The Civil Strife And Chaos That Had Torn Russia Limb From Limb In The

The civil strife and chaos that had torn Russia limb from limb in the early 20th Century, although brutally devastating, did not hail the end of the stability and power that had characterized the massive country for so much of history. The continuing strength of what was now the Soviet Union lay in the newly formed support structure provided by Socialist Realism, a force that directed the awareness of, and the arts produced by, the Soviet people. The ideals of Socialist Realism deified Lenin and Marx, attributed the Bolshevik ranks with heroism undaunted by overwhelming opposition, and directed the proletariat towards a better future through reconstruction and industrialization of the state. Socialist Realism was essentially a Party tool that, combined with the Bolshevik ideals of collectivization and unity, would transform the people into a formidable, indestructible mass force. Socialist Realism's central code of conduct was, in Stalin's words, to above all portray life truthfully. Any form of art that depicted Bolshevik life was to do so in a realistic and accurate manner, on its way to socialism; that will be socialist art, that will be Socialist Realism. (Lincoln 333) This was the paradigm that all Soviet art was to be modeled after; implemented in 1934, the formula of Socialist Realism would heavily influence artistic life in the Soviet Union until the 1960s. The rise of Socialist Realism was rapid and dramatic. It dampened Europe's excitement over Russia's post-schism, secular art by redirecting art inward towards the Soviet people and forcing form and function upon it rather than abiding by the ideal of art for art's sake. Once again, the ancient religious ideals of Orthodox Russia were shunned, and the Party replaced God at the forefront of Soviet life. The Party mimicked Socialist Realism as a model for the people, who were expected to take the example of their heroic yet humble forefathers and arise from the masses to submit themselves to the principles of Lenin, then confidently lead their comrades forward to a bright Bolshevik future where both nature and human opposition would bow to the power of the Soviets. Although the Soviet Union was markedly secular, it adopted Orthodox Russia's replacement of the individual with the collective. Many artists collaborated on gigantic pieces that depicted the immense size and grandeur of their unified country. Overwhelming all other artistic principles, Socialist Realism became synonymous with the state. It modified the past and the future by making both conform to reality and to Lenin's timeless ideals. Most importantly, it portrayed the Soviet Union's future as being filled with an unequaled prosperity that would forever shame capitalism and its proponents. However, much of the reality that Socialist Realism depicted existed solely in the minds of the Soviet people. Socialist Realism portrayed life only as the Bolsheviks wanted it seen, and in many ways created an idealistic world of fantasy that overlooked massive failures (Lincoln 335) such as the death and suffering that continued to prosper in labor camps throughout the country. Socialist Realism was Stalin's aesthetic cover-up of the horrid, truly real Soviet reality, and if an artist intentionally or accidentally ventured too far behind the scenes in his work, official confession and apology to the state did not always prevent him from being sent to one of many labor camps. Socialist Realism was largely effective in indoctrinating simple-minded men and women with Bolshevik ideals. Nowhere else was this practice more effective than in Soviet literature, which was directed towards the unsophisticated, newly literate masses rather than the intellectual elite. Much of this literature focused on the Russian Civil War and the immortalized heroes that were crucial to socialism's victory. It was meant to instill the proletariat with a nationalistic pride that would direct its minds and hearts towards the interests of the state. Because of their overwhelming prominence, the influences of Socialist Realism were nearly impossible to escape. One of the most paradigmatic, and also one of the first Soviet heroes was Vasilii Chapaev, a Red soldier killed in the Civil War and elevated to the status of legend through the efforts of Socialist Realism. The author Dmitrii Furmanov wrote a novel depicting Chapaev's exploits, which was made into a screenplay in 1934 and became one of the

Postcolonial Literature Essay Example

Postcolonial Literature Essay Example Postcolonial Literature Essay Postcolonial Literature Essay Postcolonial literature 1. What is postcolonial literature? Postcolonial literature, a category devised to replace and expand upon what was once called Commonwealth Literature. As a label, it thus covers a very wide range of writings from countries that were once colonies or dependencies of the European powers. There has been much debate about the scope of the term: should predominantly white ex-colonies like Ireland, Canada, and Australia be included? why are the United States exempted both from the accepted list of former colonies and rom the category of colonizing powers? In practice, the term is applied most often to writings from Africa, the Indian sub-continent the Caribbean, and other regions whose histories during the 20th century are marked by colonialism, anti-colonial movements, and subsequent transitions to post-Independence society. Critical attention to this large body of work in academic contexts is often influenced by a distinct school of postcolonial theory which developed in the 1980s and 1990s, under the influence of Edward W. Saids landmark study Orientalism (1978). Postcolonial heory considers vexed cultural-political questions of national and ethnic identity, otherness, race, imperialism, and language, during and after the colonial periods. It draws upon post-structuralist theories such as those of deconstruction in order to unravel the complex relations between imperial centre and colonial periphery, often in ways that have been criticized for being excessively abstruse. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx In a broad sense, postcolonial literature is writing which has been affected by the imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day (Ashcroft et al, ). In Indias case, this includes novels, poetry,and drama which were written both during and after the British Raj or Reign, which came to a formal conclusion with Indian Independence in August 1947. Although writing from India and other formerly colonized countries such as Nigeria, Jamaica, Pakistan, and Singapore has distinctive features, postcolonial literature shares some significant concerns and characteristics. Concerns Reclaiming spaces and places. Colonialism was, above all, a means of claiming and exploiting foreign lands, resources, and people. Enslavement, indentured labor, and migration forced many indigenous populations to move from the places that they consideredhome. Postcolonial literature attempts to counteract their resulting alienation from their surroundings by restoring a connection between indigenous people and places through description, narration, and dramatization 2) Asserting cultural integrity During colonization, the indigenous cultures of those countries subjected to foreign rule were otten sidelined, suppressed, and openly denigrated in tavor ot elevating he social and cultural preferences and conventions of the colonizers. In response, much postcolonial literature seeks to assert the richness and validity of indigenous cultures in an effort to restore pride in practices and traditions thatwere systematically degraded under colonialism. 3) Revising history Colonizers often depicted their colonial subjects as existing outside of history in unchanging, timeless societies, unable to progress or develop without their in tervention and assistance. In this way, they Justified their actions, including violence gainst those who resisted colonial rule. Revising history to tell things from the perspective of those colonized is thus a major preoccupation of postcolonial writing . Characteristics Resistant descriptions Postcolonial writers use detailed descriptions of indigenous people, places, and practices to counteract or resist the stereotypes, inaccuracies, and generalizations which the colonizers circulated in educational, legal, political, and social texts and settings. 2) Appropriation of the colonizers language Although many colonized countries are home to multiple indigenous languages -in India, for example, more than 12 languages exist alongside English many postcolonial writers choose to write in the colonizers tongue. However, authors such as Arundhati Roy deliberately play with English, remolding it to reflect the rhythms and syntax of indigenous languages, and inventing new words and styles to demonstrate mastery of a language that was, in a sense, forced upon them. 3) Reworking colonial art-forms Similarly, authors such as Arundhati Roy rework European art-forms like the novel to reflect indigenous modes of invention and creation. They reshape imported co Ionial rt-forms to incorporate the style, structure, and themes of indigenous modes of creative expression, such as oral poetry and dramatic performances. 2. How do you understand the term: to docolonize the mind? In my opinion this concept is related toa Postcolonial frame of reference. The idea of decolonizing the mind is one where an individual seeks to construct a reality outside of the Colonial element that has been constructed for them. The idea of decolonizing the mind relates to the individual experience of a social or political reality. In this concept, here are certain elements of cultural capital that go along with Colonization that directly impac ts the individual. What is considered right, Just, tair, beautitul, acceptable, and normative are all challenged when one seeks to decolonize the mind and envision a Postcolonial world. This becomes one of the fundamental issues behind postcolonial literature, namely how does an individual define their own existence beyond a colonial one that has sought to define them for so long. Essentially, in the decolonization of mind one has to define themselves, a process that is challenged when one has been defined. This shifting from object to subject becomes one of the primary focal points of decolonization of the mind. 3. What is diaspora in postcolonial context? A diaspora is a scattered population with a common origin in a smaller geographic area. The word can also refer to the movement of the population from its original homeland. [2][3] The word has come to refer particularly to historical mass dispersions of an involuntary nature, such as the expulsion of Jews from Europe, the African Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the southern Chinese during the coolie slave trade, r the century-long exile of the Messenians under Spartan rule. 3] Recently, scholars have distinguished between different kinds of diaspora, based on its causes such as imperialism, trade or labor migrations, or by the kind of social coherence within the diaspora community and its ties to the ancestral lands. Some diaspora communities maintain strong political ties with their homeland. Other qualities that may be typical of man y diasporas are thoughts of return, relationships with other communities in the diaspora, and lack of full assimilation into the host country. ] The word diaspora derives from a Greek word that means scattering or dispersion, and from that original sense is derived another meaning which encompasses human migration and movement away from a perceived homeland. In this sense, human history has witnessed various kinds of diaspora at different points of time, some willing, as in the case of those migrating in the search of better employment, a better life, and some involuntary under the pressures of political or social persecution or as a result of natural catastrophe or of imperialisms.

5 Cases of Premature Reference

5 Cases of Premature Reference 5 Cases of Premature Reference 5 Cases of Premature Reference By Mark Nichol Writers occasionally fall into the trap of inserting too much information between a verb and its object, or introducing a pronoun before the noun it refers to has appeared in effect, alluding to the point of the sentence before specifying it. This syntactical structure isn’t wrong, but it can be annoying. Take care to use the following constructions in moderation, if at all. 1. â€Å"I have decided and I thank you all for your input about the subject that the policy will go into effect immediately.† Interjecting a long parenthetical digression between a verb and the predicate is the least irritating variety of premature reference at least the writer made it to the verb before veering off but it might be better to express the basic statement and then tack on the additional information: â€Å"I have decided that the policy will go into effect immediately. I thank you all for your input about the subject.† (Or start with the parenthetical and continue with the basic statement: â€Å"I thank you all for your input about the policy. I have decided that it will go into effect immediately.†) 2. â€Å"The question is of whether and, if so, to what extent the phenomenon has an impact on climate.† This sentence also interrupts the basic statement with an additional dimension that, in this case, itself is subjected to an interjection. Again, the parenthesis might better follow the fundamental element: â€Å"The question is of whether the phenomenon has an impact on climate, and, if so, the extent of that impact.† 3. â€Å"Whether you appreciate them or not, the devices serve a practical purpose.† When you name something and then refer to it by a pronoun, it’s best to do so in that order: â€Å"Whether you appreciate the devices or not, they serve a practical purpose.† 4. â€Å"These earthquakes, as do most, occurred on faults near boundaries between two tectonic plates.† This type of interruption is also distracting, and it can be solved in the same way as the first two examples: â€Å"These earthquakes occurred on faults near boundaries between two tectonic plates, as do most temblors.† Alternatively, even a slight simplification in wording reduces the distraction: â€Å"These earthquakes, like most, occurred on faults near boundaries between two tectonic plates.† 5. â€Å"The senator, as have many others, brought up the contradiction between the two laws.† The â€Å"as have† interjection can be moved just like the â€Å"as do† parenthesis above: â€Å"The senator brought up the contradiction between the two laws, as have many of his colleagues.† Or, as before, the substitution of like for â€Å"as have† improves the sentence somewhat: â€Å"The senator, like many others, brought up the contradiction between the two laws.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and TimesHomonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsParticular vs. Specific

There are two topicschoose one of them Coursework

There are two topicschoose one of them - Coursework Example By allocating the costs by their using departments, departmental decision making is enhanced. The marketing department cannot be held accountable for the wastage or spoilage incurred by the grinding department. The department generating high production levels is not affected by another department’s operating activities. Applying the traditional cost alternative, the costs of all the departments are lumped into one cost account (Debarshi, 2011, p. 178). Consequently, the department producing the avoidable production wastes and spoilage can be erroneously made to explain one’s wasteful production process charge. This is because the total expenses and costs of all the departments are evenly divided among all the wasteful and not wasteful departments. Further, allocating the costs by departments will allow the implementation of favorable cost center-based strategies. Under the strategy, each department is responsible for its own profit, expense, revenue, or other financial accounts (Kinney, 2012, p. 26). For example, the costs and operating expenses of the fast selling department are deducted from the revenues of the same fast selling branch or department. Likewise, the costs and operating expenses of the slow selling department are deducted from the revenues of the same slow selling branch or department. This way, management can determine whether each department performed financial better than the other departments. In terms of areas where judgment may be needed, the computation of the overhead allocation includes categorizing expenses according to direct costs and indirect costs (Mittal, 2010, p. 23). For example, wood, nails, and paint are classified as direct materials of the furniture manufacturing company because wood, nails, and paint form part of the completed chair. Direct labor cost includes amount paid to the individuals directly making the product. For example, the salary payment of the carpenter making the chair is direct

How successful is Rolex's current marketing strategy Research Paper

How successful is Rolex's current marketing strategy - Research Paper Example In order to reach the right target market, Rolex has made a drastic change in its marketing strategy by moving from traditional mediums such as Television Advertisements and advertisements in newspapers and magazines to celebrity endorsements such as Roger Federer and events sponsorships; both of these elements have created a new image in the market. As people are willing to invest in those brands that will enhance their relationship with their favorite personalities, Rolex has capitalized on this aspect. The primary research conducted among the college students revealed that they are willing to own Rolex brand as it helps them in developing an association with their favorite star. Hence, Rolex is doing aggressive marketing so that it can capture the attention of its target market, enhance its distinctive image worldwide and keep on making valuable contribution in the wristwatch industry. Introduction In luxury wristwatch industry, Rolex is the leading name, and it has become a statu s symbol worldwide. Since Rolex has been meeting the demands of its customers for so many years and has been given top ranking in the world’s best brands list, it is of great interest to know the secret of the success of Rolex. One of the important aspects of every brand is its marketing strategy because it gives it a sense of direction about the efforts that need to be done so that it can capture the attention of its target market and convey positive message to its customers (Key Note, 2011). Research Objectives and Questions The main research objectives of this study are: 1. To gather information about top brands of wristwatch industry. 2. To identify the marketing activities conducted by Rolex to attract the customers. 3. To evaluate the image held by the customers about Rolex brand. In order to understand the current marketing strategy employed by Rolex, following research questions will be addressed to achieve the objectives of the study: 1. Why is Rolex a successful bra nd? 2. What is the marketing strategy followed by Rolex to maintain its position in the market? 3. Why are the customers of Rolex satisfied with its wristwatches? Importance of the Study The study will help in understanding the importance of marketing strategy in creating a right positioning in the market. When the marketing strategies of top ranked brands are studied, an in-depth understanding about the relevant topic can be developed. Rolex’s current marketing strategy will assist in analyzing the success of Rolex in such a dynamic and competitive wristwatch industry. Limitations of the Study The scope of the research is limited as there are both time and resource constraints. The research is exploratory in nature and it is comprised of questionnaire-survey. The questionnaire has been designed in consensus with the previous work done by some authors as the questions are designed in accordance with the variables identified to be studied for the research purpose which is disc ussed in the Literature Review section. The availability of pure study of the subject was another constraint as the researcher is inexperienced and may lack certain skills which can affect the research paper. Literature Review Brief Introduction of Rolex Whenever a customer wears Rolex watch, it enhances the person’s personality which makes a statement that the person has a great taste of style and fashion (Gautschi, 2005). Since Rolex watches are designed exclusively for the upper class, only selected

Steven Spielberg movie review Essay Example for Free

Steven Spielberg movie review Essay Spielbergs latest epic, Saving Private Ryan, has shocked audiences around the world with his brutally realistic, down-to-earth World War II invasion of Omaha beach. The film opens with the landing boats full of petrified, white-faced, conscripted soldiers, who struggle to cope with the pure terror imposed upon them from the enormity of the task they face. No sooner do you see a close up of their trembling faces and each persons emotions and worries, the doors opened and the first wave of men were torn to shreds by German machine gun fire. Many men drowned as they were dragged under by their heavy equipment, and those who made it to the shore found themselves seriously outnumbered and out gunned. Specially-designed, frantic freehand camera-work creates the impression you are in the middle of the carnage, so Spielberg puts the audience on the beach with the Allies. Eventually the soldiers complete the takeover of the beach but as the scene draws to a close, the former hand-held camera is now far more panoramic, scanning the beach from a height, but regardless of the thousands of bodies strewn across it, you do not see one face showing war de-humanising all the real people involved in it, who have families back home, but also turning those real people into just numbers and cannon fodder. The scene ends with a close-up of a dead soldiers pack which contains the words Pvt S. Ryan and the scene cuts. Throughout the entire scene there was a tremendous amount of clever sounds and moving music. For instance, in the panoramic opening scene the music is rather dark and solemn, with a lot of low strings and brass, especially horns. This sets the tone for the scene to unfold. In the first scene there is no music to emphasise actually being there, however there are numerous non-diegetic sounds added such as the underwater bullets piercing the struggling soldiers, the way when Captain Miller gets confused and deaf that the sound is blurred and returns to normal when he comes round but there is also diegetic sound when the explosions are going off as the film crew used hundreds of set explosions in the scene, the lapping of the waves and the monologue were all diegetic sounds. The next scene is a wonderfully made piece that is truly emotional and is a silent one. There is a woman in a crowded office with light shining through, a complete contrast to the dark, de-saturated war scene a moment before. The lady sees three telegrams from the same family and takes it to the senior staff. It is reassuring to see how these men-in-power have some humanity left, taking the case higher and higher until it found the commander-in-chief played by the talented Bryan Cranston who decides that the remaining sibling should be pulled out and sent back to the grieving mother. The point where the mother received the news was fantastically portrayed by Spielberg. It is set in the countryside with a traditional American home surrounded by golden fields yet in the corner of the sky it is dark grey and symbolises the bad news on its way. The car crawls up the small, winding, country lane viewed panoramically from in front of and behind the house. There was one shot that was astoundingly emotional, where Spielberg captured a close-up of the mothers reaction while showing the car and effectively the news creeping closer, through using the reflection of the window. As she rushes to the door she is cleverly silhouetted out showing that it could be anyone receiving the news and that vast amounts of parents go through this. Also as part of the mise en scene, when she opens the door, she is blacked out and the car pulls up along the house then the officials climb out, the woman falls to her knees. However, throughout this whole dark shot, to the right is a coffee table with light streaming on to it, there is a photo of the four boys in their army uniform showing that they all went but also expanding the plot as you know that there were only three telegrams. All over the table there are flags and patriotic items, this tries to show that the people are behind the war, and that it is the ordinary people who have to stand up to the tyrant. Finally, Spielberg covers many aspects of war in his brilliant production and uses vast amounts of extremely intelligent shots and clever, emotional to portray the emotions and effects that the de-humanising war had on normal people such as Miller, the small town English teacher at home and on the front. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

The Red Badge of Courage :: essays research papers

The Red Badge of Courage, by it’s very title, is infested with color imagery and color symbols. While Crane uses color to describe, he also allows it to stand for whole concepts. Gray, for example, describes both the literal image of a dead soldier and Henry Fleming’s vision of the sleeping soldiers as corpses and comes to stand for the idea of death. In the same way, red describes both the soldiers’ physical wounds and Henry’s mental vision of battle. In the process, it gains a symbolic meaning which Crane will put an icon like the ‘red badge of courage’. Stephen Crane uses color in his descriptions of the physical and the non-physical and allows color to take on meanings ranging from the literal to the figurative. Stephen Crane begins the novel with a description of the fields in the morning: â€Å" As the landscape changed from brown to green, the army awakened, and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors† (1). The fog clears to reveal the literal green world of grass. It also reveals another green world, the world of the youth. Like school children, the young soldier tells rumors within the regiment. This natural setting provides an ironic place for killing, just as these men seem to be the wrong ones fighting in the Civil War. Stephen Crane says something on this in the narrative: â€Å" He was aware that these battalions with their commotions were woven red and startling into the gentle fabric of the softened greens and browns. It looked to be a wrong place for the battlefield† (26).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Green is an image of the natural world and of the army’s youth, while red in the previous quote is clearly and image of battle. In the beginning, however, Crane uses red to describe distant campfires: â€Å"†¦one could see across the red, eye-like gleam of the hostile campfires set in the low brows of the distant hills† (1). Obviously, the fires are red, but Henry characterizes the blazes as the enemy’s glowing eyes. He continues this metaphor in the second chapter: â€Å" From across the river, the deep red eyes were still peering† (15). Crane then transforms this metaphor into arrogance used throughout the text: â€Å"Staring once at the red eyes across the river, he conceived then to be growing larger, as the orbs of a row of dragons advancing† (16). The red campfires come to represent eyes of the enemy, of dragons.