Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Hollywood Effect Of The Reel Bad Arabs Media Essay

The Hollywood Effect Of The Reel Bad Arabs Media Essay Watching Dr. Jack Shaheen documentary Reel bad Arabs, in which he discusses almost a 1000 Hollywood films featuring an Arab and concludes that the vast majority of which portray Arabs in a distorting manner, I found myself really fond of the idea of the power of media in positioning peoples minds in favor of a secret agenda and so forth, I found that I deeply agree with Dr.Shaheens claim that the Hollywood movie industry, almost always portrays Arabs as bad since it is influenced by the US foreign policy agenda. How Media Affects Public Opinion In the last 50 years the media influence has grown exponentially with the advance of technology. We now live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction. The media has a huge impact on society and also in public opinion. It can shape the public opinion in different ways depending of what is the objective. Repetition Effect Al tikrar biallem il hemar -By repetition even the donkey learns-, this Arab proverb encapsulates how effective repetition can be when it comes to education: how we learn by repeating an exercise over and over again until we can respond almost reflexively. For more than a century now, Hollywood, too, has used repetition as a teaching tool, tutoring movie audiences by repeating over and over, in film after film, insidious images of the Arab people. From earlier times to the present day consider how these images have affected honest discourse and public policy. Building Stereotypes Stereotyping has existed with us since the beginning of time in our day to day life .With these repetitive patterns going over and over in front of our eyes, as audience, we start building our own images about others based on these patterns, breeding them into our minds and revitalizing them whenever stuck in a situation . Bottom-line, instead of getting to know the truth, we tend to resort to our preconceived notions rather than judging things as they are, which involuntarily, builds stereotypes in our minds. Manipulating Public Opinion Normally, stereotypes are fast and fairly effective because not everyone can be able to travel to every nation and verify the true state of affairs, thus techniques of misinformation and name calling are used by media outlets in attempt to convince the public to belief generalities made about a particular group, in this case Arabs, to be true in areas such as religion or politics. For example, after the attacks of 9/11 the media gave a huge coverage of the event and exposed Osama guilty for the attack as they were told by the authorities. This shaped the public opinion to support the war on terrorism, the same happened with the war on Iraq. The problem is that if media received inaccurate information then the public opinion supported a wrong cause, and this is the power of public opinion influence. Hollywood As A Source Of Knowledge And Influence A Positioning Weapon Hollywood movies have been around now for more than century and have and will continue to impact us and future generations. Nowadays, Hollywoods motion pictures reach nearly everyone. How Arabs Are Portrayed In Hollywood Seen through Hollywoods distorted lenses, Arabs look different and threatening. Projected along racial and religious lines, the stereotypes are deeply ingrained in American cinema. According to Dr. Shaheen words, What is an Arab? In countless films, Hollywood alleges the answer: Arabs are brute murderers, sleazy rapists, religious fanatics, oil-rich dimwits, and abusers of women. They [the Arabs] all look alike to me, quips the American heroine in the movie The Sheik Steps Out (1937). All Arabs look alike to me, admits the protagonist in Commando (1968). Decades later, nothing had changed. Quips the U.S. Ambassador in Hostage (1986), I cant tell one [Arab] from another. Wrapped in those bed sheets they all look the same to me. In Hollywoods films, they certainly do black beard, headdress, dark sunglasses, in the background-a limousine, harem maidens, oil wells, camels. Beginning with Imar the Servitor (1914), up to and including The Mummy Returns (2001), a synergy of images equates Arabs from Syria to the Sudan with quintessential evil. In hundreds of movies evil Arabs stalk the screen. We see them assaulting just about every imaginable foeAmericans, Europeans, Israelis, legionnaires, Africans, fellow Arabs, evenfor heavens sakeHercules and Samson. Dr Shaheen believes that such Arab images serves not only for dehumanation, but mainly for increasing abhorrence towards that group of people in an attempt to back up the U.S foreign policies and agendas. The findings of a recent study suggest that Hollywood films influence viewers perceptions and attitudes towards Arabs extensively. Similar approaches to Dr. Shaheens were taken and mostly rendered the same conclusions such as Jamie C. Friess, which pointed out that Hollywoods representation of the Middle East ebbed and flowed with the foreign policy realities of the United States across time underlying the belief in the presence of a link between U.S. diplomacy and popular films portrayal of Arabs. Possible Reasons Behind Hollywood Portrayal Complement American Foreign Policy The interpretations of Hollywoods representation of Arabs involve different, often contradictory, types of image. They also suggest that the intensification of the Arabs stereotypical image over the last century from comic villains to foreign devils did not occur in a vacuum but, certainly, with the intertwinement of both political and cultural interests in the region. It is believed that this was motivated indirectly by U.S imperial objectives. Justify War In Palestine, Iraq And Afghanistan Arabs are politically characterized as soldiers of Allah with no mercy and who do terrible things; they are not just villains but also dangerous and they need to be politically and militarily contained. The concept shows how the situation in the region is badly in need of help Western, and in particular American. Just the needed situation that can fairly justify wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq and work as a great cover of the real intentions behind such wars, which is clearly economic-oil-.Moreover; keeping the international world silent about the ongoing Palestinians killings. We -Arabs- Fail To Fix Our Image To bring about fundamental changes in how motion pictures project Arabs, a systematic lobbying effort is needed. Though the Arab-American and Muslim-American presence is steadily growing in number and visibility in the United States, Regrettably, only a few Arab-Americans meet with and discuss the stereotype with filmmakers. Though when dialogue does occur, some discriminatory portraits are altered. Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to re-insist on the fact that Hollywood movies- as a media outlet- can influence public opinion extensively on the way Arabs are perceived and that they can actually serve, in one way or another, as a tool of manipulation or oven be manipulated themselves in order to enforce different governmental policies. Both the American authorities and corporate media helped to outline the Middle East within an ideological bias that shapes the public understanding of the region. Such a cultural discourse has stressed an epic struggle between the civilized, democratic, modern West and the brutalized, barbaric, primitive East. This manipulation should be processed to maintain the notion that these nations need, and will continue to need, American protection not just from their enemy but from themselves as well.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

How National Income is Determined :: Employment Finances Economy Economics Essays

How National Income is Determined Question 1/2 - Describe how national income is determined. Include a description of equilibrium, using income and expenditure, and leakages and injections. How much wages people get and their spending determine national income. The above circular flow shows that although wages are being spent in the households the money still works its way back to the firms. The leakages in the circular flow are the money is the money that households are paying back into firms and services from wages they are paid. The savings are the money people save in their banks, taxes are the tax that people pay in their wages weekly, monthly or fortnightly and imports are items that the people have bought from companies. The injections in the circular flow is the money that has been put into firms and services. the investments are the money firms and the government have invested into companies, the government spending is the money the government spend on firms and services and exports are the money the firms and companies spend buying goods to sell. The money keeps on going round and round. The equilibrium is when the leakages and injections are the same. i.e. if the leakages =  £23500, the injections will =  £23500. The equilibrium is where they meet. Question 3 - Explain the concept of the multiplier with regard to National Income using a worded example. According to the Keynes a rise in the injection to the circular flow will cause the incomes and employment to increase by more than the increase in investment. The equilibrium at start -: If there is an increase in investments of  £20m. The effect of this will be to raise incomes by the same, the people who receive this increase will spend some and save some. If 3 quarters are spend and 1 quarter is saved. this would mean  £15m is and is turned into income for other people, which leaves  £5m being saved. Incomes have increased by the original  £20m, but also by the  £15m due to people spending extra. The people who receive the extra income will spend 3 quarters and save 1 quarter and so it goes round and round. Incomes increase a little as follows: -  £20m + (3/4 x  £20m) + (3/4 x 3/4 x  £20m) + (3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4 x £20m)etc. . . . . . . The multiplier is denoted as k -: k = 1 = 4 1 - 3/4 Total extra income -: 4 x  £20m =  £80m Total extra savings -:  £20m The new equilibrium is -: Question 4 - What is meant by the term's aggregate demand and aggregate supply?

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Keats and Shelley

The works of Keats and Shelley have attracted the attention of many scholars of English literature. In this essay, an attempt is made to compare the literary works of John Keats and Percy Shelley. This comparison is relevant due to the fact that both the poets were the contemporaries.John Keats can be considered as belonging to the Romantic school in English literature because he wrote many poems regarding the importance of love which he considered as the basis of living as without love there is no goal for human existence. This indicates the spirit for life possessed by Keats. In some of his poems Keats expressed his love for the lady who becomes the central character of his poems.   However, there are also poems which reflected the sadness, melancholy and utter despair and hopelessness regarding the human existence. This can be experienced by the study of his poem â€Å"Ode on Melancholy†.This poem demonstrates the fact the human pleasure is temporary and it is susceptible to miseries and pain. In this poem, Keats seems to suggest the temporary nature of happiness and that life is illusion as always it is not possible to achieve what one desires. On the other hand in his â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† there is a different feeling expressed by the poet. In this poem Keats is full of happiness and positive feelings as he believes that life is full of happiness and it is beautiful. In this poem, several times there is the use of the word ‘happy’ which indicates the mood of the poet while writing this poem.In fact his â€Å"Ode on Melancholy† and â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† shows the two different views. Nevertheless, they also reflect the reality of life. Thus, Keats expressed both positive and negative feelings in his poems. These two different poems seem to indicate the contradictory nature of his poems. Nevertheless, melancholy is required to realize the value of happiness. Hence, in order to fully appreciate happiness or joy one should be aware of melancholy as well.One can even find the fact that melancholy is in fact necessary to enjoy the experience of happiness. Hence two different poems have been composed by Keats to fully appreciate joys and problems in life. The poems of Keats remind us that after all we are humans and that humans are mortals. Keats also speaks about the inevitability of death and he romanticizes the pleasure of painless death.(Victoria, 2000)Keats’s â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† and Shelley’s â€Å"Ode to the West Wind† were composed during the same year. Being Romantic poets the critics might expect both of them to express the same feelings. However, both the poems give different messages. Shelly seems to believe in change and hence always there is hope as misery should be followed by happiness just like there are different seasons.Thus, Shelly is more positive and hopeful of the present world although he accepts that there is both melancholy an d happiness in one’s life. Keats seems to believe in static life and life without much of activities while Shelly believed in life full of motion, change and dramatic developments. The changes in nature are represented in his poem. Here for Shelly wind becomes symbolic expression of motion and change.The poet is also optimistic of death because when there is death, there is birth also. Shelly seems to believe that change is life and life is change. Shelly speaks of god of change although this god of change may mean of god of destruction. This implies that he respects even the negative developments in the human life. This is proved by the fact that the poet even welcomes death because it is followed by birth and thus there is hope even in death. Thus, when compared with Keats, Shelley is more optimistic of life with motion and he enjoys both good and bad experiences in life. He claims to be a product of autumn.He knows the happiness and melancholy of an autumn creature. For Ke ats beauty is seen in the stillness of the urn. He enjoys the motionless life of the urn. In the work of Keats there is reference to the melancholy life. In spite of these differences, in their different poems, both Keats and Shelley discuss regarding the hidden meaning of silence which is described by the use of different expressions. (Victoria, 2000)Although both Keats and Shelly belonged to the school of Romanticism in English literature and although they wrote the poems during the same year, there are significant differences between their poems â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† and â€Å"Ode to the West Wind†. While Keats expressed his love for stillness, Shelly considered life as full of motion and action.Bibliography(2000). â€Å"Discussion Questions about the Poetry of Keats and Shelley†, The Victorian Web Before Victoria: Selected Authors from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Retrieved online on 30-08-2005 from http://www.victorianweb.org

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Essay - 473 Words

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway The Sun Also Rises is a brilliant book written by Ernest Hemingway, that illustrates the decadence during the 1920s. Throughout the book Hemingway expresses at the time an illegal habit in America, alcoholic drinking. He also displays the beginning of open sexual/physical contact, flirting with more than one person, and having more than one sexual partner. Hemingways characters shows decry in their work habits. Throughout the book Hemingway displays many examples of the modern world in the 1920s, and the decline in moral standards. Alcoholism was big during the 1920s, and Hemingway displays this moral decay of values through the eyes of his characters. Hemingway illustrates this at all†¦show more content†¦Ernest Hemingway shows his brilliance by displaying the decay in moral standards. One of those moral standards was the openness of peoples being attracted to the opposite sex, or same sex. Hemingway chose to display this by using Brett as his center point and having everyo ne she comes in contact with fall in love with her. At the beginning of the book Brett was with a group of openly gay men. The gay guys were dancing with each other and being open about their sexual preference. This really didnt happen before the war. Throughout the book Brett and Barnes flirt a lot and they also kiss several times. Brett also has and affair and sleeps with Cohn at San Sebastian. Brett also chooses to flirt and lead on Count Mippipopulous. She also has another affair with Pedro the bullfighter. This whole time Brett is engaged to marry Mike. They are not married yet and they too sleep together, this didnt happen a lot before the war either. Hemingway chose to illustrate his the decline of moral values by using Brett as his center point, and having anything to do with sex happen with Brett in the sentence. The work ethic of the modern man after World War I declined in its productivity. Hemingway in the book The Sun Also Rises chooses to not have the characters work b ut party. I believe once in the book Barnes went to work once, and that was to pick up his paycheck. Robert Cohn the successful authorShow MoreRelatedThe Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway1649 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway Introduction Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is a classic work of American prose, and is essential to understanding the social climate of the 1920’s, and the â€Å"Lost Generation†. Hemingway’s motley cast of star-crossed lovers, rabble-rousers, expatriates, gamblers, and burgeoning alcoholics reflect the excitement, loneliness, and disillusionment experienced by Hemingway and his contemporaries. In addition, the post-war angst of young people of the time isRead MoreThe Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway Essay889 Words   |  4 Pages Books are long. 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The title The Sun Also Rises has the ability to stimulate deep thought within a reader, thus forcingRead MoreThe Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway Essay2149 Words   |  9 PagesErnest Hemingway was one of America’s premiere authors during the early 1900 ’s. He brilliantly wrote a short story or novel in a fashion that was unconventional for the time period. While reading any work by Hemingway the reader has to keep in mind that what is written might be tied to some other part in the story. Hemingway many different writing strategies to keep the reader engaged throughout his stories. Ernest Hemingway is able to keep the readers engaged throughout this novel by incorporatingRead MoreThe Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway1918 Words   |  8 PagesZach Ullom Eng-125F-SO2 Dr. Les Hunter December 3, 2015 Brett Ashley: Whore or Heroine in The Sun Also Rises After a thorough reading and in-depth analyzation of Ernest Hemingway’s riveting novel The Sun Also Rises, the character of Brett Ashley may be seen in a number of different ways. While some critics such as Mimi Reisel Gladstein view Brett as a Circe or bitch-goddess, others such as Carol H. Smith see Brett as a woman who has been emotionally broken by the world around her. I tend lean towardsRead MoreThe Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway1245 Words   |  5 PagesThe writer of The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway was a short story writer, journalist, and an American novelist. He produced most of his work between the nineteen twenties and nineteen fifties. 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