Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Essay Example As the study outlines he was named after his grandfather and the Saint Johannes Chrysostomus. His father Leopold Mozart was not only an excellent violinist but also a composer and concert master of great repute. His mother was Anna Maria Pertl and he had a very talented sister named Maria Anna Mozart. (Nannerl) From the tender age of three, Mozart had such a keen ear for music and began learning the keyboard and by the age of five he started composing minuets. All through his teen years he dedicated himself to music and mastered the piano, violin and the harpsichord. The Archbishop of Salzburg appointed him as concertmaster in 1772 during which time he composed several sacred works. He fell in love with Aloysia Constanze Weber and in 1782; he married her in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Mozart worked in Vienna, supporting his family by teaching and composing and also by performing in both public and private. Mozart became composer of the â€Å"Imperial and Royal Chamber† and in 1787 one of his works titled â€Å"Don Giovanni† was premiered in Prague at the famous National Theater. By this time, while in Vienna, he was feeling quite sick while he completed another of his famous works titled â€Å"La clemenza di Tito†. Then on Dec. 5, 1791, Mozart breat hed his last just a few minutes before 1AM. He had been ill for quite sometime and had died of rheumatic fever. From this study it is clear that Mozart’s works can be categorized into three sections – Early -from 1761 – 1772, Middle – from 1772 – 1781 and the Late – from 1781 – 1791. The total number of his works was 600 in all which included 21 stage and opera works, 15 Masses, over 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos, 27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets and many other pieces. Mozart contributed significantly to the sonata repertoire which included the violin and the piano.

The media & role in society Essay Example for Free

The media role in society Essay The media plays a crucial role in society. It is responsible for developing viewpoints through the images it represents. People form opinions through what the media provides. However, more often than not, the media is also responsible for presenting inaccurate and biased images which greatly influence the perception of people. Naturally, the wrong kind of representation sends the wrong kind of message. The 2004 movie â€Å"Crash† is a good example of how the media promotes unfair judgment, as its story increased the stereotyping of African-Americans through the negative depiction of one of its black characters. The movie â€Å"Crash† is not a typical film with one story told in a linear fashion. Instead, it presents multiple vignettes woven in a web of a single narrative. In essence, the movie is about the different lives of people living in Los Angeles. It features the life of a police detective and his lover partner, 2 car thieves, a locksmith, a store owner, a TV director and his wife, the district attorney and his wife, and 2 police officers. While the stories of the characters are introduced to each other’s lives through car crashes, these are more importantly connected by one thing: racial discrimination. The issue of race sits at the core of the story, as the film exhibits the conflict created by the various races of people residing in Los Angeles. All races are represented in the movie: African-American, Asian, Caucasian and Hispanic. These races collide in the story and the end result reveals the prejudices they have against each other. The story of each character ends differently; while some change for the better, some remain the same. Hence, â€Å"Crash† can be considered as the film which explores racial discrimination and its consequences through the point of view of diverse personalities. Upon watching the movie, Director Paul Haggis seems to convey two messages through his masterpiece. He intended the audience to recognize two realities that are often overlooked. First, he wanted to show that everyone is guilty of racial discrimination. Regardless of which race a person belongs to, this person may have judged another based on their race. The traditional notion is that only white people are guilty of having prejudice towards African-Americans and other races. However, the movie showed that those who are often victims of racial discrimination are also guilty of participating in it. The second reality that Haggis intended to show through his film is the interconnectedness of people. No matter how different people are, they are all linked in the society they live in. He showed that actions of one individual affect the actions of another, which explains the gravity of the consequences of racial discrimination in society. Thus, the intention of the filmmaker was to open the eyes of the audience about two realities. â€Å"Crash† can be considered as a remarkable piece of cinema, but it does have its flaws. It is an award-winning film with a socially relevant story to convey. Nevertheless, despite the film’s noble intention to preach against racial discrimination, it is guilty of giving a negative depiction of African-Americans, specifically the character of Anthony. Anthony, who was played by rapper Chris â€Å"Ludacris† Bridges, is a young African-American man who is a thief by profession. With his friend Peter Waters (portrayed in the film by actor Larenz Tate), Anthony steals vehicles to be sold to a chop shop. In fact, the first time they appear in the movie is when they steal the Lincoln Navigator which the Rick and Jean Cabot (Brendan Fraser and Sandra Bullock) own. However, it is not only the act of stealing that gives Anthony’s character its negative portrayal. It was the discrepancy between his attitude and actions that set him in a negative light. Anthony is depicted as an African-American fighting against the racial discrimination of his race. When Anthony first appears on screen, he was ranting to Peter about the unequal treatment he received from the African-American waitress. He complains that he was not served at the same speed as white customers, despite the fact that the waitress was of the same color as he. At this point, the audience recognizes Anthony’s awareness of the racial discrimination African-Americans suffer in society, sometimes even from people of the same racial background. Then, Anthony reveals his hatred of white people when Rick and Jean Cabot walk towards their direction; he becomes enraged when the Jean clings closer to her husband when she sees Anthony and Peter. Eventually, both men force the white couple out of their vehicle and steal their vehicle. Throughout the story, Anthony continues to react against the discrimination of blacks in society. He says that he would not hurt his fellow African-Americans, though by the latter part of the story he broke this promise. The depiction of Anthony’s character is negative because it shows the audience the contradictory nature of African-Americans. Anthony is a character who strongly opposes the unfair treatment against his race. Initially, such fervent opposition may seem as a good thing. However, his own actions encourage others to discriminate about him. While he hates the way white people discriminate against African-Americans, he gives these people enough reason to unfairly judge his race. The fear of white people towards blacks originates from the crimes or criminal activities that African-Americans are associated with. Instead of doing good things and proving society wrong about black people, he steals cars and justifies the fear. At one point, he even robbed an African-American man (Cameron Thayer as played by Terrence Howard). In addition, his actions also reflect his discrimination of others. He has extreme hatred of white people. Just as the white people discriminate against them, he also discriminates against them. He is also guilty of racial discrimination towards Asians; he ran over an Asian man he called â€Å"Chinaman. † Hence, the character of Anthony was depicted in a negative light as an African-American man who does not like to be discriminated but participates in the discrimination of others. The character of Anthony is also depicted negatively because it follows the stereotype of African-Americans in media. The media has often portrayed African-Americans as involved in criminal or illegal activities. The portrayal of Anthony is no exception. He was a young black man who lived on stealing other people’s vehicles. A stereotype is a representation of those who belong to a specific group which upholds common belief or unjustified bias. The stereotype of African-Americans in the media paints an unpleasant picture of a race, as it presents them as citizens who disrespect the law. Due to Anthony’s depiction in the film â€Å"Crash,† this stereotype remains. Again, African-Americans are categorized as those that are not capable of living without breaking the laws. In real life, this is not the case. While there are black people who are involved in criminal activities, there are also African-Americans who live honest lives and earn money through hard work. Because of the stereotype that is used in the movie, the behavior of those who abide by the laws are discredited while the behavior of those who break the laws overshadow them. The negativity of a portrayal or depiction is based on the unpleasant or unfair presentation of a character. For instance, Anthony is negatively depicted because the movie upheld the stereotype of black people being criminals. The existence of such stereotype is obviously pleasant and remarkably unfair. As was earlier established, not everyone from the African-American community is involved in illegal activities. Because Anthony was portrayed as a car thief in the movie, the general perception of people that blacks are criminals still remain. Through Anthony’s negative portrayal, the movie contributed to the existing stereotype of African-American people. â€Å"Crash† by Paul Haggis is a movie which explores racial discrimination in Los Angeles. It highlights the existing tension between different cultures and races. While it is a distinctly fine film, it contributed to the stereotyping of African-Americans through the negative portrayal of the character of Anthony. By presenting a black man as a criminal who also discriminates against others, the movie helped little in improving the general perception of black people in society. Instead, it furthers the public’s unfavorable opinion about people of color. Therefore, the story of the movie â€Å"Crash† increased the stereotyping of a group. Reference Reimer, R. , Korbelin, J. , Grasic, M. (Producers) Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Motion picture]. United States: Lionsgate.

Comparing William Bennetts Leave Marriage Alone and Andrew Sullivans

What is marriage? For thousands years, marriage has been a combination between a man and a woman. When they love each other, they decide to live together. That is marriage. But what will love happen between two same sex persons? Will they marry? Is their marriage acceptable? It is the argument between two authors: William J. Bennett and Andrew Sullivan. The two authors come from different countries and have different opinion about same sex marriage. Sullivan agrees with the gay marriage because of human right, on the other hand, Bennett contradicts his idea because he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Even though their theories are totally different, their opinions are very well established. In Bennett’s essay, he does not want to support gay-marriage so he provides evidences as to why it is a bad idea. In his opinion, marriage is a connection of a husband and a wife. On the other hand, gay marriage is a damage of this society because he doesn’t think same sex marriage is actually a marriage. First of all, he believes â€Å"same sex marriages would do significant, long term social damage† (Bennett 177). At this point, I don’t agree with him because in my opinion, gay people do not harm the society except decreasing population in a passive action but it is not the main deterioration to be long term or significant. As everyone knows, beside gay marriage, abortion is also the hot issue of the world especially with the religion today. Why do they have to get rid of their â€Å"blood†? When they love each other so much, they get married or have sex before marriage (it’s very normal with teenager today), and then when the love is bro ken, they decide to abort or in other word, they want to kill their ba... ...riendship, or the love to your friends. After reading two different essays, I think why we have to struggle with those things we don’t have to. Why don’t we just let it go and love will answer everything? In conclusion, same sex marriage is not a problem; the problem is how we can live together with it. I’m a Christian so basically, I don’t support gay marriage but when I think about human right, I feel it is not a dangerous problem for us. If they love each other, let them marry and they will solve that problem by themselves. Who knows after gay law is passed, no one want to marry with same sex person any more. So just let it is solve by itself. Sources Cited William Bennett, Leave Marriage Alone Andrew Sullivan, Let Gays Marry An Exchange on Same-Sex Marriage - William Bennett and Andrew Sullivan http://faculty.mc3.edu/barmstro/sullivan.html

How It Feel to Be Colored Me and How to Tame a Wild Tongue Essay

Sometimes we know who and what we are, but it’s impossible to wear an identity without becoming what we pretend to be or bullied into silence allowing ourselves to be made a victim to oppression. In this essay I’m comparing the authors of â€Å"How it Feel to Be Colored Me by Zora Hurston, and How to Tame a Wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldua. Gloria Anzaldua became a victim of oppression by accepting society expectations of the Chicano culture. Meanwhile, Zora Hurston accepted who she is despite who people perceived her as because of her skin color. These two authors defends their personal identities through their cultures in separate ways. In the story How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Gloria Anzaldua feels that the way someone is cannot be controlled it can only be erased; she states â€Å"Wild tongues can’t be tamed, they can only be cut out† (Page 31). Anzaldua was against losing her accent and had an issue with putting her first language as a second. She would rebel as a child when told not to speak Spanish, so she struggled with changing and adapting to the American culture. She believed her culture the â€Å"Chicano† culture needed to differ from others with a secret language they can be able to communicate amongst each other. â€Å"Chicano Spanish need to identify ourselves as a distinct people. We needed a language which we could communicate with ourselves, a secret language† (Page 32). By creating their own slang allows them to connect their identity and communicate reality, values, and things they have in common. Yet, Zora Hurston in the story â€Å"How it feels to be Colored Me† expresses the way she was created doesn’t bother her nor makes her sadden. â€Å"I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I don’t mind at all (Page 145).† Unlike other colored people she doesn’t hate herself for the color of her skin, she’s proud to be created as the person she is without regret. Although, she’s constantly reminded of her culture background it fails to bring her integrity down, because ancestors paid the price of her free start in society, and shouldn’t stop to reflect on choices that wasn’t hers. â€Å"Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the grand-daughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me. I am off to a flying start and must I not halt to look back and weep. Slavery is the price I paid for civilization, and the choice was not with me† (Pages 145-146). Zora Hurston doesn’t consider herself a part of her culture who uses their skin color for a bad excuse for why they’re in negative life situations. â€Å"I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who holds that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are hurt about it (Page 145).

Native American Art Maria Martinez Essay

Art is defined as â€Å"one such as a painter, sculptor or writer who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value,† Answers. com, thus we define the works of the iconic pottery artist Maria Martinez with her worldly known gift of shaping earth residue to fine ceramic work. Nearing the end of 18th Century, using of plant pigments and powdered mineral residue became a preference method of painting and slowly caused the extinction of glazed pottery , therefore they needed a savior for their over a thousand legendary heritage of pottery was getting to extinction. It was only timely that the birth of the famous Maria Martinez was on this time and the love of pottery as an art was in her blood. Her skill advanced with each pot, and her art began to cause quite a stir among collectors and developed into a business for the black ware pottery. In addition, Maria began experimenting her new models and methods to produce new shapes and decorations. The Life of Maria Martinez It was in the between the year 1881- 1887 that a woman by the name of Reyes Pena and her husband a farmer, carpenter and cowboy Thomas Montanya in a village in San lldefonso, New Mexico, a small community of humble dwellings of the eastern bank of the Rio Grande gave birth to a beautiful girl by the name of Maria Antonia Montanya or famously called by her mother in her Tewa tongue, â€Å"Po-Ve-Ka† meaning â€Å"Pond Lily†. She was the second born of five siblings all girls. Maria Antonia Montanya who was later to be called Maria Martinez grew up watching her mother’s sister Nicolasa Pena roll balls of clay in her moisten hand to make a tall cylinder which she would put in a contour then leveling the finished product with a smooth stone to give it a smooth finishing . She would then dry it and paint it with a variety of clay slips then fire it in a wood fire. By now young Maria would make small crooked bowls and pots on her own. After her education Maria Martinez came back home and perfected her pottery specializing in jars called ollas. In 1904 a young lady of 17 years or so, she fell in love and married an art lover as herself, Julian Pocano Martinez a member of the same village who painted as she crafted pots, and later that evening boarded a train to a world fair in St. Louis, Missouri where they were to demonstrate their arts , Julian showing his custom dancing prowess with other village men while Maria shaped, fired and colored her ceramics. Later they opted on settling in their home village for good. They had same projects sometimes like the excavation headed by Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett and later their work was viewed at the museum. They had four sons and a daughter who died an infant. Maria Martinez continued with pottery even after the death of her husband due to alcoholism. But she respected his memories and used to sign her work with all her names and many are seen with the name of her husband. Her works turned a poor, remote village into a craft center. Education & Awards In between pottery with her aunt and 1896 Maria went to a government grammar school where she received academic education then later joined St. Catharine’s Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1912 Maria discovered her black-on-black technique but it was until 1919 that she and her husband went brave on decorating their wares with the shiny, glossy black look. By 1921 she had perfected the art and it was known widely and admired by many and taught her villagers that’s why by 1925 most of the villagers were molding the same technique. The Museum of Mexico collected much of the pieces for display and by 1930s Maria was financially independent due to the wide show of her work. The year 1934 awards started streaming in Maria’s life, in this year she was the first woman to get a bronze medal for Indian achievement by the Indian fire Council, the University of Colorado and the University of New Mexico were among the four universities that awarded Maria Martinez honorary doctorate degrees. In 1954 the American institute of Architects awarded her the years Craftsmanship Medallion and the French bestowed to her the French Academiques for her contribution to art. As if it wasn’t enough, in1969 she got the Minnesota Museum of Art’s Symbol of Man Award and in 1974 The New Mexico Arts Commission’s First Annual Governor’s Award. Description of Black-on-black Pottery One of the greatest achievements of Maria and Julia Martinez was the invention of the Black-on-black technique in pottery. For many generations, San lldefonso and the neighboring Pueblos made plain black pottery as their main traditional practice but in 1919 this was to change, for Maria and her husband discovered the use of decorations in the glossy black and matte black surfaces. In 1921, the Martinez introduced the skill to their people who were enthusiastic of the change and had fun making this new type of ceramics. They then started selling them and within no time they had attracted the attention of the world on their art. By 1920 it was only natural for the museum of Mexico to collect and display the pieces of the ceramic in their exhibitions, and with this move the town of San lldefonso was a tourist stop and the Native Americans had a model. The rim of the jar ‘olla’ is usually slightly flattened and has an angle at the shoulder which is marked. The rims of the jar created by the Martinez have decorations of continuous paneled bands above the angle of the shoulder. The pots have a smooth, shiny surface which reflects light. The ceramics are decorated using a lighter black band which winds around it. These decorations are manipulated as they appear as scratches on the pots surface. A serpent which has horns and wide eyes wraps the pot and crawls inside the thick light band as part of the decorations . The body movement of the snake appears to be alive which signifies the Pueblo community appreciation of nature and life. The various decorations, gives the final products a unique look and personifies the object. Importance of the Black-on-black technique When the Pueblo people had nearly given up on their ancestral gift of pottery to help them in any way, Maria Martinez gave hope to them when she crafted with affection and feelings and the by product was a piece that was admired by the whole world, which brought change socially and economically to them. Their heritage was restored and they all went back into pottery and out of the village came many more world recognized potters. The world attention turned the lldefenso town into a tourism center thus providing vocation to its people and it was no longer known as a poor village but a village with resources. The new technique appreciated the heritage of the Pueblos. More so, it brought different cultures from all over the world together to appreciate Mother Nature in giving the Pueblos a nice earth where they harvested the soil and for their artistic gift. Artistic Themes Presented In Pottery by Maria Martinez Daily Life In the early years of 1800 pueblo community was undergoing changes in both cultural and traditional practices. Among the changes was the introduction of the cheap Spanish tin wares and Anglo enamelware that were taking the place of their handmade ceramics, the water jars and cooking pots, which were now being sold for a few cents to the tourist who came to their village. That was when Maria Martinez revived the art of pottery making among her people, reconnecting them to their ancestral way of life as they are known for their famous pottery that goes with their words according to Susan Peterson, â€Å"†¦they are their earth and their earth is them you cannot speak of one and forget the other. † (13) Historic Edgar Lee Hewett who knew of Maria Martinez slickness and thinning of her pottery, invited her to help in the excavation of old broken pieces of ancient pottery that were discovered in Puebloan sited on the Pajarito Plateau above San llidefenso . She got interested with the proposal to refurbish the old ceramic that were later displayed in the museum of New Mexico for the world to view the handiwork. Political Within a period of time the work of Maria Martinez was recognized by head of states for several generation and got the privilege to be invited to the white house by: Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson. She didn’t pass the recognition of an avid collector of her work John D. Rockefeller, Jr. , who requested her to lay a cornerstone for the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Spiritual Baring the fact that Maria was the most famous of all potters in Pueblo and one of the greatest potters in the world , in her mind she saw herself as just one of the traditional women of San lldefonso who made good pottery. And was quoted by Richard Spivey in His book Maria saying: â€Å"My Mother Earth gave me this luck. So I’m not going to keep it. I take care of our people. † Her belief was seen and proved by the fact that she taught all she could the art of pottery that has been carried with her great and great-great grand children. Process Used To make the Black-on-Black Jar, Creating the black-on-black pottery is a tedious work that requires a lot of skill and patience. According to Susan Peterson of The Living Tradition of Maria Martinez pp164 -174 there are six important steps to be followed. Finding and collecting the clay, which is done in the month of October every year when it is dry and stored in an old weathered adobe structure, where the temperature is constant. The clay is brought into the house, a cloth is laid upon the table, hold a mound of gray pink sand with a hole size of your fist at the center fill it with blue sand of the same amount. Make another hole inside the blue sand but of smaller size now then fill the hole with water. Knead the substance together. Pick within the cloth then wash cover with a towel to prevent the clay from loosing its moisture for it will be there for a day or two. The supporting mold â€Å"a fired clay shape the origin of a new formation† also known as pukis builds the pot base pancake looking kind of base. Squeeze the clay together using your fingers shaping a wall up about an inch high from the pancake base. Make it thick and even by smoothing out the walls by making cross-crossing motions using a gourd rib. To increase the pots height coil long tubes of clay on top of the clay wall then smooth it out using the gourd. To patch air holes put extra clay seal away using the gourd rib. Scrap, sand and polish with stones after the pot is dry, this is the longest step in the whole process. The stones are to be applied to the side of the pot consistently, horizontally, with a rhythimic motion. By rubbing the stone parallel to the pot’s side produces a glossy, polished balanced look. Finally burnish then fire the pottery. After decorating, the pot is finished. Visual Elements in Maria Martinez Pottery Shape – The pot has a shoulder, top, body and a pancake shaped base. â€Å"†¦ The rim of an Olla jar is slightly flattened and has an angle at the shoulder. † (Bunzel 44) Lines – they are also evident in Maria’s pottery like the band under the neck of the pot with the slithering snake nearly biting its tail. â€Å"†¦the band wraps directly below the neck of the pot. † (Bunzel 44) Texture – The pots are known of their glossy, smooth even tone that even reflects light. A stone is used for smoothing the texture of the pot. â€Å"†¦by rubbing the stone parallel to the side of the pot produces a smooth, even look to the pot. † (Bunzel 44) Color – The final process in pottery is decorating the pot by giving it hue and color. The black-on-black technique was loved because it did not only have the deep black color but defined with a light black band. Value –The revival of the ancestral art and innovation of the black-on-black technique added value to the pottery work, thus they are presently sold for several thousand dollars a piece. â€Å":†¦ Since her death her art and that of her family has gotten more collectible and difficult to get. † Sublette J Mark. Principles of Design in Maria Martinez Pottery The principles of design are basically the recipe for a good work of art. The principles combine the elements of artistic placement of the art to produce a good design. For example center of interest, harmony, balance, directional movement, rhythm. Center of interest – The serpent below the neck of the jar attracts your attention the moment you see the pot. The horned big eyed serpent slithers and coils through from side to side nearly biting its tail. The pot is extra soft and glossy due to the technique of black-on-black. Harmony – Maria harmonized her work by putting even thickness in walls and exceptional symmetry. She was known for her skill in polishing and getting a fiery shiny surface on the pot. Her decorative designs worked in harmony with the surfaces and shapes; she rarely repeated her designs except for the special avanyu which was a mythical water serpent. Balance – In making the famous Olla jar the fast and must step was making a pancake like base to stabilize and create balance of the pot. So balance was fundamental for the success of the famous jar. Directional Movement – The decoration of the serpent body slithering round the pot seems alive and gives unique movement from the head of the serpent to the tail back to the head and not getting out of the band which has now taken place for the serpent’s path.

Ridley Scotts landmark noir science fiction classic Blade Runner Essay Example

Ridley Scotts landmark noir science fiction classic Blade Runner Essay Example Ridley Scotts landmark noir science fiction classic Blade Runner Essay Ridley Scotts landmark noir science fiction classic Blade Runner Essay Essay Topic: The Haunting Of Hill House Ridley Scotts landmark noir science fiction classic Blade Runner (1982) is a showcase of effective construction of mood through a combination of key on-screen imagery, including unique mise-en-scà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ne, and elements of the films soundtrack. Each element is not only effective in its own right, but also contributes to the films themes, most notably its exploration of immortality and what it means to be human. Scotts adaptation of Philip K Dicks short story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? into Blade Runner was uncompromising in its commitment to exploring difficult existential questions about the essence of humanity and individual identity, using the unique advantages that the medium of film provides. Blade Runner follows the struggle of a group of replicants, or artificial human beings, to find and meet with their creator in order to ask for more life, as their leader (Batty) puts it, because their life spans are limited to four years by design. The replicants are neither pleased by this limitation, nor their status as slaves to the human race, and stage a bloody offworld revolt which leads to their presence being banned on Earth, on penalty of death. Despite the risk, four replicants journey to Earth and resort to violence in their quest to find Dr. Eldon Tyrell, an artificial intelligence genius who designed the replicants and presides, albeit reclusively, over the Tyrell Corporati on from his penthouse perch atop a pyramid. A Blade Runner named Deckard is enlisted to come out of retirement to himself retire, a euphenism for kill, the wayward replicants. Over the course of the film, Deckard falls in love with Rachael, Tyrells niece, who is a replicant but is unaware of it. In a mind-bending existential twist, the films conclusion suggests that Deckard may himself be a replicant. Scott borrows heavily from the stylistic tradition of American noir films of the 1940s and 1950s to provide the mise-en-scà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ne for the story. Set in Los Angeles in the year 2019, the film depicts a thoroughly depressing, congested, urban environment in which the city and its citizens are literally soaked with deluge of never-ending acid rain, absurd gigantic commercial advertisements (including a dark satire of Coca-Cola), another poster ironically advertised the tagline: MAN HAS MADE HIS MATCH NOW ITS HIS PROBLEM. There is also the influence of the Japanese, who appear to have taken over the majority of the city. In an interesting choice, Scott hired electronic musician Vangelis to compose a dark, futuristic soundtrack for Blade Runner. Vangelis score was performed almost entirely on synthesizers, which was a departure from traditional film scoring methodology and which resulted in futuristic sound with 19th century influences. Of particular note is the extremely dramatic music underlying the opening of the film, setting a tone which is both noir and futuristic at the same time no small feat. Reportedly, Frederic Chopins trademark melancholy nocturnes inspired Vangelis; this music was a major influence in setting the tone of the film from the opening to the closing scenes. Chopins influence can also be heard in the music that replicant Rachael plays on her piano during the film, possibly suggesting that organic music, such as the piano, is more human than synthesizer music. Vangelis score further illustrates its innovative skill during a scene in which Deckard chases and kills one of the rep licants, Zhora, by shooting her in the back, the vivid image of her clear plastic mackintosh covered in blood evokes feeling of shock and horror as this is the first time you see replicants blood, thus affirming their humanity. Vangelis contrapuntal orchestration, combined with an almost overloud haunting saxophone solo, contributes to the tension of this disturbing execution sequence. The existential questions of the story, most notably what it means to be human, what distinguishes replicants from humans, are reinforced by Scotts savvy use of symbolic visual elements. Part of the answer suggested in Blade Runner is that these questions are heavily dependent on point of view and the experience of visual memory. Scott reinforces these notions through the repeated use of an eye motif throughout almost every element of the films mise-en-scà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ne, indicating that our perception and inner construction of reality is dependent on what and how we see. The films opening shows a giant eye; the replicants eyes are often showed glowing; the test employed to distinguish replicant from human (the Voight-Kampff test), is partially dependent on eye movement and the scenes depicting this test are layered with extreme close-ups of the replicants eyes; the replicant owl owned by Tyrell has wary blood red eyes; and Tyrell himself wears huge, thick glasses suggesting his both l iteral and metaphysical myopia and disconnect from both reality and the humanity of his own creations. Lastly, replicant Batty, who is the last replicant to die at the films end, delivers a moving speech telling Deckard of the wonders his eyes have seen, the vivid memories of which will be needlessly lost liketearsin rain to eternity upon his death. Collectively, the omnipresence of eyes, symbolically and literally, contributes to a sense of paranoia, a world constantly under surveillance; Scott cleverly highlights this theme by the use of ever-present searchlights throughout the film, only Tyrells penthouse has the luxury of escaping this constant surveillance. However, any viewer of Blade Runner must be wary; Scott goes out of his way to illustrate that vision doesnt necessarily guarantee certainty and truth for the viewer. Scott employs many simulations or fakes photographs, memory implants within replicants, artificial animals, and of course, the replicants themselves, which are simulated humans. Of course, Blade Runner leaves us to ponder whether or not the replicants are more human than their masters, with their simple desire to be free to live and be masters of their own destinies. This is contrasted with Deckards inhuman mission to kill them, and Tyrells chilling attempt to convince the replicants to simply revel in your time instead of fighting their own mortality. The irony, of course, is that humans fight the inevitable in the same futile ways; their creator, whoever it/she/he may be, has simply programmed a longer lifespan into humanity but death is as much a certainty for humans as it is replicants. Threading the motif of the e ye through to its tragic conclusion, Scott depicts a horrific scene in which Batty shatters Tyrells glasses and gouges out his eyes as revenge for the existential horror Tyrell has fated for the replicants. Scott explores some of the most profound questions of our time our search for our creator, our mortality, what it means to be human, and whether simply accumulating experiences and memories is enough to create a soul, whether human or replicant. He is hardly the first filmmaker or auteur to do so, but what is unique about Blade Runner is how Scott brilliantly utilizes both visual and auditory components to explore these themes.

Assessing Employee Perception on the Imperativeness for Sustainable Development in Organizations

Assessing Employee Perception on the Imperativeness for Sustainable Development in Organizations Background of Corporate Sustainability: During earlier times, the main objective of organizations was efficient utilization of resources and to capitalize on the fact that how efficient an organization is to convert its capital into profits (Jensen and Meckling 1976). The main role of the government is to make suitable structure which ensures that a leverage is built between this comportment of organizations in always achieving optimum amount of profits with overarching societal goals (Friedman 1970). A lot of management associates and researchers have confronted this imperativeness of organizations on profit maximization. Their outlook says that organizations have broader accountabilities and not only achieving maximum return on capital. Hence, in this context this thought of corporate sustainability gained importance (Hanley 2000). The concept of sustainability development has emerged from the macroeconomics level. It is primarily based on three factors – environmental reliability, economic wealth and social justi ce. They are also popularly known as three supports of sustainability (Elliott 2005). Since organizations have full access to the productive resources of the economy so, without organizational support sustainable development will not be so much effective (Bansal 2002). Background of Employee Perception: Fabricating an understanding of the societal behaviour from the information one generates from senses is known as perception. On the other hand, we can also say that perception is the method by which one can form opinions about other person’s qualities and characters. (Myers, 2004). Many debates have occurred stating that perception is the single most important determinant of human behaviour. In addition to that there can be no behaviour without perception. However concentrating on managers in an organization, OB theorists argue that, since there cannot be one specific strategy for analysing the perception of other people. So, ultimately it will depend on managers own ingenuity, creative skill set and contemplative abilities to handle perception (Rao and Narayan 1998). Employee perception and sustainable development in organizations. Unfortunately, this relation of employee perception and corporate sustainability has not been explored fully. Fewer empirical research has been done in this area which justifies or even mediates the relation between employees and sustainability. Neither in relation to employee perception of their organizations sustainable development or how corporate sustainability effect their everyday work outlook and behaviour (Aguilera et al. 2007) Lately, OB researchers have comprehended normative theory in the framework of sustainable development. Specially, researchers have argued, if employees’ perception is that organization has followed the path of profit generation by imbedding sustainable development into their organizational procedures, this will have positive effect of employees perception (Rupp et al. 2006) Hypothesis: Employee perception is positively related to sustainable development in an organization. Many studies have associated sustainable development with perceptive, responsive and behavioural employee reactions (Becker-Olsen et al. 2006).