...Lee Brazil Professor Maya Matos Intro to Film 16 February 2015 Cinema Aesthetics in City of God: A Study of Editing and the Cosmetics of Hunger This paper will focus on editing in the initial sequences of the film City of God. It will also show how the editing choices place this film in context with a movement, which is disaffectionately referred to as the Cosmetics of Hunger. City of God is a 2002 Brazilian film set in the favela, or slum of the same name. The film tells the story of a young photographer (Rocket) played by Alexandre Rodrigues, growing up in an environment of gangs and violence during a period from the 1960s up to the 1980s. The story begins with the protagonist literally in the middle of a gang war and reviewing the life events that brought his story to this point in a series of flashbacks. In the first images, a knife is rhythmically sharpened in a tempo that matches several quick, fixed cuts to and from the chicken’s point-of view. The knife accentuates the cuts in editing as the knife sounds rise in tempo, intensity and volume. Several of these juxtaposed shots create heightened meaning and awareness for the viewer and seemingly the chicken. The chicken appears increasingly more anxious as the editor creates a Kuleshovian continuity. Each successive chicken shot is blended with the rhythm of a frantic samba playing while people are dancing, cutting carrots, killing and de-feathering fated chickens for a stew that symbolizes the mise-en-scene. The...
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...picture of the epic journey that the main character in the story, Valentino faces from the time that he flees the country to the time that he finally reaches what he thought would be the “Promised Land” in Atlanta, United States of America. He was soon to realize that even in America, life would not be a bed of roses but it would be marred by unexpected acts of violence and racial discrimination (Dave 28). One striking thing in the narrative is that the author brings out the culture of the Dinka people. For instance, polygamous nature of the Dinka people is clearly illustrated. The myth regarding the origin of the Dinka people is as well demonstrated (Bess). In regards to this origin, the Dinka people are given a choice by God to choose between the cattle and the “What is the What”. They choose the cattle which they understood better rather than “What is the What” which they did not as demonstrated in the line, "—you didn't tell us the answer: What is the What? My father shrugged. —We don't know. No one knows” (Dave 64). Through the narrative, a reader is informed on the historical background of the south Sudanese people. The relative geographical locations of the three African countries of Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya are well described, painting an unforgettable picture in the mind of the reader. The diversity in different cultures comes out clearly in the book as the main character traverses boundaries. Valentino’s story illuminates the story of thousands of Sudanese boys and...
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...refers to the part of the novel, when Kino discovers an enormous pearl or “the Pearl of the World”. The register of the text is fictional narrative, and type of narration is heterodiegetic, because the narrator situated outside the level of action. The text is with omniscient point of view, or zero focalization – the narrator knows more than characters. The authorial narrative allows the narrator to have an insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and to see the story from outsider`s position: And he wondered whether he had baptized Kino`s baby, or married him for that matter. And the doctor’s eyes rolled up a little fat hammocks and he thought of Paris. He remembered the room he had lived in there … In addition, it is a third-person narrative extract, because all character of the story referred as “they” “it” “he”: their mother knew it; his eyes; he wondered; they waited etc. Finally, it is overt narrator; he makes his opinion known and gives extra information and explanations: The news came to the doctor where he sat with a woman whose illness was age, thought neither she nor the doctor would admit it (this is also an example of irony). The narrator uses evaluative phrases and emotive expressions, e.g. And a town has a whole emotion; panting little boys; curious dark residue, etc. To create the tone or melody of the narrative, the narrator use conjunction “and” number of sentences in the extract begins with this conjunction: And a town has a whole emotion...
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...Starving, desperate, and determined to find their food source Guy sends friend, and fellow soldier Stanislaus Adamski, to communicate with them in Russian in order to ascertain where they get their food from. The girls cleverly escape their hunger weakened captors, but one leaves a lasting impression on Guy, Mishka the girl with the green, almond shaped eyes. Later, providence brings Guy, Adamski,and Mishka together again, this time, with multiple aspects of human nature playing a significant...
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...initiation trials which she goes through and is injected with this serum thing that the eurdites activate to take control of the dauntless, all except the divergents who are surprisingly revealed to us that four and tris’ (Beatrice’s dauntless name) mother are. Then all of the action starts to kick in. We have death all around us. To get to the final control room to stop this brainwashing experience tris loses her mother and father. But after all that is said and done she meets four again who she is in love with near the end of the book and hop on a train leading into the city, which leads to the sequel book. This is super brief and I could right about another 3 pages if I had to since this book literally blew me away. Still not as good as The Hunger Games but I was interested throughout each of the 39 chapters. What’s the significance of...
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...UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS FACULDADE DE LETRAS COMTEMPORARY WOMEN’S WRITING PROF. DR. SANDRA ALMEIDA ANA PAULA RAPOSO Women we know: a biographical critical analysis on Unless by Carol Shields Belo Horizonte 2013 Sumário Introduction 3 Men and Women 4 Writers and Readers 7 Goodness 9 Mothers and Children 10 Referências 13 Women we know: a biographical critical analysis on Unless by Carol Shields Introduction Unless is the last novel written by Carol Shields, before she passed away of breast cancer in 2003. The novel is structured in a first person narrative; the narrator is Reta Winters, a 44-year old writer and translator. Throughout the narrative, the reader follows a linear chain of thoughts by Reta on the central theme of the novel, which is her quest to find out why her daughter Norah decided to drop out of university and live on the street with a sign on her chest written "Goodness". The essay will be developed through research in primary sources – interviews – in order to analyze Carol Shield’s work using mostly, but not only, her own concepts and reflections on Literature, writing and being a writer, and composition process of Unless. Many scholars have made researches on the novel, especially about language resources, metafiction and gender issues. The most cited work is Nora Foster Stovel’s ““Because she is a woman”: Myth and Metafiction in Carol Shield’s Unless”. By investigating her compositional...
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...Pwint Professor Prescott English 3 03 05 2013 The Capitalist Capitol versus Desolate District 12 Suzanne Collins’ 2008 book The Hunger Games is about a fictional country that has a reality entertainment show in which boys and girls, two from each of twelve districts, are forced to murder each other until only one is left. In 2012, director Gary Ross adapted Collins’ book into a film. On the surface, both the book and the film version of The Hunger Games seem to be just a form of entertainment. However, if one interprets the two analytically, they are criticizing the inequalities and power abuse in our own capitalist society. Capitalism creates wealth and power inequalities, often leading to the rich abusing the poor. In The Hunger Games, the rich entertain themselves with the blood battle of the poor. Though Ross conveys the inequalities and power abuse mentioned in the book, he also adapts some scenes to make this message easier for the audience to understand. While Collins heavily relies on detailed descriptions and Katniss’ narration to give the message that capitalism forms inequalities and power abuse, Ross uses more visual contrasts to make the film more appealing while portraying the same message. Inequalities in Panem can be vividly seen in the differences in food, clothing and housing between the rich Capitol and the desolate District 12 in both the book and the film. Collins use clear descriptions to portray these discrepancies in capitalism while Ross exposes...
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...Oliver Nyambi considers The Uncertainty of Hope by Valerie Tagwira First published by: SAGE Open Jul 2014, 4(3) <http://bit.ly/1q7n9ui> ABSTRACT There is a subtle yet discernible connection between the post-2000 political power struggle and the gender struggle in Zimbabwe. In both cases, a patriarchal power hierarchy shaped by tradition and history is perpetuated and justified as the mark of the nation’s unique identity. In cultural, political, and economic spheres, the status of most urban Zimbabwean women is still reflected as inferior to that of most men. During this economic and political crisis period, the prevailing gender power-relations evolved into gendered appraisals of the impact of the crisis and this created the potential for rather universal and androcentric conclusions. The consequent eclipse of female-centric voices of the political and gender struggle tends to suppress women’s perspectives, consequently inhibiting a gender-inclusive imagining of the nation. This article argues that discourses about gender struggle in Zimbabwe’s post-2000 crisis have not sufficiently addressed the question of space; that is, the significance of the oppressed women’s physical and social space in shaping their grievances and imaginings of exit routes. Similarly, the article argues that representations of this historic period in literary fiction have accentuated the wider political and economic struggles at the expense of other (especially gender) struggles, thereby rendering...
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...a good ransom. The kidnap victims were taken on a long sea voyage to Basilan and then marched deep into the jungle as the Philippine army followed them. Many hostages actually lose their lives during cross-fires between the army and the rebels. And there were also exclusive killings by the Abu Sayyaf because of the thought that some hostages would give them no value. With this horror, the hostages still try to believe that one day, they will be saved. ‘Captive’ is a French-Filipino-German-British co-production directed by Brillante Ma. Mendoza. It is freely drawn from Gracia Burnham’s 2003 book, “In the Presence of My Enemies,” which details her and her husband Martin’s 377-day ordeal at the hands of the Abu Sayyaf. Mendoza weaves a fictional account of the infamous abduction that has actually, the tug and horror of the real thing. And as a result, it was considered as the most realistic cinematic treatment yet of Muslim terrorism. ‘Captive’ is every bit a cinema vérité. Brillante Mendoza shot this film on the natural setting, mixing his actors with everyday people, and with little artificial lighting. It is effective in such a way that it conveys candid realism. The scenes in the movie are not over-dramatized and every moment on the screen, whether it reflects cruelty or compassion, it feels unnervingly real. The fact that it is a literal recreation of the 2001 hostage incident gives its...
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...Name Professor Course William Faulkner William Faulkner is viewed by many as America's greatest writer of fiction. He was born in New Albany, Mississippi, where he lived a life of up and downs. Although, despite the down times he would become known as a poet, a short story writer, and finally one of the greatest contemporary novelists of his time. William Faulkner's accomplishments resulted not only from his love and devotion to writing, but also from family, friends, and certain uncontrollable events. William Faulkner's life is an astonishing accomplishment; however, it is crucial to explore his styles of writing, and how one particular style of writing was able to alter my path in the way I approach my goals in life. He adjusts the style to fit the topic, able to adapt a more traditional type as he easily can invent new, complicated techniques of writing. Throughout his early education, he would work conscientiously at reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic. However, he especially enjoyed drawing. When Faulkner got promoted to the third grade, skipping the second grade, he was asked by his teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up. He replied, "I want to be a writer just like my great granddaddy"(Minter 18). Faulkner took interest in poetry around 1910, but no one in Oxford, Mississippi, could tell him what to do with his poems. Shortly after, he met a man named Phil Stone. So one afternoon, Stone went to Faulkner's house to get to know him better, and...
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...Discuss the 'Fallen Woman' as a Familiar Feature of Victorian Writing Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton may be characterised as a 'social problem' novel. Basch (1974: 263) states, 'Mrs Gaskell's impure women came from ... the work and exploitation which she knew, relatively speaking, better than other novelists.' Gaskell was the wife of a Unitarian clergyman in Manchester. She devoted her time to setting up homes for fallen women, and after Mary Barton women became her central characters, her novels primarily seen through women's eyes. Thomas Hardy, since his career began, has been notably associated with his portrayal of female characters. Erving Howe even writes about 'Hardy's gift for creeping intuitively into the emotional life of women.' (Boumelha 1982: 3) From this point of view, I intend this essay to establish a comparison between Gaskell's 'fallen woman' in Mary Barton and the way in which Thomas Hardy frames his central female character in Tess of the D'Urbervilles.In the context of the nineteenth century, there emerged an increasingly ideological 'rethinking' of sexuality, particularly of the female. Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859 and The Descent of Man later in 1871 argued that men and women were somehow mentally different. Darwinian sociology led to sexual stereotypes such as Clement Scott's 'men are born "animals" and women "angels" so it is in effect only natural for men to indulge their sexual appetites and, hence, perverse, "unnatural" for women to act in the...
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...follows: Simmons, A.M. (2012). Class on fire: Using the Hunger Games trilogy to encourage social action. The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56(1), 22-34. Abstract This article explores ways to utilize students’ interest in fantasy literature to support critical literacy. Focusing on Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games series (2008, 2009, 2010), the author addresses how elements of the trilogy relate to violent acts in our world, helping student understand that violence and brutality toward children is not fiction, but very real, and that they can play a role in its abolishment, just like Katniss, through social action projects. Issues such as hunger, forced labor, child soldiers, and the sex trade that appear in both the fictional series and our world are discussed, encouraging students to assess their world and advocate for change. Examples of social action projects that utilize multiple literacies are suggested as a way to inspire students take action in the community and to stand up to injustice and brutality in hopes of creating a better world and a better human race. Using popular literature to pique student interest, this article explores how to incorporate the books in the Hunger Games series into the ELA classroom to support literacy and critical goals. Class on Fire: Using the Hunger Games Trilogy to Encourage Social Action Introduction The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, comprising The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay...
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...Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton may be characterised as a 'social problem' novel. Basch (1974: 263) states, 'Mrs Gaskell's impure women came from ... the work and exploitation which she knew, relatively speaking, better than other novelists.' Gaskell was the wife of a Unitarian clergyman in Manchester. She devoted her time to setting up homes for fallen women, and after Mary Barton women became her central characters, her novels primarily seen through women's eyes. Thomas Hardy, since his career began, has been notably associated with his portrayal of female characters. Erving Howe even writes about 'Hardy's gift for creeping intuitively into the emotional life of women.' (Boumelha 1982: 3) From this point of view, I intend this essay to establish a comparison between Gaskell's 'fallen woman' in Mary Barton and the way in which Thomas Hardy frames his central female character in Tess of the D'Urbervilles. !Note the same structure for the next paragraph: a broad display of reference and knowledge, with a strong final sentence. In the context of the nineteenth century, there emerged an increasingly ideological 'rethinking' of sexuality, particularly of the female. Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859 and The Descent of Man later in 1871 argued that men and women were somehow mentally different. Darwinian sociology led to sexual stereotypes such as Clement Scott's 'men are born "animals" and women "angels" so it is in effect only natural for men to indulge their sexual appetites...
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...never be under-measured. It combines primarily, both audio and video and is thus very appealing to the eyes and the ears. With the development of color cinematography, and stereophonic sound, it is certainly one up on other media. Motion pictures may provide the best evidence of what it was like to walk down the streets of Paris in the 1890s, what a Japanese tea ceremony was like in the 1940s, what the World Series in 1950 looked like, or how people in factories did their work or spent a Sunday afternoon in the park. All of these subjects could be staged and distorted, of course, and film can be transformed in many ways. Attitudes about gender, class, and ethnicity, as well as heroism, work, play, and "the good life" are all portrayed in fictional films as they are in an era's novels, plays, and paintings. But as a form of mass visual entertainment, films...
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...according to a nineteenth-century history of tea, tea was such a fundamental part of everyday life that English tea drinkers often failed to notice its significance within their daily lives. G. G. Sigmond, in the opening pages of Tea: Its Effects, Medicinal and Moral, declares, “Man is so surrounded by objects calculated to arrest his attention, and to excite either his admi- ration or his curiosity, that he often overlooks the humble friend that ministers to his habitual comfort; and the familiarity he holds with it almost renders him incapable of appreciating its value.”1 By the early nineteenth century, tea had become a com- modity of necessity, forming a crucial part of daily patterns of consumption and domesticity. The habitual comfort of tea, ac- cording to Sigmond’s tea treatise, does not draw attention; it is quiet and familiar and thus goes unnoticed. Tea is represented as dependable, a frequent part of everyday life that forms a com- fortable, secure basis for the rest of life’s responses, decisions, and actions. As Sigmond declares, the English tea drinker is “in- capable of appreciating [tea’s] value” (1). What the typical tea drinker fails to recognize, Sigmond suggests, is the crucial role that tea plays in forming the foundation of everyday life. Despite Sigmond’s attempts to rectify the humble status of tea in nineteenth-century English culture, tea has remained a 1 2 introduction relatively unrecognized aspect of Victorian life. Just as Sigmond implies that...
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