The Dust Bowl Essay Example for Free

The Dust Bowl Essay The dust bowl was a period of severe dust storms that causes damage to prairie lands from 1930 to 1936, some areas until 1940. Whoever thought before this that dust could kill Americans and affect their life’s forever. This historical event will be a moment in time that will be in our memories forever because it is an event to learn from and never forget. The main states that were affected by the dust bowl were Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas , and New Mexico. Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and some parts of Canada were also affected. These states were affected because there was a lot of farming and in this area and because of the warm climate they acquire very bad droughts. These dust storms were caused by severe drought and poor farming techniques such as no crop rotation. They dug to deep into the ground, which destroyed all of the roots and grass in the ground that holds the soil down. Having too much agriculture, planting, overgrazing, and harsh winters were too much for the land to handle. Farmers also did not use the correct methods for the environment, which caused erosion. For example cotton farmers cleared fields and left them for the winter months. Winds are the highest during this time, so the grasses that should have held the soil in place were not there. This created huge dust clouds because of the dry topsoil being carried in the wind In 1932, 14 dust storms were recorded in the plains. In 1933, there were 38 storms. In 1934, around 100 million acres of farm land had lost almost all of the top soil because of the wind. The dust storms caused dirt to get into houses no matter how hard the family tried to prevent it from happening Dirt also got into automobile engines and caused problems and even prevented them from operating. People wore masks to prevent the dust from getting into their lungs, but yet hospitals reported hundreds of patients sick with dust pneumonia Often these dust storms would come so suddenly that farmers would get trapped out in their fields and would suffocate The dust storms were so bad that people could not continue living there any longer. Many families packed their belongings and left there homes. Victims of the dust bowl migrated to California and other places on the west coast. They tried to go wherever they could in search of jobs. Many of them did not find jobs because of the depression. Often families lived in tar-paper hacks with no floor or plumbing. By 1940, 2. 5 million people moved from the dust bowl states. Government programs were set up to help the farmers and their families Programs were developed for soil conservation, and new methods and techniques were taught. The government also gave the farmer money and seeds to help them start over. The farmers were told to plant trees and grass to anchor the soil so that the same problems would continue no longer.

Distinction Between Realism and Naturalism

Distinction Between Realism and Naturalism 1. Is the distinction between realism and naturalism worth preserving in discussion of film and/or television drama? To argue that the distinction between naturalism and realism is worth preserving the intention in this case is to explore classic and contemporary texts and attempt to make clear that naturalism alone is insufficient when discussing key themes and elements. To first examine the work of la novelle vague at first glance this film and cultural movement does not seem to be in keeping with the theory and approaches to cinematic realism. Critics would perhaps argue that The French new wave is a stylistic movement born from a frustration to the mainstream â€Å"Hollywood† conventions or â€Å"cinema du papa†. Although on the surface this may indeed be true, but it can be argued, that many of the texts coming out of the French new wave movement were indeed the height of realism. To first examine jean luc Godards classic film a bout de suffle or â€Å"breathless† this to some epitomises the stylistic new wave movement that was happening in France, and soon after Britain. Layered with superfluous stylistic techniques and dislocated continuity, watching breathless is undeniably a challenge. But breathless certainly meets the criteria of being a film entrenched in social realism. Godard uses real interior and exterior locations here, naturalistic performances, improvised dialogue (although cinematographer raul cautard refutes this), natural lighting and action is not a constant motivator of the editing. Perhaps from a first viewing one would think that breathless is film with all the codes of naturalism at work. However, breathless deals with many societal and cultural issues which are generic conventions of a realist text Firstly breathless cinematic approach is certainly stylised but Godard fuses realistic camera techniques with stylistic flair, although the spectator is often jostled and at a loss at times with breathless as Godard subverts many traditional filmic conventions, but: â€Å"It is usually a â€Å"revolt† against previous conventions which characterises a break towards realism in the arts†. Raymond Williams. For example, Michel drives to Marseilles, the cinematography is a mix between the cars passenger seat as it jostles with the bumps of the road and right on top of the cars bonnet, bringing the spectator in the thick of the action, instead of at a distance from it, much like a naturalist approach. Michel sings and talks to himself in the car and shockingly looks directly into the camera and states â€Å"if you dont like the sea, if u dont like the mountains, if u dont like the big city, then get stuffed†. This acknowledgement by Michel is important as it alludes to him acting in a role, breaking the hermetic barrier between film and viewer, and reminds the viewer that this is actually a film, and this is one of many direct address shots within the film. This is a break of the â€Å"suspension of disbelief† and this is important because this is an act of defiance, normally associated with current affairs, fact based programming and Godard fuses this into a work of fiction . This fusion further makes claims of realism. Moreover, Godard here and elsewhere utilizes the theory of Bertolt Brecht, wherein this instant of direct address reminds the viewer that this is a â€Å"representation of reality† and not reality in itself, the viewer is not left passively complacent, but challenged to engage through the very nature if it being unfamiliar and startling. A further shock in this scene is Michels imitation of a pistol firing, and the noise is disturbingly loud compared to the soundtrack, and the spectator is given a visceral shock out of passivity. Although somewhat confusingly; on the whole the audience is never far from the characters, their world and their lives. to reinforce this claim Godard is a an exponent of continuous action and deep focus, for instance the scene in which Michel and Patricia walk along the champs Elsie Godard follows the couple in a continuous tracking shot, this level of deep focus and the way in which the audience stays with the couple allows the audience insight into the filmic world because of our proximity to the characters. Furthermore in a continuous sequence whereby Michel goes to retrieve a check from his friend tolmatchoff, they meet and are followed walking through the foyer, tolmatchoff is called out of the shot, leaving Michel on his own, yet still there is no cutaway until Michel leaves the agency and the police arrive, this may seem peculiar but it allows the audience choice on what or who to focus their attention on; either one of the men or the surroundings. This is in effect an unmedi ated, unbiased presentation, and a similar convention is again seen in Scorseses Goodfellas. A notorious scene within breathless is interesting in particular, as it continues for thirty minutes without a cutaway or change of scene, Patricia and Michel sit in Patricias bedroom, talking about very little, the dialogue provides no insight to further character development nor plot, but it could be deemed that this extraneous dialogue instead of being the usual enunciator of genre and / or narrative progress, that it is the enunciation of realism. By contrast within a naturalism text the cinematography would be dealt with subtly i.e, establishing and wide shot, eyeline matches, and sequences of shot / reverse shots, this is important as this is a classic continuity editing, with its purpose to be submissive to narrative action. To compare the grocery store scene in the very first episode of coronation street; to Michel meeting tolmatchoff in breathless. In each a character moves about the environment, in the first a cut is made when dialogue alludes to something important to plot, character or narration, in breathless, no cuts are made but fluid camera work keeps the spectator involved. In coronation street there is obvious care taken towards the mimicry of real life. â€Å"Kitchens sink† drama, and relatable content; on the surface should personify notions of naturalism. But the distinction between naturalism and realism in Coronation Street become too interweaved and blurred to maintain any distinction between the two. Cinematographically it is loaded with naturalist techniques, but thematically Coronation Street is infused with cultural and societal issues, the family, community, class frustrations and personal relationships. The transition of these would be none existent if naturalism is a sole a pproach. Both godard and the television soap: coronation street both employ realist conventions in different but interesting ways. Coronation Street is fuelled with notions of the â€Å"invisible observer†, this is indeed mediated but allows the communication of real themes: â€Å"The natural transference of attention of an imaginary observer.†.â€Å"an observer ideally mobile in space and time.†. p9 In stark contrast to the brechtian inspired Breathless, the invisible observer nevertheless a form that allows codes of realism to be transmitted. Instead of sneering at the passive spectator utilizes the concept to communicate themes entrenched in realism. In terms of cinematography breathless employs subversive techniques; from the very start of the film we begin in disequilibrium with the lack of a clear establishing shot, soon after the 180 rule is also broken, and throughout Godard uses constant close-ups, these halt narrative action. So these and other cinematographic techniques are not motivated by narration, but style. Godard on the whole is disinterested in the pursuit of the overall narrative, but the relationship between Michel and Patricia, this again is a defiance of classical forms of narration as traditionally cinematography are subservient to narrative. Editing is invisible and unobtrusive. But because the cinematography and editing are self conscious.. and editing which must by default further the layers of realism at work within breathless The characterisation at work within a bout de suffle is certainly not one dimensional, although both Michel could be defined as a sexist or misogynist but he is an outdated stereotype, although he succeeds with his active sexism, stealing from a woman he appears to know etc, he is inevitably punished by the end, although by far this is not activism in breathless, but it does blaze the trail for new thinking between the genders and more importantly these readings are available within the text which further solidify the need to maintain realism and Furthermore Patricias character could be deemed progressive in terms of realism rather than transgressive, she has a clear understanding of her own identity unlike the romanticism of Michel. she understands she must enrol in Sorbonne to study to maintain her life in France, and when she meets her business friend van doude, his lechery seems manipulated by her for her pursuit to further her journalism career, and critically she is indeed Michels demise in the end, this is one of the first representations of women that has not been submissive to patriarchy, Michel constantly lusts after Patricia but she constantly thwarts him but has no problem using her own sexuality to further her own cause, Patricia is in complete control of her fortune. Furthermore she does not take a supporting role like perhaps a young woman would in an Ealing Melodrama, nor does Michel conform to a traditional protagonist, for example his hero; bogart in Casablanca, appears in every single shot within the film, he drives the narrative, however, Michel appears in a small fraction, these further the pursuit of realism within breathless, cinematically and ideologically as godard again further subverts cinematic convention, with representation and sporadic use of his protagonist. Also the transgressive character types break the mould The causality seems bizarre in breathless, Michel is shown going about mundane tasks, irrelevant action is used by Godard instead of a classical mode of narration, i.e action motivates editing and narrative choices. Because Godard subverts this it again falls into a realism category, furthermore as Roland Barthes discusses: â€Å"The narrative process; providing neither narrative information nor character insight, it is, in effect, their function to signify â€Å"reality†, to furnish the â€Å"effect of the real†. Although fraught with ideologies, breathless is not an explicitly political text, the only political allusion is the presidential motorcade. For me this is realist convention not based in naturalism, it gives particularly Michel another dimension. It creates juxtaposition between the cultural youth enterprising psyche in France at the time, and disillusionment felt by many of the youth who didnt adapt to this dogma, but also conforms to the â€Å"new wave trope of the anti- hero. This leads to an issue of the individuals place within society, the audience learns very little about Michel and the information we do glean is questionable, he seems to have no real roots, but he and Patricia both seem socially alienated, and somewhat disenfranchised with society, others may read these characters as fairly simple, that they respond to and are influenced by just their surrounding etc, which would fit into a naturalist framework but i argue, they are both amoral but and disillusioned stemmin g from a larger societal problem: that of the cultural void left by world war two. Michel is metonymic for the French youth during the 1950s. For me this can only be qualified by Michels lust after Patricia, a young American woman, and the constant mimicry of his idol: Humphrey Bogart, also American. In other words, post WW2 France is a cultural vacuum and American consumerism / capitalism has replaced the â€Å"old† France. This reading into a bout de soufflà © is based on a realism school of thought, so the distinction between naturalism and realism is a pertinent one to maintain, otherwise the â€Å"real life† drama behind social realism texts cannot be found. In contrast to this, coronation street alludes to nothing global, political or religious, in this way it is the height of being secular, but because of this coronation street has â€Å"space† to concentrate on the universality of human emotion and dilemma. The lack of a traditional realism category in Coronation Street allows thematic space for â€Å"everyday† reality to be conveyed. To return to breathless and Michels emulation of Humphrey Bogart is evidence that godard is critically aware of Hollywood iconography and conventions, breathless is peppered with noir / gangster genre tropes, Michels trilby, and urban landscape, guns, the police investigation etc. Although this genre does not frame Godards text, however it is interweaved with the tradition of realism or rather the representation of the â€Å"real†, most importantly as Michel is punished and killed at the films climax. Furthermore, Godards use of the jump cut and other unsettling devices, these all disrupt the narrative and genre from doing their â€Å"conventional† roles. So the culmination of these must be that Godard is aware of these Hollywood tropes but either subverts them or denies them working at all for me this blazes a trail for social and socially extended realism to show through. But even this is morphed, as the spectator is not thrown into the film world much like the effect of Boyles Trainspotting, but rather the spectator oscillates between consuming narrative action and objectively engaging with it. It would be easy to mistake Coronation Street for sheer naturalism, or any television soap as a naturalist text, for many reasons. But as discussed below the surface there is a pool of depth that is in keeping with notions of realism. To contrast a assumed naturalist text in Coronation Street to a literal naturalist text in Shakespeares King Lear, the differences are stark, although a very old text, the contrast is still interesting, the subject matter is high class monarchy, the characters motivations are clear, money, power, love. And all characters are influenced by each other and their environment, there is little ambiguity nor psychological and philosophical depth. Contrasting Shakespeares classic work with Coronation Street where human emotion and interaction is explored this twinned with the ideological presentation of character in Breathless. It becomes clear that naturalism provides very little in terms of exposing any â€Å"truth† within an audio visual text. Continuing with naturalism, although with reference to theatre Jean Jullien (1854-1919) states: â€Å"A play is a slice of life put onstage with art.† This quote perhaps personifies Shakespeares work, in this case. It is a slice of life, a snapshot of the â€Å"real†, without the any of the characteristics of either being real i.e. Coronation Street; Or representing reality, I.e. Godards Breathless. To explore naturalism I wish to discuss the television drama: Coronation Street, specifically the very first episode as it is perhaps more suitable of the time period when considering Godards breathless, naturalism and its conventions are in stark contrast with regard to the issues previously discussed. Coronation Street is motivated by trying to recreate â€Å"real† life. Coronation street is not fraught with economic, political or ideological concepts, its main focus is on individual relationship and the interaction between them, and on there environment, and because of this there is a certain distance between viewer and there are obvious distinctions between these two texts on the exterior coronation street here makes use of indoor naturalist settings, furthermore the use of regionalised specifically northern characters, Coronation Street begins with an establishing shot of the street accompanied by extra digetic music, setting the particular setting and the regional place, i.e brass music, with its links to northern heritage. The audience enters a small shop, all camera movement and editing is submissive to dialogue and action, although most prominently shown within the dinner table scene with ken Barlow, rapid cuts are utilized to focus on whichever character speaks, this is classic continuity editing, this is an invisible unobtrusive technique and as the performances are naturalistic it forces the audience the focus of the â€Å"reality† at work. Although breathless deals with subversive character types, coronation street deals with existing stereotypes, for association in the audience, the working classes most prominently with â€Å"kitchen sink† subject matter. This is a form of socially extended realism. The material in Coronation Street is realistic: Poverty, economy and class are intimated within the drama but it always kept within the boundaries of how these issues effect the individual. For this reason it would be deemed Coronation Street is socially extended realism. For example Ken Barlows parents feel he is rejecting his roots, a class issue; dealt with within the confines of the dynamics of family relationships. So the primary focus of this television drama is the mimesis between screen and real life,

Thoughts on Organization :: Writing Education Essays

Thoughts on Organization "We learned about thesis and antithesis and five paragraphs and the whole bit, and learned to do it faster and faster. We repeated it in just the same way you throw basketballs at hoops over and over until you're good at it....All this indicated that I was a 'good writer' and I and teachers both probably believed I really was, and strictly because of this motor skill they'd trained me in." Dave wrote that in an e-mail discussion about theme writing. It made me wonder what the actual guidelines were for the so-called "Official Style," and what, if anything, was wrong with its formula. After all, this is what Universities demanded of us on a quarterly basis. If the scholars and the academe found it to be the standard, what could be wrong with it? I had done it, been good at it. I could turn out one of the "official" papers in a two hour time frame and get an "A". Big deal. Didn't that make me a good writer? What else is there? So I read Strunk and White's version of The Elements of Sty le to find out exactly what I had been doing while fulfilling assignment after assignment. Not that the subject matter was all that entertaining, but couldn't they have spruced up their writing with a little creativity, a little humor? I was so bored, I had a hard time wanting to pick the book up once it had fallen from my bored hands. Ah Ha! I do believe I had inadvertently stumbled upon the result of "Official Style" writing. It stifled the creative, humorous, and personal tendencies that I, and most creatively-intended people, personally look for in a piece of work we would like to tag as interesting. My thoughts then wandered to what the non-official style would set for writing guidelines. Would it be a writing revolution? Would it swim circles around Strunk or would it merely allow more flexibility while still holding Strunk's words as truth? Would I find out that what I had previously written and considered a brilliant paper was actually a regurgatation of someone else's work. And worst of all, would it be as boring as Strunk? Naturally I knew I would find my answer on MCMorg's homepage and bookshelf. So I dug around a little in Aristotle, Finnegan's Wake , Nevin Liab, and our previous reading assignments.

The Importance of Education :: The Importance of Education

Education holds the key to your child's future. Education can help your child reach his/her life goals and dreams. Education will help your child choose what he/she wants in life. Here are 10 key reasons why going to college is important for your child: †¢ Education opens up doors. The more education your child gets, the more choices and opportunities he/she will have. With an education, your child has more options, which often lead to greater success and happiness in life. †¢ Education allows your child to choose his/her career. By going to college, your child can choose what he/she wants to do in life. Your student will be able to choose a career that interests him/her and that will enable him/her to achieve his/her dreams. †¢ Education increases the amount of money your child may be able to make. The more education your child receives, the more money he/she may be able to earn. On average, a person with a four-year college degree earns twice as much money as a person who graduated from high school but did not attend college. †¢ Education determines your child's lifestyle. By going to college, your child will likely have more flexibility to choose what type of house he/she lives in, what type of car he/she drives, what places he/she will visit during vacations, and many other things. †¢ Education expands your child's mind. The more educational opportunities your child is exposed to, the more knowledge and skills he/she will obtain. Education will expose your child to a variety of people, topics, and experiences. Your student will learn about things that interest him/her. Growth and development will occur in many areas, including decision-making, analytical awareness, reasoning, creative expression, verbal expression, and more. †¢ Education can help your child improve the community. Going to college will help to teach your child how to make a difference in his/her community. During college, he/she can learn about laws and resources that affect the community. After graduating from college, your child can come home and apply his/her knowledge and skills to better the neighborhood and the people who live there. As a college graduate, your child will also serve as a role model for other children in the community.

Essay --

When a viewer clicks onto a website it should stand out straight away to the viewer. A website should be designed to be easily used with simple navigation. Target Market Identification: When you are trying to figure out your target market you must think of the people the products sold would appeal to. For example age, gender and business should be thought about. According to wickipedia.ie ‘A well defined target market is the first element to a marketing strategy’. Site Objectives: When you are designing a website you must identify clear objectives. You can communicate your thoughts with clients. Some websites are designed to share info and others are designed to sell products. According to cmit.ie manual, there are a number of objectives relevant to most websites: †¢ To brand yourself †¢ To find sales leads †¢ To conduct e-commerce †¢ To build a community †¢ To attract attention †¢ Share news with customers †¢ Provide customer support †¢ To gain advertising revenue †¢ To brand yourself †¢ To build trust (cmit.ie) Navigation Solutions: Navigation on a website shows the user where they can go on the website. People looking on websites want to be able to use it easily and want to be able to find their way around. Suggested by graphicdesign.about.com, ‘Navigation should be a prominent element of your design’. The two aspects are Navigation and Orientation. Graphisdesign.about.com also suggests that †¢ Navigation-means where can you go? It is an important part of website design and must be simple and clear. †¢ Orientation means where you are now? A common method to show the user where they are is to use large text on headings. Also changing colours on the menu makes it stand out from the rest. Site Structure: You must plan a structure of your... ...ebpage and this will change the amount of space available to display your text and other elements at the top, bottom, left and right edges of your page on screen. The margins can be adjusted in the BODY tag by one of the following attributes: LEFTMARGIN, RIGHTMARGIN, TOPMARGIN, BOTTOMMARGIN, MARGINWIDTH OR MARGINHEIGHT. The amount of space you want to specify is measured in pixels. For example: . The above example creates a margin of 20px from the left side of the screen and 30px from the right hand side. HTML links are defined with the tag. Example: This is a link Ordinary link: Link-text goes here Image-link: Mailto link: Send e-mail (cmit.ie)

Australia at the Turn of the Century

Weekends provided free time for some working peoples to relax and be entertained, though some families still had to work on weekends for the extra money. The upper and middle classes possessed a more comfortable life style due to their wealth. Because of their wealth, not all their time was devoted to work, therefore leaving more time for leisure activities. Sports that were mostly restricted to upper and middle classes or those who could afford them were Tennis, Golf, Rowing, Hunting and Car racing. Owning motor cars was very rare, and only the very wealthiest of families had them. Families who did have cars would travel to the country side or the beach for picnics. Garden parties, theatre and black and white motion pictures were also popular. Church was, and still is an important part of Sunday mornings. Once high speed paper press was brought in, more and more books were being published and mass produced, this lead to improved literacy skills. Back then, streets were dusty, dirty and noisy – crowded with people and horses. To cross the street, you had to walk through mud, dirt and horse manure. From the 19th century, life expectancy rose from 54, to now, 78. Up until 1980’s when bathrooms were installed, people had a ‘dunny’ or ‘privy,’ which consisted of a can with a seat resting on top. Because waste was not collected or taken away for weeks at a time, diseases were picked up and passed on more easily. When the flushing toilet came in, it was obviously the most hygienic choice, but not everyone could afford the upgrade. People often died from diseases that are easily prevented or treated today. In the 19th century, electricity was invented, but again, not everyone could afford it in their home. Also the first telephone was introduced to Sydney in 1880. Up until 1906 it was illegal to swim at the beach between 6am and 8pm. In the 1860’s it was fashionable for woman to have a small waist and lots of bunched up material in the skirt of their dress. Under their dresses, woman would wear garments known as ‘crinolines’ and ‘corsets.’ Crinolines were used to make the skirt become like a bell shape. Poor families did not have nice dresses and clothes, they had rags, and the poorest of families didn’t even have shoes for their children.

Ducati Essay

Patrick EnglandDucati individual write up #3 Management 495 2/7/2012 Can Ducati sustain its position in the sport segment? Can Honda and other Japanese manufactures stop its growth in this segment? The ability for Ducati to sustain its position in the sport segment of motorcycles is going to depend on management’s ability to stay focused on keeping their image and story alive and in the minds of the motorcycle community. If management continues its current trend I believe that they can sustain their position, although there are challenges posed by the Japanese firms and changes in Ducati itself can also play a role in their ability to maintain their growth and position as the high end advanced sport bikes. Ducati’s decision to move from a mechanical company to an entertainment company could be the source of its success or its failure. The company to this point in 2001 had become known for their exotic engineering and design, focusing on beating the completion by any means, even if it involved producing a bike that many might call ugly or not the traditional motorcycle, so Ducati was running the risk of turning away the very customers and removing the image that had built them to the company they had become. But the decision made by Minoli, to become more of an entertainment company and to produce products that could be attractable by a wider variety of customers could also spur growth and market share that the company desperately wanted and needed if it was going to continue to compete with the Japanese bikes. I believe that if the management at Ducati can continue to make this â€Å"turnaround† hold and follow through with the goals laid out in it, then yes they can sustain their position, although any deviation or getting lack in the respects of implementing these long term goals will in my opinion hurt them greatly, for it is the image and the brand that Ducati represents that makes their products wanted. If they try too hard to copy the functions and company structure of competitors they very well may be destroying their core competitive advantage of image and product uniqueness. Japanese manufactures have been pushing hard in the sport market and have the capital and business structure to make a full fledge effort to take market share in the sport division. Honda and others have the ability to mimic the aspects of Ducati that have made them so revered by customers (mainly new technology and exotic styling) while still maintain their reliability and cost advantage. They will still continue to struggle with the â€Å"cookie cutter† image that has plagued them throughout their history, and I believe that if they can try to separate products in their sport division and create the image of uniqueness and exoticness that people associate with Ducati, then they definitely can pose a serious threat.