...murder. Anna Deveare Smith’s method of finding the truth in peoples stories lies in their syntax. The stutters and the “um’s” give the audience a better understanding of the character because in those stammers and pauses we, even for a moment, see some truth. Although it may help us understand where people are coming from, we still have no definite answer for why things ended up the way they did in Crown Heights. For example, in the monologue titled, Static, a Jewish woman says, “ I saw a little boy in the neighborhood, who I didn’t know and who didn’t know me—not Jewish, he was black and he wasn’t wearing a yarmulke because you can’t—“. The pauses in this particular monologue tell me that this woman is trying to watch what she says. In the times of hatred between Blacks and the Jewish, she did not want to slip up and so we often see her pausing to collect her thoughts or refer back to her story. This monologue does not necessarily help me reflect the truth about the riots in Crown Heights directly but I can not a clear example of stereotyping. The Blacks and the Jewish constantly have pre-determined judgments of the opposing race and we see this often throughout...
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...didn’t have any obvious roots, they borrowed very much from the immigrants and, in time, the wilderness of the ancient world has gone. Since the American writers didn’t have any settled tradition, they started to explore within the human soul and mind, which came to invent new style. While the English writers explore the raising of a poor man on the economic and social scale, the American ones reveal the absence of the tradition. This is the case of writers like Richard Wright, or Sarah O. Jewett who deeply analyzed the characters’ reaction in a critical period of their life. For instance, in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”, Wright presents the coming to age of a young black boy. As we all know, Wright is a black writer, so we could say that this coming of age of this particular black boy might signify the author’s way to his maturity, even though if not in the same context or by the same means. His main character, Dave, is an angry teenager, who wants to become a man. He thinks that a gun would make him powerful and he makes all sorts of strategies to accomplish his dream: to buy a gun so that he could get the others’ respect. Some would say that he finally manages to become a...
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...Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a story about a young Indian boy who finds himself alone in a lifeboat after his ship sinks - his only companions are a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Throughout his journey, the protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. The book was published in 2001 and was adapted by Ang Lee for the big screen in 2012, winning four awards from eleven nominations, including Best Director. Unlike several book-to-film adaptations, Life of Pi did not disappoint its many fans. Instead of losing fans and falling victim to critics, it gained more fans. This was largely due to how they handled the original material. The book is well know and well loved for the inner struggle and triumph of Pi, whose main goal is simply to survive, while his secondary goal is to spiritually come to terms with what has happened. What is most surprising, though, is that the screenplay is only 75 pages compared to the 400 plus pages of the book. As a general rule of thumb, one page in a screenplay equals one minute on the screen. However, due to the stunning cinematography and the computer graphics, the movie is 127 minutes long. These visuals replace the inner monologues that the book uses to show the changes in Pi. Excluding the monologues was the biggest risk David Magee, the screenwriter, took when he adapted the book. The book focuses...
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...“Throughout comedy the emphasis is on human limitations rather than on human greatness” (John Morreal Comedy Tragedy and Religion). To what extent does Jez Butterworth focus on human weakness and ineptitude in his play ‘Jerusalem’? Jez Butterworth’s ‘Jerusalem’ creates a comic vision focusing on the ambiguities, turmoil and hypocrisies of the society presented on stage. Butterworth focuses on the characters’ degeneracies in which the form of humour tends to be the exposure of their unruly behaviour and their reluctance to conform to social norms. “The most basic difference between comedy and tragedy lies in its central characters, who are not heroes, and often, as with Shakespeare’s Falstaff, are anti-heroic” The key character Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron partially embodies the idea of human limitation and anti-heroism; throughout the play this is uncovered between his portrayals of superiority. Butterworth has also constructed characters with significant weaknesses and flaws to be used as a tool of exploitation but also as a form of laughter to highlight his philosophical thoughts about the truths of society. The difference between this and any typical Shakespearean comic drama ensures that in every way possible the play is subversive and goes against norms not only within the text- but with universal comic traditions. The central protagonist Johnny, has otherworldly attributes linking back to elements of mythological rural England with ideas that he was “built into the land” with...
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...When women are pregnant, one of the most exciting discoveries is what sex the child is going to be. When the child is delivered, the first thing you hear the doctor or nurse say is “It is a boy/girl.” However, in some cases the child can be born with ambiguous genitalia. In other words, the child has external genitalia that cannot be distinguished as either male or female. When a parent is told their child has ambiguous genitalia, they are ultimately given two options: they could either raise their child with ambiguous genitalia, or they could let the doctor perform surgery leaving the child’s genitalia with the appearance of a female’s. If my child was born with ambiguous genitalia, I would choose to raise them the way they were brought into this world because it would be easier on the child. Having a child with ambiguous genitalia would raise many questions. Many parents may not understand why their child looks different. Ambiguous genitalia is not, by any means of our society, normal. Usually, when people see something different they...
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...“Twilight 1992” by Anna Deavere Smith tells the story about the mayhem that ensued in Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict. According to Wikipedia, the riots and violence broke out in L.A. for three continuously because, out of the four officers, who were involved in allegedly beating Rodney King, only one of them was found guilty of using excessive force and the others were cleared of all charges. This had a great impact on the citizens of L.A. “Twilight 1992” is a series of monologue which is based on the interview Smith conducted with different individuals who were involved in the L.A. riot. Among them, Rudy Salas, Stanley K. Sheinbaum and Jason Sandford intrigue me the most. In “Twilight” Rudy Salas, Sr. the Mexican sculptor and painter seem almost consumed with hatred towards white police officers. Because of his Mexican heredity he says he was called inferior in school by the “nice white teachers” (2). No wonder he called them “the enemy”. Even so he doesn’t exactly hate them. But rather he says he has “an insane hatred for white policemen” (Smith 3). That is because of the fact that he was beaten and turned deaf by four cops when he was a teenager. He was kicked in the head and his eardrums were fractured. Here Salas contradicts himself by saying “I don’t like to hate, the way my uncle Abraham told me that to hate is to waste energy and you mess with the man upstairs” (Smith 3). But then again he can’t deny how he feels towards white policemen. Rudy Salas, Sr...
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...culture and economic traditions, identified as a sense of European ascendancy which has been called "cultural imperialism". A parallel can also be drawn with the charitable view, common in Kipling's formative years, that the rich have a moral duty and obligation to help the poor "better" themselves whether the poor want the help or not until according to Europeans, "they can take their place in the world socially and economically." The term "white man's burden" is a phrase that became current in the controversy about the United States acquisition of the Philippines after the Spanish-American war of 1898. It was a concept that was the responsibility of white Europeans to bring "proper" European civilization to the nations (mostly brown, black, red or yellow) that did not have it. The underlying thought was that Europeans were correct in their beliefs and it was their duty to bring everyone in the world up as close to the European standards as possible. During European and American Imperialism, the white man's burden was often used as a justification for expansion and annexation. 1. Lines 1-8: This stanza explains an overall mindset that the Europeans had about themselves, placing their race above all others and already associating their...
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...AS English Language [pic] [pic] [pic] Fiction style models and tasks – 2012/2013 Style Model Workbook Style models are examples of a type of writing used to give you an idea of the features used when adapting a particular style and form. As you will be required to include a fiction and non-fiction annotated style model as part of your coursework folder we have compiled a selection of materials to give you a head start. The two booklets (one fiction, one non-fiction) will contain the type of extracts you should be looking for and the questions that accompany them will help you to annotate the materials appropriately. You will be given some of the extracts to study in class and some to complete as homework tasks. There may be some materials that you haven’t been directed to by your teachers, these will make very good additional preparation and you should look at these in your own time. All the resources, and some additional style models, can be found in the AS Language section of Moodle. AS LANGUAGE COURSEWORK You must keep all work during the production of the coursework in your folder. You will need all drafts and style models for part of your final grade. Criteria • Two pieces of your own writing • Each piece must have a different audience and purpose • You should write with a specific genre in mind • Pieces should be designed with a real publication in mind • Two...
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...Catherine Earnshaw’s ghost - WH monologue (Cathy is lying in a propped up coffin in the centre of the stage. There are ghostly blue lights and ice machine effects) It seemed like aeons that I lay silently under the cold dark moor, tightly entwined in the arms of Death. I lay there in silent, unspeakable anguish, frozen by the heartbreak that consumed my soul and led me to my grave. Perhaps I was just waiting. (Dramatic pause) Waiting forever to hear the voice of my one beloved. The one man I lived for, and could not live without. I heard his cry from far away, raging against the night time wind. (light goes off Cathy and onto Heathcliff. Thunder and rain effects) ‘Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you—haunt me, then!’ (Light goes back onto Cathy) As I heard his voice, (lightning effects) it was like a lightning bolt, shocking my soul back into consciousness. And once again, I could feel my mind becoming lucid, and blissful memories flooded my soul with joy and filled my body back with life. I recalled the day the scowling ‘gypsy’ boy came knocking, black faced and refusing to speak. I remembered the countless days he and I spent wandering the moors, holding each other passionately whilst the cold damp breeze blew our matted hair into wild flurries. Those were the times I lived for, as the rest of the world was so pale in comparison. Then I remembered how I threw it all away, all for pretty embroidered garments and bone china tea...
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...The scenes in which the exposition is concerned are scene one, because the funeral of his wife takes place, so you learn about his recent history. After that there is an introduction about Walt, in which is mentioned that he was in the army, and some properties of Walt are told, so you get to know about his past, the military and about how he is and looks. In scene four his past in the military is told again. In scene six, another part of his background comes forwards, he lives in an Asian neighborhood from which the houses once belonged to Polish families. Walt dislikes the people in the neighborhood because he is a full-blown, unrepentant racist. In scene 6 the car of Walt, the 1972 Gran Torino is introduced in the story, a car of which he is very, very proud. The scenes that are concerned with the inciting moment are the next: The cousin of Tao, ‘’spider’’ and his gang show up at the house of Tao’s family. They are trying to make Tao come with them, he refuses and says fuck off. They are grabbing him and punching Sue. Then Walt steps in because everybody in the neighborhood is Asian, and he is the last ‘’American’’. So he is fighting to remain in the area, and he defends his own property. Therefore he is getting really mad when they step on his ground. The dramatic conflict: Walt’s world and the society around him, changes completely because of all the foreign people in the neighborhood, while he is very conservative. He is not used to all the foreign people, he...
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...I. Racial and Ethnic Identity The distinction between ethnic group and race are too subtle for clarification; however, Scientists distinguish race on the basis of “physical characteristics” (11), such as a person’s skin tone, texture of hair or facial features. As people continue to migrate into this country, the increase number of interracial children will eventually alter the biological composition of future generations. This evolution of race will impair the variables that scientists use to classify race. Society distinguishes a person’s race based on collective conjecture; while the majority of us accept appearance as the driving force we assign a race or ethnicity. As the races intermingle, societies’ ability to categorize American’s by “social construct,” will be contingent more so on “Social assumptions,” such as language, religion, customs and ethnic group membership to determine race. White like me—Judith Levine I loved reading this! Ms. Levine has step outside herself and realized what the majority of white people in America may never be aware—“whiteness” (48). This became evident to Ms. Levine as she moved from New York’s highly diverse culture, to mainstream white neighborhood in Vermont. She says “Whiteness purports to be both nothing and everything” (48). She explains how whiteness is this invisible power that makes the majority of white people their race is superior bar none. She realized her skin shielded her from the struggles of minorities and...
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... When Anh’s Father is forced to almost single-handedly take care of his brothers, it builds and changes his personality and makes him far more responsible. When Anh’s uncles are put into a re-education camp, Anh’s father shows the leadership qualities and courage that he built over his childhood to free them from slavery. Chapter 1. From the start of the chapter, we can see the traits of an outsider, namely being a non-evident sense of belonging. When the communist guards were harassing the young lady; she was an outsider as she was being ostracised and segregated from the rest of the group in a nasty and threatening way. This was evidenced in the text from the quote “ ‘Lift up your trousers’ the guard demands. The girl lifts her black cotton pants to her ankles. ‘Lift them higher,’ he leers. ‘In fact take them off.’” From this quote, we can see that this person was an outsider momentarily as she was not safe in the eyes of the reader. There was no-one defending her nor was there anyone who was willing to take on this role. This was quickly rectified and the young woman was no longer an outsider but now had a close group around...
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...computer science and studied for an MBA at Heriot Watt University. His first novel, Trainspotting (1993), a blackly comic portrait of a group of young heroin users living in Edinburgh in the 1980s, was adapted as a film directed by Danny Boyle in 1996. The Acid House, a collection of short stories, was published in 1994 and was followed by Welsh's second novel, Marabou Stork Nightmares (1995), a harrowing stream-of-consciousness narrated by football hooligan Roy Strang. Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, a collection of three novellas, was published in 1996, and a third novel, Filth, a vivid account of the violent adventures of a bigoted, racist and corrupt Scottish policeman, was published in 1998. Glue (2001), is the story of four boys growing up in an Edinburgh housing estate. Porno, a sequel to Trainspotting, was published in 2002. Welsh is also the author of two plays, Headstate (1994) and You'll Have Had Your Hole (1998). 4 Play, an omnibus edition of four stage adaptations of Welsh's fiction by Harry Gibson and Keith Wyatt, was published in 2001. His screenplay of The Acid House was directed for Channel 4 Films by Paul McGuigan (1998). His journalism includes a column for Loaded magazine and occasional articles for The Guardian. He is also a DJ and has recorded a single with rock group Primal Scream. In February 2003 Irvine Welsh began writing a Monday column for the Daily Telegraph. “His Language”: “When I first started to get into writing, it...
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...Twelve Angry Men: Justice is Served Twelve Angry Men takes you into a day in the lives of twelve jurors in a New York City courthouse. In the hands of the jurors lies the fate of a young man accused of stabbing his father. Throughout the film, the audience becomes familiar with each of the jurors and is quickly introduced to topics at issue such as discrimination, iniquitous motives, and concerns about the American judicial system. As the twelve jurors deliberate to reach a verdict, the film epitomizes the validation and condemnation of the American justice system. There are many responsibilities of a jury: to achieve fair and impartial decision, determine guilt or not guilt, give people voice in the government, and to protect the rights of the accused. In other words, the main point of the jury system is not to provide innocence but eradicating or sustaining reasonable doubt. The presumption of innocence is a key theme in the narrative that reflects one of the distinct characteristics of the American justice system. As much as this film is about lessons of discrimination, fate, and impartiality, it is also a lesson of the American justice system. Although this film demonstrates many imperfections in the court system, as imperfect human beings, perhaps it is necessary that justice call upon such a system. As shown in Twelve Angry Men, the American justice system, although seemingly flawed, works for us imperfect human beings Aside from the opening courtroom scene where...
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...loA Telephone Call Analysis REALISTIC, MODERNIST PLOT, 1st person monologue A Telephone Call brings up issues such as the constraints of society and the different places men and women occupy it all through a simple device, the telephone. The character in this story is awaiting a call from her lover, who promised to call but has not. The woman goes through a variety of emotions including anger, hope, and despair. Parker uses this very uncomplicated situation to highlight the power dynamics to be found in relations between men and women, and the problems etiquette creates in these relations. The telephone is an important part of this story. There are specific social rules for using the telephone and they place men and women in different and unequal positions of power. Social rules around people of the opposite sex who are dating are especially restrictive. Women are not supposed to call men, men are supposed to call them. This gives men more power than women, as they can decide whether to call or not. The main conflict in this story is the woman's inability to do what she wants. She would like to call her lover but afraid to do so because society has taught her that men dislike women to call them. This leaves her stuck and unable to do anything but rationalize why her lover hasn't called, play mind games with herself in an attempt to make him call, rage because he hasn't, and beg God to make him call. In her article "On the Wire with Death and Desire: The Telephone...
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