Frankenstein and Blade Runner Essays

Frankenstein and Blade Runner Essays Frankenstein and Blade Runner Paper Frankenstein and Blade Runner Paper Essay Topic: Frankenstein Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, Frankenstein, and Ridley Scott’s cinematographic masterpiece, Blade Runner, are, on the surface, remarkably dissimilar, not solely in terms of medium, but in absolute contextual disparity. They are, of course, very much products of their time, affected and inspired by the conundrums and pessimistic predictions of their own cultural and societal contexts; condemnations of each respective composers predictions for humanity. It is interesting to note, therefore, that both texts are alike in their thematic complexity, however differently these timeless themes are expressed, and that the textual techniques of both only serve to heighten the inevitable character, plot and thematic comparisons which have inevitably occurred, as is to be expected of a film whole prophetic quality and social significance are timeless, and a novel which was to become an irrefutable literary classic. It is important to note that the world of Mary Shelley in 1818 bore a striking resemblance to that of Ridley Scott in the early 1980’s, and indeed, this is the underlying catalyst for the contemporary cultural significance of the texts. The 1800’s for example, was a time of Revolution and Industrialism; a time in which scientific advances by the likes of Erasmus Darwin and Andrew Crosse, as well as a general ascent of idealistic romanticism, had colossal influence upon not only society; but upon Shelley’s pathetic fallacy and sensory imagery-laden writing style. : One must recognise the stark analogy amidst such a time of scientific ambition and the 1980’s, a time when, similarly, rampant computerisation threatened to render the labour of man irrelevant, as scientific experimentation in genetic engineering and globalisation shook the very foundations of morality and ethical thought. Within Blade Runner too, irrefutably a condemnation of the future implications of such a time, Scott utilises establishing shots and neon, filtered lighting to intimidate; to illuminate a litany of Asian faces, whilst technology, and of course the replicants themselves, are created without second thought, and ultimately, with disastrous implications for those concerned; â€Å"Commerce is our goal here at Tyrell, more human than human is our motto. Rachel is an experiment, nothing less and nothing more. † Which, of course, brings to the fore the undeniable and universal thematic complexity of both Frankenstein and Blade Runner; the predominant catalyst for their newfound cultural significance. First and foremost is the theme upon which the texts are fundamentally built, that of emulating the divine, as well as its ramifications. Mary Shelley herself, in fact, states in the preface to her novel, â€Å"frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous Creator of the world†, and indeed, Victor Frankenstein himself essentially serves as an analogy, almost a deterrent, of the unbridled scientific advances of Shelley’s time. Despite Frankenstein’s extreme intelligence, being â€Å"the envy of [his] peers† and the fact that he â€Å"became capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter†, his lack of compassion for his creation, â€Å"the miserable monster whom I had created†, in conjunction with his desired abandonment of it, â€Å"I sincerely hope, that all these employments are now at an end, that I am at length free†, has catastrophic consequences. Essentially, Shelley’s characterisation symbolises man as a fallible creature, one who will by no means possess the characteristics of God, despite the insurmountable increases in technological advancement which today are the norm.

cloning5 essays

cloning5 essays The rapid development of the technology for cloning has led to moral debates around the world on whether or not to ban creating human clones. With the advancement of clone technology two states, California and Michigan have already banned the cloning of humans. "Everybody who thought it would proceed slowly and could be stopped was wrong, said Lee Silver, a professor from the University of Princeton (McFarling 1) . . ." Without proper research on behalf of the politicians of California and Michigan, the premature ban should be reconsidered and appealed. Cloning could provide a way for infertile couples to produce children genetically similar to themselves, a method of creating spare organs for transplants, and a cure for genetic disease. Human cloning may provide numerous benefits to mankind and should not be banned. Cloning is the Creation of another person that is an exact copy of another person (Clarke 1); this leaves too much to the imagination and leads to misunderstanding of the methods scientists use in cloning. In more clear terms, cloning is the process in which DNA of a female egg is replaced with different DNA from another cell. This process is referred to as the Nuclear Transfer or Nuclear Substitution. DNA molecules are the strings of protein that hold genetic coding. In this operation, the nucleus, which is the part of the cell that contains the DNA, are carefully removed from an unfertilized female egg then replaced with the DNA from the cell of another person (Harris 4). The egg with the DNA from another person is then manipulated into believing it has been fertilized and is implanted into the womb of the mother just as is done in the process of vitro fertilization. Afterwards the fetus develops and is born after nine months, just like a natural baby (Dumesic 1). What this means is that the clone shares only the same DNA as the person from which it was cloned. It shares none of the same memories, knows none of the sam...

Final worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final worksheet - Essay Example The project will strive to touch on everything learnt throughout the term although it will focus more on the aspect of male gaze and how it is related to today’s media from my own perspective. It will be unique in the sense that it will focus on male gaze in today’s world unlike how we only discussed past history over the term. What steps are/will you take to complete the project? How will you record your steps? (We can only evaluate what you present to us. For example, you may work for weeks on the creation and analysis of a coed football game. However, if by the end of the term all you share is that you held the game, we don’t see the fullness of your commitment. Images, interviews, journaling, and post analysis are all good ways to document what you did.) Explain in detail all the process and procedure you are intending to complete to create, implement, and complete your research project. My major focus will be to create an art piece and to keep a journal of all my project activities, why I undertake the activities, and what they stand for, in order to document all the experiences during the project work. I will also focus on creating rough drafts and sketches to show how the piece of art changes during the entire experience. List which readings, lectures, and activities you have completed in class that are leading you to designing your final project the way you are currently thinking? Remember that a minimum of three readings must be cited. Other sources, lectures, activity examples and the like may also be referenced and are highly encouraged. The major reading learnt in class that my project will be based on is â€Å"Bergers Ways of seeing†, although I will also borrow a few ideas from â€Å"Horowitz† readings. The other reading that I plan to borrow some information is the reading titled â€Å"Gender and Art†, by Gill Perry, which we learnt in class in the beginning of the term. The readings will form the foundation of the

Post Employment Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Post Employment Benefits - Essay Example 2. We have been provided with what would be "amortized" this year (2007) towards Unrecognized Prior Service Costs, but we have not been provided with what is the actual amount pending towards UPSC. 3. We have been told that the employer's contribution would be 3% of payroll. But we do not know as to what are the company's expenses on salaries and wages. 4. We have no information regarding the number of employees involved in the scheme, their retirement dates, etc. All this information can influence the answer. So, where ever required, we have made suitable assumptions relating the above missing information. Answer 1: From the given information, if the company decides to go on with its existing (DBP) post employment benefits plan, from the information available, we can draw up an approximate pension worksheet, as follows: Items General Journal Entries Memo Record Annual Pension Expense Cash (Prepaid) / Accrued Cost Projected Benefit Obligation Plan Assets Unrecognized Prior Service Cost Balance, Dec. 31, 2006 810,000 Cr 340,000Dr (a) Unrecognized Prior Service Cost Balance, Jan. 1, 2007 --- (810,000+) Cr 340,000 Dr (b) Service Cost 88,000 Dr 88,000Cr (c) Interest Cost 81,000 Dr 81,000 Cr (d) Actual Return 34,000 Cr 34,000 Dr (e) Amortization of UPSC 21,000 Dr 21,000 Cr (f) Contributions X Cr X Dr Journal Entry for 2007 156,000 Dr X Cr (156,000 - X) Cr Balance, Dec. 31, 2007 0 (374,000 + X) Dr Note: In the above table, 1. Interest / Discount / Settlement Rate = 10% 2. Opening and closing balance of Unrecognized Prior Service Cost is unknown. (Shown as '') 3. Since the amount contributed by the employer...They do so by letting the company switch over from its existing 'defined benefits plan' to a 'defined contribution plan' to save costs. 3. The employees give up their claim on every other liability, like whatever is pending towards Unrecognized Prior service costs, what ever would be this years service cost, interest burden on what ever is pending towards 'Projected Benefits Obligation', etc. 5. Employer will contribute 3% of the payroll towards the 'retirement fund' or the 'plan assets' hence forth regardless of whatever has been accumulated in the fund, whether it is sufficient, insufficient or in excess. 6. AND hence forth, since the company moves on with a 'defined contribution plan', employer doesn't have any more liability other than payment of his annual contribution towards the fund and what ever post employment benefits are to be derived would be out of the balance in the 'fund' kept aside for that purpose. From the given information, if the company decides to go on with its existing (DBP) post employment benefits plan, from the information available, we can draw up an approximate pension worksheet, as follows: While, if the employer decides to switch over to a 'defined contribution plan' where the employer pays 3% of payroll as his contribution, the agreement being that the employees get to keep what is already in the defined benefit

Information About Strategic Teaching, Strategic Learning and Thinking Skills Essay Example for Free

Information About Strategic Teaching, Strategic Learning and Thinking Skills Essay Teachers, whether brand new to the classroom, or veterans of many years of service, are always looking for ways to make what they do more effective and more efficient. That even goes for students in teacher preparation programs, as well it should. Efficiency is a measure of what is obtained (results) in relation to what was expended (resources). Effectiveness is a bit more elusive. To be sure, effectiveness in anything, including teaching, can be difficult to describe and to measure. The following is a discussion about some fundamental principles that may lead to actual improvement of instruction. Please read on. In order to use any instructional technique effectively, anyone who teaches must, of necessity, understand the fundamental principles and assumptions upon which the specific technique is based. There is certainly no shortage of descriptions or labels for activities that may be classified as pertaining to instruction. From the ever-popular lecture method to complex student-teacher, student-student interactions, instruction encompasses a broad range of teacher behaviors. At one end (the lecture method) the teacher is an imparter of information, and the students are the intended recipients of the information the teacher imparts. At the other end of the range of teacher behaviors are methods in which teachers interact with students in vastly more complex ways. Most researchers and experts in the field are in agreement that the most permanent and meaningful learning takes place at this end of the range. Strategic teaching, and, concomitantly, strategic learning are techniques in which significant student-teacher interaction and resultant learning and thinking are at the high end of the scale. To learn strategic teaching techniques, and to foster the ability of students to engage in strategic learning, it is important to define some terms. In fact, one of the principles of strategic teaching is to define terms. Below are terms that are relevant to this process. Strategic teaching describes instructional processes that focus directly on fostering student thinking, but goes well beyond that. Strategic teaching and strategic learning are inexorably linked. A strategic teacher has an understanding of the variables of instruction and is aware of the cognitive requirements of learning. In such an awareness, comes a sense of timing and a style of management. The strategic teacher is one who: 1. s a thinker and decision maker; 2. possesses a rich knowledge base; 3. is a modeler and a mediator of instruction. Variables of instruction refer to those factors that strategic teachers consider in order to develop instruction. These variables, as the name implies, change, and therefore the teacher must be aware of the nature of change as well as the actual variables themselves. These variables are: 1. characteristics of the learner; 2. material to be learned (curriculum content); 3. the criterial task (the goals and outcomes the teacher and learner designate); 4. earning strategies (goal directed activities in which learners engage). In teaching content at the elementary, middle, or secondary level, the strategic teacher helps guide instruction by focusing on learning strategies that foster thinking skills in relation to the content. In connecting new information to what a student already knows, learning becomes more meaningful, and not simply retained for test-taking purposes. There are numerous strategies that teachers can develop that accomplish this purpose. To give one information is not difficult, but to help one be able to develop the tools to both know what information is relevant and the means to acquire it, is perhaps the most important function of any social studies teacher. There are numerous techniques for engaging students in thinking about content. Besides thinking skills, there are such practical matters as how best to present a lesson on weather, teaching map and globe skills, helping students work together in groups, how to question effectively, and how to answer student questions. The first and foremost criterion is that the teacher thoroughly know the content, the second criterion is that the teacher have a set of rules for classroom management that are understood and implemented, and the third criterion is that the teacher have the resourcefulness and knowledge to rehearse unfamiliar techniques, and more importantly, have the capacity to adjust any lesson plan to maintain academic focus. Many of these tasks are learned on-the-job. Nothing you can learn in any course is more valuable than learning what to do when you dont know what to do. When you can do that, you are well on your way to becoming a great teacher. Strategic Learning Strategic learning is, in effect, a highly probable outcome of effective strategic teaching. Reduced to its essentials, strategic learning is learning in which students construct their own meanings, and in the process, become aware of their own thinking. The link between teaching, thinking, and learning is critical. As a teacher, if you are not causing your students to think about what you are presenting, discussing, demonstrating, mediating, guiding, or directing, then you are not doing an effective job. You must be more than a dispenser of information. You must create conditions and an environment that encourages thinking, deepens and broadens it, and which causes students to become aware of how they think. The process of thinking about how we think is referred to as metacognition. In helping students create knowledge, it is useful to think of knowledge as occupying space that can be thought of as a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid is declarative knowledge, or knowledge of what is. Declarative knowledge is akin to awareness. One step up on the pyramid is procedural knowledge, or knowledge of how something works, or functions. At the top of the pyramid is conditional knowledge, or knowledge of when or why a particular procedure will work. Conditional knowledge is closely related to the predictive function of knowledge. When students develop a broad and deep system of conditional knowledge, they are able to predict more accurately, solve problems more efficiently, and in a sense, are more free because they can identify and articulate more options from which to choose. Strategic learning is a valuable system to help your students develop conditional knowledge. Content Connections The creation of knowledge is, in the most practical and profound sense, a primary and direct result of learning. As teachers, we must strive to assist our students to develop intellectual tools by which they can create knowledge. Any knowledge, once created, becomes a part of a larger system that enhances learning and is capable of integrating and accommodating new information with greater efficiency and reliability. Each person creates knowledge in similar, yet uniquely distinct ways. Connecting information provided or described by others in novel and personal ways is a key to learning and developing knowledge. The more one knows, the more one can know. The idea of content links or connections is not exactly new, but offers some unique opportunities to chart your own course, learn, and add to your knowledge system. Enter the idea of Constructivism. Constructivism is a philosophy as well as a psychology of education. Constructivism is about how knowledge is created.

The New Blue :: essays research papers

About IBM: The Big Blue IBM's history dates back decades before the development of electronic computers – Big Blue was officially born in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, a conglomeration of other companies that started in the 1880s. Since then, the company has been instrumental in the development of mainframes, calculators, personal computers, networking, software, and several scientific breakthroughs. Four IBM researchers have won Nobel prizes. In 1990, IBM had its most profitable year ever. By 1993, the computer industry had changed so rapidly the company was on its way to losing $16 billion and IBM was on a watch list for extinction – victimized by its own lumbering size, an insular corporate culture, and the PC era IBM had itself helped invent. Since that time, IBM has made major changes in its business activities, shifting its focus significantly away from components and hardware and towards software and services. In 1993, Lou Gerstner was brought in to run IBM. He moved the company's focus to services, and re-established IBM as the biggest computer consulting and services company in the world. However, nearly after a decade, Big Blue was still losing money on PCs, a market it helped launch. Gerstner was succeeded by Samuel J. Palmisano in 2002. The New Blue under the Leadership of Palmisano The style of Sam Palmisano may be understated compared to his predecessor, Louis Gerstner. But the strategy moves the 52 year old has made since he became the chairman and chief executive of IBM less than two years ago have been bold, even risky. If successful, his strategy promises to redefine not only IBM, but also what it means to be a computer company. IBM is no longer content to be merely a supplier of hardware and software, and seeks to become more a side-by-side partner with businesses - helping them improve their marketing, planning, procurement and customer service. The aim is to create a very deep connection between IBM and its customers, and at that level it is a very powerful strategy. But it's making IBM more like a service business with technology thrown in than a technology business. To pursue this strategy, Palmisano needed to add expertise in business consulting and software. In 2002 the largest purchases came when he acquired PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting for $3.5 billion and Rational Software for $2.1 billion. More fundamental changes have come in 2003, and some are just now falling into place.

Four Problems Bahamian Farmers Face

Farming in The Bahamas has many problems. List and explain FOUR problems the farmers face in The Bahamas. Give suggestions to help the farmers solve these problems Four problems farmers in The Bahamas face First: The problem that most farmers face today is the lack of Farming in knowledge the general public has about modern procedures. Modern farming procedures have less impact on the environment than methods widely used early in the 20th century.Soil erosion inhibitors, soil carbon monitoring, and water conservation and collection have all improved over time. Second: They looked down upon by locals  costs of product (seeds fertilizer etc. ) weather, availability of water, cost of equipment-purchase repair maintain, cost of labor, labor laws, length of time between commitment and maturity of any crop, organic vs. norganic fertilization, bugs As a result of the sheer number of people working the land, the country is under  severe agricultural stress, suffering from a loss of soil fertility and a high degree of erosion. Third: Farmers have trouble growing crops and commonly experience reduced yields – as a result, malnutrition. Abrupt seasonal weather changes, including floods, early frosts and winter blizzards, cause various problems for farmers, including loss of crops and stock. Farming is carried out on small plots throughout most of the islands.Only about 1% of the land area is cultivated. The nature of the terrain limits the scope of farming, which is mainly a household industry. The main crops are vegetable onions  okra and  tomatoes, the last two raised mainly for export. Fourth: They are  lack of fertile soil  so that’s a problem for them to plant good and healthy crops and it’s hard for them to make money and that’s going to be a HUGE problem for them and their country as well. My suggestion to farmers in the Bahamas