Abstract This paper describes Dadaism and Surrealism, and the integration of the two known as the Dada Surrealist Movement. The writer explains how these movements arose during the World Wars and that the combined movement effectively demonstrated in various media of the visual arts and writing the end of "civilization" as it was manifest until the World Wars. The writer also discusses what is meant by the concept of "chance" in art, and how chance was viewed by Dada artists as minimally controlled randomness, and by the surrealists as a way to access the unconscious and let it merge with the conscious in order to create the superior reality it so revered. The writer concludes that in both art movements, chance therefore played an integral role in the emergence of their respective philosophies.
Outline:
Introduction
Chance in Dadaism
Surrealism
The Element of Chance
From the Paper "According to Harden, the Dada and Surrealist movements integrated to such an extent that they became known as the Dada Surrealist Movement. The initial aims of the Movement were far removed from the world of art, and were primarily political in nature. Being a response to the World Wars of the time, the Dada Surrealist Movement aimed to overthrow all that viewed itself as "civilized" . Indeed, this aim was focused primarily on art and the role its interpretation played in the civilized world. Ironically then, first Dada and then Surrealism sought a complete separation of art and its influences as it existed at the time. This can be seen as ironic, as both Dada and Surrealism are seen as recognized art forms today, with its influences and trappings for the contemporary artist; the very paradigm Dada Surrealism wished to overthrow."
Tags:beautyrealitycultureiconidealfreedom, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, paradigm political
Abstract The paper asserts that George W. Bush is a culturalicon who embodies the positive and negative aspects of American culture. The paper explains why political strategist Karl Rove crafted a public image of Bush as an icon and as a compassionate conservative, pro-life Christian who supports family values, is pro-military and is a tax cutter. The paper contends that this image has been shattered because of his criminal incompetence, reliance upon systematic deceit and abuses of power unparalleled in American political history. The paper includes source material.
From the Paper "Initially, this strategy of presenting Bush to the American public as an icon was very successful, for conservative voters have always longed for an iconic leader who symbolizes positive American traits and characteristics. President Ronald Reagan fulfilled that longing a generation ago and has been deified ever since by conservatives as the ideal American president. For the same reason, George W. Bush was groomed and marketed to the public during his two terms as governor of Texas as the conservative heir of Ronald Reagan, and that effort continued throughout the early years of Bush's presidency."
Abstract This paper discusses how beauty pageants define gender, hierarchy, and power. The paper contends that, despite growing resentments to a male-imposed version of femininity, women in America are influenced by a wide range of powerful cultural messages that serve to define unrealistic expectations of what women should look like and how they should act. The paper explores the Miss America, Miss Universe, and Miss World pageants.
From the Paper "Data for the winners of the Miss America competition from 1921 to 1986 (when the pageant stopped collecting the data) were analyzed by Freese and Meland; these researchers found that simple correlations between WHR and a linear measure of the time of pageant victory show that the WHRs of Miss American winners have changed over time. The correlation coefficients indicate that the WHR Miss America winners have decreased over time (r =.-55, p < .001) and those of Playboy centerfold models have increased over time (r =.46, p < .001) (Freese & Meland, 2002, p. 135). On the one hand, the authors say these results could reasonably be assumed to mean that this is evidence of an invariance in the underlying preference over time; the opposing trends, while important, could merely reflect idiosyncrasies of employing self-reported Playboy and Miss America measurements as measures of indicators of American male preferences for specific gender characteristics in the opposite sex at a given point in time. In other words, they say, because the trends are in opposite directions, they can be thought of as canceling each other out, allowing the conclusion that reflected WHR preferences have effectively been temporally invariant despite evidence of change in both samples (Freese & Meland, 2002, p. 136)."
Abstract An examination of the effect of Elvis Presley's career and life had on American society and culture. It discusses how his music transformed rock n' roll not only in how it sounded but also in his appearance and sexuality. It further looks at his movie career and how he influenced musicians and entertainers including Madonna.
From the Paper "Elvis Presley openly acknowledged that black musicians and their unique blend of soul and blues were a major influence in his career. He grew up in a poor household in the rural South. He understood the problems faced by the poor in the South, many of whom were Black. He listened to their music, visited their clubs and bars, and brought their musical form to the attention of the world when he blended it with his country blues."
Abstract This paper discusses how each individual begins to create self-perceptions from a very early age. According to this paper, these perceptions can be transmitted through parents, school, or society in general. However, as concepts are developed in conjunction with a child's culture, these ideals are also formulating a life-long view of the individual child as he or she relates to society, and that will allow the individual to ultimately create an identity that shapes their decisions, life style, and personal world within the larger social structure.
From the Paper "Many researchers contend that immigrants who are transported to another country have a greater chance of survival in the new land if they can quickly identify with a culture that is representative of the home of origin. This is evident because of language barriers, cultures norms, and the individual having a sense of belonging that supports who he, or she believes him/herself to be. This belief demonstrates the findings in the text that indicate that culture has a significant affect on the identity of the individual - to include methods of non-verbal communication, and personal space that is required when communicating. The text further stipulates that culture affects identity through the manner in which people view themselves."
Abstract This paper discusses the problems of ethnocentricity and cultural baggage in anthropology using the huge difference in Mead and Freeman's research on adolescence in Samoa as an example.
From the Paper "One of the cornerstones of anthropological thinking is the idea that in studying a society it is important not to judge it by our own standards but to try to understand it from its members? cultural viewpoint. By avoiding ethnocentricity we see the irrelevance of comparing or, even worse, ranking societies by how "westernised" they are (for example GNP, cars per capita, literacy rates etc). However, even if we can get past the "we are right, they are wrong" view of other societies, it is impossible to completely put aside our own cultural upbringing and preconceptions. Geertz (1988) states that, however much one tries, it is impossible for an anthropologist's writing to escape the influence of his/her social and educational background. This "cultural baggage" may not be obvious to an audience with a similar background but as the author's own society changes it becomes more obvious. Evans-Pritchard, in his work with the Azande, was one of the first anthropologists to make a deliberate effort to understand the validity of his subjects? beliefs and practices from their cultural viewpoint but to a modern reader his colonial era attitudes and prejudices are clear. Even something as fundamental as language forms part of our cultural baggage."
Abstract This paper examines how the decades of the 50s and 60s are so influential on American culture today. It looks are the period of turbulent change and the icons of rebellion still visible today. It illustrates the classic television family as stable, happy and conformed to mores of the American family. The author demonstrates that both decades hold American ideals that are a result of the political reality of that time.
From the Paper "The 1950s and the 1960s had very distinct and indelible influences on present day America. The 1950's were the source of a great many classic American stereotypes. In contrast, the 1960's were a time of cultural upheaval and rebellion. Together, both of these decades helped to shape the music, culture, and political events of the 1990s and beyond."
Tags: 1950, 1960, usa, united, states, stereotype, cultural, upheaval, rebellion, music, culture, political, events
Abstract This paper discusses the message in Naomi Wolf's book, "The Beauty Myth", explaining that Wolf puts forward the provocative argument that the ideal of beauty in modern culture is nothing but the latest method of keeping women in a subservient role within the patriarchy. She sees the ubiquitous images of female beauty that pervade our culture as being part of a vicious backlash against the successes of feminism, arguing that this beauty myth functions to keep women convinced that they are worth less than men, and thus maintains the current economic system.
Abstract The paper explores the meaning and the significance of the use of sexuality in Madonna's art. The writer focuses on two important and often contradictory issues: the use of sexuality in her music, videos and book publications as essentially a marketing and strategic device intended primarily to shock and manipulate the perceptions of the viewer or audience, and the use of sexuality as an integral and coherent part of her artistic intention and oeuvre. The latter use of sexuality is also considered in terms of its impact on modern culture and the way it challenges the social and cultural norms that entrap and subjugate both women and men. To conclude, the writer explains that a comprehensive assessment of sexuality in these works must include elements of both manipulation and artistic and social integrity. This paper contains a photograph of Madonna and an annotated bibliography.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
The Manipulation and Role of Sexuality in Modern Media Culture Madonna as Contemporary CulturalIcon Overview of Her Rise to Fame
Sexuality and Madonna's Early Life
Sexuality in Her Music and Image
Sexuality and Individual Freedom and Expression
Sexuality as a Marketing Tool
Conclusion: Reinvention and Hype
From the Paper "Popular music since the 1960s has tended to question these traditional sexual roles and norms and has interrogated the dominant sexual norms of the society and culture. Contemporary music and art has made use of sexual imagery and lyrics as a sign of rebellion against older morals and values that were considered to be hidebound and retrogressive rather than progressive. The youth culture and the emergence of modern popular and rock music were generally concerned with a central theme - the liberation of human consciousness and meaning from a world that had become overly materialistic and conservative and which prevented new and important expressions of feelings. Sexual images and lyrics in music were therefore essentially seen as form a rebellion against the status quo. It is within this context that the use of sexuality and sexual images in the works of Madonna should be considered."
This paper compares the writings of George Washington, J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur and Theodore Roosevelt to the writings of Frederick Douglass as expressed in his book "My Bondage and My Freedom".
Abstract This paper explains that the hard work and sense of freedom mentioned by writers like Washington, Crevecoeur and others differs markedly from what Douglass says about the American ideal; this fact is not surprising because Douglass and his immediate ancestors did not come to America on their own but were removed by force from their native land and made to work as slaves. The author points out that Douglass never sees himself as an American because, as a slave, he was kept him from belonging to any society of free men until he left slavery and entered a new world. The paper relates that Douglass moved from one oppressed minority to another--the free slave constituting another oppressed group, but this did not make Douglass any less an American in cultural terms but never as the ideal and fully connected American referred to by Washington and Crevecoeur.
From the Paper "Douglass himself, however, suggests otherwise in some of hits statements, such as when he writes in an 1846 letter to Garrison that he has no nation of his own. This sense of not having a nation is clearly part of the life of early Americans who, at the time of the Revolutionary War, denied their ties to Britain and sought to create a nation because they did not have one. In the American tradition, Douglass harks back to this same idea, emerging as he did from a slave world where he had no nation, and then finding ways to recreate both himself and his ties with the country over time. His writings are clearly American as they express a similar dedication to certain core values which, admittedly, the nation has not always lived up to, as it should."
Abstract This paper explains how American cultural values are transmitted to the rest of the world through Hollywood cinema icons like John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Sylvester Stallone and Clint Eastwood.
From the Paper "Icons are symbols or representations of values that transmit culture. Icons can be people, places or things, such as movie stars John Wayne and Sylvester Stallone to Disneyland, McDonald's and the Statue of Liberty. As Kroes argues, from the high rhetoric of its political ideals to the golden glow of McDonald's arches, from Bruce Springsteen to the Marlboro Man, American culture washes across the globe. Hollywood cinema is responsible for the creation and transmission of national icons that have transmitted American culture i.e., values around the..."
Tags: film, legend, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Katharine Hepburn, democracy, integrity, Horatio Alger, freedom.
Abstract For better or for worse, we live in a branded world. We are at a time in history when brands go beyond being business platforms to becoming symbols of our times. Brands like McDonald's, Sony and Budweiser often reflect the changing values of our society. Brands are more than just advertising, they are part of our culture. Andy Warhol and Campbell's? Soup. Norman Rockwell and Coca-Cola? (Lomsky-Feder & Rapoport, 32). One of the most enduring popular culture symbols and common household item is the PEZ dispenser. Invented in 1927, this unique form of candy is associated with popular icons of nearly every generation, multiple companies world wide and is the subject of thousands of web-pages devoted to the product, its nostalgic aspect, and the collecting of dispensers. PEZ dispensers and the consistent recipe of the candy itself, once designed simply as a smoker's breath mint, are now one of the most identifiable icons world-wide. It is the purpose of this paper to explore the history and importance in pop-culture of PEZ.
Abstract This paper discusses how according to the 19th century sociologist Max Weber, an ideal type is a kind of useful abstraction. It is a pure idea that does not directly correspond to a social reality, but it makes reality more clear, for the purpose of classification and analysis. The paper explains that Weber believed using ideal types was vital to the social sciences.
From the Paper "Weber developed his ideal types as a way of understanding and explaining real world authority-legitimacy relationships between the rulers and the ruled in comparative perspective. It will be noted that, for all of the diversity of the three types, and the diversity of personas within those types, one common thread unites them all, that of the fact that the defined types all relate to power, the fact that one party possess power and another power does not. The Western World defines the West in opposition to a less or more powerful East, bureaucracy or feudalism describes particular relations in a hierarchy, and even 'economic man' examines the relationship of humanity to the capricious marketplace, and the power the marketplace has over someone within a capitalist system. The degree of power in different relationships within all of these categories varies from era to era."
An analysis of Paul Valery's quote "Beauty is a way of death. The novelty, the intensity, the strangeness, in a word, all the values of shock supplant it."
656 words (approx. 2.6 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 23.95
Abstract This paper examines Paul Valery's quote above and attempts to answer the question of what makes beauty so difficult to define. It discusses how beauty is unique for each individual and what is beautiful to one may be ordinary to another. He therefore concludes that beauty is more of a concept than a reality and so is different for each who views it. The paper evaluates how beauty can be shocking, sublime, novel, intense and sometimes even strange and as a concept, it connotes perfection.
From the Paper "Sometimes beauty is so perfect it is shocking to think something so perfect could exist in the universe. The perfection of a beautiful woman, of bright white snow covering the needles of a deep green pine in the forest, the vivid and shocking colors of a sunrise over a mountain lake, all of these are beautiful and perfect in the moment. Beauty is shocking in its intensity, and in the reaction to it. That is a little like death, too. The moment is so perfect there is a little bit of death in it, knowing it will never occur again, and it cannot be held, except in the mind. This is a little like a moment of death and perfection mixed into one."
This paper discusses the ideal man and women as presented in Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark".
Abstract This paper states that, when looking at gender definitions, the context dictates the ideal characteristics for men and women. The author relates that Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" shows the victory of the physical over the intellectual man, while applauding the ideal woman who craves such physicality. The author believes that Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" pits two opposite types of men against each other representing the ideal man as a blend of the two, while representing the ideal woman as a complicated blend between intellect and beauty.
From the Paper "Each man is diametrically opposed to another male influence in his respective stories, and these opposition figures represent the physical portion of the male that is lacking from both Ichabod and Aylmer. Ichabod is opposed by both the father of his love interest, and by a competitor for Katrina's love, Brom van Brunt. Brom is the ideal of masculine strength and carries with him a certain wild frontier quality. He is a braggart, a sportsman, and a swaggering daredevil wrapped into one. Katrina's father represents the town of Sleepy Hollow; he does not look beyond his own borders, cares little if any for education, and wants to keep his town continuing the way it is, free of outsiders and outside ideas. Aylmer is opposed by his scientific assistant, Aminadab."
