Postman Rant or Reason Essay - 1694 Words

Postman: Rant or Reason? In his novel, Amusing Ourselves to Death, author Neil Postman describes to the reader, in detail, the immediate and future dangers of television. The arguement starts out in a logical manner, explaining first the differences between todays media-driven society, and yesterdays typographic America. Postman goes on to discuss in the second half of his book the effects of todays media, politics on television, religion on television, and finally televised educational programs. All, he says, are making a detrimental imprint on our society, its values, and its standards. Postman explains that the media consists of fragment[s] of news (100), and politics are merely a fashion show. Although Postmans arguments†¦show more content†¦Each one flings bring colors at us for 45 seconds before the subject switches to a new topic. A society raised on such a format simply cannot endure lengthy debates or speeches. They seem neither exciting nor entertaining to us. Postman also explains that i n response to this switch in desired format, politicians and presidents have adjusted their means of communication as well. It is hard to imagine the present occupant of the White House being capable of constructing such clauses in similar circumstances. (Postman addressing a very lengthy and inticrate live rebuttal made by Lincoln in response to one of Douglas statements, 46) Todays politicians know that in order to reach audiences, their statements need to be short and sweet. Unfortunately this sort of information shortening is not the only weakness which plagues televisions functionality as a means of communication. To sum up Postmans views about news media on television, one can simply call it a joke. The now this format of news media works in an identical fashion to the previously described commercials. Viewers are rarely required to carry over any thought or feeling from one parcel of time to another. (100) Here again, Postman is right on the money when he describes the shortcomings of todays television news. The news show begins with exciting music and professional-looking visuals which set the mood for the show. One cant help but feel a boost of importance. It is as though theShow MoreRelatedAnswers about The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald3327 Words   |  13 Pagesoverconfident. This thought process reveals what East Egg Society is really like; a society deluding themselves to be superior due to their sophistication in science and arts and holding contempt for those who are not alike or do not possess wealth. Another reason why he may appear to be depressed is to Daisy calling him a â€Å"hulkling†, which he is extremely sensitive to, likely because he does not want anyone to realize that his most powerful booster of his self-esteem is his physique. It is evident that his

Analysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness - 1504 Words

Malia Dustin Mrs. Atkins Ap Lit P.5 28 October 2015 Ivory: Power in Possession Power is the possession of control over others and can be found in both people and objects. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness the main character and narrator Marlow identifies a force within ivory that conveys a sense power within the enigmatic Mr. Kurtz. The African ivory trade was flourishing in the early 1900’s. Obtaining the precious object transformed some into greedy connoisseurs with endless intentions to get their hands on all of the continents ivory. Conrad shows that the power that is emitted from the ivory falls into the hands of Kurtz causing him to slowly go mad over the impossibility of collecting it all for himself. In the novella Conrad draws connections between power and obsession through the discovery of ivory. It’s notable that he mentions the mining of ivory throughout the novella which makes it a recurring theme. Conrad’s mysterious character Kurtz is enthralled with the ivory that he finds to the point wh ere he starts harvesting for his own personal use. The novella doesn’t specify why he takes this for himself but it does state that Kurtz felt as if everything belonged to him, including the ivory. Marlow hears stories from numerous Kurtz enthusiasts regarding his obsession with ownership saying â€Å"You should have heard him say, ‘My ivory.’ Oh yes I heard him ‘My intended, my ivory, my station, my river† (pg. 44). With this information the reader feels a sense ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s The Heart Of Darkness 1801 Words   |  8 PagesAlly Jones Professor Smith English 1302 November 18, 2014 Female Roles in Joseph Conrad s the Heart of Darkness: In regards to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, many literature reviews focus on the motifs of Imperialism, the symbolism of darkness and fog, or the aspect of racism in Conrad’s work. During the era which Conrad wrote, England was going through the Victorian Era, which was marked by a shift in views on morality. The term â€Å"Victorian morality† is used today to describe values whichRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness 1713 Words   |  7 PagesMonth: January 2014 Name: Faris Khan Period: 3 Title: Heart of Darkness Author: Joseph Conrad Date started/date completed: 1/19 - 1/28 Pages read: 96/96 (Including the ten page introduction, 106/96) Rating of book (1-10): 9/10 Above you rated this book. Explain in detail why you gave this book that score: Author Joseph Conrad uses a very interesting method of narration in his novel, Heart of Darkness. The novel itself is written in first person, from the perspective of an unnamed sailor aboardRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness 1396 Words   |  6 PagesShelly Pyakurel Ellen Stockstill English 4 DC 27 April 2015 Research Paper Heart of Darkness is a novel by Joseph Conrad that centers on Marlow, a man who goes to the Congo for a job opportunity. He meets a man named Kurtz, who is well known by many. Once he gets to the Congo, he sees colonialism first-hand. He sees that the natives of the country were practically enslaved and forced to work under very harsh conditions. The two major characters of the novel are Marlow and Kurtz. There are many minorRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1552 Words   |  7 Pagesfollowers. Historically, people have been socialized to accept and adhere to these stereotypes. Women have an important role in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Women are used in this novella reflect an important aspect of culture: sexism. Heart of Darkness was originally published in 1898, a period where women were facing especially harsh discrimination. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness tells the story of Marlow, an experienced sea captain, who is setting out on a mission to rescue Kurtz, an intelligent butRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1555 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough the author Joseph Conrad never met the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who died more than a century before Conrad’s birth, their distinct philosophies still have numerous points of intersection, suggesting some fundamental truths within the structure of the human reality. Through the novella, Heart of Darkness, Conrad details his perspectives on the faults of man and reality as a whole, with views often coinciding with many of Leibniz’s own, as found in his numerous philosophicalRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness963 Words   |  4 Pagespeople. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, can be criticised through many different lenses. Though Natives are a large part of Conrad’s narrative of E uropean atrocities in the Congo, his treatment of Congolese Natives throughout the book show them to be nothing more than props. Conrad skews Natives language, culture and intelligence to fit Europeans schema for Africa and Africans. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is placed in a colonized Congo. ...despite Heart of Darkness s (Joseph Conrad) obviousRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1080 Words   |  5 Pages1 Kathrine Carrasquillo Dr. David Mulry Engl 2112 Feb 13, 2017 Who is Mr. Kurtz, and what does Conrad use him for? Mr. Kurtz is the main character in Joseph Conrad s English novella, Heart of Darkness. There is no proof that Mr. Kurtz is based on a real person, so it is assumed that he is a made up character. When Mr. Kurtz is first introduced the audience learns that he is a Belgian ivory trader and he was sent to Africa by his employer for work. At first glance, Mr. Kurtz just represents a normalRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1233 Words   |  5 PagesImperialism has often been described as a light, a method to guide the uncivilized. However in Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad sheds true light on the subject. In the novel, Conrad exposes the situation in Congo during the era of Imperialism for the Europeans. Conrad reveals the exploitation of the natives through a tale of Marlow, an introspective sailor, and his nightmarish journey up the Congo River to meet a reputable European trader, Kurtz. As the life of the great Kurtz comes to a close, theRead MoreAnalysis Of Josep h Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1250 Words   |  5 Pages Written in 1902, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness follows the character Marlow in his journey up the Congo River to find the mysterious Kurtz, an ivory trader. In the story, Conrad explores the issues of colonialism and imperialism. The Company has enslaved native Congolese to help them mine for ivory and rubber in the area. The Congolese experience brutal working conditions as the company profits off their free labor. Racism is evident throughout the story with Marlow calling the blacks â€Å"savages†Read MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness 2026 Words   |  9 Pages Ryan Li 7/22/17 AP Lit/Comp Summer Reading Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness is written by Joseph Conrad and published in 1899. It is a novella written in the early modernism literary period. Joseph Conrad was born as Jà ³zef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski on December three 1857 in Berdichev, Ukraine to Polish parents. He was raised and educated in Poland. After his career is the seafarer in the French and British merchant Marines, he wrote short stories which he used his experiences

The Artist Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre

Question: Write about an Essay on Louis Daguerre. Answer: Introduction Louis Jacques Mand Daguerre was a photographer and an artist who was born in the French region of Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-dOise. He was born on November 18, in the year 1787. At the tender age of sixteen, he started working with the creator of stage settings in Paris Opera, I.E.M Degotti. He then continued his apprenticeship with Pierre Prevost, who was a specialist of panoramas. He became proficient at his skill of theatrical illusion. Daguerre later invented the diorama, which became hugely popular. Robinson (2016), in his paper says that after the death of Nicphore Nipce, with whom he had collaborated, he continued to experiment with a camera, which resulted in the invention of the process that later came to be known as daguerreotype. Pinson (2012) says that Daguerreotype was the process of photography in which a permanent photograph was obtained by using mercury vapor and an iodine-sensitized silvered plate. This type of photograph had a special characteristic: the viewer, who is observing the photograph, seems to observe that the photograph is floating on the metal surface rather than being flat. The illusion of reality is the uniqueness of the process. The image sits on a silver surface which is mirror-like. It is kept under glass and appears either positive or negative, depending upon the angle from which it is seen. The darkest area of the image appears to be bare silver and the lighter areas have a texture, which is light scattering. The surface of this type of photograph is very delicate and can be easily damaged by the lightest of touch. This essay discusses the immensely popular and significant photographer Louis Daguerre, his work and contribution to the world of photography. It speaks about the social, cultural, technical and aesthetic context of his work before moving on to discussing two of his works. Arnason (2013) opined that Louis Daguerre fathered the type of photography that later went on to become one of the widely used and popular form of photography daguerreotype. This type of image was first used in the year 1839, in the month of January. The process involved polishing a sheet of copper that was silver-plated to a mirror like finish and then treating it with fumes, which made the surface sensitive to light with the help of a liquid chemical treatment. A photograph that was developed using the daguerreotype process was different. When viewing this type of photograph, it gave the illusion of realism. It seemed that the image is floating in space. Louis Daguerre, in the year 1821, collaborated with Charles Bouton with the aim of creating a diorama theatre. Having expertise in scenic effects and lighting, Daguerre earned a name in set designing soon after. The first diorama theatre was built in Paris. According to Pinson (2012), Daguerre aimed to create a realistic illusion for the audience of the theatre. He wanted that the audiences should not just be entertained but also mesmerized. The theatres were glorious in size. The set had large transparent canvas that was painted on both the sides. These paintings were detailed and vibrant and were lit from different angles. With the change of lights, the scene would also change. Because of the change of lights, the audiences were able to see the painting on the other side of the canvas. This effect left the audience enraptured. The diorama was later used for a very long time for the set of theatres. The image type that he invented, the daguerreotype was also to later become the most widely form of photography process to be used. Nunberg (2015) commented that neither Daguerres microscopic nor his telescopic daguerreotypes survive, as on March 8, 1839, the Dioramaand with it Daguerres laboratoryburned to the ground, destroying the inventors written records and the bulk of his early experimental works. In fact, fewer than twenty-five securely attributed photographs by Daguerre survivea mere handful of still life, Parisian views, and portraits from the dawn of photography. The contribution of Louis Daguerre without a sliver of a doubt is immense in the field of photography and theatre. The process of photography, known as daguerreotype, was used almost everywhere in the world. There was a frequent use of this type of photography in newspapers. His invention was widely acclaimed and sought after. Sekula (2014) emphasized that the daguerreotype spread all throughout the world after its invention and presentation by Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. Originating in Europe, the daguerreotype gained massive popularity in the United States especially in New York City. Exposed in a camera obscura and developed with mercury vapors, the photographs were immensely popular. The technology of the process of daguerreotype became hugely popular with the editors of the newspapers of that era. A private demonstration of the process made by Daguerre himself to some newspaper editors was reported. He also gave public demonstrations of his process. Although immensely popular, the process had three negative aspects. They are 1. Extended exposures, precluding the use of the new art for practical portraiture, 2. The image was fragile after it was ready and 3. Although the image was not colored, there appeared a shade of tones. The development of daguerreotype photography is supported by a variety of success and failure stories like any other invention. In their paper Gendler and GaBany (2015) say that the technical detail of this process of photography is very interesting. The method that was followed to obtain the photograph is as follows: a copper plate was first polished very well, then fumed with silver iodide. After that it was put into a camera obscura and then exposed. Then it was taken out and the put into a box with mercury vapors in it that came after heating mercury. Then it was placed in to a solution and before placing into a special box so that no air comes in. Louis Daguerre and his contribution to the world of photography is unequivocal. The aesthetic value of this type of photography is indeed very high. The look of this type of photography has an unique feel to the viewer. To the viewer it seemed that the photograph is floating rather than being flat. This type of photography undoubtedly is one of the earliest and most widely used form of photography. Although many refined type of photography style developed later , this remained the most commonly used and popular for a long period of time. Boulevard du Temple by Louis Daguerre Source: (Khan Academy, 2017) The above given photograph is one of the earliest photographs that was taken - Boulevard du Temple. This was taken by the famous pioneer of photography, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre in the year 1838 or 1839. The photograph captured the image of two persons a customer getting his shoe polished by a shoe polisher. The image portrays an apparently empty street in Paris. The image was recorded on a copper sheet that was coated with silver and later developed with mercury fumes. This photograph captured the image of one of the busiest avenues of Paris. According to Bellis (2013), the exposure used for this photograph was of 10 to 15 minutes. Therefore, the other individuals who were not stationary did not get captured in this photo. The length of exposure was such that anything lesser than few minutes would not get registered in the frame. These two individuals are aesthetically placed, close to the classical compositional thirds position. According to Sekula (2014), this image was an im provement from Niepces photograph, View from the Window at Gras, which was indistinct and grainy as it required about eight hours of exposure to capture the image. This photograph was taken by Daguerre from his Diorama Building where it intersected with the Rue des Marais. One of the earliest daguerreotypes, this image is the earliest surviving photograph showing a person. The Artists Studio by Louis Daguerre Source: (Khan Academy, 2017) This photograph, titled The Artists Studio or Still life in studio is one of the earliest photographs taken by the eminent photographer, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. This photograph dates back to the year 1837. It is a set up that was well arranged with deliberate artistic intent. The image includes a relief after Jean Goujon. The function was to hone the focusing technology of the daguerreotype. In this photograph, the most interesting subjects are not centred but slightly tilted. The diagonals in the picture attract the eyes of the viewer to the centre of the photograph with the edges being fuzzy. This is one of the most acclaimed works of Louis Daguerre. The dark areas of the image indicate the absence of light whereas the lighter areas denote the areas where there is an interplay between light and darkness. According to Arnason (2013), the contrast between light and darkness presents an interesting texture of the photograph. The relief created by shadows is indeed extremely inte resting to observe. This image too was obtained using the technique of daguerreotype. The image was taken on a copper sheet that was enveloped with a thin plate of silver. It was then polished and cleaned thoroughly. The plate was later suspended over iodine which led to a formation of silver iodide on the surface which was sensitive to light. This was then exposed to light in a camera which was lens-equipped for about anywhere etween thirty minutes to less than a second. The plate was then hung again over a heated dish of mercury. After this stage, the image magically appeared on the surface of the plate with a range of tones visible. The contribution of Louis Daguerre in the world of photography is unequivocal. His gift to the world of photography is without a doubt, immense. This invention of this pioneer personality paved the path to modern day photography. Nowadays, we cannot even imagine a world that is without photographs and images. He took one of the earliest photographs. Photography has come a long way since the days of plate polishing to the modern day digital camera. However, without his invention, we could not have enjoyed the development in the world of photography that we enjoy today. References: Arnason, H.H. and Mansfield, E., 2013.History of modern art: painting, sculpture, architecture, photography. Pearson. Bellis, M., 2013. History of photographyPinhole cameras to the daguerreotype.About. com. Bhattacharjee, G., Painting with Light. Gendler, R. and GaBany, R.J., 2015. A Series of Firsts, from Daguerreotypes to Dry Plates. InBreakthrough!(pp. 15-30). Springer International Publishing. Harbord, J., 2014. Gesture, Time, Movement: David Claerbout Meets Giorgio Agamben on the Boulevard du Temple. Khan Academy. (2017). Khan Academy. [online] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/early-photography/a/daguerre-paris-boulevard [Accessed 13 Jan. 2017]. Nunberg, G., 2013. The Impact of Photography.Agenda,3, p.13. Pinson, S.C., 2012. Speculating Daguerre: art and enterprise in the work of LJM Daguerre. Robinson, A., 2016. Candid camera.Science,352(6291), pp.1284-1284. Sekula, A., 2014. An eternal esthetics of laborious gestures.Grey Room, (55), pp.16-27. Khan Academy. (2017). Khan Academy. [online] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/early-photography/a/early-photography-nipce-talbot-and-muybridge [Accessed 13 Jan. 2017].

The At free essay sample

A ; T Restructuring Of 1995 Essay, Research Paper Wednesday, September 20, 1995, AT A ; T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Allen announced programs for a strategic restructuring that would divide AT A ; T into three publically traded planetary companies. Robert E. Allen said, # 8220 ; The company was taking this bold measure to capitalise on the chances in each concern # 8217 ; section of the planetary information industry # 8212 ; communications services, communications equipment, and transaction-intensive computing. # 8221 ; Under the program, a 4th concern # 8212 ; AT A ; T Capital Corporation # 8212 ; would be sold, and AT A ; T stockholders would keep portions in each of the three staying companies. # 8220 ; Changes in client demands, engineering and public policy are radically transforming our industry, # 8221 ; said Robert E. Allen. # 8220 ; We now see this restructuring as the following logical bend in AT A ; T # 8217 ; s journey since divestiture. It will do AT A ; T # 8217 ; s concerns more v aluable to our stockholders, even more responsively to their clients, and better able to concentrate on the growing chances in their single markets. We will write a custom essay sample on The At or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page # 8221 ; A focal point of one of the new companies will be to supply the best communications and information services worldwide. The services company, runing under the familiar # 8220 ; AT A ; T # 8221 ; trade name name, would dwell of AT A ; T # 8217 ; s current Communications Services Group, the AT A ; T Universal card Services Corporation, the freshly established AT A ; T Solutions consulting and systems-integration organisation, and AT A ; T Wireless Services. The services company plans to make an AT A ; T Laboratories unit around the nucleus of the Bell Laboratories. # 8220 ; AT A ; T # 8217 ; s merchandises and systems concerns, along with the world-renowned Bell Laboratories, would represent a communications systems and engineering company that would instantly be the planetary leader in its industry, # 8221 ; said Robert E. Allen. The communications equipment company would include AT A ; T # 8217 ; s Network Systems Group, Global Business Communications Systems, Consumer Products, AT A ; T Paradyne and Microelectronics. The new company named Lucent Technologies, would be a powerful rival in the aggressive communications systems market. Henry B. Schacht was designated Lucent Technologies Chief Executive Officer. The company # 8217 ; s computing machine unit AT A ; T Global Information Solutions ( GIS ) , would be established as an independent company by whirling it off to AT A ; T Shareowners. # 8220 ; Our services and systems concerns are at the intersection of enormous alteration and chance, # 8221 ; said Allen. # 8220 ; This restructuring ensures that each can follow the way of greatest chance without worrying about knocking into each other along the way. # 8221 ; Lars Nyberg was announced Chief Executive Officer for NCR, once known as GIS, the new computing machine company. Allen believes Nyberg to be the right leader to acquire the computing machine concern back on path. Nyberg is taking action to make a smaller, more focussed and more rapid business. NCR will continue to develop, manufacture, and market computer platforms for any industry, however, it will focus on the three key industry segments where it has a leading position — financial, retail, and communications. As a major part of its turnaround, NCR will halt the manufacturing of personal computers. It will continue to support and service all its current hardware and software installations and will market its service capabilities to all industries. NCR, which currently employs 43,000 people in more than 120 countries, announced a major cost-cutting initiative that will lead to the termination of approximately 8,500 jobs. ATT will incur a pre-tax charge of approximately 1.5 billion dollars against third quarter earnings to cover the costs of the NCR restructuring. This reduces the 1995 earnings by 1 billion dollars, or 66 cents per share. ATT plans to sell its remaining shares of ATT Capital Corporation to the general public or another comp any. It holds 80 percent of Capital Corporation’s shares, having only sold a minority of the shares to the general public in 1993. ATT Capital Corporation is one of the largest equipment leasing and financing companies in the United States. It had revenues of approximately 1.4 billion dollars in 1994. Proceeds from the sale of ATT Capital Corporation and from the Initial public offering of the new equipment company will be used to repay current ATT debt and giving excess to each of the new businesses. The company plans to adjust each business’ capital structure to ensure that it has the flexibility to raise resources, as it needs them. ATT said that each of the businesses it is establishing will have everything it needs to meet its customers’ needs. Each of the new companies already has experienced management and a productive work force. The service, equipment and computer businesses each has the sophisticated systems-integration capabilities necessary to provid e complete solutions to its set of customers. And, where it makes sense to partner in serving a customer’s needs, the new businesses could establish commercial relationships with each other. ATT, which currently has 303,000 employees, said it cannot estimate the exact employment impact of the planned restructuring. All three of the companies will need additional resources to establish themselves as freestanding independent companies; however, each company participates in a highly competitive market and will need to continue to size its operations as efficiently as possible. ATT said that it is highly likely that the new companies combined will not have as many employees as the present ATT. The company set up a plan that will ensure that any employees dislocated by the restructuring will have access to job opportunities across the total corporation, as well as to a full range of assistance, ranging from job counseling to retraining.