Violence And Media Textual Analysis Film Studies Essay

Violence And Media Textual Analysis Film Studies Essay Textual analysis is crucial in film analysis of any kind. Almost all film studies module will always consist of textual analysis as the first assignment. Textual analysis is usually focused on sequences from film or television program. (Anon, 2011). Always stick to the specified text, ensure that the analysis is demonstrably relevant to the asked question. (Anon, n.d.). I am going to analyze the films un-forgiven and Seven in this article. Textual analysis of the film unforgiven Most of the information on the film Unforgiven attempts to examine several concerns. The concerns include generic issues pertaining to western world, such as violence, screen violence, heroism, justice and myth making, gender relation inequity, and social and political parallels. This criticism tries to identify the most important as the film as Clint Eastwood (nexus of most debates). Clint Eastwood finally becomes the measure of how the film succeeds in the topic. Despite the crucial role of this figure, the film tends to conflate the actor, the character and the director as a single Clint Eastwood. Early in the film, William Munny seems to be a family man and great farmer. He will only return to crime if he gets into financial constrains. William Beard suggests that the movie depicts that William Munny was forgiven by his dead wife, Claudia in a period that predates the opening. This led to Munny escaping the maelstrom of nihilistic compulsive violence and drunken self-obliteration. (Groves, 2001). Munny is only provoked back to violence by the humiliating death of his old partner, Ned Norgan late in the film. The film, however, indicates the gradual transformation of Munny. The confession of the criminal is heard without any judgement based on the argument his forgiveness did. Though the past is never forgotten, it is usually displaced. This creates a chance for psychological renewal as that experienced by Munny on marrying Claudia. Its though worthy noting the past is always present somewhere. It seems that if the criminal does lose or reject forgiveness, he is likely to commit to further crime. The Schofield Kid reaches at the Munnys farm to tell him that he was invited by the wronged prostitutes, the mise-en-scene and narrative look simple and clear. Munny is flailing around trying to save his dogs. He listens to the Kids story but refuses to accept the young mans plan. He returns to his dogs after the Kid leaves. We can accept his change and rehabilitation. He can be said to be living in self-imposed prison. He tells the kid that he thought he was coming to kill him for something he had done in old days. Before living for Big Whiskey, he tells his children that the dogs were getting even worse because of cruelty he had caused on other animals before he mate their late mum. In their discussion, the kid reminds them how their uncle Pete Sathau implicated Munny as the meanest goddamn sonofabitch alive. (Groves, 2001). Munny only replies, Pete said that, huh? At this point, Munnys children appear at the door and the conversation changes. Munny refers to Claudia, acclaiming her profound influence on him. The night scenes on the train still portray the divided character of Munny. He expresses his sorrow to the crimes he committed to Logan, insisting his redemption was never jeopardized. The only source of light is the camp lamb and the men are surrounded by darkness. The camera shot is taken at about 45 degrees at the time Buddy refers to his former associate, Eagle (Hendershot) who hated him . Munnys face is bathed in the lambs golden glow, but we can see little else of remaining body, his cloth blending into the darkness. As Logan goes to sleep, Munny remain seated in a rigid posture trying to keep warm with the overcoat. We have an impression that he is trying to protect himself from mental darkness surrounding him. Though the manner his face is illuminated is halo reminiscent, there is question on his forgiveness. This account is further reinforced next evening when the kid joins them. Munnys determination during this period implies internal struggle. The kid questions him about h is past deeds upon which Munny participates reluctantly. Munny remains stationery covered in a blanket throughout the whole scene. Though the lighting is brighter than the previous scene, his face is harder to see because of flickering light of the burning wood and his distance from the camera. It is hard to separate his forgiven present from damned aspects of the past. This is reinforced when they meet the prostitutes the following day. Munny gets a bout of fever and hallucinations which seems to be psychological: the threatening darkness now seems to overwhelm Munny. This is further emphasized by the mise en scene where Munny adopts a similar posture as the previous night. He seems to be hiding and his eyes are obscured by his hat and the fact that the scene is shot from above or face level. His face disappears; his halo has been replaced y shadow of darkness. The room has a smoky dim appearance and the characters seem to blend with the saloon surrounding- the brown color of the c ustoms clothing resembles those of the walls and fixtures. This depiction of saloon and Munny tries to imply the hardship in separating good from bad, aggressor from victim. In Greelys, Munny refuses Logans offer of whisky, he refuses to have coitus with a prostitute. He does not hit back soon when the sheriff attacks him. Little Bill Dagget implies that Munny belongs to men he refers: assassins and men of low character. There two camera shots when Logan asks Munny if he wants a prostitute. In the beginning, his face remains in darkness while in the second he turns little so that only one eye is in the light. He turns refusing the suggestion. However his longing may be shown by the way he gestures and silence which is echoed when he is taunted by Daggett. The sheriff rants at him: What if I was to say you were a no good, son-of-a-bitch and liar? (Groves, 2001). Three left profile camera shots are taken. Munny does not respond to this provocation with violence though, the glare on his face indicates he wanted to respond violently. This profile shots emphasize his conflicted personality. Notably, the shots prefigure him during the final shots as he confron ts and kills the brothel owner (Skinny Dubois) and the sheriff who ranted at him initially. (Groves, 2001). Film textual analysis of the film Seven Seven was released in the year 1995. It was written by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Fincher was the director. Its a horrifying, dark and intelligent thriller. As the film opens, veteran cop Lieutenant William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is appalled by the society that embraces apathy as a virtue. After 35 year on the police force, he is six years from retirement when John Doe comes along. He meets David Mills (Brat Pitt), a young cop; together they investigate equally murders involving Greed, Lust, Gluttony, and Envy, sloth, pride and wrath. Seven takes place in an unnamed city which is rotting so fast, and places the detective in a stylized underworld. (Se7en opening scene: a textual analysis, n.d.) The film features many famous actors thus good acting skills make it somehow realistic story. Apart from what happens in the scenes, macro and micro elements, editing, sound effect, mise-en-scene and music make the scenes excellent. The camera shots, movements and angles used in the opening of the film have many extreme close ups, Dutch and high angles and still movement. The extreme close-ups show the details of torture and weaponry as emphasized during the shedding of the skin from the antagonist fingers. There images of badly mutilated people and corpses-disgusting to the audience. The Dutch angles and slanted angles emphasize the issue of spying to the audience. There is little camera movement in the beginning to ensure appreciation of what happening in the scenes by the audience which adds on the close shots. The editing of the introduction represents the characters feelings, it hides information from the audience, and it makes the audience understand what is happening in the scene. The rapid editing is to represent the characters thoughts. It implies the fact that a lot of ideas are going through his head. The use of red color overlay over the images to represent the macro element of blood, danger and death. Blurring has been made use of to hide the antagonist from the audience which creates the feeling of uneasiness to the audience. The antagonists feelings ahs also been expressed through one edit of two shots overlaid together. This idea of superimposition connotes that the character is either psychological or mental ill. Music has been used to create tension and feeling of romance by just variation in pace and tone. In seven, the music is industrial and tense with different sound effects added. This corresponds well with the editing as if things happening in the film are producing the sounds. Here is a high pitched scream that is used to show that he tortures people. We get the impression that he is feeling devious as the music becomes aggravating and jumpy. The mise-en-scene creates tension in the audience. There dull colors of brown, grey and white with no inviting colors like blue or pink. He however uses the color red which stands out among the other dull colors. Red shows blood or signifies death which is what the plot is all about. Though out the whole introduction, the character is making scrapbooks about the people he has tortured and killed. The whole idea of serial killer is quite disturbing as evidenced by the scrap book which contains sepia colors to make them look old. There element of weaponry as evidenced by use of scissors he uses to cut up his gruesome images, the books plus the needle he uses to attach the pages together. The extreme close up of tea bag dissolving in hot water like blood color gives the impression of danger and death. In one part of the opening, the word GOD is upside down to give the ideology of antichrist/ anti-religion. This is also seen in another seen where the word GOD is cut out. There is casts of shadows due to poor lighting and this creates fear- darkness. The idea of violence, death and suffering has been well illustrated in this film. (Se7en opening scene: a textual analysis, n.d.).

Killing as a Moral Barometer in Macbeth :: Free Macbeth Essays

Killing as a Moral Barometer in Macbeth  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the title character is a killer. Through the course of the play, he kills five different people or groups of people, one in each act. These are, respectively, Macdonwald, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff's family, and Young Siward. These five killings are different. In the beginning, Macbeth kills for his king. He then suffers a fall from grace before finally becoming a noble figure again in the end. But more interesting than this process is the way in which Shakespeare shows us the changes in Macbeth's character. Shakespeare uses the killings as a sort of "barometer" to illustrate these changes. Before the play begins, Macbeth's Scotland and Norway fight a war. In this war, Macbeth is a hero, admired for his courage and strength: But all's too weak; For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name) Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked like bloody execution, Like valor's minion, carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops And fixed his head upon our battlements. (Captain, 1.2.17-25) The killing that the Captain describes here is Macbeth's most heroic killing. The Captain admires him for his remarkable bravery. The other members of the Scottish court continue in praising him. Macbeth's motive for killing here is, unlike all his later murders, not a personal reason. It is a selfless, courageous, heroic deed that is thought to be able to save Scotland from utter destruction. Shakespeare uses this killing to introduce the audience to Macbeth. Here, we see Macbeth as a hero. This is possibly the most potent way in which Shakespeare could introduce Macbeth's heroism to us. What could be more heroic than killing for one's king? Similarly, what could be so evil as killing one's king? Macbeth, thanks to his bravery in the war, is made the Thane of Cawdor, part of a three-part prophecy given him by the Weird Sisters. Macbeth yearns to complete the prophecy and become King. Yet at this point, Macbeth is torn between killing and not killing. He is loyal to Duncan: "He's here in double trust:/First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,/Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,/Who should against his murderer shut the door,/Not bear the knife myself. Killing as a Moral Barometer in Macbeth :: Free Macbeth Essays Killing as a Moral Barometer in Macbeth  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the title character is a killer. Through the course of the play, he kills five different people or groups of people, one in each act. These are, respectively, Macdonwald, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff's family, and Young Siward. These five killings are different. In the beginning, Macbeth kills for his king. He then suffers a fall from grace before finally becoming a noble figure again in the end. But more interesting than this process is the way in which Shakespeare shows us the changes in Macbeth's character. Shakespeare uses the killings as a sort of "barometer" to illustrate these changes. Before the play begins, Macbeth's Scotland and Norway fight a war. In this war, Macbeth is a hero, admired for his courage and strength: But all's too weak; For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name) Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked like bloody execution, Like valor's minion, carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops And fixed his head upon our battlements. (Captain, 1.2.17-25) The killing that the Captain describes here is Macbeth's most heroic killing. The Captain admires him for his remarkable bravery. The other members of the Scottish court continue in praising him. Macbeth's motive for killing here is, unlike all his later murders, not a personal reason. It is a selfless, courageous, heroic deed that is thought to be able to save Scotland from utter destruction. Shakespeare uses this killing to introduce the audience to Macbeth. Here, we see Macbeth as a hero. This is possibly the most potent way in which Shakespeare could introduce Macbeth's heroism to us. What could be more heroic than killing for one's king? Similarly, what could be so evil as killing one's king? Macbeth, thanks to his bravery in the war, is made the Thane of Cawdor, part of a three-part prophecy given him by the Weird Sisters. Macbeth yearns to complete the prophecy and become King. Yet at this point, Macbeth is torn between killing and not killing. He is loyal to Duncan: "He's here in double trust:/First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,/Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,/Who should against his murderer shut the door,/Not bear the knife myself.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Spiritual Needs Among Patients with Cancer and Family

Running head: PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF SPIRITUAL Prevalence and Associated Factors of Spiritual Needs Among Patients With Cancer and Family Caregivers Prevalence and Associated Factors of Spiritual Needs Among Patients With Cancer and Family Caregiver Problem Statement Identify cancer patients and their caregivers spiritual needs and measure the prevalence of these spiritual needs. The patients and their caregivers can have similar spiritual needs that may require care. However, a nurse’s help with these spiritual needs, may not always be wanted. So how does the nurse identify the spiritual needs? If and when these needs are identified, how is the nurse to approach these needs? Study Purpose This study is significant to nursing because it reveals â€Å"nurses must be educated to recognize and nurture various spiritual needs† (Johnston Taylor, 2006, p. 734). Research Questions 1. ) How prevalent are the spiritual needs of patients with cancer and family caregivers, from their perspective? 2. ) What demographic and illness-related factors are associated with type and frequency of perceived spiritual needs? . ) What are the patients’ and family caregivers’ expectations regarding nurses addressing their spiritual needs? ((Johnston Taylor, 2006, p. 730) Hypothesis/Hypotheses The study hypothesis is all people have spiritual needs, but the importance varies as do their beliefs. The desire for nurses to assist in these spiritual needs vary according to what is the patient’s religion, are they an inpatient , and perception of an incurable disease. Study Variables The independent variable is the questionnaire. The dependent variables are the research participants. Conceptual Model/Theoretical Framework A theoretical framework was used to guide this study by examining peoples definition of spiritual needs, surveying oncology nurses, and looking at studies done measuring spiritual needs of cancer patients. The Institute of Medicine defined spiritual needs as â€Å"the needs and expectations that humans have to find meaning, purpose and value in their life† ((Murray, Kendall, Boyd, Worth, & Benton, 2004, p. 730). Whether religious or not, all people have various ways of believing to give their life purpose and meaning. Some may connect spiritually with what they call a higher power, nature, or other human beings. A survey was done in 1995 with 181 oncology nurses and their perception of patients spiritual needs. They identified factors as patients talking about God or faith, meaning of life, or hopelessness or guilt. But â€Å"also identified more subtle expressions of spiritual need (e. g. , anxiety, anger, restlessness, sadness, withdrawal, difficulty coping)† ((Johnston Taylor, Amenta, & Highfield, 1995, p. 730). There have been many studies done measuring spiritual well-being and quality of life, but there has been only one that focused on the spiritual needs of those with cancer. ((Moadel et al. , 1999, p. 730) Review of Related Literature The literature supports the need for this study because all people believe in spirituality in some form and have needs. Cancer patients in previous studies have discussed their spiritual well-being and quality of life, but only one study focused on their spiritual needs. As healthcare providers we need to become educated to these spiritual needs and how to address them. Study Design This study is a descriptive design because of the need to gain more information about spiritual needs in cancer patients and their family caregivers. And also if patients require or request a nurse’s care regarding their spiritual needs. At least 2 threats to the internal validity of this design would be selection due to inadequate number of non-Euro-Americans in the study and mortality due to the small number of research participants at 156 cancer patients and 68 family caregivers. There were no threats found to the external validity of this study design. Sample and Setting The sample included 156 cancer patients and 68 family caregivers. This sample of research participants represented the target population for this study by focusing on individuals and their family affected by cancer and their spiritual needs. The setting was appropriate because each individual was given the option to speak face to face with a research team member or take home the Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool (SpIRIT) questionnaire. They all chose the questionnaire that was developed specifically for this study. Each participant completed the questionnaire without help from the research team and then returned to a neutral party that was not a member of the research team and chosen by the institutional research board. Identification and Control of Extraneous Variables The one extraneous variable noted was the SpIRIT questionnaire had not be offered prior to this study. By using a neutral party to receive the completed questionnaires helped alleviate potential problems. Study Instruments/Tools Used the Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool (SpIRIT) questionnaire Data Collection/Methods The data collection methods were appropriate for this study because of offering this study without pressure to participate and to remain anonymous. Data Analysis Procedures The data analysis procedure was appropriate for this type of data collected because they measured the central tendency (average) from the SpIRIT and the Information About You form; checked all SpIRIT items and removed one item that correlated poorly; and performed a factor analysis to determine SpIRIT validity. Then computed coefficient alphas. Strengths The 2 major strengths of the scientific merit of this study were: * â€Å"Those that who perceive more spiritual needs may be most receptive to nurses’ spiritual caregiving ((Johnston Taylor, 2006, p. 733) * â€Å"Religious people (as indicated by frequency of attendance at religious services) not only are more apt to consider spiritual needs important but also have more * Desire for nurses’ assistance with such needs ((Johnston Taylor, 2006, p. 733) Limitations The 2 major limitations of the scientific merit of this study were: * Samples of patients and family caregivers were from cancer patients that were not life threatening. SpIRIT was a new test performed. Extent that study findings are valid are evidenced by the spiritual needs cancer patients and their family caregivers do have. The study findings are practical for nursing practice and education because the analysis suggest cancer patients that may be a higher risk for spiritual distress and would benefit from a more-focused spiritual assessment. Implications Implications for practice would be to include admission questions related to the patients spiritual beliefs and/or values; any special needs related to religion or spirituality. And follow-up to have their needs met, record on patient electronic medical record for all involved in care to continue same care throughout patient stay. Implications for education would be attend classes related to cultural and religious differences, meanings and needs. Implications for research would be to extend this study to a larger group and different cultures, religions, and terminally ill. References Johnston Taylor, E. (2006). Prevalence and Associated Factors of Spiritual Needs Among Patients With Cancer and Family Caregivers. Oncology Nursing Forum, 33 (4), 729-735. Johnston Taylor, E. , Amenta, M. & Highfield, M. (1995). Spiritual care practices of oncology nurses. Oncology Nursing Forum, 22(), 31-39. Moadel, A. , Morgan, C. , Fatone, A. , Grennan, J. , Carter, J. , & Laruffa, G. et al. (1999). Seeking meaning and hope: Self-reported spiritual and existential needs among an ethnically diverse cancer patient population. Psycho-Oncology, 8, 378-385. Murray, S. , Kendall, M . , Boyd, K. , Worth, A. , & Benton, T. (2004). Exploring the spiritual needs of people dying of lung cancer or heart failure: A prospective qualitative interview study of patients and their carers. Palliative Medicine, 18(), 39-45.

The Importance of the Central Limit Theorem

The central limit theorem is a result from probability theory. This theorem shows up in a number of places in the field of statistics. Although the central limit theorem can seem abstract and devoid of any application, this theorem is actually quite important to the practice of statistics. So what exactly is the importance of the central limit theorem? It all has to do with the distribution of our population. This theorem allows you to simplify problems in statistics by allowing you to work with a distribution that is approximately normal. Statement of the Theorem The statement of the central limit theorem can seem quite technical but can be understood if we think through the following steps. We begin with a simple random sample with n individuals from a population of interest. From this sample, we can easily form a sample mean that corresponds to the mean of what measurement we are curious about in our population. A sampling distribution for the sample mean is produced by repeatedly selecting simple random samples from the same population and of the same size, and then computing the sample mean for each of these samples. These samples are to be thought of as being independent of one another. The central limit theorem concerns the sampling distribution of the sample means. We may ask about the overall shape of the sampling distribution. The central limit theorem says that this sampling distribution is approximately normal—commonly known as a bell curve. This approximation improves as we increase the size of the simple random samples that are used to produce the sampling distribution. There is a very surprising feature concerning the central limit theorem. The astonishing fact is that this theorem says that a normal distribution arises regardless of the initial distribution. Even if our population has a skewed distribution, which occurs when we examine things such as incomes or people’s weights, a sampling distribution for a sample with a sufficiently large sample size will be normal. Central Limit Theorem in Practice The unexpected appearance of a normal distribution from a population distribution that is skewed (even quite heavily skewed) has some very important applications in statistical practice. Many practices in statistics, such as those involving hypothesis testing or confidence intervals, make some assumptions concerning the population that the data was obtained from. One assumption that is initially made in a statistics course is that the populations that we work with are normally distributed. The assumption that data is from a normal distribution simplifies matters  but seems a little unrealistic. Just a little work with some real-world data shows that outliers, ​skewness, multiple peaks and asymmetry show up quite routinely. We can get around the problem of data from a population that is not normal. The use of an appropriate sample size and the central limit theorem help us to get around the problem of data from populations that are not normal. Thus, even though we might not know the shape of the distribution where our data comes from, the central limit theorem says that we can treat the sampling distribution as if it were normal. Of course, in order for the conclusions of the theorem to hold, we do need a sample size that is large enough. Exploratory data analysis can help us to determine how large of a sample is necessary for a given situation.