Specific cinematic techniques Essay Example For Students

Specific cinematic techniques Essay Graeme Turner describes film as a signifying practise. With close reference to at least one film studied on the unit, Identify the ways in which specific cinematic techniques (lighting, sound, editing, mise-en-scene, film stock, camera angles etc) contribute to meaning(s) in the film.  Graeme Turner states, semiotics allows us to examine the cultural specificity of representations and their meanings by using one set of methods and terms across the full range of signifying practices. This essay will show the ways in which The Royle Family uses different filmic devices in order to convey meaning. A sense of relation is needed to enjoy The Royle Family? This essay will attempt to discover if relation is necessary to get pleasure from the programme. Without this sense of relation enjoyment can be seen as being on a very simplistic level. Meaning that we are simply laughing at slapstick elements within the plot without relating their circumstances to our own lives. It can be said, generally by people of an upper class, that the Royles entire existence is pointless. It is. But then again isnt everyones? We will write a custom essay on Specific cinematic techniques specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The characters happiness in the programme is clearly apparent. They live in a world that could be conceived as without actual substance. People of other classes and/or backgrounds can see this lack of substance as enviable. Mainly because they feel that their lives are full of problems, they have a drive that cannot be sated by watching television, as the members of the Royle family seem to have. We are privileged, as the upper classes, to view this spectacle. It is presented to us as an insight, an insight that we need to have to understand other people. The programme shows intricate details of their lives. On some level this is reality television at its best. Showing how everyday people react to everyday life. Nothing of any great consequence happens and yet theyre undeniably happy with their way of life. Conventions of situation comedy are disregarded and are replaced with something new. The audience is not spooned fed a picturesque existence; instead the audience is given a dose of a familys real life. Stock characters are not used as the programmes aim, or inadvertent aim is to challenge the normal conventions of, not just television, but happiness. The audience is placed in a position of the guest, a spectator to the ordinary events, or non-events, of the Royles lives. The characters are caricatures or overly exaggerated representations of people from that class. Their inane banter provides escapism for the people who watch the show. A fact mirrored in the opening sequence of the programme. In this opening sequence we are presented with a collage of images of the Royles in their living room watching television. This is not only mirroring what the audience is doing at that moment in time but also encoding the message that it is acceptable for them to want that existence or if they already do, why change? It is important to state that the Royles do not view their lives as unimportant. They believe that they are and that is all that is important to them. They are not striving to get out of that existence they have accepted it with open arms. This provides escapism to the audience as it shows that you can be happy with what youve g ot. I believe the documentary like style is employed to emphasise the idea the feeling that we, as the audience, are watching these people in their natural habitat. Pans, low angle shots and even close ups are used to mimic the documentary style. We become the guest to the living room of this fictional household. This aids the audience to assimilate their way of life, we are literally seeing through the eyes of a guest. .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 , .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .postImageUrl , .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 , .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:hover , .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:visited , .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:active { border:0!important; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:active , .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75 .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua1c2b67a614c7f72f79e7dc2c7198f75:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Baz Luhrmann's Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet EssayThere is a vast difference between the film stock used on The Royle Family than most sitcoms. For example, Friends uses a film stock that will make the actors/actresses on the show look perfect. On The Royle Family the film stock used is of a lesser quality. This leaves the audience with a grainy image on the television screen. I believe that this lesser film stock is used in order to reflect reality. This grainy image combined with the lighting shows us the reality of life. We are able to see all of the actors clear facial faults that we all have in reality. Relation to the characters is important in enjoying the show, although this is not imperative as you can enjoy the programme on different levels. We have all seen people who dress, talk and act similarly to the characters within the programme. We may even see aspects of ourselves within the characters featured contained in this programme. Therefore humour, or at least interest, can be achieved from gaining an insight into these peoples lives. Suspension of disbelief is required by some of the people that watch the show. These are the people who are not in the same, or similar, situations as these characters. This group of the audience is finding humour in the characters stupidity. The group that can relate to the show uses they personal context to relate the characters to people that they know. This means that this group of the audience finds satisfaction in seeing aspects of themselves or people they know as they can relate to the show.  The Royle Family uses intra-diagetic sound and employs comedy simultaneously. In the wallpapering episode two of the male characters and the main female character have their hi-fi on with an upbeat dance-like track playing. The characters all end up dancing to this track as they would do in everyday life.

Passing Comparison Essay

Passing Comparison Essay Passing Comparison Essay The novel Passing examines racism. But this isn’t the ordinary racism, the book explains racism between darker toned black people and the lighter toned African Americans who are more accepted into the environment. The characters in this book can be easily described. Each character is introduced and within the next few paragraphs you can tell what type of character the will be in the book. The protagonist, Irene, differs much from Clare. But aside from both being African American, they relate in different ways also. Irene is the main character in this story. She is introduced as a woman, a mother of two boys who is shopping for their gifts. It’s a hot summer day and she has gone through the trouble of going to three different places looking for a gift that she can not find anywhere. I was given the impression from this paragraph that Irene is a dependable person because she did not give up on finding her son’s gift. When she arrived on the Drayton hotel and ran in to Clare, there was an awkward staring moment because she wasn’t sure if it was Clare or not. Clare gave her direct eye contact and Irene would just avoid the eye contact and look away. This made me think that Irene is more of a diffident and conscious person in contrast to Clare who is more confident. Later on after the meeting between Irene and Clare, Irene declared that she did not want to see Clare Kendry again after being disgusted by the fact that she would consider passing. I acknowledged that Irene is a dignified woman because she is loyal to her black roots. But the author also reveals that Irene isn’t the most dexterous person because when she received the phone call from Clare, she accepted the invitation to her house for tea. I sensed jealousy in Irene when she discovers later in the book that Clare actually gets along well with the black community. Clare Kendry was introduced in the first chapter as a sellout. She was introduced in the unexpected meeting with Irene which she then explained how she has decided to pass as a White woman. Not only has she passed as a white woman, but she has also married a white man. Clare can be described as inconsiderate. She put Irene and her social class as well as her self in danger.

Julius Caesar Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Julius Caesar - Research Paper Example Born in 100 BC in Rome, a time where elite families had made a trend of engraving their family titles so that they would be considered as elites, Julius Caesar would mark a turning point in the history of the Roman Empire. It was the engraving of such titles into families that allowed young boys to grace business meetings, attend debates, and even eat and dine with senators. The son of Caius Julius Caesar and Aurelia became involved in politics after participating in countless wars. He would later form alliances that aided him in attaining a high powered seat in the Roman Empire, which would allow him to establish an imperial system across the many regions he had conquered (Bladen 57). He enrolled in the army as a way of evading the then dictator’s wrath after he married a girl from a noble family. After the death of the dictator, he moved back to Rome, but chose to study philosophy. Afterwards, he led a private army to fight the king of Pontus, which would see his status further elevated and see him work with Pompey. Pompey was a former lieutenant in the former dictator’s regime. He continued to rise in ranks and served as governor of a province in Spain, and with close ties to Pompey; he was given a powerful position in government to act as consul. Caesar’s first wife, Cornelia, died after he was elected quaestor (Freeman 79). After his wife’s demise, he encountered and fell in love with Pompeia, a distant relative of Pompey, which helped strengthen his relationship with the great general. Pompey would later marry Caesar’s daughter, but after her death, their relationship went sour. Caesar would then go on to marry Calpurnia during his travels and conquests over Gaul. During his tenure in political office, Caesar sought to change the lives of the Roman people. He improved on the calendar and established colonies so that poor people could improve their way of living. In Caesar’s later years, he created resentment from the Roman

Nursing Shortage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing Shortage - Essay Example The shortage is everyone's problem and the solution will need to come from the federal government, the states, hospitals, professional organizations, and local medical institutions. The nursing shortage is a national crisis and any solution will need to have the support of the federal government. The Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002 appropriated funds to aid in the recruitment and retention of nurses at all levels, but has seen budget cuts in recent years. The bill expires in 2007 and the Congress should reauthorize the bill and increase the funding from $150 million in 2007 to a minimum of $200 million in 2008. This is the level that had been recommended by the Nursing Organizations Alliance and many other members of the nursing community (Beu 1063). Known as Title VIII, it funds nursing grants, education, retention grants, loan repayment, scholarship programs, faculty loans, and diversity grants. An expansion of these programs is a necessary foundation for increasing the supply of qualified nurses. In addition to increasing the funding for Title VIII, the federal government also needs to make a legislated commitment to enhancing the educational infrastructure. In 2005, nearly 150,000 qualified nursing school applicants were turned away because there were too few places to train them (Cooper and Aiken 68S). This was due partly to a lack of faculty, but was also a result of a lack of facilities. This extends from the classroom into the clinical setting. Attracting new student nurses through scholarships and loan repayment programs can only be productive if they have quality programs to enter. The federal government should also set a policy on limiting immigrant nurses. Though there is a substantial pool of qualified nurses in developing countries, it may be counter-productive for the US to depend on this international resource. The US should pursue bilateral agreements with countries that have served as a major source of nurses. It is in the international ethical interest that the US does not deplete the nursing supply in the developing nations and leave them in a medical crisis. These agreements would also protect our nation's supply of nurses as the world becomes more mobile. Buchan warns us that though the US is currently the premier market for working nurses. " ... I think you will see some more nurses moving from your country to others, perhaps for reasons other than purely financial" (23S). By cooperating to keep the source countries at a healthy level, we can assure that this international resource will not run out. The State Responsibility While the federal government can stimulate the supply of nurses, it is up to the states and the institution of nursing to retain them. A survey by Lynn and Redman in 2006 reported that the two most important factors for nursing retention was an increase in pay and "a climate of retention in health care facilities" (685). The intangible climate that the nurses spoke of included team work, decreased workload, communications, and being a part of the staffing decision process. A policy of employee empowerment would reduce psychological burnout. Women who have traditionally made up the bulk of the nursing staff have been presented with opportunities in competing career areas. Hospitals and medical institutions need to reevaluate pay scales and working

Development of a Resilient Wireless Sensor Network

Development of a Resilient Wireless Sensor Network Development of a Resilient Wireless Sensor Network for Real-Time Outdoor Applications Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Parvathy Rajan, Divya Pullarkat Abstract Wireless sensor networks that are deployed for any outdoor applications face the challenge of link variations. The outdoor sensor network would be affected because of unpredictable changes in the environment. The effect can vary accordingly with a single hop and a multi hop sensor network. In this paper, we analyze the causes of poor link quality, received signal strength and packet reception rate due to factors such as shadowing, fading, foliage, and rainfall. We use the packet-oriented simulation tool, Qualnet 5.0.2 to create a simulation framework. This enables us to observe the effects of the signal quality separately and independently after the environmental factors. The results developed from the simulation are tested and assessed with the data received from the real time wireless sensor network to monitor landslides located at Munnar, India. Keywords— wireless sensor networks, shadowing, fading, link quality, received signal strength, rate of packet loss, path loss, fault tolerant I. Introduction Wireless sensor networks are extensively used for environmental monitoring, landslide detection, disaster management etc. These networks are mostly deployed in outdoor scenarios. These outdoor deployments of wireless sensor networks experience intermittent loss of link due to rainfall, foliage, fading and shadowing. This will affect the reliability of the network due to reduction in the packet reception rate. Hence outdoor wireless sensor networks needs an efficient fault tolerant mechanism capable to deal with the dynamic changes in the environment. For the design and development of a fault tolerant network it is highly necessary to accurately predict the expected dynamic changes in the environment and its effects on the network. The dynamic changes in an outdoor environment are due to rainfall rate, fog, vegetation, reflection, diffraction, shadowing etc. Due to these effects we cannot assure a line of sight path in every scenario. The non line of sight path causes the signal to degrade and cause the low quality in the transmission. To avoid the degradation of the link quality this work aims to determine the causes of link variation and the network parameters that get affected due to this change. Existing empirical models for rainfall, foliage, shadowing and fading are used to analyze the cause and effect relation using Qualnet software simulator. These analysis results will be used for developing an adaptive routing protocol that will increase the reliability of the system. To find out how the environmental factors are affecting the signal quality a simulation model was done in Qualnet. By integrating the models in the Qualnet simulator the impact of different rate of packet transmissions were analyzed with respect to path loss and packet reception rate variations. It is observed that rainfall rate and propagation distance through foliage above a particular value affects the signal quality drastically than any other propagational parameters. To investigate the accuracy of the simulated model, data from the real-time wireless sensor network system for landslide monitoring, deployed at Munnar, India was correlated with the simulated result and it showed about 95% similarity. In this paper section II describes the related works. The propagational challenges prone to the wireless sensor networks are described in section III. The software architecture design used for the simulation is shown in section IV. The simulation results with various cases were shown in section V. Section VI conveys the conclusion and future works. II. Related Works: In [1] Margham et al. the effect of rainfall rate on the link quality was analyzed and the result shown that there is a negative impact on the link quality. But the authors did not considered or investigated any effect of path loss, shadowing and fading effects. In [2] Boccur et al. a statistical analyzing on the link quality estimation is done by building a software bench marking tool called RadialE where the authors failed to discuss on the dynamic change of environment effect on the link quality. In [6] Ahmed et al. the authors discussed the accuracy of the existing path loss model with linear regression method on the measured data. Then concluded that a site specific information is necessary for the deployment of the wireless sensor networks. In [3] Ren et al. the effect of Rayleigh fading and shadowing was done by simulation in the opnet simulator. The effect of the path loss was also optimized through adapting the path loss exponent values. In [8]Dasarathan et al. the signal st rength measurements were taken with path loss, shadowing and fading models. Done with InSSIDer simulator to take different signal strength values on outdoor and indoor environments at different locations. In [9] Erceg et al. a path loss model and path loss exponent model based determination of signal strength was done for the deployment at outdoor. Putra et al. [15]explains that a signal is affected with the effect of vegetation and wind. A statistical analyzing is done. The linearity relationship between the received signal strength and link quality is calculated in Ekka [4] et al. In [7]Nose et al. a signal strength based route construction is done to tolerate fault in the network. In most of the existing works the network performance was discussed either through any propagation effects, a combined analyzing is not done so far. This paper analyzed the combined effect of the propagational effects in the network quality. III. Propagational challenges: The wireless sensor networks deployed in the outdoor can be affected by various propagational challenges such as path loss, fading, shadowing etc. Most of these propagational effects are mainly due to the environmental factors such as rainfall, foliage, fog, wind etc. The effects of fading, shadowing, path loss, rain and foliage in WSN are studied in this work that are discussed in below sections. A. Foliage model selection: Most of the empirical foliage loss models for the propagation path are exponential decay models, such as Weissberger model ,ITU Recommendation(ITU-R) model COST235 model, ITU-R model, Maximum attenuation (MA) model, Nonzero gradient (NZG) model, and Dual Gradient (DG) model [5]. In general, the exponential decay model has the following form [5]: (1) Where A, B, and C are the parameters from different experiments with regression techniques. The gradient models, the NZG model [5] was proposed by Seville to rectify the zero gradient problem associated with the MA model [5]. However the NZG and MA model are not taking the frequency information as inputs. Hence by these models, we cannot analyze the propagation effects of different frequencies. Subsequently, the DG model is proposed with the antenna beam width and the operating frequency as the input parameters. since there is no frequency information in both the NZG model and MA model [5]. The different models based on horizontal path propagation with its empirical formula are as follows: Weissberger model [5]: (2) Where f is the frequency(GHz) , and d is the distance of propagation through foliage it should be between 14 meter and 400 meter. ITU-R model [5]: (3) Where f is the frequency in MHz, and d is the tree depth in meter. MA model [5]: (4) Where Am is the maximum attenuation, R0 is the initial gradient of the attenuation rate curve, and d is the distance of propagation through the foliage. Since most of the wireless sensor networks uses GHz frequency range for communication, the weissberger model for determining the path loss effects in WSN. B. Rainfall model: The rainfall model is used to study attenuation in the transmited signal due to rain fall. Many scattering models are existing to find the signal degradation due to rainfall. But all those scattering models require the complex calculation of the distance between the scattering object and the receiver and the transmitter. The rainfall attenuation model’s applied equation is [1]: (5) Where, R is the rainfall rate in millimeter per hour. (6) (7) C. Fading Model: Fading is one of the major propagation effects in all wireless communication systems. The fading may differ with time, geographical position and radio frequency, and is modeled as a random process. A communication channel that experience fading is a fading channel. In any wireless systems, fading may either due to multipath propagation, known as multipath causing fading, or due to shadowing from obstacles affects the wave propagation, sometimes called as shadow fading. As Rayleigh fading model is used to model the fading in non line of sight path, it is used in this work. Rayleigh fading distribution is as follows [14]: (8) Where r is the rms value of the voltage of the signal and sigma is the standard deviation from the expected mean value. D. Log Normal Shadowing Model: The large scale signal power strength model is used for predicting the average signal strength as a function of distance between the Transmitter and Receiver which may include antenna gains, height, and frequency of operation. The path loss model does not discriminate between two locations which are at the same distance from the base station, but are at two distinct directions. This is due to the fact that the path loss model is not considering the effect of local clutter. In reality if we consider two locations then the local mean of the path losses will vary. The Path loss model only conveys an average value of path loss of the transmitted signal in a region or area. The local mean is a random value and its effect is calculated through the shadowing model. Thus the Path loss formula is extended in order to taken care the local mean variation as well. Hence the combined effect of the path loss and the shadowing are considered to calculate the received signal strength at a distanceâ €˜d’ [7]: (9) Where: K is a constant which depends on the antenna characteristics. à °Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾ is the path loss exponent. à °Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¹ is the Gaussian distributed random variable. The above mentioned propagation models are used to analyze the characteristics of the degrading signal such as received signal strength and the packet loss due to poor link quality. IV. Software Architecture: The architecture is designed in such a way to study the characteristics of the output signal with the different effects of the propagational parameters. In the figure 1, the propagation models module includes the fading model, shadowing model, rainfall attenuation model and vegetation attenuation model. Fig 1: Architecture used for the simulation The output signal is analyzed with link quality, received signal strength and the packet reception rate. The link quality is the ratio in the received signal strength to the noise power. Signal strength is the received signal strength received at the receiver. Packet loss is the number of packets received out of the total packet sent. It can also be inferred as the packet reception rate. V. Simulation and Results: A. Simulation modeling for rainfall attenuation model: According to equations (6), (7) and (8) we created different simulation scenarios in Qualnet to obtain a series of data with the link quality and received signal strength .The simulation results obtained using Qualnet GUI interface are shown in figure 5 and figure 6. B. Simulation of path loss: In Qualnet simulator a sensor network scenario is created where the sender node is sending a total of 100 packets. This scenario is used to infer the effect of path loss in the transmitted signal with combined effect of the environmental parameters such as the rainfall rate and the distance of propagation through foliage. Then at different transmitter-receiver distance, the path loss is calculated and plotted the graph in Matlab. From the investigation of the graph shown in figure 2, a 40 dB difference in the path loss estimated without the effect of the environmental factors than with the effect of the environmental factors. C. Simulation of packet reception rate: The packet reception rate is analyzed with the combined effect of the environmental factors like the rainfall rate and the distance of propagation through foliage. The result in figure 3 shows the packet loss due to the effect of environmental factors is higher than the scenario where there is no effect of environmental factors. This is due to the rainfall attenuation and the foliage effect. Analyzing the effects of these two factors is needed drastically to find out the minimum level of rainfall rate and the distance of propagation through foliage which affects the degradation of the signal. On analyzing the graph it conveys that rainfall Rainfall rate above 350 millimeter per hour is Environmental factors increase the effect of path loss which results in the reduction of the link quality. D. Effect of shadowing mean in the transmitted signal: The shadowing mean is varied and analyzed the packet loss with the variation. From the analysis of the simulation result, it is clear that the packet loss started when the shadowing mean is above 4dB. All the packets are lost when the shadowing mean is above 11dB. E. Effect of Rainfall rate in the transmitted signal: The variation in the rain fall rate has affected the signal only above 350mm/hr. No packet loss is observed within the range of 50-350mm/hr . The reduction in the link quality can result in packet loss is proved through simulation result which is shown in figure 6. Also the link quality of the signal is analyzed and The link quality is observed to be decreasing with  increase in rainfall rate. F. Effect of foliage in the transmitted signal: The distance of propagation through the foliage, affects the signal quality. Even the movement of vegetation due to degrade the signal quality which is not investigated in this paper. In figure 7, the simulation result of foliage model is shown. If the distance through foliage is more than 10 meters, it will affect the packet reception rate. The link quality is also analyzed with the variation in the distance through foliage. The result from graph in figure 8 shows if the distance through propagation is above 10 meters can affect the signal quality. G. Effect of transmission power in the packet loss: With the result obtained using the different rainfall rates which is shown in figure 9, it is clear that when rainfall rate is above 5.833 mm per minute packet loss is observed. So assuming the rainfall rate to be 5.833 mm per minute the distance through foliage is varied and the result is analyzed. Figure 9: Varying the distance through foliage with different transmission powers H. Real Data Analysis: The real data is received from the real-time wireless sensor network system for landslide monitoring, deployed at Munnar, India. 90% match with simulated result and real data from munnar is obtained in the real data analysis result shown in figure 10. The real data from landslide monitoring system is analyzed with the simulated result in the Qualnet with the combined effect of the environmental parameters like the rainfall rate, foliage, shadowing and fading. The result holds the fact that the models were showing similar results as in theoretical models. VI. Conclusion and Future works: To analyze the effect of propagation and environmental factors on the signal quality we implemented simulation of these models in the Qualnet. Simulation result shows the rainfall rate and the distance of propagation through foliage have a major effect on the performance of the network especially on the link quality and packet reception rate. Then the simulated result is analyzed with real time wireless sensor network system for landslide monitoring deployed at munnar. In future from these analyzed results we are planning to design an adaptive routing protocol that adapts its path with the best available link quality.

Physical Appearance in Mary Shellys Frankenstein Essays -- Frankenstei

Physical Appearance in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein we are introduced early in the story to one of the main characters Victor Frankenstein and subsequently to his creation referred to as the monster. The monster comes to life after being constructed by Victor using body parts from corpses. As gruesome as this sounds initially we are soon caught up in the tale of the living monster. Victor the creator becomes immediately remorseful of his decision to bring the monstrous creation to life and abandons the borne creature. Victor describes his emotions and physical description of his creation as follows: â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! – Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion, and straight black lips.† (Shelley 34) Left on his own to strike out in the world the monster soon experienced the prejudices of those he came meet. Prejudices based upon his frightful, or unusual, appearance and his inability to communicate initially. I quickly had empathy for the abandoned creature, despite the descriptions of his gruesome appearance, and felt mixed emotions about his actions towards others in the story. Were the violent actions of the monster towards others spawned from their violent rejection of ... ...-to-form illustration of cultural feelings about how people should look and act in the context of what is normal. Anything outside of normal is perceived negatively, viewed with suspicion and capable of the worst actions towards others. In this case, it is no wonder the monster unleashes his violent wrath upon those that have shunned and disposed of him. He was just fulfilling his predetermined destiny thrust upon him at the moment he was conceived. I am being somewhat sarcastic here, but I do feel that historically the ideas of what is normal can change. Unfortunately, as Shelley has drastically illustrated with the monster character, the monster is judged by his outside appearance and actions as it relates to what is considered normal. Bibliography: Shelley, Mary. â€Å"Frankenstein.† In A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1996.

Drawing the Line: Normal and Abnormal Behavior Essay

The term abnormal is defined as deviating from the norm (Spoor, 1999). The definition however is problematic in that it addresses other factors. For instance, one needs to consider what the norm is and who labeled it as such. Norms are also dynamic; a norm today may no longer be one in the future. The fact that norms are also culture specific (Syque, 2007) leads one to consider that abnormality is largely relative.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Delineating between normal and abnormal behavior is thus more complicated in that a medical implication is often involved. Several criteria have been proposed to account for such. For instance, the first criteria accounts for the behavior’s deviation from cultural norms. Cultures impose upon its members certain norms and the deviation from such often results to being labeled as abnormal. Men who wore earrings forty years ago were thus considered abnormal. Second, abnormal behavior deviates from the statistical norm (Smith, Nolen – Hoeksema, Fredrickson, Loftus, 2003). Most people tend to fall within the mean of certain traits. An individual with an IQ of 40 falls on the extreme end and is therefore considered abnormal. Third, abnormal behavior is maladaptive; that is, it has detrimental effects on the individual and society. A woman who fears crowds and avoids taking the bus to work even if she has to is an example. Lastly, abnormal behavior causes personal distress (Smith, et al, 2003). An individual who harbors self – defeating belilefs about himself is deemed abnormal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abnormal behavior is rarely diagnosed effectively using just one from the aforementioned criteria. For a subject that calls to draw the line between normality and abnormality; one needs to be cautious in that people are inevitably affected and involved. References Smith, E., Nolen – Hoeksema, S., Fredrickson, B. & Loftus, G. (2003). Atkinson & Hilgard’s   Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction to Psychology, 14th Edition. Singapore: Thomson Learning Asia. Spoor, Katrina. (1999). What is â€Å"abnormal†? A Beginner’s Guide to Abnormal Psychology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Site. Retrieved December 12, 2007 from http://www.purgatory.net/merits/abnormal.htm Syque. (2007). Elements of Culture. ChangingMinds.org Site. Retrieved December 12, 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/elements_of_culture.htm