Enlightenment and Modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Enlightenment and Modernity - Essay Example Knowledge was further advanced through the use of scientific method. All these avenues provided the perfect chance for humanity to gain considerable insight into some of the unknown quarters of the world. Enlightenment is typically a process of promoting skepticism, science and intellectual interchange as opposed to the use of superstition and blind faith. Â  It is characterized by the flourishing of stronger social institutions which are well defined to address the needs of humanity. There is certainly a strong interconnection between enlightenment and modernity considering that both processes and periods were characterized by some kind of change towards organized life. As Kant defines enlightenment as a kind of release, it is seen that a great connection certainly exists between enlightenment and modernity considering that the latter aspect also connotes a process where man is removed from his social cocoon. Modernity in this regard can also relate to the intellectual culture and shift towards secularization and postindustrial life. Both enlightenment and modernity are basically associated with intellectual and cultural movements (Hoffman & Graham, 2006). Â  The connection between enlightenment and modernity can be seen in the different realms in which the latter word is used. In political parlance, modernity was initially seen as the radical shift from the Aristotelian mode of political analysis towards a more realistic political analysis. This thought mas initially advanced by people like Machiavelli who strongly believed that different situations in the course of leadership call for different approaches.

Langston Hughes :: essays research papers

â€Å"HOW SHOULD I MAKE MONEY?† Businesses nowadays do what they have to do to get the job done, as far as making profit and succeeding in their goals. They complete these goals by any means necessary and in my opinion they should be held responsible for their actions. Sure what they do can sometime bring in profit, but looking ahead, they’re doing things against public interest and in the long run it will ruin their companies. They should allow us as a people to know what’s going on so we can better informed. In their eyes what we don’t know won’t hurt us, but in actuality it does In Friedmans â€Å"The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits.† Friedman argues that the manager is an agent of the shareholders, responsible mainly for the profit they seek, and for following the rules of society, being both legal and ethical, meaning they there is no fraud or coercion and there is free competition. He considers the talk of â€Å"social responsibility of business† to be misguided, indicative of a trend toward socialism. He argues that to decide to sacrifice profit for some collective social good is to, in effort, collect taxes and decide how they are to be spent, which is reserved for the political process. Non-elected company managers should not be doing this. In business, Friedman believes, people do what they choose to do, while in politics the majority rules. But that political process should be kept to a minimum and kept out of business. Friedman believes this applies also to â€Å"the newer phenomenon of calling upon stockholders to require corporations to exercise social responsibility.† This is just one group trying to get some other people to do what that group considers important. He does allow, though, that a proprietor not a corporation is free to spend his money on good causes, even though it may affect customers, etc., because he has not monopoly. (If it is too costly he will cease to be competitive.) Finally, Friedman believes that some of the â€Å"social responsibility â€Å" that is talked about is just â€Å"window-dressing† and serves the interests of the company by enhancing profit. He finds this dishonest but on his own principles he cannot disagree with it, since it is done in the interests of profit. In Christopher D. Stone’s: â€Å"Why Shouldn’t Corporation Be Socially Responsible?† It’s Stone’s theory that it’s not that despite what many persons believe, corporations are by nature irresponsible.

Bend It Like Beckham Essay

What is the purpose of the beginning of your class film? How has the director used film techniques in this part of the film to achieve this purpose? Film techniques are used by film directors to establish understanding of both the characters in the film, as well as the general plot. In the film Bend It Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha, the purposes of the film are introduced and established through the use of a wide range of film techniques. Such purposes which are highlighted especially in the first few minutes of the film include the issue of stereotypes, the passion of an individual to succeed, differences in cultural beliefs and values as well as the establishment of different and unique characters in which audiences are able to relate to. These are all highlighted through the use of techniques such as contrast, voice-over, montage, as well as many other film techniques. Costuming is an important technique used by the composer to highlight the main purpose of the beginning of the film, which is to draw attention to the issue of certain stereotypes in gender roles as perceived by society. This is emphasised in the beginning of the film through the contrast in the costuming of the two sisters, Jesminder and Pinky Bhamra. From the costuming itself, it can be seen that the personality of both sisters are drastically different; Pinky seems to be the stereotypical traditional girl, wearing stylish street wear as she goes out to shopping, while Jesminder wears track pants and sportwear. Such contrast in costuming for the two characters highlights Pinky’s femininity and Jesminder’s lack of femininity. It also further emphasise that Jesminder is very different from the common society stereotype of female, which in turn lead into her passion for soccer that sets her apart from her cultural and gender expectations. It can therefore be seen that although it is only the beginning of the film, the use of costuming as a technique has established the main purpose of the film to the audience, that is bringing the attention of social stereotypes thrust upon females in society today. Another key technique that is used by the director of the film to convey the main theme of the film is the use of montage and voice-over. Jesminder’s passion for soccer is highlighted through the use of montage at the start of the film. This is used in the dream sequence, in which Jesminder pretended that she was part of the professional English soccer team, Manchester United, in which her idol David Beckham is part of. This dream sequence highlights her dreams to be a rofessional soccer player, which defies her cultural as well as society’s expectations as soccer is generally deemed to be a â€Å"male† sport due to much of the sport being dominated by male players. Voice-over is also used in the dream sequence scene and like the montage technique, the voice-over dialogue also introduce and emphasises Jesminder’s passion for soccer. This is especially evident in the scene dialogue â€Å"†¦and there is Bhamra†¦It’s a goal by Jess Bhamra! as it further displays her passion and dreams to be a professional soccer player, like David Beckham. Through these two techniques of montage and voice-over, the director successfully conveys the main theme of the film to the audience, which is, Jesminder breaking social barriers and stereotypes to pursue her dreams to be a professional soccer player. Music and set design in the film are also employed as techniques by the composer of the film to highlight the difference in culture, as well as characters. This is especially demonstrated through the use of traditional Indian music played at the Bhamra’s household emphasising that they are not only religious, but still stick by their cultural beliefs from their homeland, despite being in a foreign country. Through the use of music, it can be easily seen that there is a significant difference in Indian culture, compared to Western culture in England. The use of set design in the film is also used as a technique to highlight the differences in personalities of the characters. This is especially seen in the character of Jesminder, where her bedroom is shown to have large posters of her soccer idol David Beckham. This further emphasises how she is completely different from how society deems a female should be. Characterisation is established in the opening scene of the film through the use of costuming as a film technique. This is evident during the first few minutes where the two protagonists, Jesminder and Juliette are introduced to the audience as teenagers thriving for their dream as a professional football player, despite conflicts and disapproval from their family. In this scene, it can be seen that costuming is used by the director to further emphasise how the two girls are different from their family and the society’s expectations through sporty and masculine clothes worn by both Jesminder and Juliette. Their differences show that they are stepping out from what the society and their family believe, to pursue their dream as professional soccer players, a role which is stereotypically associated with males. The contrast of costuming between Jesminder and Juliette, and the rest of the female cast in the film further draws the attention towards their masculinity, as well as the traditional and stereotypical aspect of the female casts. This can be seen especially through Jesminder’s mother who wears traditional feminine clothes, highlighting her social background as well as her femininity. Through the use of costuming and contrast as film techniques, the director of the film clearly establish and differentiate each of the characters, particularly the protagonists, which further aids the understanding of the plot for the audience later in the film. It can be seen that through the various use of film techniques by the composer of the film, the purpose of the film is effectively established. Such purpose of the film include bringing attention to the issue of stereotypes in both culture and gender, the passion for soccer, difference in cultural values and the establishment of unique characters. These purposes are all conveyed through the use of different techniques such as costuming, set design, voice-over, contrast and montage to further create meaning in the audience’s minds. It also further emphasises the main purpose for the creation of the film, which was to both entertain and to draw the attention towards current social expectations and barriers in which females primarily face, as well as how culture can still have a huge impact on an individual, even though they are in a foreign place. Through the different use of techniques, audiences are also able to relate to the characters effectively, thus allowing the director to convey her purpose for creating the film.

What Is an Anonymous Source

An anonymous source is someone who is interviewed by a reporter but does not want to be named in the article the reporter writes. Why Use an Anonymous Source? The use of anonymous sources has long been a controversial issue in journalism. Many editors frown upon using anonymous sources, for the obvious reason that they are less credible than sources who speak on the record. Think about it: if someone isnt willing to put their name behind what they say to a reporter, what assurance do we have that what the source says is accurate? Could the source be manipulating the reporter, perhaps for some ulterior motive? Those are certainly legitimate concerns, and any time a reporter wants to use an anonymous source in a story, he or she generally first discusses it with an editor to decide whether doing so is necessary and ethical. But anyone who has worked in the news business knows that in some situations, anonymous sources may be the only way of obtaining important information. This is especially true of  investigative stories in which sources may have little to gain and much to lose by speaking publicly to a reporter. For instance, lets say you are investigating allegations that the mayor of your town is siphoning money from the town treasury. You have several sources in town government who are willing to confirm this, but they fear being fired if they go public. They are willing to speak to you only if they are not identified in your story. Clearly, this isnt an ideal situation; reporters and editors always prefer to use on-the-record sources. But faced with the situation in which vital information can only be obtained from sources anonymously, a reporter sometimes has little choice. Of course, a reporter should never base a story entirely on anonymous sources. He or she should always try to verify information from an anonymous source by talking to sources who will speak publicly, or through other means. For instance, you might try to confirm the story about the mayor by checking the Treasurys financial records. Deep Throat The most famous anonymous source of all time was the one used by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to help them uncover the Watergate scandal  in the Nixon administration. The source, known only as Deep Throat, provided tips and information to Woodward and Bernstein as they dug into allegations that the White House had engaged in criminal activity. However, Woodward and Bernstein made a point of always trying to check information Deep Throat had given them with other sources. Woodward promised Deep Throat he would never reveal his identity, and for decades after President Nixons resignation, many in Washington speculated about Deep Throats identity. Then, in 2005, Vanity Fair magazine ran an article revealing that Deep Throat was Mark Felt, an associate director of the FBI during the Nixon administration. This was confirmed by Woodward and Bernstein, and the 30-year ministry about Deep Throats identity finally ended. Felt died in 2008.