...When I heard the assignment for Inquiry Two, I was quite excited. I had heard of “Waiting For Superman,” but had never really had the chance to watch it. The topic of it is something that I am extremely passionate about and was eager to learn more about. So I happily watched the documentary and quickly whipped out a first draft (rough rough draft) without even really having to think about it- the words just poured out. However, when writing my real rough draft, I tried to focus a bit more on the rhetorical appeals. My revision process on Inquiry Two was much more rigorous than my typical revision process. At my meeting with Bridget for my conference on my rough draft of Inquiry 2, she had me read my paper aloud. Reading it out loud made me realize how focused the paper really was on my thoughts and my opinions on the topic of the documentary. There was way too much emphasis on my thoughts on the public school systems of America, and not nearly enough rhetorical analysis of the documentary. I wrote what felt like millions of drafts and printed them all out and scribbled all over them. I also used Bridget as resource and took her ideas and comments into considering my final draft. Overall, I tried to focus the paper much more on a rhetorical analysis of the film instead of my own opinions on the issue (those can come in Inquiry Three!). Waiting for “Superman” Waiting for “Superman” examines one of the most heated debates in today’s political society: the question of what to...
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...Waiting for Balance: A Review of Waiting for Superman Directed by Davis Guggenheim Paramount Vantage and Participant Media, 2010. Approximately 90 minutes. ________________________________________________________________________ Reviewed by Joseph Flynn, Northern Illinois University Introduction Waiting for Superman is the latest documentary by the Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim. Guggenheim also directed An Inconvenient Truth, the Al Gore documentary about climate change and global warming. What made An Inconvenient Truth such a masterwork was that it presented stark and incontrovertible information about the destruction of our environment and further challenged the viewers to do something about it. Waiting for Superman follows a similar formula. It presents the viewer with an incredible amount of troubling information about our public schools and models of seemingly progressive advocates for change. The data represented is also properly cited on-screen, differentiating it from personal polemics like Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9-11. It concludes with a challenge to act for the best interests of our nation’s youths; the end credits include a web site where viewers can go for ideas. That makes it difficult to speak negatively about the film, but upon a closer analysis we find that most of the information presented in the film is over-generalized and highly debatable. The problem with the film, ultimately, is that it is true and false, comprehensive...
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...In 2010, Davis Guggenheim released one of the years most talked about documentaries, Waiting for Superman. His film was an eye opening, to many, look at the failings of the U.S. school system. The film follows five students across the U.S., who range in grade level from kindergarten to eighth grade, as they try and escape the public school system through a lottery for a chance admission to a charter school. Guggenheim lays the blame for the failing public education system at the feet of the various teachers unions, and makes a plea for the public in general to get involved in reforming the system. By analyzing Waiting for Superman through a sociological perspective, issues of inequality will be explained using the theoretical approach of the conflict perspective. Waiting for Superman begins with the director, David Guggenheim driving past the Los Angeles public schools as he takes his own children to a private school. Guggenheim starts to explain the problems with public education, in regards to how it is failing our society in general, and that the only way for the average family to escape it, is luck. The documentary follows five children, four are minorities from lower income families and one is white from an affluent area of California. All five face the same problem, a public education system that views them as numbers that feed the system. They are not considered for their individual talents or shortcomings. They are all doomed to follow a predestined track, developed...
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...Harris Waiting for Superman The film “Waiting for Superman” illustrates various problems that we have in our public education system. The film follows several children on their quest to get accepted by different schools because if they continue down the path of public school they will fall behind and are far more likely to drop out. Problems in Education: One major problem that the film addresses quite thoroughly is the problem with school funding. Schools receive money from the state, and they are also funded by tax money from citizens who live in the communities. Typically in a neighborhood where the average home price is relatively high the school will often receive and spend more money per student than a school in a poor community. A school in a rich neighborhood will more often than not have newer and higher quality learning materials than a school in a low income community. This difference in income has a huge impact on the education students receive. For example, a “school in a poor neighborhood may be rundown, lack library and science facilities, have crowded classrooms, and be staffed with poorly trained teachers” (Macionis 350). In the film, they called these schools names such as “dropout factories” and “academic sinkholes”. The children in the movie were forced to attend these schools which put them at a huge disadvantage compared to kids who were able to attend a private school or even a decent public school. Another example that the film portrayed was how a...
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...Film Analysis: Waiting For Superman Essay In the film Waiting for Superman, the filmmakers investigate schools where there are low expectations of student achievement. Some of the social factors seen in the film that contribute to non-functioning educational environments are Income, school location, neighborhood.. It seems that families in poverty or with low incomes are not interested in learning. They feel like they have been hit with the short end of the stick. The schools are generally over crowded with few good teachers. When there's a great public school there is not enough space for every child in the neighborhood. Children are stuck in low achieving schools because of how the school districts are divided. A lot of children end up in poor public schools because their parents do not possess the income that it takes to send them to a private school. Since 1971 education cost has increased from $4,300 to more than $9,000 per student. As seen in Bianca's case, her mother cannot afford to pay for her tuition and Daisy's father is unemployed. These kids are forced into "bad education." Some students do not have any aspirations. They live in a neighborhood full of crime therefore their main focus is survival instead of learning. Minority kids between 5th and 7th grade go from being B students to D students. As they get older their grades drop so they feel like they are not going anywhere. Sixty eight percent of inmates in Pennsylvania are high school dropouts. The average inmates...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of Waiting for “Superman” The movie Waiting for “Superman” is conducted in an effective and efficient manner which gave supported facts throughout the film. This documentary follows Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily who are all from different families, in different areas, and shows what they must go through in hopes for a better education. In addition to following each child, the viewer will see how some kids must got through what’s called “The lottery” in order to be admitted into a school of higher education. The director of the film, Davis Guggenheim, argues that America’s schools are in desperate need of attention in order to improve our education system. Guggenheim supports this with the use of logos, ethos, pathos, and visual rhetoric throughout the film. Guggenheim uses logos in conjunction with juxtaposition to provide a fine argument over the fact that America’s public school system is significantly failing in numerous areas. Guggenheim supports this argument with numerous statistics throughout the film. One statistic given is “when students in America were tested in reading, most scored between 20-35% of grade level” (Guggenheim). With that stat alone, Guggenheim really puts into perspective how bad students are lacking general proficiencies in school. Another given fact is the amount the United Sates spends to send a someone to prison for 4 years, vs a student to private school for 13 years. “The cost for one prisoner is approximately...
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...Sobia Chaudhry Deb Williamson English 1113 February 16, 2012 Analysis Essay “Waiting for Superman” The importance and value of public education has declined over a period of decades in the United States of America. It portrays this concept in the documentary “Waiting for Superman” that the failing of schools is getting worse. The reformers of public education are not making much of an effort on this failing educational system. The movie explains public education system is about keeping the teachers unions happy, and having them line their own pockets at the expense of our children’s education. Charter schools being the hot spot where motivated parents are trying to send their children, however there is a limited space and a lot of applicants, the children are placed in the hands of luck. The American Federation of Teachers has been the most powerful and active teachers union. The teachers of today are a lot different from the teachers of the past decade. Today most teachers are unmotivated educators who have quit doing their job precisely. Teachers unions have guaranteed a life time job security to teachers. It doesn’t matter if you are resulting in high test scores in your classroom or low ones. It has become close to impossible to fire an underserving teacher due to tenure. Tenure was first brought up in Universities protecting professors from being fired for non-educational reasons. This has carried on to public schools. Teachers are to teach a certain number of years...
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...Music: Play Superman main theme audio, from live orchestra. (0:00-1:26) {Fade music out} Narrator Trevor Withers: Music has always been an important part of film. Soundtracks in Film allow the mood to be set for a particular scene, or In the beginning stages of film before the invention of “talking film” music was used in silent films to demonstrate mood, event or element. Music: {Fade in Music from Birth of the nation} Narrator TW: The first film to have a specific score written for it was Birth of a Nation. The majority of silent films were accompanied by anything from full orchestras to organists and pianists Music: {Cross layer Charlie Chaplin in The Dictator music from the globe scene} Narrator TW: The 1920’s saw the establishment...
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...Running head: DIGITAL FREEDOM FIGHTERS Digital Freedom Fighters: Defending Free Speech in the 21st Century Abstract Many forms of speech have been contested over the course of time with many being banned, but comic books have been the target of many critics over the 75 year time span of publication. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees that free speech should not be impeded. Many organizations, including the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, are continuing the legal battle of insuring the right of free speech remains unencumbered. Digital Freedom Fighters: Defending Free Speech in the 21st Century Introduction Comic books have been published for over 75 years with a varied subject matter including superhumans, gods, soldiers, historical events and animals. Originally conceived as a child’s reading fodder, comics have evolved beyond the original audience. A recent study found that over 98% of comic book readers are over the age of 18. (Pantozzi, 2012) No longer an art form exclusively for children, comics have been the target of many censorship attacks. With the advent of 21st century technology, comic books have evolved and the criticisms have evolved with them. Newer challenges to this form of speech can sometimes be overwhelming, but there are many organizations which are focused on protecting these freedoms. These are the digital freedom fighters. They are a safeguard against...
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...Hero's Journey Analysis of Matrix: Name: Dominick Robinson Date:5/15/2000 For Thomas A. Anderson, his ordinary world is ironically, a computer-simulated world, known as The Matrix. The real world is only a fake but the adventure world is real. By day, Thomas Anderson works as a computer programmer for a software company called Metacortex. By night, he is a computer hacker for hire known as Neo. In the simulated world, Thomas seems very bored and he doesn't care much about his job. He is always late for work and almost risks losing his job. The only thing that seems to be on his mind is his search for the truth. The answer of the question: "What is the matrix?" Ironically, when Thomas is in the unreal, simulated world, he uses mostly his real name, Thomas Anderson. Only as a hacker is he known as Neo. When he exits the matrix and enters the real world, he is known as Neo. There are more than one calls to the quest in this film. There is a minor call and a major call. The minor call would be when Neo receives a message on his computer stating: "Matrix has you follow the white rabbit". Later, when some customers Neo has worked for come to pick up hacked goods, he is invited to join them. At first, he is reluctant but when he sees a white rabbit on one of them, he decides to go. When he gets the bar where they were headed, he meets with Trinity, a woman who later becomes an ally. She warns him that "they" are watching him. She tells him that there is a man who has the answer to...
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...and avant-garde films. To explore various genres, film theories, and cinematic styles. To illustrate a variety of filmmaking techniques, conventions, and icons. To gain knowledge of international cinema. To study the works of prominent filmmakers and their cinematic impact. To provide a critical methodology and practical application to facilitate a greater critical understanding and appreciation of all aspects of film. To gain experience in writing critical academic essays in relation to film analysis. Students should gain a solid foundational knowledge and understanding of different film genres, forms, and techniques of film making and be able to analyze and communicate how those concepts are used in films to 1) tell a story effectively, 2) communicate meaning in a visual medium, and 3) persuade audiences towards different or particular ways of feeling about or seeing themselves and the world. As a result of taking this course, I hope that students will 1) understand how films create and communicate meaning 2) seek out and enjoy watching a greater variety of films, and 3)...
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...Andy Warhol is an American artist who led the pop art movement that was prevalent in the 1960s. He is known for his paintings of ordinary everyday objects like a Campbell’s Soup Can. Andy is famous for his artwork, but little know about the films he made which did not appeal to the mainstream population. In addition to films he was also a writer. To say that he was he not obsessed with fame and fortune would be an understatement. He was well known to all celebrities in New York for three decades. He had also previously been on famous magazines like the Vogue and Glamour for his drawings of shoes. I choose to write about Andy Warhol because his artwork has a simplicity to it that I appreciate since it is mostly over everyday objects that...
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...The Walt Disney Company & Comparison with the Time Warner Company Cafer C. Sengonul California Intercontinental University 2015 Abstract Walt Disney (The Walt Disney Company) and Warner Bros (Time Warner Company) are the two major entertainment company in the world. These two similar rival groups are competing in the same business areas. Both companies keep producing new products to stay in the business while they keep their classics fresh in their customers' minds too by using them in different areas. This case study analysis is about the the Walt Disney Company and how they are using different business areas to keep their brand and products fresh in minds of their customers. The purpose of the study is to give examples of Disney and Warner Bros’ marketing strategies to compete to stay in the business. Keywords: Walt Disney, Warner Bros, Entertainment companies Overview In this case study, I will compare Disney with the Warner Bros. I will give information about the brands in similar business segments they are both in and their competition in the entertainment industry. I will give examples of the new and classic products from different business segments for the both companies and how they are using them for years. The Walt Disney Company & Comparison with the Time Warner Company The Walt Disney Company is one of the most famous entertainment company in the world today. The company consists of five main segments. Those segments are Consumer Products...
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...Book's Name | Author's Name | A Bend in the River | V. S. Naipaul | A Bend in the River | V.S.Naipaul | A Gift of Monotheists | Ram Mohan Roy | A House for Mr.Biswas | V.S.Naipaul | A Journey | Tony Blair | A Minister and his Responsibilities | Morarji Bhai Desai | A Nation is Making | Surendra Nath Bandhopadhye | A Pair of Blue Eyes | Thomash Hardy | A Passage to India | E. M. Foster | A Revenue Stamp (autobiography) | Amrita Pritam | A Strange and Sublime Address | Amit Choudhary | A Suitable Boy | Bikram Seth | A Tale of Two Cities | Charls Dikens | A Voice of Freedom | Nayantara Shehgal | A week with Gandhi | L. Fischer | Adventures of Sherlock Homes | Arther Canon Doel | All the Prime Minister's Men | Janardan Thakur | Allahabad Prasasti | Harisen | Amitabh- the Making of the Superstar | Susmita Das Gupta | Amukta Malyad | Krishna Deva Raya | An Unknown Indian | Nirod C. Choudhary | Anand Math | Bankim Chandra Chattopadhaye | Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | Aparajito | Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay | Apple Cart | G. B. Shaw | Aranyak | Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay | Arogyaniketan | Tarashankar Bandopadhyay | Astyadhaye | Panini | Bakul Katha | Ashapurna Devi | Ban Palashir Padabali | Ramapada Chowdhury | Bandit Queen | Mala Sen | Bela Obela Kalbela | Jibanananda Das | Bengali Zamindar | Nilmoni Mukherjee | Bicramanchadev | Bilhon | Blind Beauty | Boris Pasternak | Buddhacharit | Asha Ghosh | Captive Lady...
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...Bryan Hurtado Professor Coleman 24 April 2014 Analysis Essay Revolution Of Art On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt by the French painter Claude Monet is one of the few great paintings that truly embody Impressionism. Claude Monet painted mainly with oil paints and canvas, using very characteristic small strokes and dabs of paint. Many of his paintings transmit a tranquil, soft feeling to the beholder because of this. He generally didn't use strongly contrasting colors or very strong colors. On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt was painted in 1868 on the Seine River in the Northwestern Portion of France. This painting depicts Monet’s future wife, Camille Doncieux, gazing across the Seine River at a village not too far off in the distance. The ability this painting has to capture the eye is amazing and unique, and allows you to fully appreciate the Impressionist Art Movement. The scene that is portrayed here is one of a woman sitting on the grass above banks of the River Seine. The woman’s hat is on her right hand side and both are covered in a patch of shade. To her left hand side is an enormous tree that provides the shade for her and the lawn. The woman is looking away ahead with her back turned towards us. In the river ahead you can see a couple in a small boat rowing down the river. You can also see the reflection of the house in the house in the water that is covered by the trees. This painting has a fresh and relaxed tone/feeling to itself. My initial reaction...
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