Analysis of the opening of the Shrek movie
'An Exploration Of 'Shrek' 'In traditional fairy tales humans are often portrayed as good whilst ogres are terrifying beasts.' Contrast the presentation of the humans and ogres in the opening few minutes of 'Shrek.' The portrayal of the human and ogre in the opening credits of 'Shrek' is certainly quite unlike that of which the audience has come to expect or is usually exposed to in the genre of the traditional fairy tale story.' Shrek' judging by those first few minutes, is a parody in the sense that it copies the style of the traditional fairy tale story yet adapts it in an amusing way. This is cleverly done by 'Dreamworks' using techniques such a colour and light, sound effects, music, and the general characterisation of the main character especially. There is a huge contrast between the portrayal of Shrek and that of the humans. Shrek's appearance certainly fits the criteria of an Ogre. His stocky, boulder-like shoulders and shiny, lucid green skin is what makes him emerge as a main character. The character of Shrek is presented as happy-go-lucky and so content with life, which you can see in the way he looks full of admiration and pride at his home. Shrek leads a modest life. He lives alone in a swamp but he has adapted to this in his own way. Shrek is also presented as having extremely revolting habits. Certainly, they fit the criteria of what one would expect from
Halloween story
On a dark November night I had accidentally taken the wrong bus home. The bus stopped at an abandoned big house. The bus driver kicked me out of the bus because it was the last stop. I had no money left to take a bus back and my phone had no signal. I got out of the bus and saw the big house in front of me. The house looked very old, some windows were broken, the stairway that leads to the door was broken also and there was old furniture in the porch. '' Maybe I'll find something that can help me get back home'' is what I thought as I got up the stairs. I went up step by step till I reached the front door. As I reached out to open the door, it suddenly opened out of its self. I got scared as the door opened slowly. I took a deep breath and gathered all my courage to walk in the house. The house was really dusty and had spider webs everywhere. I took little steps and looked around me a lot of times. My heart started to beat faster as I continued walking through the hall way. There were old paintings on the wall, all covered in dust. The door of the room at the end of the hall way was open. I slowly walked towards that door. When I reached the entrance I opened the door a little more. What I saw in that room was a long dining table with chandeliers on the table. I tried to look for a light switch but I couldn't find any. Then all of a sudden the door closed with a hard BANG!
Examine the techniques used by J.B. Priestley to create dramatic tension and mystery throughout An Inspector Calls(TM)
Examine the techniques used by J.B. Priestley to create dramatic tension and mystery throughout 'An Inspector Calls' It is Sixty years since 'An Inspector Calls' was first performed in Moscow after the Russia Revolution in 1945. The play has remained popular ever since this first production and was revived very successfully at the National Theatre in 1994, only seven years after Mrs. Thatcher made her famous statement that 'There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women and there are families'. One of the reasons for its enduring popularity must be the skill with which J.B. Priestly creates and maintains tension and mystery throughout the play. Although it was first performed in 1946, it is set in 1912 when Edwardian class divisions were still apparent. One example of this in the play is from Mrs. Birling treating Edna abruptly by saying, 'All right, Edna. I'll ring from the drawing-room when we want coffee'. She is telling Edna to get out of the dinning room rather than being in the dinning-room and disturbing their family's conversations. Another example in the play which suggests the Edwardian class divisions existed is from Mr. Birling trying to bully the inspector by asking him the question, 'How do you get on with our Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts?' to intimate that he is a friend of the constable and he plays golf with him
Blade Runner and Frankenstein
English Essay Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Ridley Scott's Blade Runner both explore similar concepts through differing contexts, reflecting differing values and perspectives. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was written in 1818 during the Romantic period when it was believed that science was forcing humanity away from nature, the industrial revolution and the notion that science needs to be restrained. Ridley Scott takes the position of it is too late to return to nature as science and man have destroyed it. Both texts focus around three themes; the transgression of the natural order because of unrestrained science which results in a dystopic setting, man's inability to cope with the moral and ethical responsible of being creator/god and the alienation or othering leading to the breakdown of the social order. Through the exploration of these ideas both texts ultimately question what is it to be human - they examine whether we are part of the natural world or other than it; whether we have ore in common with god or life. Both texts seem to conclude that we are masters of our own misery - that by trying to transcend the natural order through science we have lost our balance and fallen from grace thus positioning us conclude that we are "of life" and that we should return to it. Being a romantic writer Shelley was disillusioned with the manner in which technology developments
Stone Cold Critical Esaay
Stone Cold 'Stone Cold', by Robert Swindells is an award winning children's novel that tells the story of sixteen-year-old Link, who lives on the streets of London. In this essay, I will illustrate how Swindells effectively portrays the struggles and difficulties that face homeless people today. After fleeing a violent family home, Link finds himself in London. For one week he rents a bed-sit while he searches for work but no where will take him on, and soon he finds himself sleeping rough. Link finds life on the streets very hard but it becomes more bearable when he finds a friend in Ginger. However, when Ginger goes missing Link and his new friend Gail don't think much of it - People move on. More homeless people go missing and the two friends become anxious. They track down the killer - an ex-sergeant - and the police arrest him. Link finds out that Gail is a journalist and she leaves him with only a few bank notes. The novel has two narrators and is told in the first person. Link and Shelter don't meet until the end of the book, but their stories interweave throughout the whole novel. One thing that Swindells does well is to show the personalities and feelings of the characters - particularly Link and Shelter - very well. The author uses the metaphor: "I was poised at the top of a downward spiral," to show how vulnerable Link feels and how he feels that the only way
Luhrmann version of Act 1 Scene 5 brings it to life
"Luhrmann's version of Romeo & Juliet really brings Act 1 Scene 5 to life". To what extent do you agree with this point? I think Luhrmann's film version of Romeo & Juliet brings Act 1 Scene 5 to life exceptionally well. His choice of setting, type of music, designs of costumes, and other film directions and language use portray the original Shakespeare version marvellously. Firstly, the scene and setting. Baz Luhrmann has chosen a brilliant location to house the party. The royal look to the Capulet mansion really shows off what life would have been for the people back in the day, especially people as rich and alike in dignity as the Capulets. It is an enormous house, suggesting that life back then for the rich was very grand, and I believe Luhrmann brings this out brilliantly. There is also a very lively, upbeat atmosphere, stating that back in the olden days, people would like to loosen up and enjoy such divine occasions, with a lot going on. The fireworks, with an array of varying colours, being set off outside of the house also states the lively, celebratory, and happy atmosphere inside, in spite of Tybalt and Romeo being in the same house. The chirpy singing by Mercutio also vindicates my point. Secondly, Baz Luhrmann's use of music is very intricately chosen. At the very start of the party, we can clearly see Mercutio very lively and upbeat, dancing and singing
How does the writer create tension and suspense in the 'Monkey's Paw'
How does the writer create tension and suspense in the 'Monkey's Paw' The writer is able to create tension and suspense through various ways. In the opening sentence of the story we are given a brief description of the surrounding area. In gothic stories, they are usually set in a remote and isolated area, as in the 'Monkey's Paw' it is set in a remote village were there is only 2 houses inhabited. 'Without, the night was cold and wet' sets the scene of the story. A gloomy background has been given to set the atmosphere. This weather is similar to the feelings of the main characters. This technique used is called pathetic fallacy, when the weather resembles a persons feeling. From the beginning, we can see that there is unease between the White family, and tension, that is demonstrated through the way Mr White talks to his son. 'Hark at the wind', tells us that Mr White is very impatient with his son and we can sense that he is almost intimidated by his son. Both the setting and the characters are described in negative terms, portraying the image that there is something strange about the family. 'Knowing glance between mother and son' suggests that Mr White is not as connected to the family as the mother and son. Another way in which suspense and tension is created is through with holding information. When Sergeant- Major Morris enters, we are not given much information
Book Review - Harry Potter (Deathly Hallows)
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry Potter is the seventh and final of the "Harry Potter" novels written by J.K. Rowling. The book follows the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione leading to the long-awaited final confrontation between Harry and Lord Voldemort. The book begins with Harry coming of age, and finally starting on his final journey to defeat Voldemort for good. The Dursleys are forced to go into hiding so that Voldemort's death eaters will not torture them for information, and Harry sets off with Ron and Hermione on a difficult quest to find and destroy the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Only once these have been destroyed can Harry, truly, once and for all kill Voldemort. Harry is plagued with rumors of the late Dumbledore's past, and begins to wonder if the headmaster he so long revered might have had a much darker past than he ever let on. The trio is frequently without food and with winter approaching the task ahead of them only seems to get harder. Because of their lack of plan, lack of food, lack of progress, their spirits are often low and Ron especially becomes argumentative. One night, he and Harry get into an epic fight and Ron leaves to go back home. Harry and Hermione are devastated that he's abandoned them. They finally decided to revisit Godric's Hollow in search of clues, and once again they're almost caught by Voldemort. Every
Compare Flight and Your shoes
Compare 'Flight' and 'Your shoes' I am going to write about two stories from the anthologies which deal with the theme of growing up. I will compare these two stories showing how the writer uses language and structure to convey these ideas. The story 'Flight' is written by Doris Lessing, it is about tension between generations as the girls wants to leave home and start her new life. But her grandfather is reluctant to let go of his granddaughter. The story 'Your shoes' is written be Michele Roberts. It is about a girl who ran away from her house and her house and her mother is upset and questioning her daughter's decision why she did it. In both stories they have theme of growing up, relationship and loss. In 'Flight' the writer Lessing gets the idea of growing up across to reader through the idea of Alice being the last of many and grandfather wishing to hold on to her so that he can protect her again. In flight there is relationship between the grandfather and his granddaughter and the loss of his granddaughter as she is getting married because she has grown up. In 'Your Shoes' the relationship between mother and daughter and the theme of loss in the story come from the daughter running away and the mother feeling she has lost her. In 'Your shoes' the writer through the relationship between the two ladies and the shoes is venturing into the ideas of teenage life and the
The Crucible - How does Arthur Miller use dramatic devices in Act 1 to reveal the impact of the witch hunt on individuals in Salem?
How does Arthur Miller use dramatic devices in Act 1 to reveal the impact of the witch hunt on individuals in Salem? What does this reveal about Miller's concerns about society? To fully explain how Arthur Miller used dramatic devices in 'The Crucible' we must investigate what the question means and why he used dramatic devices and in which context. To do this, it is necessary to investigate the main characters used and how it affected the witch hunt on the Salem society and consider what the term 'dramatic devices' refers to. Dramatic devices are elements of a play, which allow the writer to build tension or other intended effects. These effects influence the actions of the play and the response of the characters and audience. Let's start off with some history of what 'The Crucible' was based on and why Arthur Miller wrote it. 'The Crucible' was obviously based on the Salem Witch Trials and was written in 1953. The play's theme of hysteria and fear within average citizens is similar to that created by Joseph McCarthy in 1950, often called McCarthyism. McCarthy was responsible for creating fear in America that Russian Communism would take over the world thus crushing the American Dream. Miller was disgusted by the way that people were forced to name names, and in response to this he decided to write 'The Crucible'. Miller noticed the parallels between the witch hunts of
