Mona Lisa Smile

Popular culture often opens the window into the cultural norms of our society, its perceptions, and discourses. It portrays how the social mores of the society shape family, social life, and gender roles. It also acts as a medium of dissemination to teach about one’s self-identity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa Smile specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Popular culture therefore, shapes the way an individual or group thinks, often observed in popular cultural movements like the Beat, the Hip Hop, the Dadaists, and many more. Films, in line with other popular cultural media, have helped in presenting various socio-cultural aspects of life. There are many movies dealing with girl power and 1960s post-feminist â€Å"second wave feminism† (Tally, 2008, p. 107). Many films have tried to explore the realms of gender roles and the breaking of the prevalent societal discourse regarding the role of w omen. One such movie, reviewed and discussed in this paper, is Mona Lisa Smile (2003). This movie is a more explicit confrontation with portrayal of young women struggling against their traditional roles that opens up a cultural space between the second wave feminists and the post feminist daughters who only wanted to be homemakers (Frieden, 1997; Tally, 2008). This paper explores the themes, symbols, and cultural space portrayed by the film Mona Lisa Smile. Mona Lisa Smile is a film about Katherine Watson (played by Julia Roberts) a graduate from UCLA accepts a job offer as an art teacher from Wellesley College in the 1950s. Watson brings in liberal feminist ideas into the college and among girls in class, especially Betty Warren (Khristen Dunst), Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles), and Giselle Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal). The plot of the movie spins around these characters and the way Watson eventually helps them see the meaning of her liberalist ideals and find their own identity. In her very first class, Watson encounters a class-full of bright young women who are intelligent but their intelligence is marred by their conventional and traditional discourse and knowledge. A free-spirited Watson who â€Å"wanted to make a difference,† tried to change the way women looked at traditional gender roles and their career options in a conservative school like Wellesley. The movie shows that the idea of schooling at the time was to make the women adept with domestic ideologies. Therefore, young women were taught to be educated in the right way, think in the right was in order to achieve their role in the marriage market.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Watson is described as a woman â€Å"lived by her own definition and would not compromise that† (Newell, 2003) initially faces a lot of challenge from a group of conservative management body as well as student named Betty who was brought up to believe that all women would want is to get married and be a homemaker. However, inside was a boiling spirit that wanted to reject the prevalent norms and teachings about gender role. The movie wanted to show the way women believed in their lives in the 1950s through a series of video footage available in the movie’s DVD showing women in the fifties, statistics comparing women taking full time employment after graduation of then and the present time and how many claimed they were virgins. The gender roles have changed since then, but for what, that was due to the first of wave of feminists in the fifties in the US who believed that these social barriers of women being only homemakers had to be broken down. The movie depicts an era that was before the sexual revolution and what women faced in the era. Watson plays against the conventional norms of womanhood in the 1950s, as she was still unmarried in her 30s. This is not acceptable and almost a taboo for many of the students in her class but she remains herself and tries to shatter the glass ceiling. Through her lectures on art history, Watson tries to help the students break the barrier of methodical and text oriented understanding. She believes that the young women in Wellesley were smart, confident, and were capable of doing much more than just be homemakers. She defines the new more out of the box thinking for the girls in her class through the new way of teaching the art course that she outlines the course as â€Å"What is art? What makes it is good or bad? And who decides?† the ethos of the day was teaching through textbooks and a good student was expected to know the textbook thoroughly. In a way this was intended to help young women become exemplary mothers who could spell out the course while educating their children or appear educated and cultured as their designated role of being wives to the elite male club. Watson comes from the Bohemian west culture and wants to â€Å"make a difference†. However, the conservative alumni body of the college holds down her aspirations to bring change. They try to restrict Watson’s potential as a teacher and a feminist liberal by defining the course outline when she is invited to join back the following year.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa Smile specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The conservative society tried to subdue the force of change embodied in Watson, but Watson decides to leave in search of new walls to break. Nevertheless, she leaves the imprint of her ideas and believes in the lives of the three other main characters, her students, as they learn to see beyond their discoursed and traditional roles, they see themselves. Mona Lisa Smile is a tale of the way women’s lives were shaped in 1950s in America, their limited existence within the barricaded walls of â€Å"home† and â€Å"m arriage†. The movie examines how male hegemonic discourse shaped young women’s attitudes and their choices and expectations after graduation from college. This is shown through Joan and Betty and how they tackle their personal problem in eventually finding themselves. The movie above all demonstrates how popular culture helps to depict reality and brings out the social, structural changes that changed the women’s world in the 1950s. It raises the question of women’s place and even though the setting is sixty years back, it holds relevance for present time as the question of women’s space is still relevant. References Frieden, B. (1997). Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton Company Ltd. Newell, M. (Director). (2003). Mona Lisa Smile [Motion Picture]. Tally, M. (2008). Representation of Girls and Young Women in Films as Entry Point to Studying Girl Culture. In C. Mitchell, J. Reid-Walsh, Girl Culture: Studying girl culture : a readers’ gu ide (pp. 107-115). New York: ABC-CLIO. This essay on Mona Lisa Smile was written and submitted by user Victor Clark to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Meaning of Tenir in French and How to Use the Verb

The Meaning of Tenir in French and How to Use the Verb Tenir is an irregular verb ending in -ir and usually means to hold or to keep. Tenir has a number of other meanings, including some which depend on the preposition that follows. Its used in a number of French expressions. Meanings of Tenir Tenir usually means to hold or to keep: Quest-ce quil tient la main?  Translation: What is he holding in his hand?Je dois tenir les enfants par la main. Translation: I need to hold the kids hands.Tenez les yeux fermà ©s. Translation: Keep your eyes closed.Il faut tenir cette affiche en place. Translation: You need to hold this poster in place. Additional Meanings To have/keep under control: Vous tenez bien votre classe.Translation: You have your class under control. To run/manage (a business): Qui tient le magasin?Translation: Whos running the store? To organize (an event): Le comità © tient une sà ©ance chaque mois.Translation: The committee holds a meeting every month. To handle, be able to accept: Elle ne tient pas lalcool. (informal)Translation: She cant hold her liquor. To keep: Je tiens toujours mes promesses.I always keep my promises. To take up, fulfill: Cette table tient trop de place.Translation: This table takes up too much room Tenir Tenir may be followed by a noun, an infinitive, or a clause. When followed by a noun, it means either to value, care about, be attached to or to be due to, stem from: Je ne tiens pas son opinion. Translation: I dont care about his opinion. quoi tient son succà ¨s? Translation: What is the secret of his success? When followed by an infinitive or ce que subjunctive, tenir means to be anxious/eager: Je tiens vous remercier. Translation: Im eager to thank you.Il tient ce que tu sois laise. Translation: Hes anxious for you to feel comfortable. Tenir can also be used to mean to depend on - most commonly with ne___ qu: Cela ne tient qu toi de choisir. Translation: Its up to you to choose. The choice depends (only) on you.Cela ne tient pas qu moi. Translation: It doesnt depend on me alone. Tenir de Tenir de means to take after/resemble, to have to do with: Elle tient de sa mà ¨re. Translation: She takes after her mother.Cela tient du miracle. Translation: That seems like a miracle, Theres something miraculous about that. Se Tenir Reflexively, tenir means to hold (oneself), to be in a position, or to behave: Pourquoi se tient-il la jambe? Translation: Why is he holding his leg?Je me tenais par une main. Translation: I held myself (up) with one hand.Tu dois te tenir debout. Translation: You have to stand up.Nous nous tenons prà ªts partir. Translation: Were prepared to leave.Elle se tient bien. Translation: Shes well-behaved.Tiens-toi tranquille! Translation: Behave yourself! Be quiet! Se tenir can also be used intransitively with many of the meanings in the first section (to hold a meeting, to be connected, etc) Present Tense Conjugations je tienstu  tiensil tientnous  tenonsvous  tenezï » ¿ils  tiennent

Compare the use of studio sets to location filming in the depiction of Essay

Compare the use of studio sets to location filming in the depiction of the city and city life in film Rear Window (1952) and i - Essay Example Staging depends a lot on the scope of the movie’s story with respect to area. There are certain movies that move from place to place. There are even movies that move from country to country. For instance, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, moves from Budapest to Moscow. It further moves from Dubai to India. There are also movies that have such stories that action stays at one place. The recent movie, Carnage, is a good example of that. This essay compares the use of studio sets to location filming in the depiction of the city and city life in relation to two movies in particular i.e. Rear Window (1952) and On the Town (1949). The film, Rear Window, is a masterpiece by Alfred Hitchcock. He has a history of going at great lengths in order to make the audience feel exactly as he wanted it to feel. The plot of the movie is centered mainly in a small area of a neighborhood. The protagonist of the movie, L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies, played by James Stewart, is confined to his apartment as his leg is broken in a racetrack accident. He stays in his apartment and looks at the people in his neighborhood. He casually observes their behaviors as they go about their lives. He is occasionally visited by his girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, played by Grace Kelly. Jeff observes very suspicious behavior of one of his neighbors, Lars Thorwald. He assumes that Thorwald has murdered his wife. All through the movie, Jeff never leaves his apartment except at the end when he has to struggle with Thorwald, and is thrown down his window. As the action of Rear Window is confined to a small area, Hitchcock shot the whole movie on a set which was specifically built for the same. The movie explores the themes of voyeurism and masculinity in crisis. As far as voyeurism is concerned, Hitchcock has used the staging almost perfectly. It is important to note that it is highly unlikely that Hitchcock could have found a real location in which he could have shown what he wanted to show in the movie. He needed a very good vantage point for the protagonist. The movie opens up with a detailed view of the whole scene that the protagonist is able to look at. It is very interesting to notice how the director has crammed various aspects of New York’s urban life of that time in a closed space. In the background of the opening titles of the movie, the audience can see a window shutter moving upwards. Then the camera moves out of the window, and the scene proceeds to a brief view of all the flats and the lawn that can be seen from the window. After showing the protagonist’s sweating head and a high temperature on a thermometer—depicting the sickness—the scene proceeds to show the following: A man shaving and listening to the radio at the same time; The waking up of a couple that has spent the night on the balcony; A young lady changing her bra and preparing breakfast at the same time. Her movement makes it very safe to assume that she is a dancer; The arms of an unseen lady drying clothes out of the window—probably a housekeeper; The broken leg of the protagonist. His broken camera and the pictures of a racetrack accident explaining without words the reason for the protagonist’s condition. The portrait of a lady shows that he has a girlfriend. A deeper analysis shows that the city life, as it is shown in the movie, is very fast. The

Court History and Purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Court History and Purpose - Essay Example The state and federal courts have different laws but certainly share some of them. Some acts such as selling of drugs are both crimes in the two of them, which means the accused can be tried in the two of them (Siegel, 2011). Some of the criminal codes applied in the criminal court system, in America, are traceable back to some of the early legal codes used in different places, in the world, especially in the past centuries. Such codes include the Babylonian code of Hammurabi (2000 n.c.e) of lex talionis (an eye for an eye) that still guides proportionality in punishments. The Ten Commandments prohibition against theft, violence, and perjury still holds. The American criminal court system has adopted some of these codes, improved them and instituted certain laws according to the crimes committed (Siegel, 2011). Common law, which originated from England, is based on the customs and traditions that evolved over the centuries as interpreted by judicial tribunals. The American legal system is such a case, which adapted the rule from the English hence called the Anglo-American law except in Louisiana State that adapted French civil law. This is where a central government was formed, and it set its own rules and regulations and uses it to administer local courts. The adaption of this way of the court system is clearly brought out by the formation of a central government in America with a constitution, the U.S constitution. This guides the government decisions. All states have their own constitutions, with different laws. Use of precedent, often referred to as stare decisis, is common in America. American judges make judgments from earlier similar cases to pass judgment on new cases that are similar. When such cases come up, judges look at earlier rulings to derive principles that apply to the case they are deciding, and this helps them to pass judgments. As new situations arose overtime, judges created new legal principles to

Folk Songs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Folk Songs - Essay Example Slaves used traditional folk songs as a way to maintain their heritage in the face of not being allowed to read or write. Music has long been recognized as an effective means of passing the oral tradition as the sound and the syntax reinforce the text (Bohlman 15) Often the folk song is invoked to maintain a connection with something that is being lost to the past or to celebrate something happening in the present. They often involve the emotions that surround work such as "Pat Works on the Railway" (Lauter). Workers would sing these work songs as a way to pass the time and effort. Gandy dancers, the men who built and maintained the railroads, had a large volume of folk music that was performed as rhythmic chants to ease their mind from the grueling labor (Sloss Furnaces Presents) Folk music often is closely associated with a cultural group. As the culture changes with time, the folk music evolves with it. Religion has had a close connection with folk music, as churches would sing folk songs reflecting the groups common bond to the church. Poor whites in the south during the early 19th century would gather around camps and sing folk songs that told of, "debt, chain gangs, and deeds of drinking prowess" (Nash et al. 560). Groups that were socially outcast or politically disenfranchised would turn to folk music to maintain a common bond.

Ethylene glycol

Ethylene glycol Summary Ethylene Glycol is a much sought after organic compound belonging to the diols family. It is colourless, odourless and is miscible in water and most organic compounds. It was first synthesized by a French chemist, Charles Wurtz, in 1859. Even though it did not gain commercial importance at the time, during World War I, the Germans used ethylene glycol as a substitute for glycerol in explosives (ethy). During and following World War II, ethylene glycol was extensively used as an anti-freeze for engines and machinery in general. This led to an increase in production of ethylene glycol. By the early 1970s, demand for ethylene glycol rose dramatically as it used in the manufacture of polyester fibre, with a further rise in levels of consumption spurred on due to phasing out of glass bottles in favour of PET bottles. In the year 2007, there were 99 ethylene glycol plants globally and the total amount of ethylene glycol produced that year was estimated to be roughly 17.8 million tons (icis ). The demand for ethylene glycol, MEG in particular is expected to rise due higher demand from industries in China. In comparison to existing ethylene glycol plants, the plant design that is discussed in this report would be attractive to a producer of ethylene glycol on a small to medium scale, catering to a local market. The plant discussed in this report aims to produce 10,500 tonnes of MEG and 4,500 tonnes of DEG, and commercially viable amounts of TEG and TetEG every year. This plant will be in operation for 8000 hours per year. For this production target to be realised it is necessary to have a ethylene oxide flow rate of 1493.56 kg/h to be fed into the reactor. A crude ethylene glycol mixture is produced by the hydrolysis of ethylene oxide with excess water in a tubular type reactor operating at 1950C and a pressure of 21.44 bar. In the reactor all the ethylene oxide is converted into the four types of ethylene glycols, with the formation of MEG being the most favored. For every 1 mole of ethylene oxide in the feed stream there are 6 moles of water and 0.269 moles of recycled MEG. This ratio is strictly maintained so as to optimize ethylene glycol conversion to MEG, the most favored product and DEG, the second most favored product. The resulting mixture of water and glycols is then fed to a flash drum operating at atmospheric pressure, where almost one third of the water in the product stream is removed along with some MEG. The removed water and MEG is recycled and sent back to a holding vessel. After the flash drum the water-glycol mixture undergoes a series of distillation cycles so as to separate out the components of the ethylene glycol s and rid them of water. The first distillation column, T-01 operates 2000C and 1 atm. During this distillation process nearly 99% of all remaining water is removed and recycled. The highly concentrated ethylene glycol mixture is them pumped to a second distillation column, T-02 operating at 2350C and 0.8 atm, (vacuum). Here 99% of all MEG entering the column is removed and a significant amount of MEG is recycled. However most of the MEG is sent to storage at a rate of 1312.86 kg/h. The remaining mixture of glycols enter distillation column, T-03, where all DEG is removed and sent to storage at a rate of 562.50 kg/h. The fourth and final distillation column operating at 2600C and 0.8 bar removes nearly 99% of available TetEG. The remaining glycol mixture contains TetEG, is extracted using a tar sill. This process produces 2.58 kg/h of waste largely made up of TetEG. Since the reactions within the reactor produce a lot of heat, water is pumped into the reactor at a rate of 965.5373 k g/h, resulting in the formation of steam at a pressure of 6 bar. Due to the hydrolysis of ethylene oxide in water, some water is lost in the reaction and as well as in storage of the ethylene glycol products. To keep this process running at its optimum, a fresh water feed of 489.50 kg/h is added to the process. Literature Survey Even though Charles Wurtz had derived ethylene glycol by the hydrolysis of ethylene glycol diacetate in the year 1859, its commercial importance wasnt realized until during World War 1, during which the Germans had started an industrial process to produce ethylene glycol to substitute for glycerol in explosives. And only in 1930 did the production of ethylene glycol via industrial chemistry really take off, since it was used as anti-freeze for machinery. The demand for anti-freeze shot up markedly during and after World War 2. As more motor vehicles and machinery were built and sold during the years following World War 2, demand for ethylene glycol grew along with production. Between the late 1960s and earl 1970s there was a renewed and greater demand for ethylene glycol, due to the manufacture of polyesters fibers. From then onwards to the early 1990s production of ethylene glycol fluctuated. The demand for ethylene glycol would go on to increase throughout the 1990s and 2000s due t o the increase in the amount of plastic, especially PET bottles being manufactured. The increase in demand was further boosted by the rapid growth of Asian economies, namely India and China. China accounts for nearly a third of the global MEG demand. Global production of ethylene glycol in 2007 was estimated at 17.8m tones (PCI). According to the Merchant Research Consulting Ltd. rising demand from polyester fiber and PET resin markets means that one to two world-scale EG plants are needed every year. The cost of ethylene oxide feedstock is also expected to increase due to demand in the ethylene glycol sector as well as demand for other ethylene oxide derivatives. New plants are being built in the Middle East to produce low-cost feedstocks, which are expected to cater to the American and Asian markets. Presently, the commercial applications of ethylene glycol are numerous and range from the traditional use as an anti-freeze to more hi-tech uses such as the manufacture of capacitors. Some of the applications are polyester resins for fiber, PET containers, and film applications; all-weather automotive antifreeze and coolants, defrosting and deicing aircraft; heat-transfer solutions for coolants for gas compressors, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems; water-based formulations such as adhesives, latex paints, and asphalt emulsions; manufacture of capacitors; and unsaturated polyester resins (ethy). MEG is the most widely sought after of the commercially available ethylene glycols, and in the year 2007 it accounted for 90% of all ethylene glycol produced (icis). In the year 2007, nearly 82% of all MEG produced was bought by companies in the polyester manufacturing business. The demand for polyester stems from the Asian region, China in particular, where it is used in the textile industry, and this has led to a 5-6% increase in production of MEG per year. Demand for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle resin has been growing strongly globally since the beverage business phasing out the use of glass bottles and replacing with the more durable PET bottles. Demand for MEG for the manufacture of anti-freeze was at 12%, and demand is expected to decrease slightly over the years largely due recycling and substitution by propylene glycol-based antifreeze. Apart from its use in the manufacture of polyurethanes, DEG is also used in the treatment of corks, glue, paper and cellophane. DEG along with TEG is used in the dehydration of natural gas, an area where demand for DEG and TEG is set to rise over the years. DEG and TEG have excellent hygroscopic properties and along with their low volatility are best suited for applications such as dehydration of natural gas and as a dehumidifier in air conditioning systems. According to research and industry analysts, PCI, there were 72 MEG producing companies in 2007 operating 99 plants spread across 31 countries. Of these, the top 10 producers account for close to 50% of global ethylene glycol capacity. The top producers were Dow and Nan Ya Plastics Corp with 1.75 million tons each while Jubail United Petrochemical Co was the third largest with 1.5 million tons. Other major producers include Shell, a South Korean company Honam, Equate, Reliance (India), Sabic (Saudi Arabia), ExxonMobil, Equistar, Old World Industries. Late last year prices of MEG were trading at $860-875/ton CFR, cost and freight included in Asian trade. By the beginning of the year with news that plants in Saudi Arabia will be shutting down for maintenance and increasing stockpiles in Chinese ports, led to a bullish rally during trade, sending the price of MEG to $970-980/ton. Towards the end of February, with the beginning of the Chinese New Year holidays, a period of relaxed trade, and with the Saudi Arabian plants coming back online, the price of MEG showed signs of returning to pre January levels (icis). However in the short to medium term prices of MEG are expected drop due to new more efficient plants being built which would result in slightly more MEG being produced that demand. Therefore this possibility of over abundant supply may drive MEG prices slightly lower than $860-875/ton (PCI). Ethylene glycol used to be manufactured by the hydrolysis of ethylene oxide (EO) which was produced via ethylene chlorohydrin but this method has been superseded by a direct oxidation route. The EO is first produced by the oxidation of ethylene in the presence of oxygen or air and a silver oxide catalyst. A crude ethylene glycol mixture is then produced by the hydrolysis of EO with water under pressure. The water-glycol mixture is fed to evaporators where the water is recovered and recycled. Fractional distillation under vacuum is used to separate the monoethylene glycol from the diethylene and triethylene glycols. Mitsubishi Chemical has developed a catalytic process that employs a phosphorous-based catalyst for converting ethylene oxide to monoethylene glycol (MEG) with little by-product formation. Shell has subsequently acquired exclusive rights to the Mitsubishi Chemical process and licenses a combined EO/MEG technology as an integrated Omega (only mono-ethylene glycol advanced) process package. The Omega process is claimed to have a MEG selectivity of over 99%, compared to 90% for conventional, non-catalytic processes. It is claimed to have lower capital costs due to the elimination of purification and handling equipment for by-products. Operating costs are also reduced as it uses much less water lowering utility and water treatment costs. The first plant to use the Omega process is Lotte Daesans 400,000 tonne/year unit at Daesan, Korea, started up in May 2008. Shell plans to use the process in a 750,000 tonne/year plant in Singapore, due for start-up in 2010. Researchers have looked at other EG processes such as the reaction of ethylene and carbon dioxide to give ethylene carbonate followed by hydrolysis, and the direct oxidation of ethylene to glycol acetate anhydride which can be hydrolysed to ethylene glycol and acetic acid.

The Role of Chorus in Euripides Medea Essay -- Euripides Medea Essays

The Role of Chorus in Medea In section 18 of the Poetics Aristotle criticizes Euripides for not allowing "the chorus to be one of the actors and to be a part of the whole and to share in the dramatic action, . . . as in Sophocles." Aristotle may be thinking of the embolima of Euripides' later plays (satirized also by Aristophanes), but he is certainly wrong about the Medea. Its choral odes are not only all intimately related to the action but are also essential for the meaning of the play, particularly because here, as elsewhere (e.g. Hecuba), Euripides forces us reevaluate his main protagonist in midstream and uses the chorus (in part) to indicate that change. In her first speech Medea wins over the chorus by a plea to solidarity in the face of women's victimization by a male-dominated society, and this response by the chorus is an essential step in the poet's paradoxical task of winning sympathy and understanding for a mother who kills her children. But as that first speech itself indicates, Medea both is and is not a typical (Greek) woman: she is a foreig...