Abstract This paper examines the film, "Blue Velvet," directed by David Lynch. Specifically, it discusses mise-en-scene and cinematography in the film. It looks at how David Lynch is a master of the film noir, dark and brooding types of films that disturb, disquiet, and titillate, all at the same time, and how "Blue Velvet" is no exception. It discusses how the film is part blue porn flick, part girl-next-door love story, and part sadistic kidnapping, and how the elements all blend together to form a cohesive whole because of Lynch's masterful use of mise-en-scene staging and cinematography. "Blue Velvet," even with its happy ending, leaves the viewer wanting more, somehow and that, too, seems to be just what Lynch intended.
From the Paper "Mise-en-scene is a French term describing the "director's text" or staging of a film, and in "Blue Velvet," David Lynch's intricate and often surreal staging is an integral part of the film. He arranges space and time in the film with such dark and dreamlike qualities that the film can be nothing more than memorable and yet quite disturbing at the same time ? a true mark of Lynch's film and a tribute to his mise-en-scene. The most compelling visual motif in the film is of course the color blue. Lynch stages action around the color to keep it always in the memory of the viewers. The film opens with a sensuous scene of blue velvet fabric undulating on the screen, the theme continues from the background music to the clearly blue cigarette smoke issuing from the cigarettes of the characters, and in fact, Dorothy, the nightclub singer and sado-masochist, is known as "The Blue Lady" in her act."
Abstract In this paper, the writer introduces, discusses, and analyzes the development of jazz and the blues. The roots of these two forms of American music are traced. The author also explores the influence of African-American slave music on these forms of music. Several notable jazz and blues artists are discussed. The author concludes by stating jazz and blues are popular forms of music throughout the world.
From the Paper "Some of the more recognizable blues artists include Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton, Son House, T-Model Ford, Howlin' Wolf, BB King, Muddy Waters, and Leadbelly (Gioia). Many jazz musicians have influenced the music and become famous in their own right, too. Early musicians include Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. Jazz continues to evolve today, with "smooth jazz" gaining in popularity, and modern influential artists include Wynton Marsalis and Kenny G. Advocates included many black and white writers of the times, such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, who recognized the importance of the music and helped spread interest about it around the world."
Examines the risk and hazard factors of bright blue light in the workplace and compares the use of green light in the work place and examines the safety issues relating to green light use.
Abstract This research paper examines the hazards and risks associated with the use of blue light in the work place. In addition, the paper examines the use of green light in the workplace and the safety issues relating to the use of green light. Also examined is the fact that blue light marketers inform the public that lamps with 'enhanced' UV will ensure better health.
From the Paper "Photometric quantities such as luminance (brightness in cd/cm2 as perceived by a human "standard observer") and illuminance in lux (the "light" falling on a surface) indicate light levels spectrally weighted by the standard photometric visibility curve which peaks at 550 nm for the human eye. To quantify a photochemical effect it is not sufficient to specify the number of photons-per-square-centimeter (photon flux) or the irradiance (W/cm2) since the efficiency of the effect will be highly dependent on wavelength."
Abstract This paper begins with a summary of the plot of "Desiree's Baby" and then provides an analysis of the story's main characters and its theme. The paper describes how "Desiree's Baby" sends a message that judging another human being based on his or her skin color is completely immoral and unjustified.
From the Paper "Kate Chopin's short story, ?Desiree's Baby,? begins by explaining how Desiree comes to live with Monsieur and Madame Valmonde?Monsieur Valmonde finds her as a child sleeping on his property, and he and his wife decide to raise her. When Desiree grows up, Armand Aubigny falls in love with her, and despite Monsieur Valmonde's warnings that Desiree's origins are unknown, Armand marries her and they have a baby boy. At first, they are both extremely proud and happy, and Armand even treats his Negro slaves kindly because he is in such a joyful state of mind. However, Armand's manner changes when the baby is three months old: he stops looking into Desiree's eyes when he speaks to her, he treats the slaves awfully, and he seems to fall out of love with Desiree. Desiree is miserable and cannot understand why her husband has changed."
Abstract In this paper the author looks at the painting, ?Composition with Red Yellow and Blue? c. 1922 by Piet Mondrian and attempts to bring a sense of purpose to the painting and instill the reader with a sense of appreciation for the message that Mondrian imparts through his art. He concludes by examining the September 11th attacks in relation to Mondrain's art and contends that Mondrain would have regarded it as surreal.
From the paper:
"Mondrian believed that artistic expression should be found in the abstraction of form and color and that his use of vertical and horizontal lines would express the perfect harmony between these two extremes".
Tags: artists, painters, Piet, Mondrian, Composition, Red, Yellow, Blue, Amsterdam, Theosophical, Neoplatonic, Panthelistic, Paris, De, Stijl, Le, Neo, Plasticisme
Abstract This paper describes the painting, "Blue Bowl", and explains how the artist's use of contrast, line, and color in this painting create the balance and rhythm characteristic of Alexander's work.
From the Paper ""The Blue Bowl" contains several contrasting formal elements that contribute to its energetic nature. For example, a thick, black background competes with the woman's milky skin. The contrast enables her figure to jump out of the background, giving her lightness and freedom from an otherwise nebulous environment. Moreover, only part of her skin is exposed, from the nape of her neck and her upper back. The skin here is also far brighter than the skin on her hands and face, which remains in shadow. Most of the woman's skin remains concealed beneath the dress; like the contents of the bowl and the atmosphere of the room she graces, the bulk of her body is unseen by the viewer. The floral print dress jumps out of the canvas largely because of its color scheme. Just as her skin contrasts sharply with the dark background, so too does the ivory-colored dress, the piece of furniture she leans on with her left hand, and the background of the titular blue bowl."
Abstract The paper provides an analysis of Wallace Stevens' poem "The Man with the Blue Guitar". Specifically, the paper discusses the author's conception of poetry compared to classicism and to another trend of modernist poems. A copy of the poem is included at the beginning of the paper.
From the Paper "Indeed, Wallace Stevens' work differs in multiple ways from Pound's. Stevens focuses mainly on the frontier that lies between imagination and reality. He believes that poetry is what humans do: the poet is aware of his role in society. This point of view over the authorial voice parallels some romantic concepts, a paradox since most modernist poets tended to escape from the formalism and ornament diffused by the romantic movement. "
Abstract One striking element is the narrator's identification with the Jews and their millennia-long history of oppression. Allusion is the most significant literary device used in the poem. "Babi Yar" is Auschwitz, is Cambodia, is every pogrom and is every act of brutal horror in history. Anne Frank appears in the poem, as an allusion to the faceless and invisible presence of the common person. Allusion, however, is not the only literary device used to great perfection within the poem.
Abstract This paper presents two film essays. The first reviews the 1938 classic screwball comedy, "Bringing Up Baby." It looks at director Howard Hawks' ability to draw hidden comedic talents and skills from his cast. The second paper is a personal reaction to the 1996 film "Bound" with respect to the Hays Motion Picture Code, looking at issues of extreme violence, profanity, nudity and sex.
From the Paper "Bringing Up Baby was directed by Howard Hawks and released in ..."
Tags: Film, Bound, Bringing Up Baby, Hays Motion Picture Code
Abstract This paper looks at the baby boomer generation and their attitudes. It sets up a questionnaire to determine if their political attitudes are changing now they are nearing retirement and social security and Medicare become major issues for them.
From the Paper "This report will look at the opinions of the baby boomer generation to see how they feel about the situation in the country right now and if they feel they will have adequate financial support and medical coverage when they retire in a few years. The baby boomer generation born between 1946 and 1960 represent a huge population in the United States."
Abstract This paper begins by discussing how Mississippi Delta was the birthplace of the Blues movement and introduces the first musicians of this form of music. It then discusses how the Blues movement developed into a form of community bonding and how it benefited the community. It mentions landmark institutions which developed from the Delta Blues. These include the Delta Blues Museum and the The Delta Blues Education Program, The Delta Blues Hall of Fame and The Mississippi Delta Blues Society.
From the Paper "The Mississippi Delta is not a large area geographically, yet writer Robert Palmer argues that it has contributed more to American music than any other region (Palmer, 1993, p. 11). Famous Delta blues musicians include Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, B.B. King, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Floyd Jones and Howlin' Wolf. And even though Delta natives such as Albert King and John Lee Hooker left for more promising opportunities elsewhere, hundreds of other artists stayed behind and kept the blues tradition alive at home where today it is played at weddings, house parties, fish fries, juke joints and festivals (Clarksdale, 1999)."
Tags: society, fame, museum, education, institution, music, jazz
Abstract This paper is an in-depth examination of the Blues. It begins by taking a look at the Deep South roots of the original Blues during slavery and how it began to spread north to Harlem in the late 1900s. The birth of contemporary Blues in the 1940s is detailed and it looks at some of the musicians, such as Scott Joplin who began incorporating these rhythms into their music. The next area covered is the building of the Blues, and traces the growth of different genres from the original blues. According to this author, the legacy of the blues was set, when it reached the ears of Elvis Presley, which led to the birth of rock and roll.
From the Paper "The music that was originally known as the blues developed from a variety of hereditary and regional musical influences and practices popular among the people of the southern portion of the United States. The roots of all varieties of blues music can be traced to the southern states, particularly those that comprise the area of the nation known as the Deep South. The music originating in the hills and backwoods of Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, music that has become most commonly associated with "hillbilly" bands and rhythms, is in fact a variety of the blues genre that is often referred to as "country blues" (Pooley 86). The style and genre that is most commonly associated with the blues, however, is also commonly associated with the nation's African-American sector and stems from the "Delta blues", a form of the blues that originated among the slave populations of the antebellum south and developed alongside its country "cousin" (86). This distinct musical style and form developed from the West African rhythms and beats that were brought to America by African slaves imported during the early years of slavery, rhythms and beats that were kept alive and passed down from generation to generation by the traditional music and songs of southern slaves."
Tags: musicians, south, deep, harlem, genre, rhythm, slavery, music, american, ragtime, emancipation, style, note, rock, roll
Abstract This paper discusses the insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri. The paper describes the negative public perception of this company due to incomplete information provided on the company's website. The paper claims that the insurance company does not make its members aware of the benefits due to them. Suggestions are presented to employ marketing strategies that will improve Blue Cross Blue Shield's public image.
From the Paper "In the past, the marketing of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri has faced severe criticism. A Market Conduct Examination Report by Health Care Financing Administration notes that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri "utilizes an overall marketing, policy issuance and application process hostile to Missouri residents attempting to exercise their rights as provided for in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996" (Health Care Financing Administration). Specific criticisms of the marketing policies of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri not that the company "Withholds access to information regarding guaranteed available policies from consumers attempting to access information through (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri)'s marketing website" (Health Care Financing Administration). Specifically, the organization charges that BCBSMo does not inform consumers of the "availability of BasicBlue coverage" on its website."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, a short story set in New York City's Harlem. Specifically, the the paper discusses the role the blues plays in the story. The paper shows that "Sonny's Blues" is about being lost, and trying to be found, within the context of being a black man in this society; and of finding oneself as so many black men have, through the blues?both as music, and as storytelling.
From the Paper "But if blacks recognize each other in the rarefied smoky atmosphere of the jazz clubs, black society at large often doesn"t even honor its own. It's sometimes impossible to earn a living as a musician--something the narrator warned Sonny about after their mother died. The narrator doesn"t even know who Charlie Parker is"perhaps the greatest jazz musician of all time. If blacks themselves can"t recognize the geniuses among them, what chance does Sonny have? "You"ll have to be patient with me. Now. Who's this Parker character?? the narrator asks Sonny, who becomes sullen and turns his back. ?He's just one of the greatest jazz musicians alive.? Sonny, too, will turn out to be a creative genius. For the black man, this means spontaneous improvisation: "Baldwin's bastardized characters must legitimize self through endless improvisation"[they] begin with memory, then bursts out into improvised song.? (Tsomondo, p. 197)"
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze the three works "Sonny's Blues," by James Baldwin, "The Sorrow Songs," by W.E.B. Du Bois, and "Am I Blue," by Alice Walker. Specifically, it discusses the use of the blues in all three works, and how music influences each story. The writer argues that music, specifically the blues, plays an important and valuable role in supporting the characters and making the stories more believable and moving.
From the Paper "Each author uses the blues in a different way, but the music plays an important part in each story, making them more readable, and the characters more sympathetic to the reader. The blues is a form of music that originated in black Harlem in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. It has always been a kind of melancholy music that illustrates the unhappiness and unsettled lives of black Americans."
