Abstract This paper discusses how people, in general, like to get a visual picture of what they are hearing about and how, through the media and constant representation of statistical data as hard fact, numbers can control people's opinions on issues. It shows how one of the largest issues regarding statistics and their appealing nature is the fact that most of us are innumerate. It also shows how, in addition to innumeracy, the public's opinion of ideas often leads to skewed views on issues; statistics can become so alluring to activists that they can say something that will change a large group of people's minds on an issue, and then they will get what they want.
From the Paper "Although even though some statistics are wrong, people want to believe them so bad that they will ignore all logic just so that they will have a numerical view of the situation. Perhaps the biggest real life example of this is a social statistic that Joel Best-in his book Damned Lies and Statistics-describes as "The worst social statistic ever... Every year since 1950, the number American children gunned down has doubled" (Best 1). To anyone using this statistic to promote gun control, this statistic is gold, and it sounds believable too. But if you analyze it you'll find otherwise."
Abstract This paper asserts that warfare has always had a peculiar seduction on certain people. The paper then examines this allure of warfare as exemplified in John Knowles' "A Separate Peace", Michael Herr's "Dispatches", and Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried."
From the Paper "There has always been a strange connection between beauty and destruction, but this love of war is unspeakable. When you really think on it, war does have a strange seduction on soldiers, politicians, and the people at home. There is something exotic about the places we fight; there is something intoxicating about the high after a victory; and there is something about how a country rebounds after they have been devastated by a war. The unspeakable seduction of war can be seen in many texts, including Dispatches by Michael Herr. Herr uses his memoir as an embedded reporter in Vietnam to create a first hand account of those seduced by the war in Vietnam. There are also seductions of war seen in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and John Knowles' A Separate Peace. The seduction of war is reflected in the true and fictional characters in war stories, and it manifests itself in politics, physical attributes, and emotions."
Tags: war violence vietnam, john kowles, tim o'brien, seduction death soldiers
Abstract The paper investigates the factors responsible for this medium's great popularity. It looks at its appeal to the democratizing influence, to people's desire for status, to natural curiosity, and to competitiveness. It also looks at other factors influencing the attraction to reality television, such as the desire to socialize and the allure of this medium for the less intellectual audience. The paper concludes with a brief synopsis of its main points.
From the Paper "Reality television can include news programming, interviews, documentaries, and almost all programs that are portrayed as non-fictional. While many definitions of reality television include programs that are recreated portrayals of past events, reality television is generally does not include "docudramas" that have invented or composite characters, or that show events that are largely fictional in nature, or historical events have been significantly changed from their original incident (CFP: Reality Television; NTVS Research Team).
Perhaps the most interesting feature of reality television is its overwhelming popularity with traditionally fickle and sometimes jaded North American audiences. A myriad of shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Real World, Blind Date, Temptation Island, A Wedding, and the latest fad, American Idol, have each reached close to the top of the Nielsen ratings in the past few years."
Abstract Savannah, Georgia is a city rich in tradition, Southern charm, and old-fashioned hospitality. Since British General James Oglethorpe landed on the historic bluff in 1733 to establish America's 13th colony, Savannah has established itself as one of the nation's most distinctive cities. This paper outlines the history of Savannah, including the city's unique design and its ornate historic district. The historic district has established the identity of Savannah as a town of grace and allure. This paper analyzes the role of the historic district in creating the economy of Savannah, as well as delves into tourism's effects on the economy of present day Savannah.
From the Paper "The colony would see a generation of peace where Savannah flourished on the world scene as a cosmopolitan city. Soon, farmers discovered that Savannah's soil was rich, and the climate was favorable for the cultivation of cotton and rice. Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793, made cotton a profitable and affordable crop. Plantations and slavery became highly profitable systems for whites in the neighboring Low country of South Carolina; therefore, Georgia, the last free colony, legalized slavery. The trans-Atlantic slave trade would bring millions of Africans to the America's with many passing through the port of Savannah forming the Gullah culture of the Atlantic coastal communities in Georgia and South Carolina."
Abstract By the end of the 1980's, it was becoming increasingly clear that the antiquated two party system in Canada was no longer effective in representing the views of the entire nation. Regional cleavages were becoming severely pronounced and alternative regional-based parties were thus progressively more alluring. The success of the Francophone Bloc Quebecois and the western based Reform party boldly highlights the intensity of the thrust behind the regional movement. This paper will compare and contrast the constitution of these two flourishing parties and some light may be shed upon the changing nature of politics and electoral behaviour in Canada.
Abstract Toronto's waste management focuses on shipping and land filling. When the Adams mine proposal was defeated in the fall of 2000, significant new recycling and composting initiatives were announced. However, they were recently abandoned in a round of budget cuts. This paper examines the allure and the environmental danger, of land filling.
Abstract This paper examines how the film, "Pirates of the Caribbean", was an immensely successful film on a financial basis, as well as on an entertainment, and even an artistic, basis. It looks at how, while there are a number of elements that added up to success for the movie, including the performance of Johnny Depp and the allure of heart-throb Orlando Bloom, the fundamental reason that the movie was successful is that it managed to take a tried-and-true movie formula and do something genuinely new with it. It shows how the film walked the thin line between being just another pirate movie and an extended version of the Disneyland ride without the fun of those two quick drops at the beginning and something so esoteric that it would not have the 'legs' to draw in a large audience.
From the Paper "The movie also had the advantage of keying in to a certain current zeitgeist: No one who wants to make money (or make movies, or make movies that make money) can afford to ignore trends in fashion, and for reasons not entirely clear pirate movies were popular this year. Maybe in a time of political and economic uncertainty, the pirate movie offers Americans a perfect chance to escape the problems of their everyday lives. After running away to join the circus, running off to sea is one of the longstanding fantasies that many people have."
Abstract This paper explains that, throughout history, Venus as a representation of love and beauty has been captured in various media, including the visual arts of paintings and sculpture, music, and drama. The author points out that understanding the roles in history and Greek mythology of Venus, an ancient Italian goddess closely associated with fields and gardens and later identified by the Romans, and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is important for understanding how artists have been able to use her as a representation of love and beauty. The paper relates that artistic representations of Venus have long been associated with female sexuality as embodied in the "Venus Pudica", a statue in which Venus stands erect with her face slightly turned away, one hand over her breasts and the other shielding her groin, displaying both modesty and an alluring nature.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Venus and Aphrodite
Venus and her Roles in Classical and Renaissance Art
Venus and Sexuality
Venus, Madonna, Mary Magdalene and the Female Role in Society
Venus in Contemporary Culture
From the Paper "During the 18th century, the French painter Fran?ois Boucher also captured the charms of Aphrodite, often depicted her in his most notable work ?The Triumph of Venus.? Boucher's style was considered to be in the Rococo genre. Rococo by nature is light, playful, and can sometimes be a bit frivolous but proved to be a suitable style for depicting the goddess of love and beauty. This painting indeed conveys to the viewer feelings of delight and joy. Another artist who produced works that depicted the birth of Aphrodite was the French painter J A.D. Ingres. Ingres? work is considered more classical in form that Boucher's version and is part of the artistic movement known as Neoclassicism. In addition, Ingres? work draws inspiration from the past as he depicted her as she emerges from the sea."
Abstract This paper looks at the paintings "The Toilet of Venus" by Francois Boucher and "Gertrude Stein" by Pablo Picasso and how they differ in style and color. It discusses how each painting has a unique style which is intriguing and alluring and how the main difference is the colors used, one is dark and the other is brilliant. It also discusses the history behind the paintings and their similarities.
From the Paper "Francois Boucher painted The Toilet of Venus. This painting was custom-made for Madame de Pompadour as part of the decoration for her cabinet de toilette at the Chateau de Bellevue, which was one of the residences she shared with King Louis XV. In the painting there are cupids and doves which are attributes of Venus as the goddess of Love. The flowers allude to her role as patroness of gardens and the pearls reflect her mysterious birth from the sea. Francois made the painting during the Rococo Style period. Rococo Style was popular in Western Europe from 1700-1780. The term comes from French, which stands for fanciful rock or shell design, and it exhibits an elegant feeling and style. As a painter of nudes, Boucher had no equal in his generation. "
This paper discusses Emile Zola's novel "Ladies Paradise", named after Paris's first department store, where Mouret exerts his powers of seduction over the female customers, who are depicted as his willing prey.
1,565 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 0 sources, 2005, $ 51.95
Abstract This paper explains that, with the character of Denise Baudau, a lowly worker, Emile Zola presents in "Ladies Paradise" a somewhat skewed vision of the struggle between the sexes with this protagonist ultimately obtaining her goal to marry the less than admirable but higher ranked Monsieur Mouret. The author points out that advertising in the days of this novel worked the same way as today: To create a need by implying that women have some defective quality and promising that their product will make them more beautiful. The paper relates that Zola observes that women come to equate the products with their sexuality with its sensual allure festering and growing until they become an addiction for the women that they must have the products at all costs.
From the Paper "Consequently, a raging competition ensues and the ladies compete with each other for customers and the attention of Mouret. The shop girls are forced to dress in a certain way in order to be successful, which is by pleasing Mouret and garnering his attentions. If they can garner Mouret's attentions, a shop girl will have the great honor of exchanging sexual favors for the right to do as she pleases at the department store, as Clara Prunaire does. As long as the shop girl can keep Mouret pleased, she is protected from being sacked."
Abstract This well-researched paper examines the various reasons why home-schooling has come to be an alluring option for parents. One main reason parents choose home-schooling is to educate their children about their own personal religious beliefs and alternative principles.
The writer of this paper details the history of home-schooling which has been gaining popularity in recent years. In the later part of 1960s and in the initial stages of 1970s, home schooling surfaced as an option to public schooling. In 1986, it was estimated that between 120,000 and 260,000 children received their education at home. This paper examines the various benefits to home schooling which include expediency, lenient attendance policies and individualized attention. The writer also details the disadvantages to this type of education including the increasing costs, substandard civic participation, lost social services and absence of quality control. Home-schooling has been condemned due to the fact that these children are devoid of opportunities to communicate with their peers, while many experts feel that home-schooled students are cut off from the outer world and become socially impaired. This paper also discusses the objectives to this type of education.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
History
Benefit
Disadvantage
Objectives: Who and Why Consider Home Schooling?
More Research Required
References
From the Paper "The first compulsory law relating to education was enacted in 1852 and by the beginning of the century, children in majority of the communities needed to go to school normally through eighth standard. Home schooling came to be, nearly for the majority part archaic. However, displeasure with the public education is in charge of some parents and educators back to home school alternative during the 1970s. The articles of Raymond and Moore, an erstwhile officer of the U.S. Department of Education, and John Holt, author of many books on education, gave credibility and countrywide functioning to an increasing home school movement. Home schools in the present era have once more become popular since parents prefer to give education at home for reasons of safety, values and/or quality of education."
Abstract This paper provides an analysis of how Daniel Mason uses setting, imagery, and foreshadowing to depict Edgar Drake's escape from real world London to the fantasy world of Burma during the Anglo-Burmese wars in the late nineteenth century in "The Piano Tuner".
From the Paper " In Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner, the author takes us on the journey of mild-mannered piano tuner Edgar Drake commissioned by British officials to go to Burma to tune a rare piano that has political interest in hostile Burma .."
Abstract The most vulnerable victims to the allure of drinking and driving seem to be young people, be they college age or younger. This essay will look at some of the arguments that are made for why young people drink and drive, as well as what sort of strategies and legislation have been argued as viable and have been enacted to put a stop to this all-too-often tragic phenomenon.
From the Paper "Mixed messages with regard to alcohol consumption are abundant in today's society. Alcoholic beverage companies sponsor television advertisements that caution drinkers to imbibe responsibly and to never, ever drive while under the influence of their products. Yet the next advertisement that flickers across the screen might extol the virtues of a similar product. NASCAR and other automobile-racing industries paste decals of beer companies across their cars' hoods and doors, touting these beverages as the cars race around the track, all the while expecting spectators to separate drinking and driving. No wonder drunk driving is such a problem in our society -- drinking and driving often are intertwined by the profit-first companies. The most vulnerable victims to the allure of drinking and driving seem to be young people of college age or even younger."
Abstract This paper discusses how establishing an effective media mix for business to business (B2B) media plan is, or should be, a carefully planned task that incorporates a considerable amount of research and reference to existing literature relevant to the product, services, or relationships being marketed. Companies must take careful consideration of all their media advertising options and incorporate only those that offer the greatest return on investment, rather than rushing pell-mell to solely the internet with all its allure of instant gratification. The paper further discusses how while print advertising seems to be in decline, rather than in its death throes, as some researchers would have it, it is still a highly visible and effective option given the appropriate product, service or relationship.
Abstract In this article, the writer points out that the act of rape is one of the most violent and demeaning crimes in society. Further, the writer notes that rape is more associated with aggression and domination than it is with sex. The writer explains that not only does this act cause physical harm but it is also emotionally and psychologically damaging to the victim. In this paper, the writer discusses that in spite of the suffering of rape victims, the myth is often propagated in society that women initiate rape either by being alluring or tacitly leading the male on. The writer concludes that it should be remembered that rape is a crime and a social act that has enormous consequences for the victim.
From the Paper "However, mythical attitudes and stereotypes have an extremely negative effect, not directly only on the women who is a victim of rape but also in terms of the reportage and combating of this crime; as well as on the subsequent arrest rates. Due to this myth that women often invite rape, many women feel that they are somehow to blame if they are raped. This has been given as a central reason why many women do not report being raped to the authorities. The myths therefore tend to distort the victims sense of psychological balance and viewpoint and point to the possibility that she may have in some way led the rapist on or encouraged him. These women therefore internalize the dominant social rape myths that are promulgated in the society and culture so that they become a measure of 'reality'."
