The bombing of Dresden in World War II

Reconstruction and Deconstruction of the World through Cultural Studies

Reconstruction and Deconstruction of the World through Cultural Studies Introduction Learning involves critical reading, clear conceptualization of ideas, understanding and appreciation of others’ ideologies. The study of social and cultural disciplines provides a unified platform for the analysis of different cultural activities in the context of reconstruction or deconstruction of the world, as we know it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reconstruction and Deconstruction of the World through Cultural Studies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The major spheres of the world’s reconstruction and deconstruction include societal, cultural, economical and political aspects and remain a major area of focus in the cultural studies and therefore calls for critical understanding of the different cultural backgrounds and cultural activities of the world generally found in cultural and social books and films. The study of cultures continues to propagate the deconstruction of the world as it is. Learning of the old cultures, clinking on to them, and believing on these olden cultural myths and history bars development and progress politically and socially among citizens across nations. Misinterpretation of cultures plays a critical role in destroying the world through conflict of cultures in learning institutions, places of work or even in places of worship. In the cases of cultural misunderstanding and conflicting societies, there is little or no progress economically, politically, and socially. Moreover, some cultures have no ‘respect’ for nature; here nature comes at the bottom of priorities but human life and sustenance comes first and this phenomenon confirms outright deconstruction of the world by cultural studies. On the other hand, cultural studies disseminate information, ideologies, and interpretations of cultural activities and action important in the development and creation of health societies and communities across countries of the world . Understanding of cultural myths and exchange of ideas through sharing of experiences in a social class destroys autonomy of cultures and encourages communism of cultures. Cultural studies in deconstruction of the world The concept of culture industry and its social and political effects The concept of culture industry involves the centralization of cultural masses to one marketplace where the best pieces of art or popular cultural activities succeed. This concept largely destroys the autonomy of one culture given that, the integration of masses of culture gives each piece of art whether high art, or low art, an equal opportunity of expression.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Politically, the concept of culture industry destroys the spirit of capitalism in cultural activities where each culture enjoys cultural expression and presentation individually and independentl y to the now collective and centralized cultural mass presentation (Adorno 482). By the political disturbance of the initiation of the cultural industry, societies lack freedom of cultural expression and presentation and appreciation of their cultural creativity simply because perhaps their pieces of art did not succeed in the centralized marketplace and therefore, genuine happiness decreased in the society. Controls in production and distribution exist with prices dependent on the utility of the piece of art to the customer. Affecting freedom of cultural expression affects societal and political aspects of ‘world construction’ and progress therefore propagating deconstruction of the world. Effects of Myths and History in Deconstruction of the World Myths and history play an important role in deconstruction of the world; in his book, ‘the great family of man’ Barthes portrays man everywhere across the continent to have similar sequence of events throughout one’s life and places nature at the bottom of history (Barthes 345). The argument comes from analysis of several photographs of people taken from different parts of the world and shows men to be universally the same with similar characteristics and behavior. The interpretation of the photographs attributes man to undergo similar conditions regardless of his or her geographical location. According to the myth and history here, men are born; they work, play, and die. History gives meaning to each human condition through which the entire family of men passes especially death. The myth and history do not give recommendation on improvement of facilities of the world to prevent misfortunes like injuries and death but after death, myths and history will hold that, ‘once born ought to die’ even if the death resulted from high child mortality caused by lack of basic human necessities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reconstruction and Deconstruct ion of the World through Cultural Studies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Firm belief on such myths and history learned from cultural disciplines implicates continuous deconstruction of the world. Racial Policies and Deconstruction of the World Cultural studies propagate moral decay across the societies and communities of the world through the publication of literature materials, magazines, and branding of commercial merchandise and clothing with information advertising or spreading sexual immorality such as gay as is the case with Abercrombie and Fitch branding company (McBride 567). As a marketing strategy, these brandings target the white youth from upper class families. The company practices employment discrimination based on race, color, and nationality. Employment policy favors the whites only at the expense of the other races. Employment remains purely for the whites even requiring submission of current photographs by every employee to the management in order to maintain the ‘A F look’ as referred after every quarter of the year. Vices such as discrimination, racism and moral drainage cause decreased economic, political, and social development with the favored community, society or race progressing while on the other hand, the marginalized people languishing in poverty especially where discrimination in employment applies. Cultural Studies in Reconstruction of the World Meaning Of Cultural Text via Decoding and Appropriation Decoding entails the right interpretation of a text, image, or figure for better understanding because every text, image, or figure has a hidden meaning encoded in it. The main meaning encoded in these texts comprises the dominant intended meaning. Every cultural image or artifacts carry with it some message that requires interpretation. Negotiation as a type of cultural text interpretation involves allowing different people to interpret a cultural text, image, or figure in th eir own way and make their own judgments (Cartwright and Sturken 544). People look at the cultural artifacts; cultural performances such as dances and rituals then make their own interpretation.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The meaning here is not fixed but depends on people’s perception about the image or text. Cultures enjoy the freedom of expression and subsequent interpretation is not limited to the producers of the art but diversified to other people, each making his/her own meaning depending on his/her thinking. In this case, the dominant ideology surrounding a particular piece of art and barring change erodes, giving way for new ideologies with high potential of progress. The act of allowing diversified interpretation of cultural activities allows the inclusion of significant meaning which affect other aspects of world reconstruction as economic growth, political and social development as people enjoy the freedom of cultural interpretation without discrimination. On the other hand, cultural appropriation plays a central role in propagation of contradiction to the dominant ideology of a cultural text. It involves ‘borrowing’ of meaning and changing of the dominant meaning of a cultural artifact, image or product to mean something else different. For instance, political art uses cultural appropriation to form political campaign slogans while the health sector uses appropriated cultural artifacts to warn against the spread of the deadly killer diseases like AIDS. Through this method of cultural text interpretation, there is enhancement of reconstruction of the world as information dissemination involves some cultural slogans coined from popular cultural activities and actions. How sub cultures resist dominant social norms Mainstream cultures have a defined cultural norm, followed across the cultural communities; however, subcultures, normally within the cultures contradict the mainstream cultural norms. In the story ‘Real world of counter publicity’ cultural behavior exhibited is different from what the mainstream cultural values demand. The speech of the women is incredible especially those trapped in sexual immorality (Zamora 482). The expla nation of what women go through in sexual abuse is way beyond what the mainstream cultural values and norms require. The culture of immorality oppresses those practicing it and through counter publicity, which has political intervention use, it has a communicative tool to air out the problems including violence that the people in these subcultures go through. Here there is exchange of ideologies and decision making depending on personal thinking and interpretation. Political movements and alliances propagate campaigns against such cultural violence as experienced in the subcultures of sexual immorality, thus bringing into light the dehumanizing experiences and violence that women in the cultures of prostitution undergo. This helps in reconstruction of the world in that the hidden secrets of what actually happens in the world of prostitution is brought open for the public domain to decide. John Fiske’s concept of popular discrimination Contrary to cultural industry concept, wh ich stresses on the best form of cultural artifact to succeed in the central cultural marketplaces, the concept of popular discrimination stresses on functionality of the piece of art over the quality. This concept affirms that, if a cultural text applies to many popular cultural activities, then it is relevant and therefore people may produce meaning even beyond the intended meaning by the producer. The significant difference here is that, John Fiske stresses on flexibility of the product in its consumption and relevance of the cultural product to the people using the cultural artifacts (Fiske 345). With the relevance of utilization of the cultural products, there is correct interpretation of the culture hence leading to right and proper application of the ideas and knowledge obtained helping in the reconstruction of the world. Punk Rock Culture The youth in the music band ‘punk rock’ defies the dominant cultural understanding of beauty by adopting a youth subculture w hereby, fashions, hairstyles, body markings, and application of facial make-ups dictates is central to beauty and attractiveness. This emergent trend contradicts the mainstream cultural understanding of beauty, which only focused on body piercing and tattooing as the only ways to express beauty. Changes in the model of commodity production are also inevitable in the punk rock performance whereby, things like current car models are in exhibition (Hebdige 99). Current clothing fashions and shoes run in displays in different shopping mall. Success in business performance results from the integrated marketing style coupled with widespread production of youth products ranging from toys and magazines to house wares. This defiance of the dominant understanding of the beauty, success, and commodity in cultures has led to development of new forms of measuring beauty, success, and commodity for better performance hence enhancing development and confirming reconstruction of the world. Influenc e of the cultural class in understanding the world Through the cultural class, it is clear that the world belongs to us, and through our cultural activities, we can either reconstruct it to enjoy the best out of it, or deconstruct it to experience the unpleasant effects thereof. Defiance from dominant cultural beliefs and understanding sometimes propagates one’s development because some cultural beliefs allow little or no room for additional thoughts, which can bring about development. Understanding of different cultural activities from the cultural class helps to understand the entire world hence improves the understanding of why things happen the way they happen in different parts of the world. Conclusion Cultural studies provide a rich ground and a unique opportunity for exchange of ideologies and sharing of experiences from different cultural groups. The ideas exchanged and experiences shared helped me to understand the world critically through the lenses of reconstructed world, as it ought to be. Adorno, Theodor. The culture industry; selected essays on mass cultures. London: Routledge, 1991. Barthes, Roland. Mythologies. New York: The noonday press, 1957. Cartwright, Lisa, and Sturken, Marita. Practise of looking. New York: Oxford university press, 2009. Fiske, John. Understanding popular cultures. London: Metheun and company limited, 2005. Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The meaning of style. London: Routledge, 1979. Zamora, Pedro. Real world counter publicity: Performing an ethics of the self. Paris: Seuil, 1982.

Media, Culture, and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media, Culture, and Society - Essay Example Women had been limited to serve the family. Women, during Betty’s time period, were not allowed to find a male job (Curran 147). Second, Betty could choose to walk the uncharted and unfamiliar path. Betty decided to choose the less travelled road. Betty chose to be an engineer. Society during Betty’s time reserved the engineering jobs to the male members of society. Betty’s boss also believes that Betty’s place should be at home. Betty’s friends were strongly against Betty’s determination to become an engineer. Evidently, the story emphasizes that TV shows incorporate luminal and bardic functions of popular entertain as a cultural forum for people to espouse their agreement or disagreement on Women’s swerving away from their normal charted paths, like having men’s jobs (Curran 147). Question 2. Mass Media is cultural forum. Mass media facilitates discussion concerning its television shows (Lull 157). People see television shows, watch a movie, read newspapers, hear news, views, and music from the radio stations, and research the internet. All these are media outlets. Mass media is a powerful tool that can change the minds of the viewers or listeners. Father Knows Best focuses on a family that represents a minor group of families in the United States during the 1950’s era. ... Television brainwashes American Society to break away from tradition and go where no one has gone before. Consequently, the television show is considered a site of ideological contention, despite its attempts at ideological containment. The Father Knows Best television series espouses that family members must go out of their way to ensure the family is always happy, considered ideological containment. The television show creates a twist that makes the television viewers decide whether women and their families can go against tradition by allowing Betty to be an engineer, doing home chores and making babies. Mass media is espousing ideological containment because the television series, love boat caters to the television audience’s love cravings. The Love Boat television series creates a cultural forum among the television viewers as they discuss and defend their own opinions regarding The Love Boat issues. Question 3. Both Newcomb and Hirsch correctly espouse that television is a cultural forum (), where people debate issues shown in mass media’s television shows, being the government’s ideological apparatus or voice. The two authors insist that the television’s glaring messages normally influence or alter the television audiences’ current position on certain cultural issues (Edgerton 58). The television image of commercials portraying sexy women as beautiful creates loyalists and detractors of such â€Å"slender is in† concepts. The authors emphasize that the mass media, especially the television shows can make or break a person, family, or community. Consequently, people come together to discuss their viewpoints on the television shows, including the Father Knows Best television series. Mass media tries to make the people take a stand and to

A Midsummer Night's Dream Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Research Paper Example According to Stephen Greenblatt, â€Å"This is a world in which outward appearance is everything and nothing, in which individuation is at once sharply etched and continually blurred, in which the victims of fate are haunted by the ghosts of the possible, in which everything is simultaneously as it must be and as it need not have been† (60). Many of these often confusing issues became the subjects of the major literature produced during this era such as in William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Although the exact date of when Shakespeare wrote this play is unknown, with most estimates suggesting it was perhaps around 1595 or 1596, the confusion between tradition and contemporary times is highlighted within this play through Shakespeare's deliberate use of a play within the play. One of the most effective means of reinforcing the major concepts of a story’s plot or of highlighting individual character traits is to include some form of repetit ion within the text. Shakespeare was a master at this kind of repetition as is seen in many of his plays including Hamlet and Midsummer Night's Dream. However, he uses these forms of repetition for entirely different purposes. In Hamlet, the play within the play is used to both show the audience actions that took place prior to the play's opening as well as to expose the guilty conscience of the king and thus prove to Hamlet that vengeance is justified. In Midsummer Night's Dream, though, the play is used to link tradition to present day in such a way as to demonstrate that despite the perception that times are changing drastically, unsettling many in their comfortable traditional views, human activity and emotion really hasn't changed all that much. To accomplish this seemingly impossible feat, Shakespeare incorporates an entire mini-play within the greater work. This mini-play appears in Act 5 and its action functions to almost duplicate the principle characters and actions found within the larger work. Not only does it reiterate some of the key points of the major work, but this mini-play also functioned to directly address an element of the audience that might otherwise have felt omitted. In Shakespeare's time, everyone attended the plays as a major form of entertainment, but the uneducated lower elements of society didn't always fully understand the high comedy offered by the playwright. By providing this mini-play, even these elements of the audience were able to enjoy the play and understand its message. Thus it is possible to examine this mini-play in order to gain greater appreciation and understanding of the larger play. Within its simple one-scene setting, this mini-play serves to expose the exaggerated romanticism of the lovers, the timeless struggle of young people attempting to marry for love despite the wishes of their parents and the sometimes disastrous problems that can only occur in the confusing darkness of night. Although many of Shakespea re’s plays can be traced to earlier stories as a means of linking them with tradition, this particular play has fewer historical connections. According to Mabillard, Geoffrey Chaucer’s story of the Knight’s Tale in his Canterbury Tales is one probable source for the play - both the master play and the mini-play. The Knight's Tale is told from the

Defenations and examples Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Defenations and examples - Assignment Example They are sources of energy mainly derived from living components from a previous geological field .Fossil fuels include: petroleum, natural gas and coal (Curley, 2012). Overtime petroleum reserves have been over utilized. Consequently, there is an inevitable decline in oil reserves,which could result in serious economic problems. For example The united states of America faces a huge decline in the energy supplies in the next twenty years which will threaten the economic stability of the country. The energy sector is critical in all countries since it affects other sectors such as the agriculture and transport sector. In developing countries such as Nigeria and southern Sudan there has been constant conflicts in human rights violation due to the presence of oil reserves. Domestic Technology ensures that the human population live comfortably.It takes the form of home appliances which include computers, cars washing machines,power generators,and telephones.Consequently, people refer to technology as a tool that empowers people.For instance cars can be used to travel from one place to another. Telephones on the other hand can be used to facilitate communication, making the world a global village. However, it is important to note that some of these components can be used to commit crimes and facilitate unethical behaviors in the society. Distributive justice focuses on the fair allocation of services among the society members. Moreover, it advocates for the equal distribution of available resources to all people (Armstrong, 2012) . In developing countries, many people survive on less than a dollar a day. This clearly indicates the inequalities affecting many people around the world. Therefore, it is the mandate of the government to invest in infrastructural projects to ensure that the living standards of the people improve significantly. Lastly, there is a need for increased trading and a free

A Christians Experience In A Mosque Religion Essay

A Christians Experience In A Mosque Religion Essay I am a Christian by personal faith, genetics and through circumstance of being raised in the church. I have been a Christian so long that any other religion to me is of little concern to me personally. But, I do not say this to be mean because I have many friends of different religions, beliefs and races. Whatever they believe in is fine with me and vice versa. I decided to go to a mosque with my best friend since fourth grade since she is a Muslim. I learned a lot more than I originally thought and this is my journey. Humama and I have been best friends since fourth grade. My family and hers are close despite one being Christian and the other Muslim. To each other we are people, friends, and religion does not define our relationship. I asked Humama to come with me to the mosque downtown on King Street because I would feel more comfortable being with someone who knew what was going on. We decided to go on a Friday, which is their holy day. Before leaving her house in Goose Creek, we performed ritual called a Wudu. It is washing of body parts important to performing formal prayers, called Salah. She said that there is a station at the mosque for it, or they use a sink for it but it would be easier to do it before we left home. She gave me a blue outfit to wear with a matching veil to cover everything from our wrists to our ankles for modesty and respect. On the drive downtown, bundled up in a beautiful outfit completely out of my normal form of dressing, I wondered how I would be greeted and how I would be changed by this. I have walked and drove past the mosque on King Street many times. After living downtown for almost a year, you would have to be blind not to notice it. It sits there on the corner of King and Romney street, quiet and not architecturally designed like the mosques I have seen in pictures. It is simplistic in its design for its purpose. We parked and walked to the mosque and I noticed people of different races entering the mosque which surprised me. There were Blacks, Whites, and many people of Middle Eastern descent. There were young people, old people and all seemed unified in their beliefs of Allah. We entered the mosque and entered a quick prayer to bless the mosque. The prayer had not started yet, so Humama introduced me to other Muslims in the hallway. My anxiety was easing somewhat speaking to others that did not seem to mind I was there, despite being a Christian. Before entering the actual mosque, Humama and I took off our shoes to show another form of respect. Humama and I sat facing Mecca, after speaking for a few minutes to the others, she said we could offer other quick prayers while waiting for the sermon to start. I realized for the first time that the men and women were separated in the mosque. The men were in the front and the women in the back, though we could still see everything. I noticed that there were two rows of chairs and I saw that the handicapped or men of importance sat there. I sat beside Humama thinking, this is kind of unfair having to sit all the way in back and not among the men. In my church you sit anywhere, but I pulled the thought back, to not judge but participate in her faith. To get my mind off it, I thought to myself that I really enjoyed not having my shoes on since I am somewhat bohemian. Humama informed me we were waiting for the Imam, the preacher and leader of the mosque, to come out and preach which is called the Pre-Prayer. She informed that the Imam would usually come out and give a sermon on whatever he wished to or tell a religious story. He would later in the sermon connect the meaning of it to his sermon. I became a little impatient waiting for the Imam to come out, but she reassured me that he would be out shortly. After five more minutes he walked out and reality finally set in that I was completely out of my depth. The Imam, whose actual name is Mohamed Melhem did not look like a preacher to me. He seemed like a regular man yet easy to talk to. He began the sermon by welcoming everyone to the mosque and praising Allah. He was easy to listen to and to understand. He gave a sermon on serving Allah and fasting. That by fasting you gain a closer relationship with Allah. Allah is there for us and there is only one. Prayer should be consistent (they pray five times per day) and that the Quran is there to guide us. He spoke of being a Muslim in the world, that all aspects of being a Muslim should be retained once leaving the mosque. As a Muslim, your ethics and how you stick to them in the world shows how Allah is working through you. I noticed that everyone seemed in awe and took in every word he said. They seemed completely devoted to listening to the Imam speak about this, because by looking at them you could tell some found themselves again by being among peers like themselves. After finishing the sermon, the Adhan or Azan, did a call to prayer. Everyone listened and moved forward face down listening to the Azan pray. After the prayer was finished, some people continued to pray and others got up to socialize. The mosque offered food to us to raise money for the mosque. The food was similar to what I had eaten before at Humamas house and it was delicious. I do not remember the names of the food, but it did not matter at the time. Everyone socialized for about an hour and a half and some continued to speak about Allah, others about school and work. Some people were coming in late having just got off work to come in at the right time to pray. Leaving the mosque, I felt a little different. The peace of praying with others who get along despite your race. The sacredness of leaving the world outside and finding yourself again when entering the mosque. Facing Mecca and everyone praying in one direction and at one time. They all believe the same way and it shows why they have such a strong community. No one is trying to pull away and do their own thing. It made me feel closer to my own God, and that it makes life easier knowing that essentially we all have the same belief in one God, despite the different ways we worship. I gained a closer relationship with my best friend and with my God and that really changed me.

The Arrival Of Blu-Ray Technology :: Technology

Formatting Problems The Arrival of Blu-ray Technology Blu-ray- also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format which was jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). As compared to the current optical disc format such as DVD, this new format allows users to record, rewrite and playback high-definition (HD) video and store large amounts of data. In fact, Blu-ray’s storage capacity is five times more than traditional DVDs, which can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This high storage capability has also allowed additional content and special features such as downloading extras, updating content via the web, and watching live broadcasts of special events. In addition, when combined with the new BD-J interactivity layer, the users’ experience in watching a Blu-ray movie will be greatly enhanced. For instance, while the director explains the shooting of a scene, we are able to view the scene playing in the background simultaneously. Besides storage capacity and interactivity, high-definition is another reason why Blu-ray is better; a blue-violet laser (405nm) has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), hence the laser spot is able to focus with greater precision. Compared to DVDs, which only supports standard-definition (SD), Blu-ray supports HDTV and offers five times more detail in the clarity and sharpness of picture, and as well as better enhancement effects in HD video and audio quality. Besides Blu-ray, HD-DVD is the other new high-density DVD format competing to be the next-generation optical disc format. The HD-DVD format which is supported by NEC, Toshiba, and Sanyo, relies on the blue-laser technology as well. However, as compared, Blu-ray has a much bigger storage capacity and a higher data transfer rate for both video and audio. So do consumers prefer Blu-ray or HD-DVD? According to an independent study conducted by Cymfony (a market influence analytic company) on the new HD video formats and players, between October 1, 2006 and November 23, 2006, there are 46 percent (in a total of 17,664 posts) higher positive discussions about HD-DVD with authors stating being â€Å"impressed with HD-DVD† vs. â€Å"impressed with Blu-ray†. On the other hand, few posts has discussed the high storage capacity and advance interactivity.