, and unconditional love for their children, that we as individuals could learn from. Lastly, the documentary was not scientific in how they depicted the tale of the Emperor penguin. Richard A. Blake, co-director of the film, states You get a sense of these animals following their natural instincts are really exercising virtue that for humans would be quite admirable, he said. I could see it as a statement on monogamy or condemnation of gay marriage or whatever the current agenda is (Miller). By humanizing the story, the audience is able to effectively grasp and sympathize with the lives of the penguins, by association with their own. Conservation and family values are important subjects to Americans today. Both influence their lives in various but important ways. Having good conservation practices and being concerned with the atmosphere will help better our environment and the world for those who are yet to come in the future. Family values affect how people act and react to situations and carry themselves among their families. How a person is raised in their home as a young person up until their adulthood shapes them into who they will become. This then affects how they treat others and how they decide what is wrong or right in society once they are on their own. The documentary, March of the Penguins, is a film that inspires audiences in America to become more environmentally conscious and better their family life and values at home.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Benedick’s False Love in Much Ado About Nothing Essay -- Much Ado Abou
Benedick’s False Love in Much Ado About Nothing   Much Ado About Nothing is one of William Shakespeare’s best comedies and love stories. What is not to like about a play that is hilarious, romantic, and has a happy ending? In this play the foremost and most intriguing character is Benedick, a man who is a devout bachelor and who does not believe he will ever find the perfect woman; --because perfect is exactly what he must have. This may seem to be a harsh and pessimistic outlook on life, but the way Shakespeare brings this character to life portrays Benedick as a funny and caring man who really is not that certain about what he wants for the future. Benedick’s counterpart in the play is Beatrice who is an independent woman with a quick tongue. Benedick and Beatrice despise and cannot stand each other because it is seemingly impossible for them to have a conversation without arguing and angering each other. The two of them provide some of the more amusing scenes of the play with their word p lay and mocking of each other. In reality though, they have much in common that they have yet to realize. Both of them despise marriage, are witty, and are each their own persons. These however are not the reasons why they come together. They are brought together by their respective companions who conspire to tell each of them that the one loves the other as the two misdirected lovers listen in. In his speech directly after this, Benedick is swayed to a life that he previously would have avoided at all costs. In hearing of Beatrice’s supposed affection he immediately changes his entire outlook on perpetual bachelorhood and pronounces a love that is not real or his own, but comes secondhand from trickery.  Benedick â€Å"neve... ...                 man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot                                            endure in his age. Shall quips and sentences and                                            these paper bullets of the brain awe a man from the                                            career of his humor? No! The world must be peo-                                            pled. When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not    245                                            think I should live till I were married. Here comes                                            Beatrice. By this day, she’s a fair lady. I do spy some                                            marks of love in her.   Works Cited Shakespeare, William; Much Ado About Nothing; Washington Square Press; New York, NY; New Folger Edition May 1995
Saturday, January 11, 2020
The Incompatibility of Happiness and Truth
The Incompatibility of Happiness and Truth – Dystopia Brave New World is full of characters who do everything they can to avoid facing the truth about their own situations. The almost universal use of the drug soma is probably the most pervasive example of such willful self-delusion. Soma clouds the realities of the present and replaces them with happy hallucinations, and is thus a tool for promoting social stability. But even Shakespeare can be used to avoid facing the truth, as John demonstrates by his insistence on viewing Lenina through the lens of Shakespeare’s world, first as a Juliet and later as an â€Å"impudent strumpet. According to Mustapha Mond, the World State prioritizes happiness at the expense of truth by design: he believes that people are better off with happiness than with truth. Soma: The drug soma is a symbol of the use of instant gratification to control the World State’s populace. It is also a symbol of the powerful influence of science a nd technology on society. What are these two abstract entities that Mond juxtaposes? It seems clear enough from Mond’s argument that happiness refers to the immediate gratification of every citizen’s desire for food, sex, drugs, nice clothes, and other consumer items.It is less clear what Mond means by truth, or specifically what truths he sees the World State society as covering up. From Mond’s discussion with John, it is possible to identify two main types of truth that the World State seeks to eliminate. First, as Mond’s own past indicates the World State controls and muffles all efforts by citizens to gain any sort of scientific or empirical truth. Second, the government attempts to destroy all kinds of â€Å"human†truths, such as love, friendship, and personal connection.These two types of truth are quite different from each other: objective truth involves coming to a definitive conclusion of fact, while a â€Å"human†truth can only b e explored, not defined. Yet both kinds of truth are united in the passion that an individual might feel for them. As a young man, Mustapha Mond became enraptured with the delight of making discoveries, just as John loves the language and intensity of Shakespeare. The search for truth then, also seems to involve a great deal of individual effort, of striving and fighting against odds.The very will to search for truth is an individual desire that the communal society of Brave New World, based as it is on anonymity and lack of thought, cannot allow to exist. Truth and individuality thus become entwined in the novel’s thematic structure. Mustapha Mond Towards the end of the novel the reader gets more information about Mustapha Mond. John, Bernard and Helmholtz are taken to his office because of the scandal in the hospital. Mustapha Mond is one of the World Controllers and responsible for Western Europe.In the conversation with John he tells him that he was interested in science some years ago and because he was too clever for the society of Brave New World he had to choose between living on an island for the rest of his life and conforming to the lifestyle in that society, which was totally rebuilt after the Nine Years’ War and the Great Economic Collapse. He decided to conform and to use the chances the position of one of the World Controllers offers. Nevertheless he kept some of the books that are prohibited.When John who grew up with Shakespeare’s work asks him for the reason of this prohibition, he says that the government of Brave New World doesn’t want the people to be attracted by old things, especially books, because they should only like new things. In addition to that, the inhabitants wouldn’t understand books like â€Å"Othello†, because they live in totally different circumstances. They are happy, they aren’t afraid of anything, they get what they want and they never want what they can’t get.Brav e New World is a stable world and for understanding tragedies like â€Å"Othello†you need social instability. John criticises that art has been given up, but Mond explains to him that this is the price you have to pay for happiness. By giving John the example of an experiment where Alphas had to do even manual work all alone, but failed, he also explains the importance of the caste system, which is necessary for stability. Later, the two men talk about God and why he doesn’t exist in Brave New World.Mond says, that people don’t turn to God any longer, because they no longer have to suffer from illnesses, inconveniences, unhappiness, fears etc. so they can be independent of God and religion. John claims that God is the reason for everything noble and heroic, but Mustapha Mond tells him that there is no need for nobility or heroism, because everyone is conditioned: they can’t help doing what ought to be done and this is so pleasant that they don’t f eel the need to complain about anything.And if something unpleasant happens, there is always soma to make you happy again! Mustapha Mond is not able to convince John of his ideas and principles – in the end of their conversation John says that he claims the right to be unhappy, to become old and ugly, to have cancer and all sorts of illnesses, to have too little to eat, to be tortured†¦. so John claims the right to live like we live now.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Literature Review on Race and Color Prejudice in Othello
The primary characters of Shakespeare’s plays typically have an element of tragedy to them: some unfortunate outcome for them that occurs either despite their circumstances or because of them. In the case of Othello, the titular character is a tragic figure whose race leads many, including Iago, to scheme against him and lead to his downfall. In this essay, the character of Othello will be examined in terms of his race and behavior, through the lens of G.K. Hunters Othello and Color Prejudice. Here, Othello is presented as a black man who is a heroic figure, constantly fighting against the perceptions of others to succeed in his own field and life, only to be undone by a villain who is jealous of his accomplishments and fearful of his race. In the end, he becomes that very savage stereotype that he fought so hard to shake off. The main character of Othello is the Venetian general Othello, who is a Moor. In Othello, the Moor, is distrusted by Roderigo, Iago, and many others in the Venetian court; however, due to his marriage to Desdemona, as well as his military prowess, he is allowed to roam freely around Venice and take part in all the comforts of generalhood. When Othello is tasked to govern the island of Cyprus, Iago takes this chance to set in motion a chain of events that will undo Othello completely, leading to his death and Desdemona’s alike. Hamartia is the fatal flaw that the hero makes that leads to his downfall; Othello makes this mistake in believing Iago’s suspicions that Desdemona has cheated on him with Cassio, leading Othello to strangle Desdemona to death and give in to his more primal instincts. Race plays an important part in Othello’s character; however, that is mostly due to the reactions of outside forces (Iago et al.) to his presence. He himself very rarely notices or feels persecuted because of his race; it is not until Act III, scene 3, when he tries to figure out why Desdemona would be unfaithful to him, that he acknowledges any sort of negative connotation to being black – Here he says â€Å"Haply for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have.†(III.iii.267-269) Othello himself, while in Venice, exerts confidence and eloquence, traits that are far more sophisticated than those expected of Moors by the rest of Venice, contributing to his acceptance by the majority of the people, including the Duke.  By the time he reaches Cyprus, however, he begins to succumb to his own animal nature and the machinations of Iago. Iago being the white villain turns many stereotypical associations between white and black o n their head, according to Hunter: he is the white man with the black soul while Othello is the black man with the white soul (251). Being the only non-white or non-Christian character in this play, the outsider nature of Othello is emphasized; he is all by himself, being judged by white neighbors, and he has no real outlet with which to express the unique attitudes of his people. He is able to set himself apart from his white brethren and strike out on his own, falling victim to the same traits that those who discriminate against him attribute to him – Othello’s barbarism makes him take his revenge against Desdemona. Othello is barely cognizant of the differences between him and his Venetian brothers; he merely interacts as though he is one of them. While there are most certainly those who are opposed to him because of his race, it does not affect him. It is only in the end that Iago’s trickery forces him to accept his differences, speaking of himself as â€Å"one that loved not wisely but too well, / Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme†(V.ii.34 1-344). Othello is somewhat defined by his relationship to Desdemona, much to his chagrin. Desdemona’s culture and femininity is crucial to taming Othello’s wilder, Moorish tendencies, and as soon as Iago begins to manipulate Othello into doubting Desdemona’s fidelity, that control vanishes. In Edmund Tilney’s â€Å"The Flower of Friendship,†it is stated that â€Å"a man may show his wife, and his sword to his friend, but not too far to trust them†(280). Iago uses this very principle to sow distrust of Desdemona within Othello, particularly around Cassio. Tinley also states that â€Å"It is a hard matter for an honest woman to love a dissolute man, or a wise spouse to accept a foolish mate†(280). In this quote, femininity is described as more sane, more in control than ‘foolish’ masculinity, making men fear it. The fear of femininity examined in Tilney’s text starts to turn Othello against Desdemona, claiming that she wi ll start to exert control over him. Shakespeare took much of his inspiration for how to characterize the Moor Othello through Leo Africanus’ translator John Pory’s â€Å"History and Description of Africa.†In it, he follows the aforementioned Moor, who navigates the wilderness with a mighty intelligence and wisdom. He has traveled through many desolate mountains and deserts, which impresses Pory. â€Å"I marvel much how ever he should have escaped so many thousands of imminent dangers†(p. 260). Othello also escapes so many imminent dangers in his history as a Venetian general this type of resilience and bravery is brought over to the Othello character as evidence of a wildness and rawness within him that is characteristic of Moors. Pory is also in awe of the diversity and willingness of the Moorish people to try new things â€Å"The liberality of this people hath at all times been exceeding great†(264). Othello also shares this trait by the mere virtue of joining the Venetian army and taking a white wife – while the rest of the Venetian court balks at it, Othello seems unfazed, at least in the beginning, before the words and manipulation of Iago turn him against her. In conclusion, Othello as a character is defined greatly by his race, in both the other characters’ interactions with him and his own behavior in the play; despite this, he is most definitely not stereotypical of portrayals of black characters at the time. Othello manages to find success despite his race as a general of the Venetian army, but is undone by the prejudicial forces against him (as well as his own savage nature). These character’s downfalls are derived from their own weaknesses Othello is the tragic victim of a spiteful lieutenant who tricks him into believing that his wife has been unfaithful. In the end, Hunter argues that Othellos characterization transforms from that of a contradiction from stereotypes into the stereotype himself, as Iago succeeds in making the deeds of Othello at last fit in with the prejudice that his face at first excited (Hunter 248). Works Cited Hunter, G.K. Othello and Colour Prejudice pp. 248-62. Pory, John. â€Å"The History and Description of Africa.†Othello and The Tragedy of Miriam: A     Longman Cultural Edition, Ed. Clare, Carroll. New York: Longman, 2003. pp.258-265. Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. Print. Tilney, Edmund. The flower of friendship. Othello and The Tragedy of Miriam: A Longman  Cultural Edition, Ed. Clare, Carroll. New York: Longman, 2003 pp. 278-284.
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