Thursday, May 21, 2020
John Proctor struggles against Abigail Williams In The Crucible - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1327 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/06/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Crucible Essay Did you like this example? Stories are such fascinating subjects, as they seem to create worlds in a completely new universe or be set in the past so long ago that people can no longer remember it. In every story, there is protagonists and antagonists. The antagonist always go against the protagonist, bringing conflict in the story. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "John Proctor struggles against Abigail Williams In The Crucible" essay for you Create order Along with the fact of bringing conflict into the story, he or she also has a highly significant role in the development of the protagonist. The story then can end in two different ways. It can end with the protagonist finally defeating the antagonist after overcoming both physical and mental obstacles. The other way is that after struggling throughout his or her life, the protagonist, in the end, can not stop the antagonist and dies or otherwise becomes unable to oppose the antagonist. The novel, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is the latter type of a story as the protagonist, John Proctor, struggles against Abigail Williams, who opposes him in numerous ways such as ruining his wife, manipulating people and situations, and avoiding all accusations at fault in any way possible, showing her to be the main antagonist of the story; all of this is needed for Miller to show the true depravity of human nature, and in return, the so called good does not triumph over evil. Abigail reveals traits of antagonism when she tries to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctorrs wife, in order to try to keep him for herself, showing the depravity of humans. In the argument between Betty and Abigail when Betty finally woke up, it is revealed to the audience that [Abigail] drank bloodto kill John Proctorrs wife(18). While Abigail did not succeed in killing Elizabeth Proctor with that method, the fact stands that she did such an act with malicious thoughts in mind. It showed her need to cause conflict and get rid of things in her way through any means possible, although the success rate was very low. Even though it didnt seem to do much in the whole of the story, it was perhaps the very starting point of the cause of the witch trial hysteria. Once Abigail realizes that the charm to kill Goody Proctor by drinking blood didnt work, she then gets a warrant for [Elizabeth Proctor][charging] a cruel and murder on Abigail(69,72). Abigail shows her ruthlessness and lack of empathy through these actions, as she gets the wife of the man she so calls ?loves in order to try to get together with him, although she was repeatedly rejected by John Proctor previously. Through these actions, she creates one of the main events of the book, as John Proctor later does anything and everything he can in order to get his wife proved innocent and released from jail. Abigailrs need for getting rid of Elizabeth Proctor shows that Abigail is the antagonist of this book as it shows her trying to the get rid of someone very dear to the protagonist, John Proctor, and thus, creates a conflict between them. Throughout the book, Abigail shows more proof of being the antagonist as she manipulates the people around her for her own personal gain and otherrs misery, verifying the opinion of Miller that the human nature is corrupt. The person Abigail most commonly manipulates is Mary Warren, who is likely an easy target due to the fact that she is a naive, lonely girl. One time Abigail has done such manipulations is when Mary testified against Abigail on the orders of John Proctor. Abigail pretends that she sees the familiar spirit of Mary and it attacks her. Knowing that she would be hanged for witchcraft on the accusations of Abigail, Mary then tries to save herself by saying Proctor is the Devilrs man(110) and that he manipulated her instead of Abigail. This act shows how far Abigailrs manipulations can go, as she caused the man she wanted to be with get accused of dealing with the devil. It also further alongs the trials John Proctor has to go through as now both him and his wife are imp risoned on the accusation of witchcraft. However, Abigailrs manipulations are also showed before this event has occurred. It happened when she saw Mary sew a poppet for Elizabeth Proctor and stick the needle into it to keep safe. Once Abigail saw those actions, she created a plot in order to convince the court that Elizabeth tried to kill her with a needle stuck in her stomach with the claim being that [Elizabeth Proctorrs] familiar spirit pushed it in(71). With such manipulations set in place, very few people would believe in it being set up specially because of the time period the play was set in, as almost everyone during that time was superstitious with the beliefs of witchcraft and other highly illogical things. The manipulations show Abigailrs lack of morals as she, without hesitation, made others think that someone attempted murder with witchcraft, knowing that it would only end in death for the accused. It reveals that Abigail is the antagonist as she repeatedly exploits oth errs weaknesses in order to fulfill her own goals, and in return, create the conflict in the play as John Proctor tries to stop Abigail and make everyone see that she is in the wrong, not the ones being accused by her. In order to avoid the consequences of her mistakes, Abigail makes it so others take blame or runs away from her problems, which both affirms her position as the antagonist and the perverseness of the human nature. This is first shown in the beginning of the play, as Reverend Parris suspects of her to be doing witchcraft in the woods along with dancing. In order to avoid the consequences of her actions, she lies and says that she [goes] back to Jesus [and] saw Sarah Good with the Devil(45) among with many other names. A truly good person would accept their punishments for their actions, and as shown, Abigail does not. Instead, she blames other in an attempt for them to take on her punishment, and it works. Everyone in town is driven into hysteria as people are being accused everywhere and soon, dozens of people are contained in jail to be hanged soon. This is the very start of the conflict in the play, and it is due to Abigail and the other such girls that danced in the woods trying t o get out of punishment. Later again in the play, it is shown again that Abigail does not face the repercussions of her actions face on. As she realized her actions caused John Proctor to be jailed and later be sentenced to death, instead of confessing, she ran off in fear to keep in Salem(117). Her running off shows how much responsible she has, which is none. She practically started the craze of witchcraft in Salem single-handedly and ran off before it was realized by the other citizens. Her lack of responsibility for her actions show how far humanity has declined as she caused many to die and yet does not stand up for her actions, which makes her seem to be the antagonist of the play as in the end, John Proctor dies due to her actions. Miller shows how depraved humanity has gotten by how the antagonist, Abigail Williams, acts in order to create the conflict with the protagonist, John Proctor; she tries to get rid of his wife, manipulate everyone and everything, and in the end, runs away from the aftermath of the chaos she has created. An antagonist is someone who opposes the protagonist and as a result, brings the conflict into the story. The antagonist makes the protagonist develop throughout the story as he or she goes through mental and physical obstacles in order to defeat the antagonist. Unfortunately, not all of the time does the protagonist succeed in his or her actions; sometimes in the end, the antagonist wins.
Monday, May 18, 2020
African American Daughters And Non Residential Fathers A...
African American Daughters and Non-Residential Fathers: A Qualitative Exploration La Toi S Smith Chapter 1 Introduction I spent the majority of my life being raised by a single mother due to my parentsââ¬â¢ divorce. Because of my parentsââ¬â¢ divorce, my mother stated firmly that I had changed and became a difficult child. I remember rebelling, suffering with low self-esteem and self-worth and blaming myself for the absence of my father. It was not until I was well into womanhood that I found peace within myself, as well as with my nonresidential father. Through the preparation for this study, I have a better understanding of the external and internal factors that can and will affect the father-daughter relationship. Some scholars have argued the notion that fathers are important contributors to their children and adolescentsââ¬â¢ psychosocial development (Mandara, Murray, Joyner, 2005). According to Allgood, Beckert, and Peterson (2012), researchers are beginning to understand the importance of examining childrenââ¬â¢s perspectives and the relationships and levels of involvement children have with their fathers. According to Conner and White (2006), the traditional definition of fatherhood within the African American community underestimates the role of a father and further do not describe the systems that surround the African American experience adequately. Many interpretations of ââ¬Å"fathersâ⬠have been discussed, with several scholars working from different perspectives offeringShow MoreRelatedMID TERM STUDY GUIDE Essay16611 Words à |à 67 Pagesunderstanding MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Development may be considered: (30) a. Periods of unusual events in life b. Periods of transition and reorganization *** c. Periods of stagnation d. Periods that occur each decade of life 2. Beatriz complains to her father about the outfit he wants her to wear. Among many other things, she says ââ¬Å"But everybody will be looking at me!â⬠According to Elkind this is an example of a teenagerââ¬â¢s: (35) a. vanity b. Oedipus complex c. imaginary audience*** d. avoidant attachment Read MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words à |à 656 Pagesand Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Read More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words à |à 1422 PagesP. ââ" To my wife, Sally, and my daughter, Anna C. O. ââ" To Carol, Allie, and Teri. J. D. ââ" About the Authors puter Teacher of the Year award in 1988 and received the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement in mathematics in 1999. Chris is a frequent contributor to the AP Statistics Electronic Discussion Group and has reviewed materials for The Mathematics Teacher, the AP Central web site, The American Statistician, and the Journal of the American Statistical Association. He currentlyRead MoreI Love Reading Essay69689 Words à |à 279 Pagesentrepreneurship); ââ¬Ëa practice with a knowledge baseââ¬â¢ (Peter Drucker, ââ¬ËInnovation and Entrepreneurshipââ¬â¢, page viii); ââ¬Ëan ability to assemble or reassemble from what is available into a new kind of activityââ¬â¢ (Peter Marris, ââ¬ËThe Social Barriers of African Entrepreneurshipââ¬â¢, Journal of Developing Societies, October, 1968, as quoted in Thomas A. Timberg, ââ¬Ë The Marwaris: From Traders to Industrialistsââ¬â¢, 1978, page 19); ââ¬Ëthe shifting of economic resources out of an area of lower productivity i nto one ofRead MoreMarketing Management130471 Words à |à 522 Pagess Of Marketing) 3.5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Ethics in Marketing 4. Have you understood type questions 5. Summary 6. Exercises 7. References 1. INTRODUCTION: The apex body in United States of America for the Marketing functions, American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as ââ¬Å"Marketing consists of those activities involved in the flow of goods and services from the point of production to the point of consumption. The AMA has since amended its definition to read as: ââ¬Å"MarketingRead MoreArticle: Performance Appraisal and Performance Management35812 Words à |à 144 Pagesregarding total quantity of cane supplied by the farmer. Based n this only the payment is calculated and remitted to bank/formers. The format is attached below. CANE WEIGHMENT TICKET XYZ SUGARS LTD. PLACE: SEASON: Seriol No. Ryot No : Ryot Name : Father Name : Village : Field Name : Gang leader No : Cutting Rate Rs. Division Section: Plot No. : Extent Acres: P/R Date : Variety : Plant/Ratoon LR/TR/ADV. No : Transport Rate Rs. : Distance Kms: Date: WEIGHMENT DETAILS Tonnes IN-Weight : Out- Weight:Read MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words à |à 1056 PagesTraining and Development 41 Compensation and Benefits 42 Employee Relations 42 vi Contents Top Management Commitment 43 Effective Upward Communication 43 Determining What to Communicate 44 Allowing for Feedback 44 Information Sources 44 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 62 The Civil Rights Act of 1991 63 The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 63 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 64 Relevant Executive Orders 64 vii WORKPLACE ISSUES: HRM CertificationRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words à |à 820 PagesFactors Influencing Ethical Behavior . . . Figure 15.2. Multiple Loyalties of Information Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 15.3. Normative Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 15.4. The Code of Ethics of the American Library Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 16.1. A Model of the Communication Process . Figure 16.2. A Classification of Types of Media According to Their Communication Richness . . . . . . Figure 16.3. Five Styles of HandlingRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words à |à 1573 PagesThree Ethical Decision Criteria 187 â⬠¢ Improving Creativity in Decision Making 188 Summary and Implications for Managers 190 S A S A S A L L L Self-Assessment Library What Are My Gender Role Perceptions? 166 glOBalization! Chinese Time, North American Time 171 Myth or Science? Creative Decision Making Is a Right-Brain Activity 181 Self-Assessment Library Am I A Deliberate Decision Maker? 183 An Ethical Choice Whose Ethical Standards to Follow? 185 Self-Assessment Library How Creative Am I? 190Read MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words à |à 1186 Pageshave always encircled me with love and encouragementââ¬âmy parents (Samuel and Charlotte), my wife (Mary), my sons and their wives (Kevin and Dawn, Robert and Sally) and their children (Ryan, Carly, Connor and Lauren). C.F.G. ââ¬Å"We must not cease from exploration and the end of all exploring will be to arrive where we begin and to know the place for the first time.â⬠T. S. Eliot To Ann whose love and support has brought out the best in me. And, to our girls Mary, Rachel, and Tor-Tor for the joy and pride
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Police Brutality on Minorities - 1643 Words
Minority Police Brutality in Major Cities of the United States Since the first state-sponsored police forces in the U.S. racial discrimination in police forces has been a characteristic of the American landscape. Racial profiling and police brutality have their roots in enforcement of slave codes, black codes, and Jim Crow Segregation laws. We Charge Genocide, a petition submitted to the UN by the Civil Rights Congress in 1951, documented thousands of incidents of police violence against African Americans alone. Police brutality against Native Americans has also been a regular of colonial culture in the U.S. as well. Official studies have consistently found that people and communities of color are disproportionately subjected to humanâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Most of the officers have never been sanctioned in any manner whatsoever. While Burge was ultimately fired from the Police Department, he continues to live free and receive a police pension. No other officer involved was terminated, and many were promoted and allowed to retire wi th full pensions. Another example of the use of torture against African Americans by law enforcement officers involves the case of the San Francisco 8. In 1973, John Bowman, Harold Taylor, and Ruben Scott were tortured by the New Orleans Police Department, with the assistance of two San Francisco detectives, Frank McCoy and Edward Erdelatz. The torture, which lasted for several days, included striping the men, blindfolding them, beating them and covering them in blankets soaked in boiling water. The detectives also used electric prods on their genitals.â⬠As a result of the torture, the men confessed and signed pre-written statements. They were then charged with various crimes, including the death of the 1971 death of Sergeant John Young, a San Francisco Police officer. In 1974, a federal court ruled that the statements of the three men were inadmissible because they were obtained through torture.32 Subsequently; a California court dismissed the charges against Bowman, Ta ylor, and Scott. The perpetrators of this torture have never been brought to justice. The two former San Francisco detectives now serve as agents withShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Police Brutality On Minority Communities1152 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Effects of Police Brutality on Minority Communities Police brutality thrives in the inner city regions where minority communities live and work. Police brutality is a crime punishable by law and is often instigated by law enforcement officers who are either racially biased or prone to authority abuse and violent (re)actions. Allegations abound concerning police brutality with police officers using unnecessary or excessive force, committing battery, conducting illegal body searches and bullyingRead MorePolice Brutality : Minorities Under Attack944 Words à |à 4 PagesPolice Brutality: Minorities under attack On April 19, 2015 at approximately 7 a.m., Freddie Grey, a 25-year-old black man from Baltimore, Maryland died by mysterious causes. After being chased down and thrown into a police van by police officers, he was taken out of the van unresponsive and soon, ââ¬Å"...lapsed into a coma, died, was resuscitated, stayed in a coma and on Monday, underwent extensive surgery at Shock Trauma to save his life (Ford, 2015). Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner areRead MorePolice Brutality And Its Effects On Minority Citizens911 Words à |à 4 PagesRecently in the news, Police have been under scrutiny for brutality, especially against minority citizens. There is no question that police officers face an extremely difficult job that puts them in life-threating situations, with split-second decisions that could be the difference of life and death. With the advent of low cost cameras, especially cell phone cameras, police are under constituent scrutiny. Is police brutality really an issue, or is it just an attempt to undermine our police officers? WithRead MoreThe Truth About Police Brutality Against Minorities754 Words à |à 4 Pages Police brutality is one of the most serious human rights violations in the United States and it occurs everywhere. The reason why I chose this topic is because police brutality happens all the time in the United States and still remains unrecognized by many. Additionally, the public should be knowledgeable about this topic because of how serious this crime can be and the serious outcomes that police brutality can have on other police officers and the public. The job of police officers is toRead MoreYanna Pasley. Police Brutality Against Minorities. In The1532 Words à |à 7 PagesPasley Police Brutality against Minorities In the movie, ââ¬Å"Twelve Years of Slaveâ⬠there was so much injustice for minorities. America has a come a long way since, slavery and segregation but there is still work to be done, specifically with police brutality. Police brutality is the use of unnecessary excessive force for the policeââ¬â¢s purpose. Police brutality has risen over the past years. Ever since the Rodney King incident happened, it began the trend of police brutality against minorities. The majorityRead MoreThe Michael Brown Legacy : Police Brutality And Minority Prosecution Essay1822 Words à |à 8 Pages1. Onyemaobim, Ikedi O. ââ¬Å"The Michael Brown Legacy: Police Brutality and Minority Prosecution.â⬠George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal, vol. 26, Issue 2, pg. 157-182. Academic Search Premier. Web 7 Nov. 2016 This article was basically about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO by a white police officer named, Darren Wilson. The death of Michael Brown led to violent protests which lasted for weeks. Several weeks later, the officer who was responsible for the death of Ferguson teenageRead More Police Brutality: A Minority Group Concern Essay examples1926 Words à |à 8 PagesRelations between the police and minority groups are a continuing problem in many multiracial societies. Surveys consistently document racial differences in perceptions of the police, with minorities more likely than whites to harbor negative views. (Weitzer and Tuch, Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct, 2004) A great deal of society views law enforcement officers as heroic and honorable individuals, whose main purpose is to protect and serve the community. For many officers, thisRead MoreThe Effects Of Police Brutality On The Relationship1243 Words à |à 5 Pages Bad Blood: The Effects of Police Brutality on the Relationship Between Minorities and the Police Brandon Seigle June 16, 2017 CRJS 498 NC AT University ..................Column Break..................As children we are taught that not only are police officers our friends, but that their job is to protect and serve our communities. Unfortunately, for many minorities this image is shattered as incident after incident occurs in the streets of their communities. With todayââ¬â¢s technology, theseRead MorePolice Brutality Based On Racial Profiling1682 Words à |à 7 Pagesothers; violence and brutality against innocent citizens is the key to getting the job done. For years, minorities have fallen victim to police brutality based on racial profiling, stereotypes and other unjustifiable reasons that has cost several innocent lives. The involvement of officers in police brutality against minority social groups causes tainted and negative views on policing and their overall duty to protect, when they are ultimately the aggressors in this case. Police brutality is a violent incidentRead MorePolice Brutality Today s Media1626 Words à |à 7 PagesPolice Brutality What do most people think of the topic of police brutality? More than once, images and stories of minorities civil rights being taken away become the topic of conversation. It is heart wrenching to see these videos and hear these stories of police brutality in todayââ¬â¢s media. Every day there seems to be another headlining case on the topic of police brutality. Police brutality isnââ¬â¢t just law enforcement officers abusing the power granted to them; however, it is a much larger issue
Essay on Sonnet 130 and Passionate Shepherd To His Love
Sonnet 130 and Passionate Shepherd To His Love nbsp; In William Shakespeares Sonnet 130 and Christopher Marlowes The Passionate Shepherd To His Love, the themes of unconditional love, opulent treasures, and vivid imagery are all conveyed throughout the poems but through different point of views. nbsp; The theme of unconditional love is expressed through the two poems. The poet proclaims his affection for her by telling his love that he will give her anything in the world if she would just be with him. And if these pleasures may thee move, come live with me, and be my love. His words show that he is willing to do anything and everything for her by giving her a gown made of the finest wool or even coral clasps andâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The poet of The Passionate Shepherd To His Love uses tangible gifts such as a gown made of the finest wool or far lined slippers with buckles of the purest gold. And I will make thee beds of roses and a thousand fragrant posies. This shows that the poet is trying to use riches to persuade his love to come live with me (him) by showing her that he will give her all these opulent treasures if she would just fulfill his one wish. However, in Shakespeares poem, the poet expresses the same kind of love but instead uses characteristics and physical attributes of his love rather than tangible materialistic things like the poet in Marlowes poem did. The persona in Sonnet 130 uses attributes of his beloved to tell her that she is rare and at the same time he loves her. After listing all her physical attributes, he writes I think my love is rare as any she belied with false compare. The speaker in Sonnet 130 doesnt have to use substantial objects to show his love that he really loves her; he writ es on the reasons why he loves her instead of writing about giving her all these treasures that he knows that he cannot give as the persona in Marlowes poem did. Even though the two poems are similar in that they discuss unconditional love, they are expressed with different conditions: one uses opulent treasures while the other uses physical attributes.Show MoreRelatedMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words à |à 316 Pagestranslated into English or only approximately translated, few semantic and stylistic improvements are needed and the translation does justice to Metz s text. In some instances, usage did not adopt Michael Taylor s solution. The most glaring example of his innovative translation is the word significate now usually translated by signified (signifià © in French)ââ¬âwhich is used throughout the text. Langue and parole have increasingly been translated by language and speech, although this is not an ideal
How Effective Are Integrated Working and Multi-Agency Working Free Essays
Integrated working is when different services join together to offer more effective care for babies and young children, where multi-agency working is when different services work together to meet particular needs of babies and young children, along with their parents and/or carers. Multi-agency teams are made up of members of the childrenââ¬â¢s workforce drawn from a range of different disciplines who met for specific reasons on a regular basis; all the professionals will have joint aims and goals. It is a way that ensures that those children and young people that need additional support will have exactly the right professionals in place for them to be supported in the correct way. We will write a custom essay sample on How Effective Are Integrated Working and Multi-Agency Working? or any similar topic only for you Order Now The benefits of integrated and multi-agency work are that it enables early identification and intervention of any needs that the children may have, as well as ways to better support their parents and carers. It allows children and their parents to have easier and quicker access to professionalââ¬â¢s expertise and the services that they offer. With the services all working together it provides a better quality of service and means that children and their parents do not need to repeat themselves to each of the professionals that they work with, instead the professionals will already have the information. Multi-agency work also allows children and their familiesââ¬â¢ needs to be addressed more appropriately. As the childââ¬â¢s needs are addressed sooner and the correct support is given to them to help with their needs, the child will have an improved achievement and better engagement within education. The use the Common Assessment Framework which allows an early and initial assessment of the childââ¬â¢s needs for any extra services and support, and once this is carried out it will be available for all the services. In practice the professionals will put the needs of the child or young person before those of any one service, and also ensure that the service is inclusive and that all childrenââ¬â¢s basic needs are met. Sutton Hill Childrenââ¬â¢s Centre ensures that all the professionals within the centre identify children with additional needs at an early stage. They also need to ensure that all the information that they have is shared with all the other professionals and that they work together to provide early intervention and that the child receives the necessary support from specialist services as soon as they are identified as needing it. In the Camden Childrenââ¬â¢s Fund primary school project the school gets access to additional services which go beyond what is normally available and offers preventive and early intervention approaches to children and their families. The have a best practice approaches in place regarding the identifying and assessing of the childââ¬â¢s needs and then designing interventions for the particular child which will help them to improve. Within the practice at Camden Childrenââ¬â¢s Fund they are currently finding it difficult to allocate enough time to be able to carry out the best practice approach, and are trying to resolve this issue through all the agencies coming together and discussing what the best course of action will be. In conclusion integrated and multi-agency work is very beneficial to the child and their family at identifying any needs that the child may have early and providing appropriate and sufficient support to the child and their family that will help them to deal with any needs and support them with any help they may need in the future. It also brings together a wide range of specialist services that can work together with the family so that nothing needs to be repeated, and the child and their family will get the best out of each of the services that are provided. How to cite How Effective Are Integrated Working and Multi-Agency Working?, Essay examples
Mass Culture and Culture Industry
Question: Discuss about the Mass Culture and Culture Industry. Answer: Introduction: The terms culture and industry denote two opposite meanings. These two words are not supposed to go together. When these two terms are combined to form a new word, then it describes a paradoxical situation that exists in this world today. Culture means the way of life of a particular section of people in a given point of time. It describes the general customs and beliefs of a particular group of people. The term Industry on the other hand is used to describe the companies and the activities that are involved in the procedure of producing goods and services for sale mainly in an industrial unit. This essay outlines the discussion of the concepts raised by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. This write-up traces and discusses the points raised by these two Frankfurt school scholars in context with an advertisement that highlights this concept. Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, were two Frankfurt school scholars who proposed the term of culture industry. This term was first used in the chapter of their book, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944). According to Adorno and Horkheimer, a man with leisure, accepts or rather has to accept what the manufacturers of culture offer him. The theory critically discusses the cultural economies that are supply-driven (Berry 2013). The authors argue that the aim of the mass-produced entertainment is to appeal to vast audiences. The chapter in the book first elucidated the term, which essentially highlighted the structure and set up of media today. In the chapter, they elaborated that the popular culture is similar to a factory that produces homogeneous cultural goods which are used to lull the mass society into passiveness. The goods that they both talked about was the different products that the media produces like films, magazines and radio programs. The consumption of the easy and readyma de pleasures that the media offers lulls its consumers into a trance despite their economic background (Nealon and Irr 2012). The danger that this phenomenon casts on the society is that it creates a false sense of psychological need that can only be met through the consumption of the products of capitalism, whereas the true psychological needs are freedom, happiness and creativity. The consumption of the simple products of the popular culture, which are readily available with the help of mass media, renders the audiences and the consumers passive and content irrespective of their economic standard (Miklitsch 2012). Therefore, according to Adorno and Horkheimer, the mass-produced culture is dangerous to the more refined and evolved fine arts. The concept is concerned with the production of cultural economies as well as the apparently inferior products of the system. They emphasized the existence of mass-produced culture which is created and distributed by exclusive institutions and consumed by an inert audience (Nava et al. 2013). Adorno and Horkheimer developed the term culture industry to denote the process of the industrialization of a culture that is mass-produced, and the force that drove the structure. They coined the term to highlight the commercialization and mechanization of culture under the influence of capitalist mode of production (Agger 2014). They were inspired greatly from a Marxist structure of analysis, which sees capitalism as deeply exploitative, and believed that it must be ousted for human race to attain its complete potential. According to the two, culture industry plays a pivotal role in strengthening its audience to the status quo. One of the fundamental arguments of Theodore Adorno is the idea that under particular social conditions, art provides an alternate and different version of reality. He argued that art has the capability to highlight the differences and the inequalities of the society by bringing forth an ideal vision of what people can desire (Hammer 2013). Adorno assumed that the growth of the culture industry resulted in the homogeniety and rationalization of the form of culture, and that this in turn had weakened, emaciated and ruined the aptitude of an individual to think and act in a decisive and independent way.As the culture industry enlarges, the process has become more focused (Oakley and Connor 2015). Adorno and Horkheimer opined that the culture industries dilutes the demarcation of the real world and the illusionary world that is created by the culture industry. They stated that the consumers are dumbed down by the dullness of the media. They lose their sense of individuality and thus cannot function properly as the citizens of a country. The social theorists from the neo-Marxian group examined the consequences of mass culture and the rise of consumerism in the general working class of a country (Hepp 2013). To illustrate this term coined by Adorno and Horkheimer, we have to consider an advertisement, which propagates a plastic and idealized sense of beauty. The advertisement of an Australian online fitness store by the name of Protein World used a female model in a two-piece yellow bikini. The copy of the advertisement said, Are you beach body ready?. The advertisement showcased different types of weight-loss products brought in by the company. The fitness store harped on the body image issue of women as it claimed that the image of the model is not photoshopped. Three hundred and seventy eight complaints were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) against this advertisement. The Protein World however maintained their unapologetic attitude on the subject. The ASA opined that the term beach body had the connotation of an athletic and toned figure, which is desirable by many women. The fact that it harped on the sense of achieving the perfect body image by maximum women est ablishes the relevance of the theory that was proposed by Adorno and Horkheimer. To sum up, we can conclusively say that the concept of culture industry coined by these two social theorists is still very much relevant in todays day and age. In the present day world, where the concept of consumerism rules supreme, it is seen that the capitalist media enforces a culture, which renders the audience dull and unable to think clearly with a fresh perspective. The theorists opined that culture industry considers the audience as something to be manipulated. This turns the audiences into passive subjects of consumerism. They cannot function or act freely which in turn passively threatens democratic rights of the consumer. They are unaware how easily they are being submissive to the capitalist media. The world nowadays simply exemplifies this term coined by the two social theorists of the Frankfurt school. References: Berry, D. ed., 2013.Revisiting the Frankfurt School: essays on culture, media and theory. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Nealon, J.T. and Irr, C. eds., 2012.Rethinking the Frankfurt School: Alternative legacies of cultural critique. SUNY Press. Nava, M., Blake, A., MacRury, I. and Richards, B., 2013.Buy this book: studies in advertising and consumption. Routledge. Agger, B., 2014.Cultural studies as critical theory. Routledge. Hammer, E., 2013.Adorno and the Political. Routledge. Hepp, A., 2013.Cultures of mediatization. John Wiley Sons. Oakley, K. and Connor, J.O. eds., 2015.Valuing cultural industries(pp. 35-72). London: Routledge. Miklitsch, R., 2012.Roll over Adorno: critical theory, popular culture, audiovisual media. SUNY Press.
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