Lesbian Photographers :: Photography Homosexuality Sexuality Essays

Lesbian Photographers Joan Scott makes many assertions in her historical essay on gender. The key point that plays into my own research is that â€Å"gender is a primary way of signifying relationships of power.† Power, in the case of women and photography, is controlling the political economy of photography--- as in the ability to control or inform both the denotations, and connotations of a photograph. My research project on lesbian and queer photography from the 1930s to today in America illustrates that there is unequal distribution of power, with a strong correlation to race, class, and gender. This mal-distribution of power changes over time and large shifts link with other large shifts in social change. Through oral histories I conducted with lesbian photographers I learned firsthand that telling lesbian or queer history means understanding the politics of shifting power of photographic representation. As Barthes explains in his essay The Photographic Paradox, scholars must look at bot h the denotations and connotations of a photograph in order to completely understand its meaning. A long history of lesbian photography shows how as social changes reconstructed ideas of women, lesbian photography both reflected changes and offered challenges, particularly with gender, sexuality, and race. As in the case for many social groups, the power to produce the lesbian image is skewed over race, class, and gender. An unequal distribution of resources because of race, class, and gender means that there are fewer resources to spread among those who seek to take pictures. In the early days of photography, those with access to photography were overwhelmingly white, male, and middle or upper class. Race, class, and gender also affected the imagining of documentation by photography, the availability of personal space, capital to purchase equipment, and funds to support taking pictures as a living. Furthermore, in order to get pictures published, the photographer needed connections or money. These prohibitive costs prevent an unforeseen number of women, minorities, and poor from imagining that they could record their lives by photograph, so many of these individuals and groups came to be represented by pictures taken by those whose primary identity may lie outside tha t group. A lack of photographers from the inside of the group did not mean that a group wouldn’t be photographed.

Gun Control :: Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

Many guns are used all around the world. All guns have the potential to become very dangerous weapons. The automatic assault weapon is one of these potentially dangerous weapons, which is used for many different tasks. Although some automatic assault weapons can be beneficially used, the sale of all automatic assault weapons should be banned because they allow many unnecessary accidents to happen, people who tend not to be dangerous have the possibility to become dangerous, and they allow the public the opportunity to become as powerful as the police and the military. Granted, guns can be used beneficially in many different ways. Hunting is one of these ways. However, is hunting still a sport when you can shoot off ten rounds in a second at an animal? Retaliation cannot even occur from these defenseless animals. So guns can be used beneficially, but not automatic assault weapons. The many numbers of accidental deaths by weapons is growing. This is due to the many different weapons out and the lack of knowledge about these weapons. If we are not going to ban automatic assault weapons we should make courses on each weapon mandatory. This will cut down on the many accidents due to automatic assault weapons. Also, people who own automatic assault weapons tend to become dangerous. With the weapon they now have the option of using or not using the weapon. This allows a small fraction of thought and if the person chooses the automatic assault weapon things could get out of hand and the person could become dangerous. More so, people will be allowed to become as powerful as the police and the military. The police and the military have trouble enough handling people without weapons. Also, with the weapons people become the same strength as the police because many of the automatic weapons that the police use are sold to the public.

Richard Morris Hunt : Administration Building Chicago 1893 :: Architecture History

missing image Richard Morris Hunt: Administration Building, Chicago, 1893 This 11 by 14 inch photogravure of the great Administration Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was taken from a set of 25 drawings of the exposition buildings. It was the main focus of the fair, and one of the masterpieces of its architect, Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895). With its fine classical detailing and sweeping scale, this large building was integral to the "White City" concept of the fair. To this day it remains one of the most recognizable landmarks associated with the Columbian Exposition . The Administration Building was conceived by a board of architects led by Daniel Burnham as part of the scheme for the Court of Honor, the major public space at the fair. As director of architecture and construction for the entire Columbian Exposition, Burnham was responsible for selecting designers for all the major buildings. After much debate, this group of mostly east coast practitioners decided that all the major buildings were to be cast in a pristine and highly decorative classical style based on the architecture of Antiquity. Burnham assigned the task of designing the most prominent building to arguably the most prominent man of the group, the New York architect Richard Morris Hunt. By the time Hunt was selected to design the Administration Building, he was near the end of his distinguished career. The first American architect to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Hunt had acquired the status of "dean of American architecture" (Stein 3). His reputation was supported by his large output of fine eclectic buildings such as the Breakers in Newport (1892-95) and Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina (1888-95), both estates for the wealthy Vanderbilt family. These two stylistically different buildings exhibit the quality of Hunt's architecture known as the "grand manner," where he achieved monumentality by combining different sources of classical architecture. This quality was what attracted the fair organizers, and it would be carried to its furthest expression in the Administration Building. As the focal point of the fair, the Administration Building had an important symbolic function. Although not intended for anything related to the fair other than housing offices, the picture shows that it was much larger than necessary for administration purposes. Its great size related to its function as triumphal gateway into the fair. The large majority of visitors arrived by train at the station located directly behind the Administration Building.

Charlie Chaplin Essay -- essays research papers fc

Charlie Chaplin did not use sound to communicate to the audience in his movies. Despite the fact that there was no spoken language, his movies were sensational and the audiences loved them. Chaplin was thought of as cinema’s first genius and has been called the single most-influential artist in the history of motion pictures. I am researching Charlie Chaplin to learn how he became a sensational comedian and one of the best actors of all time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chaplin is considered as one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood. He lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. Charlie Chaplin is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular â€Å"Little Tramp† character; a man with a toothbrush mustache, derby hat, bamboo cane, and a funny walk (â€Å"Biography for Charles Chaplin†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London, England, on April 16th 1889. Charlie inherited natural talents from his parents. He took to the stage to help him start a career in acting. Charlie’s first stage appearance was at the age of five, when he had to fill in for his mother at a music hall performance (â€Å"Biography for Charles Chaplin†). He joined a juvenile tap-dancing group called â€Å"The Eight Lancashire Lads† at the age of eight where he quickly won popularity as a topnotch tap-dancer (â€Å"Biography of Charlie Chaplin†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At eleven, he appeared in â€Å"Giddy Ostende† at London’ Hippodrome (â€Å"Biography for Charles Chaplin†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlie’s parents, Charles Chaplin Sr. and Hannah Harriett, got married on June 25, 1885. His father was a versatile vocalist and actor. His mother, who performed under the stage name Lili Harley, was an attractive actress and singer who gained a reputation in the light opera field. The two also performed in music halls where she would play piano and he would sing ballads (â€Å"Charles Chaplin† 100).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles Chaplin Sr. died on May 9th, 1901 because of unknown causes. On May 5th, 1903 his mother was thrown into a mental institution and committed as a lunatic. Charlie and his half-brother, Sydney, quickly found themselves without a home or parents The boys were put in an orphanage where they were often cold and hungry. After spending two years in the orphanage, they were ... ...is eight children from his last marriage with Oona O’Neill, and one son from his brief marriage with Lita Grey. The grief didn’t stop with his poorly-timed death. In 1978, Chaplin’s corpse was stolen from his grave and not recovered for three months (â€Å"Biography of Charlie Chaplin† ; â€Å"Biography for Charles Chaplin†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlie Chaplin was considered one of the greatest actors of all time. Even more impressive was that he did it without the use of verbal communication. Instead, he communicated to his audiences with his actions and emotions, which he acted out so well. His films show, through the Little Tramp's positive outlook on life in a world full of chaos, that the human spirit has and always will remain the same (â€Å"Biography for Charles Chaplin†). Works Cited â€Å"Charles Chaplin.† Current Biography Yearbook. 1961 ed. â€Å"Charlie Chaplin.† The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1981 ed. â€Å"Charlie Chaplin.† The World Book Encyclopedia. 2001 ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Biography of Charlie Chaplin.† 27 Sept. 2004. Online posting. Available: .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Biography for Charles Chaplin.† 27 Sept. 2004. Online posting. Available: .

Development Of The Submarine :: essays research papers

Development of the Submarine Throughout history, navies have made significant impacts in the technological development of human kind. These impacts range from improvements in metal technologies made while perfecting the cannon to the advent of cybernetics, which allowed more precise targeting of weaponry. One of the more sophisticated developments in naval history has been the invention of the submarine. The submarine was born in 1620 as a leather-covered rowboat built by Cornelius Drebbel. After Robert Fulton came up with a more modern prototype in 1800, the military advantages of a nearly invisible warship were quickly divined. However, they remained unrealized for quite a while. Although Fulton probably foresaw that his invention would be used for war, he hardly could have envisioned it launching projectiles with the capability to level entire countries. However, after a series of innovations in nuclear missile and submarine designs, the submarine-launched ballistic missile has become an integral part of our naval weapons arsenal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the need for the development of nuclear missile submarines, there is a need to examine the political climate of the world in the era after World War II. The realignment of the superpowers after the war resulted in a unique situation. The two major naval powers of the day, Great Britain and the United States, were now allied against the greatest land power in history in the Soviet Union. In the period from 1955 to 1965, the advantage was heavily in favor of the U.S. As the United States had developed the atomic and hydrogen bombs first, they obviously gained a head start which developed into a decisive nuclear advantage. This advantage acted as an effective deterrent to any Soviet movement into Western Europe. However, as the Soviet nuclear arsenal expanded (mostly during the Kennedy administration), it became necessary to effect a balance in the area of conventional warfare or to make more inroads in nuclear weapons development. Before this could be accomplished, however, advancements in submarine technology had to made as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The submarines of World War II, although effective in their roles, were rather primitive. A noisy, slow, shallow-diving sub would hardly be a capable missile submarine as it could be easily detected and destroyed. Even so, before the end of the war, there were intelligence reports in America that the German Navy had developed a U-boat capable of towing or carrying V-2 rockets to launch sites near the U.S. east coast. Although these reports turned out to be false, the Germans had been developing a type of submersible barge to tow V-2s. This scare prompted the American development of ballistic missile submarines.

Iago as a Character in Othello :: essays papers

Iago as a Character in Othello Perhaps the most interesting and exotic character in the tragic play "Othello," by William Shakespeare, is "Honest" Iago. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him and moves him closer toward his goals. He is the main driving force in this play, pushing Othello and everyone else towards their tragic end. Iago is not your ordinary villain. The role he plays is rather unique and complex, far from what one might expect. Iago is smart. He is an expert judge of people and their characters and uses this to his advantage. For example, he knows Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and figures that he would do anything to have her as his own. Iago says about Roderigo, "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse." [Act I, Scene III, Line 355] By playing on his hopes, Iago is able to swindle money and jewels from Roderigo, making himself a substantial profit, while using Roderigo to forward his other goals. He also thinks quick on his feet and is able to improvise whenever something unexpected occurs. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona's hand before the arrival of the Moor Othello, Iago says, "With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio." [Act II, Scene I, Line 163] His cunning and craftiness make him a truly dastardly villain indeed. Being as smart as he is, Iago is quick to recognize the advantages of trust and uses it as a tool to forward his purposes. Throughout the story he is commonly known as, and commonly called, "Honest Iago." He even says of himself, "I am an honest man...." [Act II, Scene III, Line 245] Trust is a very powerful emotion that is easily abused. Othello, "holds [him] well;/The better shall [Iago's] purpose work on him." [pg. 1244, Line 362] Iago is a master of abuse in this case turning people's trust in him into tools to forward his own goals. His "med'cine works! Thus credulous fools are caught...." [pg. 1284, Line 44] Iago slowly poisons people's thoughts, creating ideas in their heads

Crime Fiction Notes Essay

Study: – read over your essay and familiarise yourself with your wording – have discussions – Figure out the arguments in your head – practise exams – don’t just Know the material REALLY UNDERSTAND it The Big Sleep Observation: – conventions that are constant throughout generations of crime fiction genre (passion, detachment, love, hope, justice) are a reflection on the timeless and universal human needs – conventions that are subverted are a reflection of changing values and context Context: – 1950’s post WW2 – Economic depression – Desire for hope, justice, escapism Theorists: Schwartz: â€Å"crime fiction serves to explicate the dangers and pleasures of life.† – There is human emotion with which the audience can empathise – Gives the illusion that they have entered the world of crime Miller: â€Å"A rhetorically sound definition of genre must be centred not on the substance or form of discourse, but on the action it is used to accomplish,† – manipulate audiences empathy to engage them in the text – typical of TRADITIONAL crime fiction GENRE Techniques: (Remember these techniques interchangeably and only use the appropriate ones) Context specific 1. Subvert Context: Desire for hope Convention: film noir subgenre traditionally seek to realistically portray the inescapable broken nature of society – subverted – Happy Ending Observation & Theorist: – Imperative of genre to allow for subversion to become relevant to socio-economic or political context – Chandler, â€Å"the cycles and transformations of genre can be seen as a response to the changing political, social and economic conditions† 2. Context: – socio-economic context of 1940’s World War 2 America – midst of an economic depression – employment was low and consequently crime was on the rise – yearning for justice and heroism to correct the broken nature of society Convention: – Characterisation of Marlowe as determined and relentless – Ironic and self-depreciating dialogue â€Å"I’m just a guy whose paid to do other peoples laundry† embodies disposition of lone ranger – Heroic connotations, â€Å"why did you have to keep going?†, â€Å"too many people told me to stop.† Observation and Theorist: – Crime fiction gives the audience what it NEEDS 3. Context: 1950’s audience can critique broken society and judge morality of characters Convention: – Conforms to traditional structure of c/f: red herrings, witnesses, investigation, unveiling of mystery – Lack of narration; no point of view; audience critique characters – E.G. Marlowe, womanizer, heavy drinker, blatant disrespect for authority and the law, â€Å"I don’t know what I am going to tell them- but it will be pretty close to the truth† retain a degree of morality, reproach toward reprehensible behaviour, â€Å"my, my, my, so many guns for so few brains.† Reflects ambivalent noir concept that everything good is tainted with evil Observation and theorist: – Convoluted plotline makes the audience â€Å"objective viewer† – Critique the broken society and the morality of characters – Livingston, â€Å"different genres are concerned with different world views†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Universal 1. Conform Context: common timeless human desires transcend context and audience and hence are constant throughout generations of crime fiction Convention: – human fascination with romantic love interest – foregrounded interaction between ‘hardboiled detective’ Marlowe and ‘femme fatal’ Vivien Rutledge – Verbal sparring soaked in double-entendres indicative of sexual tension; â€Å"do you always think you can handle people like trained seals?† â€Å"uh-huh and I usually get away with it too† Theorist: – Colette, â€Å"romance pervades oral and written story-telling as far back as can be traced† Anil’s Ghost Observations 1. Post-colonial text; exposure to different culture; challenges Western perspective of crime fiction genre – Barthes, â€Å"it is in relation to other texts within a genre rather then in relation to lived experiences that we make sense of certain events within a text.† – Cohen, â€Å"Genres are open categories. Each member alters the genre by adding, contradicting or changing constituents, especially those members most closely related to it.† 2. Challenges not only our understanding of the genre, but also our perception of the world around us – Berger: â€Å"Never again will a single story be told as though it were only the one†. 3. Crime fiction can be a means of contextual political and philosophical discussion – The subjectivity of truth – Nihilism and post-modernism Techniques 1. Context: – socio-political context 1980’s Sri Lanka – multifaceted civil war – unimaginable for a western audience – but can relate to universal themes Convention: – Mystery as a medium for Anil’s quest for her identity – Ambiguous characterisation forces reader to share in her frustration and confusion – Refuses to be defined or typecast, religious allusion, â€Å"The return of the prodigal†, â€Å"I am not a prodigal† – Symbolised through an aggressive campaign to chose her own name Observation and theorist: – international audience relate to a common quest – multifaceted nature of identity – Ambiguity and struggle within an individual, reflective of wider post modern society 2. Observation, context and theorist: – Fister; â€Å"crime fiction deliberately exploits anxiety within the reader through reflecting and magnifying societies fear du jour.† – Terror of those living within civil war Convention: – explored through specific victims, personalise pain; agonising imagery Gunesena’s crucifixion, â€Å"prized the nails from the tarmac, freeing his hands† – fear impregnates every facet of society; personification of Sri Lankan national fear through simile used to warn against the dangers of truth, â€Å"truth is like a flame against a lake of petrol† 3. Observation: – aware of the horrendous acts of violence but absent from the actual event – never presume to understand the degree of suffering – novel seeks to extrapolate sympathy NOT empathy Convention: – Subversion: post-modern style, not one single perspective, intrusive narration to explore a variety of characters perspectives. (Berger: â€Å"Never again will a single story be told as though it were only the one†.) – Foregrounds the differences; â€Å"the darkest Greek tragedies were innocent compared to what was happening here† compares European mythology with Eastern reality, highlights vast discrepancies between crime fiction Theorist: – Texts challenge audience’s worldly perceptions; Cole: â€Å"This can function as a form of social protest and reform†¦ giving crime writers the status symbol of social activists.† More on VALUES