The Creature in the light of this argument Essay Example for Free

The Creature in the light of this argument Essay When I reflected that they had spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger. Shelley had very open religious beliefs, and it is notable that alienation happens in society because of religion. At the time the novel was written Catholicism was a very oppressive faith, and Shelley was very strongly opposed to the idea. I think that Shelley is making an important point about oppressive faiths: Victor plays God, and as a result, his people (the creature) are miserable and unfortunate. Also, as ideas such as the principle of life were arising at the time, Shelley is voicing a remarkable argument: Because technology was fast approaching before humans had developed enough to know how use it, it was extremely worrying that any faith or religion which survives the mechanization of the world, provides no moral code for science. The creature is isolated by his behaviour. He is alone in the world and lives like primitive man. He eats berries from the trees and seeks shelter from trees and caves, and other natural forms. He later realises that the embers he discovers produce fire, which in turn provides him with the three necessities of life: light, heat and food. It is essential for the sustenance of life on earth. Before this discovery, the daemon was isolated by his means of living and his primitive behaviour. In this instance, he is like the elderly today. They are uneducated, or not well enough informed of new techniques that improve the standard of living. Many dont have anybody to help them or to explain new concepts and discoveries, just as the creature doesnt have a parental figure for guidance. I think Shelley is informing us of the ongoing problem of alienation in any society, whatever age. The creature has no nurturing and no teacher, but above all, Frankenstein fashioned him repellently different from all humans so he is solitary in his appearance. Blindly, Frankenstein introduces an unsightly being into a discriminative world. On reflection of the creation of the daemon, Frankenstein says: I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! When confronted by his reflection, the creature says: I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions; but how was I terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool! Alas, I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this deformity. The fact that individuals are alienated by their looks is timeless. Discrimination is apparent in all time periods. This element in the novel of the creatures isolation is unchanging and significant to all who read it. By incorporating this narrative, Shelley is successfully portraying the ageless theme of alienation, and touching upon the discrimination always found in the world. I believe that this strong sense of loss exemplified in the creature portrays Mary Shelleys own losses throughout her life. Growing up motherless, at the age of sixteen she ran away to live with the twenty-one year old Percy Shelley, the unhappily married heir to a wealthy baronetcy. She was cast out of society, even by her father. Shelley also lost her sister to suicide, as well as losing three of her own children to miscarriage and early childhood deaths. In 1822 her husband drowned in the Gulf of Spezzia, and she was left, twenty-five years old, with only one remaining son. She remained unmarried and died in London in 1851. The creature is also a victim of alienation due to social class. This is also a common problem today; however his is much worse, as he has no place in society whatsoever: Was I then, a monster, a blot upon the earth? He is solitary in looks, stature, and endurance. He is stronger than man, and more agile: When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. This is utterly devastating to the daemon, who longs for companionship. Yet another of todays causes of alienation is a difference in learning abilities. The family in the cottage teach him civilisation what his father should have taught him he masters the science of words alone, by watching, listening and learning the things a new born child does for a long time before he eventually speaks. The creatures development is very rapid, yet he is cut off from society whilst learning this difficult task: I easily perceived that, although I eagerly longed to discover myself to the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language. He realises that he must be able to communicate with the family fluently for him to have a chance of describing his feelings, and this urges him to push on with his learning. I agree that Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is indeed a study of alienation; the concept is reflected in all characters and with all problems described in the book. I think the gothic typicality in the novel made her aim acceptable at the time: it fitted in with the literary requirements. The gothic descriptions also compliment the real fear of alienation it makes Shelleys point more terrifyingly real. I think Frankenstein is a very moralistic novel. Shelley has made her point very clear and we must be more aware that no matter how scientifically advanced society gets, there will always be those who are left behind and alienated from the rest because of the ignorance of others; whether because of social class, religion, behaviour, learning abilities or looks some things will never change.

Abstract Expressionism Essay -- essays papers

abstract expressionism It was a full 170 years after Americans had their political revolution that they won an aesthetic revolution. American art to get rid of its inhibiting mechanisms- provincialism, over-dependence on European sources, and an indifferent public- and liberate itself into a quality and expressive force equal to, or exceeding that of art produced anywhere within the period. Few would argue that the painting and sculpture that emerged from the so-called New York School in the mid 1940s was the foremost artistic phenomenon of its time and was labeled as the Abstract Expressionist movement. Abstract expressionism was a reaction to social realism, surrealism, and primitive art in the 1940s; this is a turning point in American art history because it caused the rest of the art world to recognize New York as the new center of innovation. The movement synthesized three other previous art forms. Social Realists "socially grounded" activist art of the 1930s responded to the disaster of the economy in America and the rise of fascism abroad by working in socially conscience styles. "This art form was contaminated by the cliches of the Stalinist popular front" (American Visions p. 469). Abstract expressionists responded to these art forms by deriving their new style from personal experience and by embodying this in contemporary forms, instead of getting their ideas from politics. The influence of Surrealism in The Abstract Expressionist Movement was its stress on the power of the unconscience as the most fertile ground of imagery. The expressionists valued the Surrealist style because it revealed the action of the dreaming mind and valued the accidental and the involuntary: "It welcomed the image that rose unbidden from a chaos of marks" (Modern Art 3rd Ed, p. 265). It also valued the American surrealists' sense of m ission. Their belief that art and life was inseparable heartened American artists who felt marginal, ignored by other Americans and felt provincial with respect to Paris. The Abstract Expressionists also used "primitive" art as a way of cultural escape. They looked at tribal artifacts in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and believed it was disclosing one of the main buried roots of modernism. Cave paintings especially influenced many Abstract expressionists such as Pollock and Rothko. Aspects of cave... ... him to literally be in the painting, to move about within it and thus give equal emphasis to all parts. Although anticipated in Impressionism, this- the so-called "holistic" composition- was something new in modern art. The emergence of the Abstract Expressionist in America had a profound effect on the rest of the art world because it relocated the center of the art world from Paris to New York. Many factors caused America to be the new center of Creativity. Political and economical causes such as the Great Depression and world war II, as well as former artistic genres such as Surrealism, Social Realism, and primitive American art influenced the Abstract Expressionist new style. Bibliography: 1. Hunter, Sam and Jacobs, John. Modern Art, 3rd Edition. The Vendome Press, New York, 1992. 2. Hughes, Robert. American Visions. Alfred A. knopf, Inc., New York, 1997. 3. Mitchel, Corrine. The Life of Polock. Phaidon Press Limited, London, 1996. 4. Boston, Marsha. Art History and Studio Art Instructor, La Jolla Country Day School. 5. Romani, Frank. Art Historian, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 6. http://www.biddingtons.com/content/pedigreeabstract.html

Essay on Reality Shows Should Not Be Banned

Reality television has become very popular over the past decade with shows such as â€Å"Survivor†, â€Å"Big Brother† and â€Å"The Apprentice† attracting big audiences and making a lot of money for broadcasters worldwide. A definition of reality television is quite difficult but at its most basic it means programmes that show things really taking place, rather than drama or comedy that follows a script. Typically reality TV involves a group of people who are not trained actors being filmed in unusual situations over a period of time.Sport and news programmes are not considered reality TV. Documentaries that explore aspects of society are a grey area, with some closer to news reporting and others blurring into reality TV because they set up situations which did not already exist. Recently celebrity versions of reality shows have made definition even harder, because they show the private lives of professional singers, actors, sportspeople, etc. as they cope with new situations.Reality TV is often a hot topic as proponents believe it paints an unrealistic and inappropriate portrait and is therefore bad for our society and the children that make up the majority of the audience. They call for a cut in the number of hours given over to reality programmes, or even to ban them completely. Opponents meanwhile maintain that people should be allowed to watch what they like, and that reality programmes make good TV, as shown by consistently high viewer figures.Reality TV is dishonest – it pretends to show â€Å"reality† but it actually distorts the truth to suit the programme makers. The shows are not really â€Å"real† – they are carefully cast to get a mix of â€Å"characters† who are not at all typical. Mostly they show a bunch of young, good-looking self-publicists, who will do anything to get on TV. Usually the programme makers try to ensure excitement by picking people who are likely to clash with each other.T hey then place them in unnatural situations, such as the Big Brother house or the Survivor island, and give them strange challenges in order to provoke them into behaving oddly. In The Bachelor, where a group of women compete for the affections of an eligible male, the ‘intimate dates’ they go on are filmed in front of any number of camera; that is not reality (Poniewozik, 2003).Finally the makers film their victims for hundreds of hours from all angles, but only show the most dramatic parts. Selective editing may be used to create â€Å"storylines† and so further manipulate the truth of what happened.

The Impacts of Gender Bias on Society

Gender bias exists in every aspect of society—from the workplace to the political arena. The gender gap affects our childrens education, the size of the paycheck we bring home, and why women still lag behind men in certain careers. Sexism in Politics As media coverage of female politicians has proven in recent elections, gender bias has crossed the aisle and it is not as rare as we might hope. It has challenged Democrats and Republicans, touched candidates in presidential, congressional, and local elections, and has been witnessed toward nominees for high government positions. 2008 Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was noted as a former beauty queen and subject to other remarks, neither of which had nothing to do with her 2008 run.Hilary Clinton fell victim to misogyny countless times in both her 2008 and 2016 bids for the White House.During her 2009 confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor was asked by Senator Lindsey Graham about a temperament problem and he later referred to a possible meltdown.A 2001 mayoral candidate in Allentown, Pennsylvania was publicly asked about her measurements before a delivering speech. These bring up the question that if any of these women had been men, would they have been  subjected to the same treatment? Sexism in politics is real and, unfortunately, we see it on a regular basis. Gender Bias in the Media Do women see themselves accurately reflected on television and film, in advertising, and in print and broadcast news? Most would say that they dont, but that it is improving. Maybe thats because only a small percentage of media decision-makers—those with enough clout to determine content—are female. If you want to find news about womens issues and from a female perspective,  there are a handful of outlets you can turn to. Traditional outlets are getting better at handling bias, though some womens advocates feel that it is still not enough. The members of the media often become the headlines themselves. Rush Limbaugh infamously has had a number of comments about women which many people have found inflammatory and derogatory. ESPNs Erin Andrews was the victim of a famous peephole incident in 2008. And in 2016 and 17, Fox News was plagued with sexual harassment allegations against leaders in the broadcast company. Beyond the news media, some women also find issue with other types of programming. For example, teen pregnancy shows on television raise the question of whether they are glorifying the issue or helping with abstinence. In other instances, shows may insensitively handle female body image issues such as weight. Older women can also be portrayed in negative ways and, in some cases, lose their jobs in media because theyre no longer young enough. Inequality at Work Why do women still earn only 80 cents for every dollar men earn? The primary reason is that its due to gender bias in the workplace and this is an issue that affects everyone. Reports do show that the pay gap between men and women is improving. In the 1960s, American women made just 60 percent on average as their male colleagues. By 2015, that had increased to an 80 percent average nationwide, though some states are not yet near that mark. Much of this decrease in the pay gap is attributed to women seeking higher levels of employment. Today, more women are entering fields in science and technology and becoming leaders in business and industry. There are also a number of careers in which women do make more than men. Inequality in the workplace extends beyond how much money we make. Sexual discrimination and harassment remain hot topics for working women. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is designed to protect against employment discrimination, but it does not protect every woman and cases can be difficult to prove. Higher education is another venue in which gender and race bias remain a factor. A 2014 study suggests that on the university level, even well-intentioned academic professionals can demonstrate a preference toward white men. Looking Forward at Gender Bias The good news in all of this is that womens issues remain at the forefront of dialogue in the United States. Progress has been made over the last few decades and much of it is very significant. Advocates continue to push against bias and it remains a right of every woman to be able to stand up for herself and others. If people stop speaking out, these matters will continue and we cannot work on what remains to be done for true equality. Sources The American Association of University Women (AAUW). The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap. 2017.Milkman KL, Akinola M, Chugh D.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What Happens Before? A Field Experiment Exploring How Pay and Representation Differentially Shape Bias on the Pathway into Organizations.† Journal of Applied Psychology. 2015;100(6):1678-712.Ward M. 10 Jobs Where Women Earn More Than Men. CNBC. 2016.