Analysis of the representation of African-American Women in The Color Purple (1985) and For Colored Girls (2010)
Analysis of the representation of Black Women in "The Color Purple" (1985) and "For Colored Girls" (2010) Historically, black women in film have been portrayed in a negative light in conjunction with society's view of black people and their cultural roles. Black female characters often played roles such as slaves, maids, overbearing and sexually driven women. These roles support the three main stereotypes of black women (Mammy, Jezebel and Sapphire) 1 which I will explore further in this study. Roles such as 'Celie Harris' played by Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple (1985) directed by Steven Spielberg, represents the stereotype of a poor black woman who does everything she is told. Contemporary characters such as Thandie Newton's promiscuous 'Tangie' in For Colored Girls (2010) directed by Tyler Perry, depicts the historical stereotypes of a potty-mouthed sexually driven black female. This is known as the 'Sapphire' or 'The Jezebel Stereotype' (Zinn and Dill 1884:267)2. A woman who uses her body to manipulate males which is contrasted by many other females in the film who portray black women in a positive light. The portrayal of black female is constantly changing and evolving in today's society supported by an evolving representation in film media which will be the focus for my study. One of the key representations of Black women in film and media is the 'mammy'
Explore the ways Frayn uses multiple genre in his novel 'Spies'
Explore the ways Frayn uses multiple genre in his novel 'Spies'. Throughout 'Spies', Frayn introduces us to several key genres. As the reader we are unsure which of these is entirely central to the novel; however, three prominent genres seem to arise. We see 'Spies' primarily as a mystery novel, with the unfolding plot of the "German spy", the truths that are yet to be found and the questions that are left unanswered. 'Spies' is also presented as a 'coming-of-age' novel: Stephen's conflicting ideas of childhood and the adult world and his own journey into adolescence. Finally, the novel is portrayed as a work of philosophy: the 'novel of ideas'. Concepts relating to this genre are conveyed through Frayn's portrayal of the ambiguity of memory, the confusion of illusion and reality, and perception. The concept of mystery is introduced to the reader in the very opening chapter of 'Spies', and remains with us throughout the novel. Stefan hints of a "secret thing...still waiting to be discovered", but we are given no idea of what this might be; questions are left unanswered and it seems that even the narrator himself does not know quite why this "familiar breath of sweetness" is a "cue for such powerful feelings". The mystery here is why the smell of the Liguster and the memories Stefan begins to reveal have affected him so much that he feels he must return to "bring them out
Theodore Adorno's notions of 'standardisation' and 'pseudo-individualism' might be applied to contemporary pop music - Do you see any problems or shortcomings from this approach?
Basing your discussion on an analysis of at least 2 contemporary artists or bands, consider the ways that Theodore Adorno's notions of 'standardisation' and 'pseudo-individualism' might be applied to contemporary pop music. Do you see any problems or shortcomings from this approach? Popular Culture has enticed much research; with the increase of media studies there are a number of minds picking apart what they see. With icons filing up and saturating mediums such as television, magazines, radio stations to name a few, the celebrity filled industry is undoubtedly causing a stir amongst the masses. Theodore Adorno (1903-69) emigrated to England in 1934 to escape Nazism. He lived in the United States of America for 10 years, (1938-48) before returning to Frankfurt, where he was a member at the 'Frankfurt Institute of Social Research'. Theodore Adorno was a key figure in the study of popular music and had intrinsic Marxist view on the capital nature of society. Adorno believed that the culture industry "is the central agency in contemporary capitalism for the production and satisfaction of false needs". (Adorno, T and Horkheimer, M. 1977, p349). He argues that popular music is a mass-produced and shallow standardised part of the culture industry. This would suggest that all aspects of popular music including types of songs, song lyrics and parts of songs e.g. chorus,
Ralph Lauren Ads for Men and Women: A Semiotic Analysis. For the purpose of this essay I have decided to concentrate on four printed advertisements for Ralph Lauren.
Ralph Lauren Ads for Men and Women: A Semiotic Analysis Compare and contrast the form and content of printed ads for the same product (or a closely- related product from the same manufacturer), which are aimed primarily at women with those which are aimed primarily at men. In the society that we live in today it seems that everywhere we look we are surrounded by advertisements whether they be television commercials, billboards or press advertisements. Obviously, the main purpose of advertisements is to get the consumer to purchase the product in question, the message within the advertisement has to be as persuasive as possible and ensure that certain emotions, feelings and values are awakened in the consumer. Print advertisements are an extremely effective way to reach a mass audience. Obviously- because the advertisements are in print, the use of colour, text and photography are all key factors in ensuring a successful campaign. Advertisements cannot simply attempt to sell the product in question; they must make it appeal to the consumer. It is important that advertisements not only attempt to make clear the attributes of the product they are trying to sell but also ensure that these actually mean something to us the consumer (Williamson 1978 p.12) It is no wonder that advertising is constantly being studied and analysed due to the constant speculation of 'hidden
Bourne Ultimatum
The clip from The Bourne Ultimatum tells the story of Jason Bourne trying to help a journalist escape a group who want to kill him to prevent him from passing on his information to Bourne. The narrative follows on from two previous films and this sequence consists of three narrative threads; 1-Jason Bourne's attempts to discover his identity and expose the conspiracy, 2-the attempts of the American organisation trying to capture and possibly kill Ross, 3-the journey of the unnamed assassin ('asset') to kill Ross and Bourne. The three strands are intercut to make a coherent narrative and they come together at the end of the narrative in a crescendo, namely, the death of Ross. The early use of iconography such as red buses, black cabs, the London underground, an establishing shot and even a glimpse of the Evening Standard make it clear that the scene is set in London. These famous icons make it clear to the audience where it is set and draw on their personal experiences of this particular place, thus possibly making it feel more 'real' to them. The music and the editing create a tense and fast-paced feel to the clip as the shaky camera work and whip pans give it a documentary type feel. This method is often used in this genre of films in order to make the viewer feel like they are there, which is only a new technique as not too long ago if the camera work was shaky this was
Describe the impact of television in the 1950s and early 1960s.
. Describe the impact of television in the 1950s and early 1960s Television had a major impact in the way that people in Britain spent their leisure time in the 1950s and early 1960s. People would spend their disposable income buying television sets. This meant people spent more time in the house than ever before. People no longer needed to go to major events, they could watch them on the television without the hassle of transportation to the event on the cost of the ticket. For example, the first scenarios of this were the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the 1953 'Matthews' FA Cup Final. People no longer paid as much attention to the radio, television was the craze. In 1954, the Independent Television Authority (ITA) was set up. People didn't have to pay a separate licence fee for the channel, instead revenue was obtained through advertisements between programmes. The television become so popular in many households that people lives were decided around the TV schedule eg. Toddlers Truce between 6pm and 7pm. Competition increased the quality and choice of the programmes on TV. Pop music shows entered the listings, impacting on the lives of young adults and teenagers. Soap operas such as Coronation Street were set up in the early 60s and situation comedies were imported from the USA. Adults took immediate liking to the shows. The programmes even changed the current
British Cinema Vs Hollywood Cinema
British Cinema Vs Hollywood Cinema As far as statistics show Hollywood films make twice as much money in the box office than British films. If we look at films in this manner than it is plainly obvious that more people watch Hollywood films than British films and if we believe that the best films are the ones that more people see than we can conclude that Hollywood films are better than British ones. But it's not as simple as this although the box office does have an impact on the end result. We have to first look at why Hollywood films make more money and how this pattern came about. Then we have to see whether or not this has had any sort of impact on the British cinema and if so why. From this understanding can we actually argue whether Hollywood or British cinema is the better art. Britain started of just like America when it came to cinema. It started with black and white colouring, no sound and really bad images. As time went by this changed and cinema developed technically as well artistically. Around 1913 American filmmakers came to Britain and started to make films here. World War One stopped this and the Americans left leaving many working studios in Britain. Although this had its advantages at the beginning, later on in the timeline because of the war and Britains 'technically not up to date productions' there was no money left for British films. This resulted
Female gender stereotypes reinforced in three Disney animated films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast
The Walt Disney Corporation is one of the largest mass media companies in the world owning TV and radio networks, Internet sites, theatres, theme parks, music studios, magazines etc. They publish children’s books, produce cartoons, computer software, and toys among many other things. For more than 70 years Disney animated films have been a popular form of children’s entertainment and part of many children’s lives worldwide. It is not an exaggeration to say that these films have also contributed to and influenced the shaping of children’s values, beliefs and imagination. Therefore, being one of the most dominant storytellers and having such a huge influence on children’s culture in general, the Disney Company and the array of images and stereotypes they offer to the public should be approached critically and analysed. In this essay I will be focusing on the female gender stereotypes reinforced in three Disney animated films - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast - and on the notions of femininity that these films portray. Furthermore, I will be analyzing what kind of effects these particular stereotypes and representations of femininity may produce on girls and young women. Most predominant female gender stereotypes that these films reinforce are the following: . a woman’s appearance is valued more than her intellect; 2. a
Deconstruction of Legally Blonde
Deconstruct the text Legally Blonde against the ideas offered by G. Swanson. Take into account the values, ideologies and representation within this text. Blondes do not have a very good reputation; they are seen as being very dumb and not very with it. Legally blonde portrays this image very well through Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon). As the credits are being shown at the beginning of the film, the first thing the audience is shown is a mane of perfect golden blonde hair. This instantly shows the 'blonde' theme to the audience. Everything - to start with - is very stereotypical in this film. Elle's mother and father are both very wealthy and so live in a large and impressive house with a swimming pool. Her father, also, is always seen holding a martini. This is a stereotypically upper-class drink and so, of course, he is not seen without one, which immediately shows that he is a very wealthy man. Her mother also seems to be quite a bit younger than her father and looks much like a trophy wife, which is also a stereotypical view of wives of rich men. Her boyfriend, Warner, is clearly very posh, which the audience know before he even appears because he has a stereotypically posh name "Warner Huntington III". Even when he does arrive, it is in a convertible with an expensive suit and a cocky attitude. The sorority house she lives at the start is completely serene
Investigate and evaluate a piece of historical evidence, the Hollywood movie The Patriot starred by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in order to determine whether or not it is reliable
History is the study of the past, of what had really happened and who were involved. To study history itself, it is essential that the source from which the information were taken is factual as well as reliable. It is not acceptable if it contains errors and flaws or mixing the truth with some fictions. This essay will investigate and evaluate a piece of historical evidence, the Hollywood movie The Patriot starred by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in order to determine whether or not it is reliable and could be used to determine the events that really had happened during the American fight for Revolution. A way to determine the reliability of The Patriot as an accurate historical source is by knowing whether it is a primary or a secondary source of information. A primary source of historical information came from a person who was directly involved during the period of time or a document written during that period, such as diaries or the Declaration of Independence. In this case, this movie is considered as a secondary source. Some of the advantages of a primary source is that it brings the researcher as close as possible to what actually happened in the history and it is almost one hundred percent true. It helps to know what the people involved think and their individual viewpoints on certain events. However, the problem with primary source is that want it or not, historians
