...The performance of “This is America” by Donald Glover connects with August Wilson’s play Fences by contouring the same ideas of a nation and the use of distractions in the face of a nation’s downfall. The opening of “This is America” begins with the song of a chorus. This chorus can be seen as a nation that comes together as one, just as Troy Maxon’s nation in Fences joins as one to cope with their surrounding world. In both the song and the play, the story of a joint force of black people coming together for support is told. Despite the effort to achieve unity in both nations, each one faces problems. In the nation of “This is America”, gun violence tears apart the choir, while Troy’s inability to enjoy a sense of belonging in his nation tears his family...
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...estate who falls from grace in his attempts to defy a predetermined fate, and avoid their destiny/responsibility in order to maintain their hubristic lives. In the attempts to avoid his or her fates and responsibilities the protagonist plunges deeper into tragedy which eventually ends in the loss of himself and those around him, a sufferance he seemingly deserves from having tried to avoid his fate. Through the use dramatic techniques such as setting, chorus, lighting and movement this definition has manifested itself into my own personal adaptations of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America and Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus in order to portray the way fate and responsibility affect individuals and societies. Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles is a classic Aristotelian Tragedy about a man who sets out to find the killer of his father in order to set the people of Thebes free from famine and pain. Throughout the play Oedipus is given signs that it is he who has sinned against the gods, but he ignores these prophecies and tries to write his own fate which ultimately leads to his own demise. In order to stage this avoidance of fate I have chosen to use tiny LED lights embedded in the ceiling of the stage to represent the fact that Oedipus’s fate was always ‘written in the stars’ and cannot be avoided. Throughout my production the lights will create different stellar formations but as Oedipus tries to continuously defy the fate and ‘danger’ that he ‘cannot see’ the ‘stars’ will slowly shine...
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...Abstract This paper discusses the challenges that America is facing in the race to be first in the world regarding the importance of obtaining a higher education for a better workforce of the nation. The rapid increase in globalization of the 21st century has completely changed the course of the world allowing a vast open playing field and competition from every direction. Foreign students have gained access to the American workplace due to outsourcing and breached the job market for American workers who lack the necessary skillset and education qualifications. While the worldly competition in education has drastically increased, President Obama has addressed a goal for the nation by 2020-for America to be top in the highest proportion of college graduates of the world. One of the greatest challenges that plays as an obstacle for this goal is the problematic college access. On the contrary, Germany has found that college education is not a necessity at all and has successfully maintain a low unemployment rate. However, the economy and government of the United States is structured very differently, and the framework of Obama’s plan proved that a stronger educated population is directly correlated with a stronger nation itself. History and Theoretical Framework For much of America’s history, a college education was not needed to make a decent living as the difference between the average wages of high school and college graduates was very minor. After WWII, however, the growth...
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...America: On the Path to Utopia or Cyberpunk? As I sat and listened to multiple political science essays in the last few weeks of my Honors Colloquium class, some essential concepts really stuck out to me and resonated in my mind. The idea of a utopian society that was brought forth in class got me thinking of how our world would be like today if we adopted some utopian methods of living. In America we are very blessed to live in the land of opportunity yet we are always focused on what is the next and best opportunity for us to seize. The American people have grown accustomed to a fast paced living, never stopping to look around at the beauty of nature that surrounds them or share a smile with a stranger. We are always on to the next best thing and we forget to appreciate the aspects of human life that really matter. If we as a people decided to change our patterns of everyday living we could make America more than the land of the free and opportunity. If we connected with a utopian lifestyle, we might find ourselves actually enjoying life or maybe we will discover utopia isn’t the right choice for the direction of our country’s future. Either way in this paper, I am going to introduce the key elements of a utopian society and also another society that I think represents where America is heading today and into the future. A utopia is a community or society possessing highly desirable or perfect qualities. Utopia can be seen as an imaginary society of sorts because it does...
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...Anonymous Race and Identity 512 17 February 2013 Short Paper: 2 One of the main social and political tasks of 1830’s America was to define what it was to be a free American. Challenged by reformist ideals “purifying” the land and the Industrial Revolution cementing capitalism into the framework of the nation’s economy, Black people and Indians found themselves pushed out of the national identity. Much of this struggle can be witnessed through an analysis of American theater at the time. Stereotypical portrayals of Black Americans through Black Face Minstrelsy and of American Indians in Indian Plays highlight how White Americans invented social constructs to dehumanize or ridicule “other’ races and protect an imagined White American identity with no static definition. The basis for arguing in defense of a singular definition or identity begins with the denial of all others. In the case of White Americans, this was accomplished by dehumanizing all “other” races. With the advent of abolition and its ideals permeating society, Black slaves had the hope that freedom was attainable, and free White’s adopted fears of a common people class developing in the future with “unthinkable” consequences like widespread amalgamation. Slavery would no longer be the precondition for separatism. The void was filled in part by theories of racial science as developed by scientists like Craniologist Samuel Morton. According to his studies, races could be determined by the size and shape of their...
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...anthem played at the beginning of each game. They do this in order to raise awareness about the problems of racism and police brutality in America. Many people think that these players are being disrespectful, however, they are not disrespecting the military in any way. The players have a right to protest peacefully about subjects that they can influence. They have a lot of influence in America because they have a platform that not everybody has. As you can see, the players are doing nothing wrong and have the right to do what they have been doing. Although many people would argue that the players are kneeling against the military, the players say that they are not against the people fighting for the United States, but against it. Some people in America still believe in racism and the outdated beliefs of skin tone affecting who a person is. Those are the kind of people that disrupt the unity in the United States and in turn are fighting against us. Even the police...
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..."The pursuit of beauty and of its attendant features, fashion and dress, has more than any other factor bound together women of different classes, regions, and ethnic groups and constituted a key element in women's separate experience of life."-Lois W. Banner. The world lives in a generation where the image that society places upon women is crucial. The image of perfection is based on the coke bottle appearance and gorgeous plastic face. Women already feel the need to gain as much power as they can due to the lack of gender equality. Body image is very hard to ignore in this barbaric and self indulgent culture. An easy solution to fulfill the empowerment thrive, is to compete in beauty pageants. Our society teaches both women, those who compete and those who do not, that being tenaciously empowered is by looking good and appealing to the eye of the human male. The purpose of this paper is to explore the objectification of women in general; with an emphasis on beauty pageants and how the media interpretation of beauty has changed the woman's body image. Finding an exact definition of beauty is highly impossible, considering beauty is said to be have seen in the eye of the beholder. Unfortunately, in this metaphoric glass fish bowl life style; media, men, art, and fashion are the foremost most important holder. As customs, traditions and American habits expand, so does the true meaning of the word beauty. According to webster dictionary, beauty is defined as the quality or aggregate...
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...in what her daughter wanted was determined to make her own hopes come true. As it says in the beginning of the story “My mother believed you could be anything in America” The mother believes that working hard you can be anything you want to be here in America. The mother had very high hopes that her daughter would become successful and had many dreams to make that happen. The narrator uses her mom to portray the “American Dream” theme, because throughout the story her mother wanted her to do many things. For example when her mother put her into beauty training school and at first she liked it but after also trying other things she realized that she just wanted her parents to accept her. “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me … I would never feel the need to sulk for anything” I think that many people come to america looking for that “American Dream” dreams of becoming rich and successful. Another thing I got from this story is how all those dreams the mother had affected the relationship with her mother. The narrator's mother only wanted her daughter to be successful in life, but by doing that she was starting problems with her daughter, The mom did not realize how her daughter really felt. “ after seeing my mother’s disappointing face once again, something inside me began to die...the raised hopes and dreams and failed expectations.” The narrator probably felt like she wasn’t good enough but all...
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...within society since Superman has been around. Little kids pretend play the roles of super heroes with hope that one day they may become one and even adults sometimes attend conventions with the same goals. They are loved for different reasons. Some being their powers, others being their appearance, but most commonly because it is someone to look up to. The start of WWI and WWII changed our countries face to a traumatic terror. Left and right loved ones were being sent out to defend the country and many weren’t returning. The public was in mental despair over the devastation and hope was greatly needed. Even though they were a fictional character it was still someone to turn to, Superman and Captain America soon became...
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...Death of a Salesman as a play about American tragedy as reflected in the character of Willy Loman. Arthur Miller’s The Death of a Salesman is set against post war America. The play examines the assumptions which ultimately led Willy and his family to their state of desperation. These are the assumptions that many American business people held then. Capitalism and commercialization were the two evils that had engulfed the America of that time. The psychological disturbance experienced by Willy Loman was a common experience of many Americans. Willy Loman doesn’t stand alone he represents the Americans of that period paralyzed by war and depression. The problem arises not because of one particular family because of America itself as it was then. Willy Loman rides on the waves of illusion and doesn’t open his eyes to his present reality. His failure is the failure of American myth of success. According to this myth being well liked was what one needed for going ahead. Another assumption examined by the play is that petty crimes like adultery and stealing are evidence of high spirit. Another assumption examined was that being an athlete brings glory and privilege but being studious leads nowhere. Willy Loman is guided by these false values and has a tragic fall. He tried to include wrong values to his sons and they failed as a result. He cannot face the reality of his present life and goes back to the past which represents illusion. His ...
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...these qualities. Although not all of the qualities in a true American are bad many of the qualities are not favorable for a person looking to be a good all around person. True Americans are greedy, class conscious people, and have a vary large amount of self confidence. Confidence is a large part of American culture and many true Americans pride them selves on the ability to block out fear. Having little or no fear can only improve the lifestyle of a true American. A true American is a hero. An American hero is someone that saves lives and makes the world a safer place. There are types of jobs that can make one a hero, such as a lawman and a soldier. To become a hero, one must face his or her problems head on. It is not easy for anyone to face there fears head on. Not very many people can face them. Then again, it’s not easy to become or be a true American. True Americans are hard to come by and have rare heroic qualities like putting others in front of themselves. Although being a true American takes no fear, most real Americans have a taste for money. True Americans are entrepreneurs. True Americans are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are go-getters in American society. They are looked upon as great people with great ideas. Entrepreneurs are people who want to be famous and or make a lot of money. Entrepreneurs take full advantage of being an American. They never take no for an answer, and always try to get what they desire....
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...Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today. We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union. That's the journey we're on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea - that I might play a small part in building a better America. My work took me to some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and lay-people to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren't simply local in nature - that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could...
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...It’s Half-Time America “Yeah. It’s halftime, America and our second half is about to begin.” Those are the last words you hear before the screen fades to black in the 2012 Dodge Super Bowl commercial featuring Clint Eastwood. The meaning is more than an encouraging speech to persuade consumers to buy a Chrysler product. It is an outpouring of hope and encouragement for the future of our nation. Cleverly, through the use of pathos, logos, and ethos rhetorical devices this ad was built to pull all the right heart strings. On the other hand, Chevrolet’s Super Bowl commercial took a look at the future, the same as Chrysler’s, however the company chose a humorous, far-fetched manner in which to entice...
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...police brutality is defined as(Police Brutality). The term “police brutality” has been used since 1872 when the Chicago Tribune reported the beating of a civilian that was under arrest. There have been countless cases where unarmed African Americans have been shot or physically harmed to the extent where they are killed when the citizen is unarmed. The police force is supposed to make America feel protected and should enforce the nation’s law. Officers should be prime examples for the youth of the nation. Throughout the years it seems police has especially targeted minorities. Citizens are being mistreated because of wrongful assumptions made by police officers. Police...
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...this art. The regions of North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Sub-Saharan Africa are great examples of the impact globalization have on all areas. Globalization has the ability to join regions economically and culturally as well as affect the local demographics and region local life. North America is a leading powerhouse in terms of world globalization. With large populations, world leading language, available resources and technology, and a diverse mixing bowl of comers, the impact the region has on globalization is large. It is noted in the text “Diversity Amid Globalization” by Les Rowntree that a noted 37 million foreigners are in the North America region. The American cultural is known as the “popular cultural landscape,” also referred to as the American dream. With powerful military, technology advancements, resources, producers, funding, and population, the cultural of the North Americas is a world leader in globalization and is evident in many other regions. In Latin America, globalization is not very surrounding impacting. Neoliberalism is the basis of these regions economic structure with a focus of control from a private division. Latin America has a large dependency on the US for trading and foreign investing. The need for value added goods causes this region to be very dependable on large globalization powerhouses, such as the US, to keep their regions economy afloat. Although there is a dependency, Latin America is a sufficient exportation of seafood...
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