Sunday, August 18, 2019
Frank Oââ¬â¢Hara as Modernist for the People Essay -- Frank
à à à The poetry of Frank O'Hara is intimately connected to New York City.à He explores the role of the individual subject in the city and the mechanics of the city itself; yet because he engages the urban landscape in an urbane manner many readers of Frank O'Hara view him as the prankish patron of the New York art scene who occasionally took pen to paper.à Take this review by Herbert Leibowitz as an example: à A fascinating amalgam of fan, connoisseur, and propagandist, he was considered by his friends, in an excess of enthusiasm, as the Apollinaire of his generation, an aesthetic courtier who had taste and impudence and prodigious energy . . . From the start O'Hara exhibits a precocious air of command and a throwaway charm, as if to the verbal manner born . . . and indeed his world is full of events - parties, thoughtful acts, homosexual encounters, a painting or film to be commented on - that he supports with a sophisticated naà ¯ve wonder and generous emotion. [1] à Leibowitz's remarks occasion the publication of The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara and decorate the back cover of the paperback version.à I find it a little strange that a publisher reprinted a portion of this particular review of O'Hara's poetry.à Leibowitz basically pans the book and dismisses O'Hara as a poet of minor importance.à He views Frank O'Hara as "a Pan piping on city streets".à This is a backhanded compliment at best but it does solder a connection between lyric poetry and the cityscape.à Consider that O'Hara is following in the footsteps of another lyric poet of the urban landscape, Charles Baudelaire.à Baudelaire attempts to embrace modernity, as he sees it, and to write the poetry of the city and the crowd.à Although his intentions... ...r. [7] Neal Bowers.à "The City Limits: Frank O'Hara's Poetry".à Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge, University of Michigan Press, 1990 (321). [8] This section is very problematic.à I don't want to make reductive generalizations and assertions about Modernism.à At the same time, I do not want to explore the work of any one writer in too much detail.à I'm going to allude mainly to Eliot and Pound, for simplicity's sake. [9] Frank O'Hara.à "The Day Lady Died".à The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara, ed. Donald Allen.à University of California Press, 1995 (325).à Hereafter cited parenthetically by title of poem and line number. [10] Kevin Stein.à "Everything the Opposite: A Literary Basis for the Anti-Literary in Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems"à Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge.à University of Michigan Press, 1990 (358). à Frank Oââ¬â¢Hara as Modernist for the People Essay -- Frank à à à The poetry of Frank O'Hara is intimately connected to New York City.à He explores the role of the individual subject in the city and the mechanics of the city itself; yet because he engages the urban landscape in an urbane manner many readers of Frank O'Hara view him as the prankish patron of the New York art scene who occasionally took pen to paper.à Take this review by Herbert Leibowitz as an example: à A fascinating amalgam of fan, connoisseur, and propagandist, he was considered by his friends, in an excess of enthusiasm, as the Apollinaire of his generation, an aesthetic courtier who had taste and impudence and prodigious energy . . . From the start O'Hara exhibits a precocious air of command and a throwaway charm, as if to the verbal manner born . . . and indeed his world is full of events - parties, thoughtful acts, homosexual encounters, a painting or film to be commented on - that he supports with a sophisticated naà ¯ve wonder and generous emotion. [1] à Leibowitz's remarks occasion the publication of The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara and decorate the back cover of the paperback version.à I find it a little strange that a publisher reprinted a portion of this particular review of O'Hara's poetry.à Leibowitz basically pans the book and dismisses O'Hara as a poet of minor importance.à He views Frank O'Hara as "a Pan piping on city streets".à This is a backhanded compliment at best but it does solder a connection between lyric poetry and the cityscape.à Consider that O'Hara is following in the footsteps of another lyric poet of the urban landscape, Charles Baudelaire.à Baudelaire attempts to embrace modernity, as he sees it, and to write the poetry of the city and the crowd.à Although his intentions... ...r. [7] Neal Bowers.à "The City Limits: Frank O'Hara's Poetry".à Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge, University of Michigan Press, 1990 (321). [8] This section is very problematic.à I don't want to make reductive generalizations and assertions about Modernism.à At the same time, I do not want to explore the work of any one writer in too much detail.à I'm going to allude mainly to Eliot and Pound, for simplicity's sake. [9] Frank O'Hara.à "The Day Lady Died".à The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara, ed. Donald Allen.à University of California Press, 1995 (325).à Hereafter cited parenthetically by title of poem and line number. [10] Kevin Stein.à "Everything the Opposite: A Literary Basis for the Anti-Literary in Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems"à Frank O'Hara: To Be True to a City, ed. Jim Elledge.à University of Michigan Press, 1990 (358). Ã
Macbeths Downfall Essay -- essays research papers
In William Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, is a brave and loyal subject to the King of Scotland, but as the play progresses, his character begins to change drastically. Evil and unnatural powers, as well as his own passion to become king, take over his better half and eventually lead to his downfall. The three main factors that intertwine with one another that contribute to Macbethââ¬â¢s tragic end are the prophecies told by the three witches, Lady Macbethââ¬â¢s influence, and finally, Macbethââ¬â¢s excessive passion and ambition which drove his desire to become king to the utmost extreme. The prophecy told by the three witches was what triggers the other factors that contribute to Macbeth s downfall. In the first act, the witches tell Macbeth that he is to become the Thane of Cawdor and soon after, king. This prophecy arouses Macbethââ¬â¢s curiosity of how he can become the King of Scotland. ââ¬Å"Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: By Sinelââ¬â¢s death I know I am Thane of Glamis; But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives, a prosperous gentleman; and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief.â⬠(Act I. sc.III) This quote shows how the witches prophecy attracts Macbeth. It demonstrated how Macbeth thirsts for an answer from the witches of how is he to become the Thane of Cawdor and even king. As the play continues, Macbeth slowly relies on the witchesââ¬â¢ prophecies. It becomes a remedy for Macbethââ¬â¢s curiosity, which corrupts his character. One of the witche...
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Children Youth and Environments Journal Essay
The Role of the Youth in Establishing Unity in a Diversified Multicultural Society Years passed, adults have tried to control youth because they represent the future. Young people often fight back, trying to create their own world that is separate from their parents. At the end of World War II they were finally given a name: ââ¬Å"teen-agers,â⬠an ideal of young people as consumers. That model for youth spread around the world, and still exists today. Throughout history, young people have played an active role in shaping major social and political advancements. Todayââ¬â¢s growing globalization and cross-border movements create an environment, which is increasingly diverse in terms of culture and religion. Young peopleââ¬â¢s contribution to understanding the impact of this diversity on everyday life as well as politics is now more crucial than ever. Moreover, as they constitute the largest segment of population in many regions, the role of youth in shaping their countryââ¬â¢s response to cultural and religious diversity is vital. We clearly see youth as an essential asset ââ¬â a crucial pool of talent, ideas and energy ââ¬â that plays a critical role in addressing the challenges related to global and local instability. We must get control of this. We must motivate our youth. We must teach responsibility and goal setting. I fear if we do not we will soon be supporting an entire generation of homeless and needlessly on welfare families. Things have to change, with our schools, with the older generation being good role models, with the older generation being mentors, and with the youth who are right now doing nothing. We believe that it is important to recognize young peopleââ¬â¢s own contribution to promoting respect and understanding and fostering dialogue among people of different backgrounds. With teenage unemployment soaring, young people can no longer influence the world with their wallets. As student protests began exploding across the globe this fall, we felt compelled toâ⬠¦ [continues]
Friday, August 16, 2019
Monopoly and Fair Return
Chapter 10 (Tentative Due Date: by November 1) Question 2: Discuss the major barriers to entry into an industry. Explain how each barrier can foster either monopoly or oligopoly. Which barriers, if any, do you feel give rise to monopoly that is socially justifiable? LO1 The major barriers to entry in an industry are economies of scale, legal barriers such as patents & licenses and other strategic or pricing barriers. Economies of scale occur only in large firms who are able to reach a minimum efficiency scale point and operate at that point for a long period.This high TC results in a low ATC and high efficiency. Once a huge firm innovates, it protects that very idea or product through patents disallowing other firms to copy their product. Government licensing could also result in limited entry of firms because they might not provide permission for another firm to enter the market. Another means to reduce competition within an industry is to manipulate price. Monopolists, being a price setter, could slash their price just to make it tougher for their competitor to survive.Other strategic methods could include increased advertisement to a level where the lesser and smaller firms will find impossible to compete against. These barriers of entry can prove to be pertinent for the existence of a pure monopoly. The absence of some of these barriers would lead away to a market structure resembling an oligopoly or perhaps even a monopolistic competitive industry if the number of firms was to be large. And in the case where there are no barriers a purely competitive market would appear.But definitely some barriers are within legal rights. For example a patent protects the product for a number of years and itââ¬â¢s understandable that a monopoly would want to restrict the usage of their research and hard work. Similarly if the price slashes are pushing out competition, they are at the same team encouraging competitors to reduce their costs/price which is great for t he consumers and the market in general. Question 3: How does the demand curve faced by a purely monopolistic seller differ from that confronting a purely competitive firm?Why does it differ? The demand curve of a purely competitive firm is horizontal because it has perfect substitutes and a very large number of firms. The demand curve is perfectly elastic and hence horizontal. On the other a pure monopolyââ¬â¢s demand curve is downward sloping because market demand is not perfectly elastic. The monopolist is the industry and its demand curve is hence the market demand curve. The difference in characteristics such as number of firms, types of product and barriers to entry cause the distinguished demand curve.Question 9: Explain verbally and graphically how price (rate) regulation may improve the performance of monopolies. In your answer distinguish between (a) socially optimal (marginal? cost) pricing and (b) fair? return (average? total? cost) pricing. What is the ââ¬Å"dilemma of regulationâ⬠? LO5 Thinking of a firm operating at a point where ATC is still falling. Each small firm would produce a much smaller output at a higher ATC. So efficient and lowest-cost production requires a single seller. This is represented in the graph attached and named Graph 1. The monopoly could charge any price they choose.One option is to charge the socially optimal price where price equals marginal cost. This is the allocatively efficient output level where all marginal benefits exceed marginal cost. An alternative pricing method is the fair return theory where price is equal to ATC. Under this operation the monopoly is able to break even and continue operation. A fair return is equal to normal profit. The ââ¬Å"dilemma of regulationâ⬠is caused by these very regulation methods. These regulatory measures which are set to achieve the most efficient allocation of resources in P=MC actually result in the monopoly making a loss.Similarly the problem with the fair re turn price is that it doesnââ¬â¢t completely solve the issue of under-allocation. Question 11, LAST WORD: How was De Beers able to control the world price of diamonds even though it produced only 45 percent of the diamonds? What factors ended its monopoly? What is its new strategy for earning economic profit, rather than just normal profit? Despite producing 45% of the diamonds, De Beers was able to control the world price due to the ability to control its own production levels and high market share.The fact that so many diamond suppliers were coming through and providing alternatives such as synthetic diamonds forced De Beers to invest in advertising and promoting their own diamonds. These were factors simply out of De Beers control. More diamond reserves were being discovered and caused competition. So De Beers was forced to stop its operation as a monopoly and instead as ââ¬Å"the diamond supplier of choiceâ⬠. Problem 1: Suppose a pure monopolist is faced with the demand schedule shown below. Calculate the missing total? revenue and marginal? revenue amounts.Assuming that MC is $39, determine the profit? maximizing price and profit? maximizing output for this monopolist. Assuming that the ATC is $52. 50, what is the monopolistââ¬â¢s profit? Verify your answer by comparing it to the Total Revenue -Total Cost approach. LO2 Total Revenue from top to bottom, in dollars: 0, 100, 166, 213, 252, 275, 288, 294, 296, 297, 290 Marginal Revenue from top to bottom in dollars: 100, 66, 47, 39, 23, 13, 6, 2, 1, -7 The profit maximizing price is $63 and profit-maximizing output is 4. Monopolistââ¬â¢s profit is TR-TC=252-(4*52. 50)=>252-210=$42
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Gender â⬠Wage Gap Essay
Within Australiaââ¬â¢s workforce history, there has been a strong presence of the gender wage gap between men and women. The differences in wages between men and women still seem to persist in todayââ¬â¢s society (Sap 1993). A study by van Wanrooy (2009) suggests that even though there is an increase of women in the labour market, they still have the caring responsibilities, looking to juggle work and family. Throughout the workforce, there is still a significant barrier present which suggests that the ââ¬Ëmale breadwinnerââ¬â¢ is still the evident employment model in Australia (van Wanrooy 2009). Women seem to have a people and family first approach to work, while men tend to respect their work life and value money more (Pon and Nyhus 2012).Womenââ¬â¢s struggle within the labour market often results from the lack of bargaining power within their chosen occupation and their skills (Preston and Jefferson 2007). Firstly, this essay will discuss the relationship between bargaining power and the current issue of the gender wage gap within Australia. This essay will explore the reasons as to why women struggle to bargain with their employers on the issue of wages and fair working conditions. Secondly, this essay with explore why the difference in personality traits between men and women contribute to the gender wage gap. A striking explanation for the present gender wage gap within the Australian workforce is the lack of bargaining power that women currently hold in their workplaces. Within Australia, women generally work in low paid and low skill occupations. This in turn limits their access to representation and strong bargaining power when it comes to negotiating pay outcomes, particularly in part time jobs (van Wanrooy 2009). As previously stated, women tend to work in low skilled jobs which then disadvantages their bargaining power. Van Wanrooy (2009) states that those people with high skill levels within their occupation are seen to have more confidence and motivation towards bargaining for more desirable pay and work conditions. Furthermore, thisà suggests that men have a higher bargaining power over women. This is due to the fact that 46% of women are more likely to be given work in a lower skilled job compared to the low 36% of men that are employed in low skilled jobs (van Wanrooy 2009). This then gives men a greater opportunity to bargain for better wages, while decreasing womenââ¬â¢s contingency to narrow the gender wage gap through bargaining power. The segmentation of women into low paid jobs and occupations has clearly limited access to bargaining power, and resulted in women relying on minimum wages distributed through the reward system (van Wanrooy 2009). In a study by Frino and Whitehouse (2003) , it is also seen that with the over representation of women in the award only sector, this clearly disadvantages women in seeking higher bargaining power and doesnââ¬â¢t decrease the persistent gender wage gap. As female workers are more likely to work in industries with 100 employees or less, this jeopardises the chance to gain bargaining power to negotiate wages through union s. This is due to the fact that there is a lower chance of unions to be present in smaller businesses (van Wanrooy 2009). This creates an issue for women as they are the ones that need protection and the bargaining power of the unions. While women in low skilled occupations are less likely to be union members, union membership is almost doubled when it comes to men in the same occupation (van Wanrooy 2009). With women in low qualified jobs, less likely to be union members, this impacts their ability to collaborate with their employers over the issue in the wage gap between genders. Within the labour market, it is demonstrated that because of the difference in personality traits between genders, women are often less rewarded then men (Pon and Nyhus 2011). In the labour rmarket, earnings, employment, promotion and productivity can all be influenced by personality traits (Linz and Semykina 2010). As employees, personality traits determine the amount of effort and productivity brought forward in the workplace, influencing the way they act towards incentives (Pon and Nyhus 2011). According to Pon and Nyhus (2011), women tend to be more cautious and less competitive compared to men. The lack of competitiveness by women can then lead to women staying in a particular job for longer, accepting the lower salary, not wanting to compete for other high paying jobs. As women are found to be the mostà agreeable in the workforce compared to men (Pon and Nyhus 2011), this reflects upon women negatively as they are more willing to agree to first offers by employers, most often resulting agreeing to a low paid job. Personality difference and behaviours between men and women could potentially grow to wage differences and could partly explain the gender wage gap (Pon and Nythus 2011). Interesting findings from a study conducted by Hogue, Singleton and Yoder (2007) identified that women are found to hold beliefs about themselves that include having a lower self worth and a depressed entitlement. This is then reflects a lower social status, but when their status is lifted, their wage entitlement also lifts. Whereas men believe that they deserve higher wages even though their abilities and performance may not reflect worthy of a higher wage (Hogue, Singleton and Yoder 2007). On average, women are less emotionally stable compared to their male counterparts, with emotionally stable people predicted to earn more than those that are emotionally unstable (de Jong and Need 2008). This could begin to explain why women are being paid less and why the gender wage gap is still prevalent in todayââ¬â¢s society. De Jong and Need (2008) also found within their study that people who class themselves as sociable expect to earn less than those that are more career orientated. On average, women tend to be more sociable then men (de Jong and Need 2008). It is also evident that those who are more intellectual receive higer wages, with men tending to be more intellectual than women (de Jong and Need 2008). These three personality traits that affect a personââ¬â¢s earning and wages could be linked to the gender wage gap as women who are emotionally unstable and more sociable would be less career focused and motivated compared to men in their workplace. In summary, there are many explanations for the current gender wage gap in Australia. This essay has revealed two in depth explanations as to why the gender wage gap still persists. From the use a previous research, this essay has identified those two explanations, the lack of bargaining power of women and the influence of personality traits on income, as accurate explanations of why the gender wage gap is still evident in society today. Each arguments are valid within Australiaââ¬â¢s workforce and suggest that further researchà should be conducted to identify further trends of the gender wage gap, and possibly enforce new rules and regulations to help combat the gender wage gap and promote equity between male and female employees. REFERNCES Frino, B & Whitehouse, G 2008, ââ¬ËWomen, wages and Industrial Agreementsââ¬â¢, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 579-596, viewed 27th April 2012, via Informit Hogue, M, Yoder, JD & Singleton, SB 2007, ââ¬ËThe Gender Wage Gap: An explanation of menââ¬â¢s elevated wage entitlementââ¬â¢, Sex Roles, vol. 56, no. 9-10, pp. 573-579, viewed 01st May 2012, SpringerLink, DOI 10.1007/s1119-007-9199-z Jefferson, T & Preston, A 2007, ââ¬ËTrends in Australiaââ¬â¢s Gender-wage ratioââ¬â¢, Labour and Industry, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 69-84, viewed 27th April 2012, via ProQuest Central Linz, SJ & Semykina, A 2012, ââ¬ËAnalysing the gender pay gap in transition economies: How much does personality matterââ¬â¢, Human Relations, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 447-469, viewed 30th April 2012, SAGE Premier 2012, DOI 10.1177/0018726709339094 Need, A & de Jong, U 2008, ââ¬ËPersonality traits and gender-specific income expectations in Dutch higher educationââ¬â¢, Social Indicators Research, vol. 86, no. 1, pp. 113-128, viewed 30th April 2012, SpringerLink, DOI 10.1007/s11205-007-9104-8 Nyhus, EK & Pons, E 2011, ââ¬ËPersonality and the gender wage gapââ¬â¢, Applied Economics, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 105-118, viewed 27th April 2012, Taylor & Francis Online Library, DOI 10.1080/00036846.2010.500272 Sap, J 1993, ââ¬ËBaragining power and wages: A game-theoretic model of gender differences in unions wage bargainingââ¬â¢, Labour Economics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 25-48, viewed 27th April 2012, Science Direct database, DOI 10.1016/0927-537(93)90004-2 Van Wanrooy, B 2009, ââ¬ËWomen at work in Australia: Bargaining a Better Position?â⬠, Australian Bulletin of Labour, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 611-628, viewed 27th April 2012, via ProQuest Central
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Butcher Boys by Jane Alexander Essay
Butcher Boys is a work of art created by Jane Alexander in 1985-86. Jane Alexander is a caucasian female who was born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1959, and grew up in South Africa during the tumultuous political and cultural atmosphere of apartheid and the fight for civil rights. This location, or more specifically the cultural, social and political aspects of this location, affected Alexanderââ¬â¢s work, Butcher Boys. The artist states, ââ¬Å"my work has been a response to the social environment I find myself in. Apartheid happened to be the important political condition at a certain time, and it still impacts my perception of social environments now, here or abroadâ⬠. (Dent). Alexander still resides in South Africa and currently teaches at the Michaelis School of Fine Arts in Cape Town (Bick 30). Butcher Boys is a work consisting of three plaster-cast, life-size naked figures that embody both human and inhuman characteristics. The human characteristics include arms, legs, hands, feet and torsos that are combined with monster like heads with decaying horns, dark eyes, cleaved backs, sutured chests, ear holes and lacking mouths. The genitalia of the figures appear to be covered by codpieces. The three figures are seated on a bench in a mundane position that could be seen in a ââ¬Å"doctorââ¬â¢s office waiting roomâ⬠or similar to ââ¬Å"athletes on the bench.â⬠(Klassmeyer). This exhibit is not separated from the audience by rails or boundaries, but is on an equal level to viewers, and therefore viewers are able to see the art piece from all angles. The artist used oil paints to create the darkness of the defects of the figures making them seem more realistic. This artwork was created by Alexander while she was completing a masters degree at the Universityà of Witwatersrand. She may have chosen the media of plaster to create these figures due to the message she intended to portray. The possible message, which will be discussed in detail later, is controversial and addresses theà large topic of apartheid. Perhaps the artist wanted to make a life-sized exhibit to make an impression and better communicate this important message. This exhibit is not just large but the humanoid figures are created to scale of the human form which makes the message more intimate and relatable to the general audience. Another reason why Alexander may have chosen plaster for this art piece, is that plaster is inexpensive and easily accessible. For a student, and I speak from experience, these are important considerations when choosing a medium to utilize. Therefore, plaster allowed Alexander to make the statement she intended within her constraints as a stude nt. In A History of Art in Africa, Suzanne Blier describes various categories that can applied to African art. Several of these categories apply to Jane Alexanderââ¬â¢s piece Butcher Boys. Alexander utilizes innovation of form by adding innovations to the human figure to communicate her message. This symbolizes the inhuman characteristics of the culture of apartheid. This technique of creating human forms with inhuman additions has a realistic and yet surreal effect on the viewer. Visual abstraction is shown in this artwork by the deviation of the figures from the classic human form. Although the figures are in a very unremarkable position, they have cleaved backs, horns, ear holes and other inhuman attributes. Without the addition of these abstract characteristics, these figures would appear to be ordinary humans, and the thought provoking connotations of the piece would be lost. The figures in the art piece are human like and represent human society. This shows humanism/ anthropomorphism. There are also three figures arranged together in this piece making this display an ensemble. The meaning of Butcher Boys is very intellectually complex, and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Therefore the piece shows a multiplicity of meaning. The various interpretations of this piece will be discussed at a later point in this essay. The categories that do not apply to Alexanderââ¬â¢s piece include parallelà asymmetries and performance. The cultural, political, and social circumstances that existed in South Africa during the life of Jane Alexander greatly impacted her art, and specifically the piece Butcher Boys. To appreciate the meaning of this pieceà it is necessary to understand the history of South Africa, the origin of the artist. Similar to other African countries, South Africa was colonized by Europeans including Dutch and later British immigrants. The discovery of gold and diamonds in the mid 1800s brought an increase in attention to South Africa and therefore, an increase in immigration from European countries. The Zulu, an empire of the indigenous African population, was defeated by the British and the Dutch in 1879. These white immigrants over time established control of the indigenous populations by creating several laws and limitations. The Nativeââ¬â¢s Land Act of 1913 assigned 87% of the land in South Africa to the white population and 13% to blacks. The Mines and Works Act of 1911 assigned menial and manual labor to blacks and skilled labor to whites. During this time the indigenous population was denied many rights including the right to vote. In 1948, apartheid, a policy of racial segregation, was put into place by the ruling white population. This significantly increased the racial issues in South Africa. In the 1960s and 1970s South Africa encountered upheaval including several strikes and uprisings which result ed in many deaths. After this time South Africa experienced a continuous struggle between the black and white populations as the indigenous people fought for their civil rights, similar to what was experienced in the United States during this time. During this time of racial turbulence, Jane Alexander created the piece Butcher Boys in 1985-86. This cultural, social and political framework had a distinct impact that is communicated in the meaning of this piece. As an artist, Jane Alexander is generally silent as to her intended meaning of her pieces ArtThrob). Therefore, the meaning of Butcher Boys is open to interpretation and there are a variety of perceptions of this piece. One possible intention of this piece is to create emotions within the viewers related to the horrors that took place during the apartheid era in South Africa. The figures in the artwork may represent theà perpetrators of apartheid. The casualness of the appearance of the models in relation to the inhuman characteristics of each may communicate the good and evil within the white population involved in these atrocities. This may show the revulsion that Alexander felt toward the white population while living in South Africa during apartheid. In contrast, these figures can also beà perceived as representations of the black population. They show ââ¬Å"dehumanized victims of apartheidââ¬â¢s crimes against humanityâ⬠(Bick 33) by the additions of horns, cleaved backs, and other inhuman attributes on the otherwise normal human form. It can be argued that the evil vs good theme displayed in this artwork portray the good and evil present in all of us. These sculptures have no genitalia or specific skin color and are therefore representations of humanity in general, and all viewers can relate the forms to themselves. This interpretation is intensified because the figures are life-sized and are not separated from the audience allowing them to become more intimate with the art piece. The human features of the sculptures cause viewers to relate personally to the figures, and ponder if the inhuman att ributes represent the evil inside themselves. Another interesting issue regarding the perception of Jane Alexanderââ¬â¢s Butcher Boys occurred in February 2012. At this time, the South African band Die Antwoordââ¬â¢s lead singer Ninja dressed as a character resembling a figure in Butcher Boys in a teaser trailer for their album Tension. Die Antwoord speaks to the post-apartheid generation of the white population who is now experiencing a changing identity as the political and social entities in South Africa stabilize after a tumultuous past. Die Antwoord participates in ââ¬Å"selecting, editing, and borrowing from available cultural resources to construct and perform a new white identityâ⬠(English). Jane Alexander communicated with the band after this release objecting to the bandââ¬â¢s appropriation of the imagery of her piece. The band immediately removed the video and the lead singer responded that they used the imagery because Butcher Boys was one of the few South African art pieces that they were proud of. R eactions to this occurrence in South Africa have been mixed. Butcher Boys by Jane Alexander was chosen for this essay because it was previously introduced to the class and the image was found to be both visually and conceptually stimulating. After reading the article Horror Histories: Apartheid and the Abject Body in the Work of Jane Alexander, the historical significance of this piece made it even more intriguing. Butcher Boys became even more compelling after research showed that this specific art work, as well as its history, impacted the band Die Antwoord, which is aà band I appreciate. This piece is relatable to me personally because it shares many qualities of my own work which utilize the human form with alterations. I find the work of Jane Alexander to be inspirational and will draw from this experience in my future endeavors as an artist. Bibliography Being Human. Durham University. N.p., 3 Mar. 2009. Web. . Bick, Tenley. ââ¬Å"Horror Histories: Apartheid and the Abject Body in the Work of Jane Alexander.â⬠African Arts (2010): 30-41. Print. Dent, Lisa. ââ¬Å"Global Context: Q+A with Jane Alexander.â⬠Art in America. Cynthia Zabel, 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. . English, Chris. ââ¬Å"Die Antwoord and Appropriation.â⬠YouTube. YouTube, 06Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. . ââ¬Å"Jane Alexander.â⬠ArtThrob. N.p., July 1999. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. . ââ¬Å"Jane Alexander | South African History Online.â⬠South African History. N.p.,15 Apr. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. . Jimenez, Danââ¬â¢etta. ââ¬Å"Jane Alexander: Surveys (from the Cape of Good Hope).â⬠(2013): n. pag. Rpt. in Museum of African Art New York. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Klassmeyer, Kelly. ââ¬Å"Jane Alexander and the Dangers of Success.â⬠Houston Press. N.p., 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. . Visonà , Monica Blackmun. A History of Art in Africa. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Narritive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Narritive - Essay Example Daisy wondered as to why the nurses were so nice to the patients when they were not even related to them and she used to think as to why they worked selflessly to take care of the people living in the nursing home. Daisy was highly inspired by these nurses and she made up her mind to follow a career in nursing. She kept on visiting the old age home and she started spending greater time there. As she spent more time at the nursing home, she realized that the picture of the nursing home that she had developed as a child was not totally a true reflection of the nursing home. The old people living in the nursing home still loved Daisy but she saw the sorrow and the sadness in the eyes of most of them. She did not understand the reason for their unhappiness as she felt that the nursing home was a very joyful place where all the needs of the people were fulfilled. She tried to think over and over again but she could not reach to any conclusion. One day while she was visiting the nursing ho me, she saw a man who had come to visit Jane who was a resident at the nursing home. The man was there with his wife and children and when Daisy questioned the other residents, she found out that he was Janeââ¬â¢s son. Daisy could see the happiness on Janeââ¬â¢s face. But the man and his family had a very stern expression. Daisy hid herself and started listening to them. ââ¬Å"You are here to take me home this weekend with you, right?â⬠The man maintained the same stern expression and said, ââ¬Å"Mother we have guests coming over and we do not have enough space to accommodate you at the same time.â⬠Jane felt helpless and started pleading to her son as she said that it had been months that she had not visited the family home where she had spent her entire life before being moved to the nursing home. Her son did not respond to her requests and finally he left without saying goodbye to Jane. This incident was an eye opener for me. Daisy was shocked and her image of t he nursing home as a beautiful house shattered at once. She understood that were greater depths behind these happy faces and there were many griefââ¬â¢s that they had no one to share with. Daisy became more observant and she started noticing several similar events at the nursing home. There were people, who were visited by their families and were brought gifts for, but there were many others who were not frequently visited and some did not have any guardians coming to see them at all. Daisy started noticing these occurrences and they worked towards maturing her thought process and making her understand the reality of life. Daisy was shocked to see the contrast that existed between the nurses who worked day and night for taking care of the people who were not related to them in any way. On the other hand, there were blood relatives who did not care about the people who brought them up and loved them the most when they were helpless little beings. The incidents at the nursing home taught Daisy the true meaning of good and bad. She understood that this world is a place where different kinds of people live. There are those who value and cherish their relationships whereas there are others who have their own selfish motives and care about themselves and no one else. Daisy remained committed to her career choice of nursing as she wanted to place herself amongst the good people of the society. She wanted to be a helper and a person who would
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)