Abstract This eight-page undergraduate academic research paper examines and analyzes Old West cowboys and nineteen-sixties American Hippies in terms of shared values such as individualism, shared contemporary perceptions, and a mutual rejection of their respective establishments.
Abstract This paper examines how planning, controlling, organizing, and leading are the four management functions that every organization needs to manage to achieve its goals. It looks at how one organization that has had significant problems in the past is the Dallas Cowboys and how the goal of the Dallas Cowboys is to become a championship team, with a dependency on the management of the organization as much as on performance on the field. It assesses the organization by looking at both positive and negatives aspects in order to make recommendations on what the Dallas Cowboys need to do to become a championship team again.
From the Paper "One of the major problems that the Dallas Cowboys have had in recent years is the bad image the team has received because of players being involved in off-field incidents. These off-field incidents include claims of rape, assault and drug use. In addition, players have been suspended because of drug use. These incidents create two major problems. Firstly, players can be lost through either suspension or through going to jail over rape and assault incidents. This limits the organization's ability to manage the organizing function, which refers to assigning tasks and allocating resources. For the Dallas Cowboys to win a championship, the major resource they need is the players of their team. If the team does not have reliable players that they know will be available this creates a level of uncertainty that makes it difficult to organize the team. This suggests that the organization could have problems attracting good players and retaining them."
Abstract This paper explains that the cowboy ("vaqueros", Spanish,which evolved from the root word, "vaca" meaning cow) was first introduced in 1598 in the United States then known as the New Mexico Kingdom. The author points out that the American cowboys of the late 1800's trail drives came from Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Gaelic roots in the British Isles thus their distinctive lingo was based generally on the English language; their poems and songs are a part of the old tradition of balladry, the modern form of which is called western music. The paper relates that modern cowboys are still working in comfortable homes with their families, use advanced technology and husbandry in working cattle, use horses on the range but trucks are more common and helicopters and airplanes are used to supplement horses in herding cattle
From the Paper "Equestrians, mounted horsemen, date back to 4000 B.C. and can be seen in Mesolithic representations of halters on domesticated horses. Archaeological evidence of horsemen in Spain can be found in rock art dating before 2000 B.C. and "in fragments of Celtic weapons, horseshoes, bridle bits and prick spurs by 500 B.C.." Other evidence from this same era include "bent-knee riders in saddles of concave silhouette" that appear in Iberian stone carvings, bronze castings, and vase paintings. During the Middle Ages, mounted herdsmen were a frequent fixture on the semi-arid lands of Spain, but rare in many other European countries, such as England and France."
Abstract This paper reviews Elmer Kelton's (1971) "The Days the Cowboys Quit". A western or 'oater', this book is also a remarkable tale of class struggle and the brief years in which 'cowboys' really rode the range.
Abstract The movie "Space Cowboys" can be critically analysed by using both the theories of semiotics and that of ideology. Each of these theories allows us a different perspective on the movie. We will look at the movie from the perspectives of these two theories, firstly be defining the theory and secondly by applying it to the movie. In conclusion, it will be shown that the theory of ideology is not only relevant to the movie, but also reflects the very purpose of the movie.
From the paper:
"Semiotics is defined as the study of signs. It focuses on the relationship between signifier, signified and sign. (Abercrombie 373) In Questions concerning faculties claimed for man, Peirce discusses signs. Peirce's basic idea is that signs are the universal medium between human minds and the world. A sign has the meaning that society gives it. This shared nature of signs means that they do not necessarily represent truth. The focus of analysis then should be on how the sign is interpreted, not on the truth behind it. It is the way it is interpreted that tells us something about society, rather than the sign telling us some universal truth. We can view semiotics then, as a critical tool that provides us with information about society. "
Abstract This paper talks about the theme found throughout all of Kramer's books and takes a special look at how "The Last Cowboy" also reflects that theme. In particular, the paper stresses that Kramer's books talk about the reaction in the U.S. to the collapse of the promise of the "American dream", a dream with which many still identify with, but fewer come to actually put in practice and live out.
From the Paper "Jane Kramer's works, both her books and the articles she has published, somewhat reflect the American reality as it is perceived by Europe and the Europeans she spends much of her time with. In many ways, the United States are a different matter for the Europeans, who will never be able to understand the logic of the Electoral College, with the mess it can lay out such as it has in 2000, or "understanding the fuss over Monica Lewinsky" . "
Abstract This is an argumentative paper that contends the 1989 film of the novel "Drugstore Cowboy," directed by Gus Van Sant, is more compelling than the book, based on the film's use of sound and color and a more palpable experience than reading the novel.
From the Paper "The novel Drugstore Cowboy was written by a drug abuser who spent most of his life in jail, James Fogle. In both the novel and the film of it directed by Gus Van Sant we are treated to the lives and travels off our drug abusers whose lives ..."
Tags: drugs, hope, despair, novels, movies, addiction, abuse, death
Abstract Analysis of the main characters in the book DRUGSTORE COWBOY by James Fogle. Contends addiction of characters is not limited to taking drugs, but also to the excitement of the lifestyle, including criminal aspects. Special world view, attitudes and behaviors of characters who adhere to the junkie philosophy. Junkie system of values.
From the Paper "The main characters in James Fogle's Drugstore Cowboy subscribe, to various degrees, to what might be called "The Junkie Philosophy." For the bulk of the book, the characters, especially ringleaders Bob and Diane, live their lives with one object in mind--acquiring and taking drugs, especially the high quality drugs located in pharmacies, which they rob. All other activity is insignificant in comparison. They live for drugs. Within that fixation on drugs, however, there is indeed a philosophy of sorts which includes a world view, a set of attitudes and behaviors that the characters adopt as expressions of that world view, and a sense of higher purpose which is achieved through the exercise of that philosophy.
For the characters in Fogle's book, it is clear that the simple addiction to and ingestion of drugs itself are hardly the ..."
Abstract Drugs and similar destructive behavior are major social problems addressed by a number of films in recent years. These films develop around a subculture and evoke certain images associated with such milieus, often using stereotypical images as shorthand to introduce the audience to the world of drug abuse and other marginal behavior. This paper discusses destructive social behavior in "Trainspotting" (depicting the drug culture in the United Kingdom), "Drugstore Cowboy" (exploring a feminist angle to drug abuse) and "Leaving Las Vegas" (portraying an alcohol abuse problem).
From the Paper "Trainspotting is a film depicting the drug culture in the United Kingdom, and the American audience at least is less familiar with this milieu than with its own drug subculture. Controversy developed between those who saw the film as reflecting a reality that had to be understood and addressed and those who saw the film as glorifying drug use and so as creating a problem that might not otherwise exist. The harrowing nature of the lives of the young people in this film, however, would seem to mitigate any potential for glorification. The film reflects the social context of its time in this debate, a debate between the belief in free expression and in control to reach some end, a debate between seeing drugs as so terrible that even excessive means might be needed to stop their use and seeing the issue as overblown so that society should restrain its repressive impulses."
Abstract The main characters in James Fogle's "Drugstore Cowboy" subscribe, to various degrees, to what might be called "The Junkie Philosophy." For the bulk of the book, the characters, especially ringleaders Bob and Diane, live their lives with one object in mind--acquiring and taking drugs, especially the high quality drugs located in pharmacies, which they rob. The paper shows that all other activity is insignificant in comparison. They live for drugs. The paper shows that within that fixation on drugs, however, there is indeed a philosophy of sorts which includes a world view, a set of attitudes and behaviors that the characters adopt as expressions of that world view and a sense of higher purpose which is achieved through the exercise of that philosophy.
From the Paper "This philosophy is not a crude one with respect to drugs, but includes a connoisseur's refined appreciation for individual drugs and for the interrelationships of different drugs as they react in the junkie's body and brain. Each addict finds what gives him or her the most pleasure, but for each of them the heart and soul of the junkie philosophy is the experience of becoming and being high. Without that high, there would be no junkie philosophy."
This paper discusses film director John Schlesinger who, in the 1960s, was part of a new social realism in British films and a revivification of the British film industry.
Abstract This paper explains that the social realism of the early 1960s was an accidental movement in film in which numerous films were produced for and about the working class, depicting working class life in realistic and dramatic terms, rather than comic terms. The paper points out that Schlesinger depicts characters facing a crisis in their lives when forced to confront the reality of their existence in films like ?Midnight Cowboy?, for which he won an Oscar, and "The Falcon and the Snowman". The paper relates that Schlesinger is known for films with a careful mixture of social commentary and entertainment value, as he makes his social observations entertaining to audiences.
From the Paper "In the 1960s, film director John Schlesinger was part of a new social realism in British films and a revivification of the British film industry. Schlesinger came out of television and broke through to the world cinema with films like A Kind of Loving (1962), Billy Liar (1963), and Darling (1965), after which he began making most of his films in the United States beginning with the major success of Midnight Cowboy (1969). In his early work, Schlesinger made 26 films for the BBC, worked as second unit director on several television series, and eventually managed to make his first feature with A Kind of Loving."
Tags: feminization, cowboy, crisis, commentary, entertainment
Abstract This paper examines how the subject of female artists working in the American West has often been overlooked due to pervasive Western male stereotypes, which include popular media overlays of cowboys, male hero icons, and male activities. It looks at how the environment of the American West has been the inspiration for many American female artists and, in particular, landscape photographer Laura Gilpin and contemporary artist Agnes Pelton. It shows how both artists use the unique vibrant landscape and the peoples of the American West as their subject matter and how, while they differ in their approaches, technique, and underlying philosophy, both artists create unique works of art that explore the outer and inner depth and beauty of the region.
From the Paper "Agnes Pelton is a more contemporary artist working in a different medium and style to Laura Gilpin and with different artistic objectives. However, the two artists are similar in their use of the unique qualities and artistic attributes of the landscape and natural qualities of the West as a source of inspiration. Pelton initially painted in the conventional representational style but later developed a unique abstract style of her own, which included landscapes. These landscapes differ from the work of Gilpin in that they explore the interior and Spiritual qualities that are manifested through her paintings."
Abstract This paper discusses the career of professional athlete, Emmitt Smith. The paper contends that there are some who say that Smith is only a football player and should certainly not lay a foundation of any significance in our culture. The writer of this paper believes otherwise and aims to prove that Emmitt Smith is and should continue to be a cultural icon for his many achievements.
Outline
Introduction
Cultural View
Sporting Icons
Emmitt Smith the Person
The Dallas Cowboys Conclusion
From the Paper "These revenues that are generated in a direct or indirect manner by the professional athletes like Emmitt Smith also are an example of how important they are in the realm of the current trends towards globalization for both business and cultural views of the world. "One specific focus of these debates is whether or not the new international economic, national, and cultural alliances, in conjunction with an ever-expanding mediascape, are contributing to a standardized, homogenized, and globally shared culture. The emergent, simulated cultural space and experience, which are largely, but not exclusively, driven by the machinations of American-mediated popular culture, are seemingly demonstrated by the universal presence of commodity-signs such as CNN, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Nike, Baywatch, the Disney Corporation, the NBA, and the focus of our analysis, Michael Jordan. While it would be a mistake to deny the global ubiquity of this ever-expanding economy of cultural artifacts, it would be equally erroneous to suggest that an increased circulation of commodity-signs inevitably leads to the creation of globally homogeneous or "Americanized" patterns of popular cultural existence." (Sands) "
Abstract In this article, the writer analyzes the classic film "My Darling Clementine". The writer discusses the way in whcih the elements of style are used in the film to elucidate its central themes. The writer looks at the themes of the settlers' civilization of the West, the character of the lone cowboy or fugitive who doesn't fit into the developing social community, and the violent clash between the Clantons and the Earps that exemplify these disparities.
From the Paper "In the first scene each of the Earp brothers on the cattle drive is introduced by a low-angle medium shot profiled on horseback against the sky. Somehow the short take, the brief isolation of each one, exposes a premonition of mortality, which is heightened by the ominous arrival of Old Man Clanton and his son Ike hunched over on their buckboard, in a medium shot seen from the back. They, their rig, and their horses are dark figures in the gathering dusk of the hills as Wyatt Earp rides up from the daylight plain to speak to them in low-angled closeup."
