Mass Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mass Media - Assignment Example (Marx, 1971). Conflict perspective of social change works as a social institution because both classes do struggle, lead class struggle to maintain their power and lowest classes struggle for gaining the income and power but the result is a clash. The outcome of the clash between opposing classes is not a compromise. On the contrary it is a birth of new conflict, one new born of struggle. In this manner, both societies and individuals change. On the contrary functionalist theory is basically based on homeostatic system, that is, assemblage of interrelated elements of society to make an equilibrium state like norms, customs, and traditions. Industries, educational departments, government, family are also the basic elements of society which are interrelated or interdependent. Like government provide education for the children and parents of the children give taxes in return (Wallerstein, 1974). It is the role of the society to fulfill six basic needs that are member replacement, member socialization, production of goods and services, preservation of internal order, provision and maintenance of sense of purpose and protection from external attacks. These needs are in a state of equilibrium with one another and when one changes than other one accommodates. Functionalist perspective also works as social institution because they interlinked the needs of the society. Like the family depends upon the school for the mental growth of their children so that in the future they will get good jobs (cliffsnotes.com, 2012). Interactionism perspective also work as a social institution because through which individual knows how to interact with their teachers, friends, elders and young ones. Through which individual... This essay makes a conclusion that the sociological theories have drastically changed the views of the society like through conflict perspective people knows they have to struggle and work hard for the society as well as for himself. Views of people towards society have become positively changed. Like the small child knows the meaning of competition, he knows he have to compete with other students for getting good marks. Mass media have greater impact on the views of the people like every banker knows he has to open more accounts as compared to other banker. Conflict perspective arises the competition spirit and struggle spirit that is so good for every society. This report approves that have discussed the impacts of the sociological theories that are the impacts of conflict theory is the enhancement of competition between two groups, like in two classes, between students, between two political groups. In this manner whole society has become socially changed. Functionalist perspective also has very positive impacts like through this perspective people could know that every segment of the society is necessary for each other for creating the balance in the society; in this manner society has become positively changed. Like without the religion the kid could be grown socially stable. He should have some religion as well as he also has his proper family for his mental growth. Interactionism perspective also has positive impacts on the society like after this theory people now know interaction is the compulsory element for enhancement of society.

HOUSING SYSTEMS (urban planning) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

HOUSING SYSTEMS (urban planning) - Essay Example McClure (2008) has conducted this research to design out the various planners in order to facilitate the de-concentration of poverty. The methods which McClure (2008) has utilized include the administrative data which had been conducted from Urban Development and Department of Housing. This data had been taken to assess the extent to which federal housing program assist low income groups like renters and homebuyers to identify locations where at least 10% of the population dwells upon below the poverty line. The results and findings of McClure (2008) suggests that providing subsidies to housing programs can help way better than providing subsidies to the low income areas. Moreover, societies will keep on relying on the designs and strategies for resolving the problems of affordable housing systems. Many new goals as mentioned in the paper of McClure (2008) can be employed to make it easier to address the poverty issues related to housing systems. However, both political and economical expertises are required to negotiate with the builders and developers about the housing systems. If planners, builders, market condition and developers are promising, then this method can serve the aim of diluting the concentration of poverty and further development of housing conditions of community. The development of neighborhood life and housing market across Washington D.C and other related communities have always experienced the influences of the matters pertaining to racism and racial discrimination practices. In fact, there are roles played by various social and economic factors but still the role of racial discrimination in shaping up the neighborhood life has remained predominant. However, there is a need to evaluate those contextual grounds in the basis of which self-segregation concepts and circumstances have been developed. (Schwartz, 2006) The find it quite hard to unscramble the choices that they make and the circumstance with which they are linked as they have

Comparing Dostoevskys Essay Example for Free

Comparing Dostoevskys Essay Camus The Outsider and Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment have been compared extensively. These comparisons have been made mostly on the basis of the philosophies presented in the book. They are both so-called confessional novels, in which the central character goes through a change, which brings self-awareness or enlightenment. The existing comparisons have been focused on comparing philosophies, analysing the differences in them and the characters. It is thus logical to compare the books introduction to determine how well they present the book, what type of style is used and why, what foreshadowing is present. The beginning of The Outsider thrusts us directly into the plot, without any explanation, any description of any kind of surrounding. We are presented with facts: Mother died today. which are followed by the characters train of thought, which proceeds to take us through his discussion about the problems of loosing his mother, namely travelling fifty miles to Marengo, where the old-folks home is and having to take two days off work. The character whose thoughts we are presented with seems very detached from the emotional side of life. This can be reinforced with the representation of how he accepts his mothers death, in other words, he does not care very much, and he does not feel. His only concern is his personal comfort, such as the length of travel to Marengo, when Mersault is meant to be grieving his mother, he thinks that the old people sitting in silence were getting on [his] nerves. The character of Mersault is not presented to us in any way in the beginning of the book, so all the impressions that we receive originate from the characters own mind as it is that which we are actually reading. Such a way is an interesting approach to writing a book as it gives the reader some space in which to exercise his or her imagination. Dostoevsky, on the other hand, follows a slightly more conventional way of opening a book, he applies the third-person narration, but with one nuance which is important to the further development of the book: Dostoevsky intertwines Raskolnikovs internal monologue into the third person narration, providing aspects of events open to interpretation. Thus this book is fundamentally different from The Outsider, where we are provided with only one point of view on all that happens. The beginning does bear some introduction to The Outsider, though it is limited to the reader being thrust into the story, with the exception that it is not as abrupt. The type of narration facilitates the book in many ways, among them the description of the environments, which from the first page strike us as very descriptive, the heat was terrible, with humidity to make it worse; and the crowds of people, the slaked lime everywhere, the scaffolding, the bricks, the dust and the distinctive summer aroma familiar to every inhabitant of St.Petersburg . We do not have to think hard to imagine the character of Raskolnikov, as a very detailed description of his physical and psychological states and appearances are given by Dostoevsky himself in the first two pages of the book. he was remarkably handsome, with beautiful dark eyes and dark, chestnut-coloured hair . The hot, sad and loathsome environment of the summer in St. Petersburg are said to have had a shattering effect on the young mans already jangled nerves. These two books represent two very different approaches to the philosophy of existentialism, but as Crime and Punishment deals with other points such as the Napoleonic complex, an early form of Nietzsches i bermensch and religion, it seems to be more elaborate and complete. But as a purely existentialist book, The Outsider conveys its point very well. The beginnings of books can usually be used to judge whether a book is good at achieving its goals, and in this case the beginnings do give a clear indication of what is to be expected and it does not disappoint.

Literature Review: Organizational Development

Literature Review: Organizational Development The topic under consideration is organizational development, knowledge creation and change management. The main focus of this research is to see how the process of change management is affected by organizational development and knowledge creation. In order to get an overall view of that these broad areas are their relationship with each other, a literature review was conducted. Worren Ruddle Moore (1999) explored about how over the years people have moved from organizational development to a more holistic view which is change management. According to this article the tools used in change management and organizational development are the same but the rationale behind it is different. For example attitude surveys are used in both. In organizational development it was used to gauge job satisfaction and the climate of the organization but in change management it is part of a strategy driven and holistic change program. This article basically uses research of various other people to give us a complete picture of what change management is all about. According to them as now the scale of businesses is increasing and so is the need for having specialized firms to administer change. They talked about interventionist and integrative strategies. Interventionist strategies are used in organizational development where as integrative strategies are used in change manag ement. The variables taken from this article are change management and organizational development. These variables are very important for the research as it clearly defines what the word change management would mean when it would be used in the research. The definition also takes both the culture and structure aspect of change management into account. The authors concluded that in order to increase the standard and the overall performance of the organization the company as to use the integrative strategies because when the employees are a part of the whole process the resistance to change is minimized. Van de Ven Poole (1995) through their research gave a theoretical overview of how development and change management basically occurs. The article classifies four types development theories namely; life- cycle theory, teleological theory, dialectical theory and evolutionary theory. The authors were of the opinion that these basic theories can be used to explain how change occurs in the organization. To explain that they developed a framework with these four theories and classified companies based on the mode and unit of change at various levels of organizational development. The conclusion they drew from their research was that as the organization grew in size the motors of change also get more complex because comes into play at once. Ikujiro Nonaka(1994) gives a comprehensive view of how knowledge is created within the organizations. The main variable identified for knowledge creation is innovation. It is defined as follows Innovation is a process in which the organization creates and defines problems and then actively develops new knowledge to solve them The article also identifies three dimensions of knowledge creation. This includes epistemology, ontological and the spiral model of knowledge. The paper differentiates between codified, formal (explicit) and informal, personal information. He concluded that the organization played a very important role as far as knowledge is concerned. The organization can facilitate the creation of knowledge by encouraging socialization, internalization of codified information into tacit information etc. Choi Lee (2002) stated that knowledge creation is very important to insure a persistent positive financial growth. The authors basically classify the knowledge creation management strategies into either human or system oriented. They used empirical data to prove the link between the mode of knowledge creation and its management strategies. The authors concluded that proper grouping of the mode of knowledge being used and the strategies involved is essential to achieve the desired financial improvement. For example it the mode of knowledge creation is socialization it should be aligned with the human strategy in order for it to be effective. It also found out knowledge creation strategies different with different types of departments that are taken into account. This research also gives us guidelines for future research which includes a comparative analysis between the service and the manufacturing sector. This study basically shows how qualitative variables can be measured quantitat ively. I will be using the study as a guide when formulating the survey form etc. Bloodgood Salisbury (2001) talks about that organizations can implement change and gain and maintain a completive advantage but this cannot be achieved by knowledge creation alone. Knowledge transfer and knowledge protection is equally important. The authors have used the Resource-Based View (RBV) to explain how both types of information i.e. explicit and tacit can help in the change process and how they can be transferred to achieve long-term benefit. In the paper they identified knowledge creation as a process which is based on creativity and a shared knowledge between a group of people which can be used to make new products as well as management strategies. The authors went on to stress that it is not just creating knowledge. It would be of no use if other can get that information from your company easily or it can be altered. So the protection of the knowledge is equally important for a business to remain competitive. To ensure its safety security and legal measure should be use d. Rune Todnems (2005) paper basically talks about things which should be taken care off when conducting research in the field of change management. This article basically takes into account various researches conducted in this field and then draws consensus based on the data they have. The two main findings of this paper were as follows: Firstly, it is agreed that the pace of change has never been greater than in the current business environment (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2004; Burnes, 2004; Carnall, 2003; Kotter, 1996; Luecke, 2003; Moran and Brightman, 2001; Okumus and Hemmington, 1998; Paton and McCalman, 2000; Senior, 2002). Secondly, there is a consensus that change, being triggered by internal or external factors, comes in all shapes, forms and sizes (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2004; Burnes, 2004; Carnall, 2003; Kotter, 1996; Luecke, 2003), and, therefore, affects all organizations in all industries. Waddell Sohal (1998) stated that resistance is as a critically important factor that can influence the success of change management. They defined it as: Resistance, in an organizational setting, is an expression of reservation which normally arises as a response or reaction to change (Block 1989) The authors throughout the paper talked about resistance. They were of the opinion that resistance to change should not be seen as a hurdle is had its own advantages. They used a lot secondary data to put their point across. Though their research they were able to conclude that resistance from the management can actually lead to greater stability in the external environment. This conflict between the internal and the external environment which is brought about by change is actually healthy for the business as a whole. The authors also identified that resistance at time draws attention to certain aspects of change which might not be appropriate for the organization in the long run. The most important advantage concluded by them was that it results in an influx of energy within the organization which is healthy for the organization as it in turn results in higher levels of efficiency. Keller Aiken (2009) talks about some stereotypes which are prevalent about change management. They based their research on John Kotter research which was published in 1995. They basically identified some of the mistake which managers in all the organizations make then they are administrating change in the organization. The concluded that what motivate you as a person might not motivate most of the employees in the organization. So special attention should be given to the things that motivate the employees. Secondly they identified that the leaders/ managers who are bringing about the change should not believe that they are the change and just because the manager/ leader is influential you cannot guarantee effective change within the organization. They also went on to point out that good intentions of the managers are not enough to ensure that the change management will be effective. Employees all need some kind of monetary reward to ensure maximum compliance. Ash (2009) in his article basically talks about how change can be managed efficiently. He talks about the time lag between the decision is made and implemented and the results in the form of increased performance to be seen. According to him this is due to more resistance than expected by the top management from the side on the employees. He goes on to explain why organizations generally fail to minimize the negative consequences of transition. According to him most organizations do little to allay such fears and concerns which results in slow change process. People initially resist change is the uncertainty change creates. Theoretical Framework C:Documents and SettingsuserLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.Worduntitled.bmp Hypothesis H0= organization size will have an effect on change management? H1= organization size will not have an effect on change management? H0= internal stability would have a positive effect on change management? H1= internal stability would have no or a negative effect on change management? H0= business performance will have an effect on change management? H1= business performance will not have an effect on change management? H0= knowledge creation has a positive impact on change management? H1= knowledge creation has a negative impact on change management? H0= innovation results in knowledge creation? H1= innovation does not result in knowledge creation? H0= knowledge transfer has an effect on knowledge creation? H1= knowledge transfer does not have an effect on knowledge creation? Systolic Architecture: History and Applications Systolic Architecture: History and Applications SYSTOLIC ARCHITECTURE A network of PEs that rhythmically produce and pass data through the system is called systolic architecture. It is used as a co processor in combination with a host computer and the behavior is analogous to the flow of blood through heart; thus named SYSTOLIC.  · A systolic architecture has the following characteristics : A massive and non-centralised parallelism Local communications Synchronous evaluation  · Example of systolic network 1. Linear network 2. Bi-dimensional network 3. Hexagonal network HISTORY:- The systolic architecture paradigm, data-stream-driven by data counters, is the counterpart of thevon Neumann paradigm, instruction-stream-driven by a program counter. Because a systolic architecture usually sends and receives multiple data streams, and multiple data counters are needed to generate these data streams, it supportsdata parallelism.The namederives from analogy with the regular pumping of blood by the heart. H. T. KungandCharles E. Leierson published the first paper describing systolic arrays in 1978; however, the first machine known to have used a similar technique was theColossus Mark IIin 1944. NEED FOR SYSTOLIC ARCHITECHTURE:- We need a high-performance, special-purpose computer system to meet specific application. I/O and computation imbalance is a notable problem .The concept of Systolic architecture can map high-level computation into hardware structures .Systolic system is easy to implement because of its regularity and easy to recon .Systolic architecture can result in cost-effective , high- performance special-purpose systems for a wide range of problems. An efficient approach to design very large scale integration (VLSI) architectures and a scheme for the implementation of the discrete sine transform (DST), based on an appropriate decomposition method that uses circular correlations, is presented. The proposed design uses an efficient restructuring of the computation of the DST into two circular correlations, having similar structures and only one half of the length of the original transform; these can be concurrently computed and mapped on to the same systolic array. Significant improvement in the computational speed can be obtained at a reduced input-output (I/O) cost and low hardware complexity, retaining all the other benefits of the VLSI implementations of the discrete transforms, which use circular correlation or cyclic convolution structures. These features are demonstrated by comparing the proposed design with some of the previously reported schemes. A more computationally efficient and scalable systolic architecture is provided for computing the discrete Fourier transform. The systolic architecture also provides a method for reducing the array area by limiting the number of complex multi pliers. In one embodiment, the design improvement is achieved by taking advantage of a more efficient computation scheme based on symmetries in the Fourier transform coefficient matrix and the radix-4 butterfly. The resulting design provides an array comprised of a plurality of smaller base-4 matrices that can simply be added or removed to provide scalability of the design for applications involving different transform lengths to be calculated. In this embodiment, the systolic array size provides greater flexibility because it can be applied for use with any transform length which is an integer multiple of sixteen. A systolic network is often use with a host station responsible for the communication with the outside world.As a result of the loca l-communication scheme, a systolic network is easily extended without to add any burden to the I/O. CHARACHTERSTICS OF SYSTOLIC ARCHITECHTURE:- A massive and non-centralised parallelism Local communications Synchronous evaluation Data coming from the memory are used several time before to come back to it. These architectures are well suited for a VLSI or FPGA network implementation.  · Other characteristics : A systolic network is often use with a host station responsible for the communication with the outside world. As a result of the local-communication scheme, a systolic network is easily extended without to add any burden to the I/O. PRINCIPLE OF SYSTOLIC ARCHITECHTURE:- Systolic system consists of a set interconnected cells, each capable of performing some simple operation. Systolic approach can speed up a compute-bound computation in a relatively simple and inexpensive manner. Through systolic array we achieve higher computation throughput without increasing memory bandwidth. Which means that by using systolic architechture we can speed up our system. For eg. When we are using our simple aechitecture than we can perform atmost five million operatoins per second whereas by using systolic arrays in systolic architecture we can operate the system at a speed of 30 million operations per second. WORKING:- Systolic architecture consists of simple cells arranged in some regular pattern (linear, bi-directional, triangular, hexagonal, etc.) where each cell usually performs one operation. Each processing cell is connected to its neighbour or to a neighbour hood of processing elements by short signal paths. Both parallel and pipelined execution is implemented. A function that is to be performed can be represented by a set of Functional Primitives. The systolic structure has advantages of regularity and modularity over implementations of the block-state-variable form, as it is regular and an nth order filter is simply formed by cascading second order filters. Therefore it is more suitable for the VLSI implementation. The idea is to exploit VLSI efficiently by laying out algorithms (and hence architectures) in 2-D (not all systolic machines are 2-D, but most are). The architectures thus produced are not general but tied to specific algorithms. This is good for computation-intensive tasks (e.g. signal processing). TOOLS FOR SYSTOLIC ARCHITECTURE:- SYSTOLIC ARRAY:- Incomputer architecture, asystolic arrayis a pipe network arrangement of processing units called cells. It is a specialized form ofparallel computing, where cells (i.e. processors), compute data and store it independently of each other. We need a high-performance, special-purpose computer system to meet specific application. I/O and computation imbalance is a notable problem. The concept of Systolic architecture can map high-level computation into hardware structures. Systolic system works like an automobile assembly line. Systolic system is easy to implement because of its regularity and easy to recon. Systolic architecture can result in cost-effective, high-performance special-purpose systems for a wide range of problem. Systolic Array Example: 33 Systolic Array Matrix Multiplication:- T=7 DESCRIPTION OF SYSTOLIC ARRAYS:-  · Description : It is a network of interconnected processing units. Only the processors at the border of the architecture can communicate outside. The task of one cell can be summarised as : receive-compute-transmit A systolic array is composed of matrix-like rows of data processing units called cells. Data processing unitsDPUsare similar tocentral processing units(CPU)s,(except for aprogram counter, since operation istransport-triggered, i.e., by the arrival of a data object). Each cell shares the information with its neighbors immediately after processing. The systolic array is often rectangular where data flows across the array between neighbour DPUs, often with different data flowing in different directions. The data streams entering and leaving the ports of the array are generated byauto-sequencing memoryunits, ASMs. Each ASM includes adata counter. Inembedded systemsa data stream may also be input from and/or output to an external source. An example of a systolicalgorithmmight be designed formatrix multiplication. Onematrixis fed in a row at a time from the top of the array and is passed down the array, the other matrix is fed in a column at a time from the left hand side of the array and passes from left to right. Dummy values are then passed in until each processor has seen one whole row and one whole column. At this point, the result of the multiplication is stored in the array and can now be output a row or a column at a time, flowing down or across the array. Systolic arrays are arrays of DPUs which are connected to a small number of nearest neighbour DPUs in a mesh-like topology. DPUs perform a sequence of operations on data that flows between them. Because the traditional systolic array synthesis methods have been practiced by algebraic algorithms, only uniform arrays with only linear pipes can be obtained, so that the architectures are the same in all DPUs. The consequence is that only applications with regular data dependencies can be implemented on classical systolic arrays. LikeSIMDmachines, clocked systolic arrays compute in lock-step with each processor undertaking alternate compute | communicate phases. But systolic arrays with asynchronous handshake between DPUs are calledwave front arrays. One well-known systolic array is CMUs I Warp processor, which has been manufactured by Intel. An I Warp system has a linear array processor connected by data buses going in both directions.  · Super Systolic Array : The super systolic array is a generalization of the systolic array. Because the classical synthesis methods (algebraic, i. e. projection-based synthesis), yielding only uniformDPUarrays permitting only linear pipes, systolic arrays could be used only to implement applications with regular data dependencies. By using simulated annealinginstead,Rainer Kresshas introduced the generalized systolic array: the super systolic array. Its application is not restricted to applications with regular data dependencies. Applications:- An application Example Polynomial Evaluation Horners rule for evaluating a polynomial is: y= ((((an*x+an− 1) *x+an− 2) *x+an− 3) *x+ +a1) *x+a0 A linear systolic array in which the processors are arranged in pairs: one multiplies its input byxand passes the result to the right, the next addsajand passes the result to the right. Advantages and Disadvantages:- ADVANTAGES Faster Scalable DISADVANTAGES Expensive Highly specialized for particular applications Difficult to build More about systolic architectures :- Systolic architectures are designed by using linear mapping techniques on regular dependence graphs (DG). Regular Dependence Graph : The presence of an edge in a certain direction at any node in the DG represents presence of an edge in the same direction at all nodes in the DG. DG corresponds to space representation no time instance is assigned to any computation t=0. †¢ Systolic architectures have a space-time representation where each node is mapped to a certain processing element(PE) and is scheduled at a particular time instance. Systolic design methodology maps an N-dimensional DG to a lower dimensional systolic architecture. Mapping of N-dimensional DG to (N-1) dimensional o systolic array is considered. CONCLUSION: A massively parallel processing with limited input output communication with host computer. Suitable for many interactive operations. Replace single processor with an array of regular processing elements Orchestrate data flow for high throughput with less memory access a. Different from pipelining Nonlinear array structure, multidirection data flow, each PE may have (small) local instruction and data memory Different from SIMD: each PE may do something different Initial motivation: VLSI enables inexpensive special-purpose chips Represent algorithms directly by chips connected in regular pattern BIBLIOGRAPHY:- * Text Book * http://www-old.oberon.ethz.ch/WirthPubl/AD.pdf * http://www.google.co.in/search?q=description+of+systolic+architecturehl=enrlz=1C1GGLS_enIN323IN323start=20sa=N  · http://www.cs.nctu.edu.tw/~ldvan/teaching/vlsidsp/VLSIDSP_CHAP7.pdf  · http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=enrlz=1C1GGLS_enIN323IN323q=%2Bworking+of+systolic+architectureei=lFzzSYDQO8zelQeRqaTDDAsa=Xoi=stemming_tipct=title  · http://eprints.iisc.ernet.in/6808/  · www.wikipedia.org  · http://www.google.co.in/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enIN323IN323sourceid=chromeie=UTF-8q=description+of+systolic+architecture

Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism Cultural Studies Essay

Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism Cultural Studies Essay I am intending on exploring whether graffiti is art or vandalism. By exploring this research topic I will be breaking it down into different sections. The first section I will be defining what vandalism is, the perspectives of other researchers and the actions of vandalism. In the second section I will be defining art. I will also define graffiti and discuss its history and development. Researching about a well known graffiti artist will also be included to make my research more effective. This debatable question is addressed to people with limited knowledge about graffiti. People claim that graffiti is an illegal act without getting their facts straight. I am hoping that my research would widen ones horizon of knowledge once they read my essay. At the end I will conclude and give my own opinion to this subject matter. Introduction Graffiti is an interesting topic because it sparks conflict and debate all over the world. It is important or worth studying graffiti because to many people around the world graffiti is not a good sight to see, mainly because it is not normal to them, foreign, unknown and a problem to everyday organised living. The disliking of the writing on the walls by ordinary people has allowed for anti-graffiti laws to be created by politicians with little fuss and usually with the publics support. In turn, the creators of the writing have become outlaws, simply because of the criminalization of the public act of getting up their names and messages. Vandalism Vandalize is to deliberately damage things, especially public property (Longman Active Study Dictionary- Elizabeth Manning). Not deliberately destroying things or damaging private (your own) property may not be considered as vandalism. Vandal is someone who deliberately damages things, especially public property (Longman Active Study Dictionary- Elizabeth Manning). Someone that damages their own private property cannot be classified as a vandal because he is not destroying it deliberately or destroying someone elses property. A person damaging another persons property with that persons authorization can also not be classified as a vandal because he/she got the approval. The term vandalism was invented in 1794 by Henri Gregoire, the Bishop of Blois, to describe the destruction characteristic of the extreme phase of terror .The statement is correct because it is almost similar to the meaning in the Longman Active Study Dictionary. Destroying or damaging property is one of the destruction characteristics. The term vandalism takes its genesis from the Vandals (an ancient Germanic people) who developed mailed cavalry and who were armed with long spears and bows. They are associated with unnecessary destruction as a result of their taking over of Rome under King Genseric in 455. The term was quickly adopted across Europe. Around AD 1700 their name became notorious with the idea that they were a barbaric group with a lack of culture, with rude behaviour and with the ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable. There are reasons why people commit vandalism. Stanley Cohen has typified and outlined reasons why people execute vandalism. The six types of vandalism are ideological vandalism, acquisitive vandalism, tactical vandalism, vindictive vandalism, play vandalism and malicious vandalism. Ideological vandalism: property to gain publicity for a particular cause and is justified by long-standing grievances or political beliefs- Perhaps one of the most famous historical cases of ideology. Acquisitive vandalism: to acquire money or property. Tactical vandalism: a means of achieving some other end. Vindictive vandalism: to get revenge. Play vandalism: fun or high spirits. Malicious vandalism: the category which people fail to understand because it appears to be vicious, apparently meaningless. (Vandalism Graffiti: The state of the art- Frank Coefield Pg. 32-33). Vandalism as Crime Citizens commit vandalism when they damage or spoil the property of others on purpose. Some vandalism may qualify as culture jamming or sniggling. Culture jams changes logos, fashion statements and product images to challenge the idea of whats cool, along with assumptions about the personal freedoms of consumptions. Sniggling is a prankish act of social commentary, art, disruption, or protest (Wikipedia 02/08/10): it is thought by some to be artistic in nature even though carried out illegally or without the property owners permission. Criminal Vandalism takes many forms. Graffiti is more common in many inner cities as part of gang culture on public property: however, other more serious forms of vandalism that may take place during public unrest such as rioting can involve the wilful destruction of public and private property .I believe a person without legally recognized excuse of destroying or damaging any property belonging to another should be punished or charged for their appall ing behaviour. Vandalism as art Though vandalism in itself is illegal, it can also be an attraction or art to some people. According to Colin Ward (1990) The vandalism of the last centaury becomes todays tourist attraction (Discussion Paper on Vandalism and Graffiti, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London, 18 June, 1-10). What he means by this is that, the vandalism that had happened in the past will be a historic moment and some people may agree. Some people may oppose to this statement because deliberately destroying property on purpose is not a good idea to them or art to them. What is Art? To a historian trying to study at, growth of art, the knowledge of it and the history of it, it will leave him confused. Art doesnt have logic. In science there is a progression but in art, you will keep going backward and forwards. To understand Art we have to look back at art history. If you apply logic to art, it is artificial. The philosophy of art is how you view the world visually. What is Art? Is a frequently asked question of the evident world by the visual sense, and the artist is simply the man who has the ability and the desire to renovate his visual perception into a material form. The first part of this action is perception and then you express what you perceived. The entire history of art is a history of modes of visual insight: of the diverse ways in which man has seen the world. The inexperienced person might not agree that there is only one way of seeing the world- the way it is presented to his/her own immediate vision. But this is not true-we see what we want to se e, and what we want to see is determined, not by the unavoidable laws of optics, or even (as may be the case in wild animals) by an instinct for survival, but by the desire to discover or construct a realistic world. What we see must be made real. Art in that way becomes the construction of reality. Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and modes of expression including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.(Wikipedia 09/08/10) Since art is a very broad topic, breaking it down will make it easier. Visual art Visual art is a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. The term art encompasses diverse media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and installation. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online) Graffiti Graffiti is a form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, some graffiti is not gang-related. Graffiti can be performed in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking (antisocial behaviour), but it also can be understood as an expressive art form.(Encyclopaedia Britannica online) Graffiti and graffito are from the Italian word graffiato, meaning scratched. Graffiti is applied in the history of art to works of art formed by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is graffito, which involves scratching through one level of a pigment to reveal another underneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who glaze their wares and then scratch a design into it. In ancient times graffiti was carved on walls with a sharp object and sometimes chalk or coal was used. The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions and markings found on the walls of ancient sepulchre or ruins, such as in the civilizations of Greece and Rome (as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii). The most primitive forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 BCE in the form of prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs using tools such as animal bones and pigments. Graffiti was done by the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings and even the Mayans. These people communicated with each other about daily life, current events, etc: offering us a direct look into their ancient street life. It is tradition of communication. Even before this, there were caves in France where prehistoric man left markings on the walls to let us know who was there. Modern-style graffiti In the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey) is where the first known example of modern style graffiti survives. It is positioned near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number. The ancient Romans engraved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Prehistoric graffiti displayed phrases of love declarations, political rhetoric, and simple words of thought compared to todays popular messages of social and political ideals. Modern History Modern graffiti art originated in New York City, and it was known first as New York Style graffiti. This art movement began in the late 1960s when adolescents used everlasting markers to tag or write their names, followed by the number of the avenue on which they lived and in subway cars. This style originated with the emergence of Taki 183 which was the label of a Greek American boy named Demitrius. After an interview with him was published, hundreds of children began to write their names all over New York. This was a start of getting recognized, when writers used their signatures to become heroes in their own communities. Tagging soon became a way to get ones name known throughout the town. However, tagging appeared in Philadelphia before New York. The monikers, Cornbread and Cool Earl were well known in Philadelphia. They gained a lot of attention from the Philadelphia press and the community by leaving their signatures everywhere. As graffiti became more and more popular and more noticeable, writers formed new styles and thought of new ways to write their names and make their tags only one of its type. Writers created many new scripts and scrawl styles and improved their tags with flourishes and symbols. Some symbols were strictly for visual impact while others had meaning, such as crowns, which writers used to proclaim themselves kings. They used arrows to show movement and underlining to show importance. Quotation marks and exclamation points became essential design elements. This time, between 1969 and 1974, is referred to as the pioneering era, when graffiti experienced a surge in styles and popularity. But it was still strictly tag- based. The next major progress was scale. In addition to the growing difficulty and creativity, tags grew larger as writers increased letter size and line thickness and outlined their work. This was the beginning of the piece, short for masterpiece. It is difficult to be certain who did the first true piece, but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223. The thicker letters provide the opportunity for writers to further improve the name and to colour the interiors of the letters with patterns and designs. Around 1974, writers like TRACY 168 and BLADE created works that had serious backgrounds, incorporating characters, scenery and other illustrations on subway cars. This formed the basis for the mural whole car, called the burner, when the entire car is covered. By the end of 1974, the foundations were laid, allowing styles to develop that departed from the tag-styled pieces. This was a turning point in graffiti history, when graffiti made the leap from tagging to style-driven pieces. Soon arrows, curls, connections and twists ran all through the letters. These additions became the basis for semi-wild style and unreadable wild style lettering. Writers such as RIFF 170 too got ideas from other writers and enhanced upon them, helping the competitive atmosphere, which is a necessary aspect of graffiti. Other writers, including FLINT 707 and CASE 2, made major aid in the advance of three-dimensional lettering by adding up depth to the piece, which became the standard. Graffiti worldwide The stretch of graffiti worldwide happened during the 80s with the outbreak of hip hop subculture. Fuelled by music videos and films, images of New York street culture were channelled around the world. Almost overnight, everyone wanted to be a New York B-boy. Modern graffiti is often seen as being mixed with hip-hop culture. However, lets be clear: modern graffiti predates hip hop by at least a decade. Graffiti was here before hip-hop, graffiti will be here after hip-hop, and if it wasnt for graffiti, there would be no hip-hop. Hip-hop and graffiti reached Europe together. European writers spent years studying letters, styles and New York Street culture. They copied the early styles, and then expanded upon them. Graffiti magazines documented early movements across Europe. And the printed media proved to be an additional catalyst for the expansion of graffiti art worldwide. Also during the early 1980s, American writers began touring Europe via art galleries in cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stuttgart. There was one major difference: European writers were focused on painting walls, not trains, which led to different styles. Europeans also wanted to paint in the birthplace of modern graffiti; so many Americans hosted them in what were called Pilgrimages to Mecca. American writers went to Europe to paint and Europe writers came to American to paint. By the late 80s the European graffiti scene was in full swing. Today Graffiti is influencing the works of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, illustration, and fine art and even multimedia and technology. Why are we attracted to graffiti? I believe that part of it has to do with what I call the psychology and self-affirmation. There is something inside us that wants to take up space and announce our existence. Graffiti has always been about uprising, style and observation. When you do your thing today, you will influence the people of tomorrow, and the observations they create will influence the next generation after that. And the pursuit of styles becomes a never ending expedition. We must all think about improvements, about getting better, because history will be watching. I believe everyone-taggers, bombers and pieces-needs to take their own style to the absolute limit, and then do it all over again. Is Banksy a Street Artist or Vandal? Banksy is low profiled British graffiti artist whose identity used to be unknown. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco, Banksy was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. He was a son of a photocopier technician. He trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s. His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing with a distinctive stenciling technique, is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His art has appeared in cities around the world. Banksys work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti. Art auctioneers have bee n known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder. (Wikipedia 13/08/10) Career Steve Wright says Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist in 1992-1994 as one of Bristols DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ), with Kato and Tes. He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. From the start he used stencils as elements of his freehand pieces, too. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stenciling after realizing how much less time it took to complete a piece. He claims he changed to stenciling whilst he was hiding from the police under a dumper truck, when he noticed the stenciled serial number and by employing this technique, he soon became more widely noticed for his art around Bristol and London. Stencil on the waterline of The Thekla, an entertainment boat in central Bristol (wider view). (Wikipedia 13/08/10) Banksys Graffiti Genuine Works of Art or vandalism? Many of his graffiti work has been cleared off surfaces and remain now only in the photographic record. However some of Banksys art pieces have been said to be to be genuine works of art. People who have removed Banksys graffiti works will come to regret these actions as the price of his works are fetching handsome prices at the auction houses. Bristol Council has allowed a piece called Naked Man which portrays a nude male dangling by one arm from a window sill, to be left in place by popular demand. His other art work Space Girl Bird has made a record  £288,000.Banksys stencils feature shocking and funny images occasionally combined with slogans. The message is usually, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or anti-war. Subjects often include policemen, monkeys, soldiers, rats, children, and the elderly. One of the most common arguments for Banksys work as skill is that his works damage public and private property. Within the terms of the law this is absolutely correct and this simple argument does not deal with the question of Banksys work as potential art. Many of the most respected artists of the past met in their lifetimes as their art challenged common perceptions and pushed the boundaries of what people perceive as art. In effect, Banksy has taken his art out of the possession of the middle class gallery prowlers and returned it to the street and to the working class for whom it is targeted. Its important to take note that Banksys art has provoked debate in regards to whether his graffiti paintings are art or vandalism specifically, this is important because provocation and discussion are two of the most important and desirable results of art, especially in this post modern era. While many people may not like Banksys art, the fact that it encourages debate and at times affects discussion of its subject matter means the works are effective as an artistic force. Anyone can spray paint a wall and it doesnt necessarily constitute as art. Anyone can also offend public values and that also does not constitute as art. Banksys paintings are very deliberate and they attempt to affect the landscape in ways that are both supposed to be positive and subjective, thus moving his paintings into consideration as possible artworks. Not everyone will like Banksys graffiti work, although its hard to deny his work has captured and excited the imagination of many. While some people may be opposed to the idea of Banksy as an artist, Banksys popularity has arisen somewhat out of the fact that his art is offensive to some and creates controversy in certain ranks. So to a degree, the controversy surrounding his work to helps grow his success and popularity without those people who consider Banksy a vandal, Banksy would struggle to gain the notoriety that makes many see him an artist. Graffiti in exhibitions Graffiti art is an emergent art form. Today, it is influencing the work of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, illustration, and fine art and even multimedia and technology-moving away from the street and into private collections and galleries. The self-taught graffiti artists turned walls of public (and sometimes private) buildings into giant panoramas and subway cars into moving murals. Later, graffiti artists began to paint on canvas, walls or large sheets of paper, attracting the attention of art dealers and collectors. One of the first dealers to buy and collect graffiti was Sidney Janis. His heirs Conrad Janis and Carroll donated almost fifty works from his estate to the Brooklyn Museum in 1999. Graffiti is drawn primarily from this gift and added extra element by material the Museums Libraries and Archives. Graffiti in exhibitions explores the ways graffiti has moved away from the painted wall into the medium of print making, creating distinctive, exciting visuals along the way. I strongly think that Governments should in courage graffiti artist to take their artistic displays into exhibitions rather than preventing them from doing what they love doing. It is pretty difficult to prevent people from doing what they love. (http://www.peeta.net/street_art_energy.html) Mr. Totem Painting Graffiti-funded by council/organization Graffiti is considered a crime in most places because of the risk graffiti artists, or writers take when they tag, and the speed and effectiveness with which they must create their pieces, have helped figure the form itself. Individuals however, in a variety of places around the world, are recognizing graffiti as an authentic art form and now grant legal spaces for it. Below are 8 places where tagging is legal, and in some cases, encouraged. 1. Hosier Lane, Melbourne, Australia Photo by BlueBec This is a famous place that is popular to tourists and other graffiti artists. This place encourages graffiti and it is also featured in travel guides and advertising campaigns. Banksy even tagged his work here. 2. Warsaw, Poland Photo by *gorolla The local police dont have a problem with graffiti here. This space provides space for writers and stencil art. 3. Queens, New York, United States Photo by rawmeyn This place is free to the public and it is almost covered by graffiti. Graffiti artists that put their work here have to be granted permission by curator Meres One. 4. Paris, France Photo by Gabriel Radic There are many legal tagging sites in France. Graffiti groups are very territorial with their space and they are not afraid of being confronted. 5. Taipei, Taiwan Photo by neogenova The police only get involved here only when the owners of the space or place complain or property is destroyed. 6. Zà ¼rich, Switzerland Photo by inthesitymad This place is independently run by graffiti artists and is left out by the city. This place is now a cultural centre and is one of the few places where graffiti is legal and encouraged. 7. Sydhavnen, Copenhagen, Denmark Photo by tobiashm Here individual pieces dont last long due to the popularity of the place. 8. Venice, California, United States Photo by jakedobkin This location is world famous for being an open and creative space for street artists Conclusion: In a nut shell Graffiti cannot be precisely considered as vandalism. Graffiti can transform a horrid location into an attractive environment. Graffiti cannot be accurately classified as vandalism because the public property is not destroyed, but made to look stunning. Graffiti is art because it is deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. Graffiti can also be thought-out as an art that vandalizes property if it is carried out without permission. But if it is carried out legally (with authorization) it can not be thought out to be vandalism. Vandalism is anti-social behaviour. Criminals carry out their anti-social behaviour during their leisure time. Graffiti artist should learn to carry out their work in places where they dont vandalise. The government should spend money and provide legal areas where graffiti artists can continue with their work. The government prefers to spend money erasing an illegal piece of art, which could be recreated in that same spot, with little cost to the artist, and arguable harm to the community, instead of spending money supporting better education, which will have long-term results, and help the entire economy, not just the immediate area. The jobs created by that money could easily have spent to enable better jobs for todays youth tomorrow. What a waste. Most of the graffiti artists are prosecuted and even gone to jail, as cities get cleaner in order to attract big retailers and big money. Others retire and go on to work in the arts, designing clothes, ad campaigns, or selling paintings in galleries. Other groups of artists continue to paint in the streets and tunnels, disregarding the laws designed to jail them. References: Elizabeth Manning: Longman Active Study Dictionary-Pg.823 Frank Coefield: Vandalism Graffiti: The state of the art-Pg. 32-33 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

Covert Control in Jane Smileys A Thousand Acres Essay -- Smiley Thous

Covert Control in A Thousand Acres Though there are instances of overt control and destruction performed by the patriarchy upon both women and nature, the most pervasive forms the Apollonian controlling impulse takes, are covert. What Ginny says about Larry, also goes for the system of which he is the ultimate signifier: "I feel like there's treacherous undercurrents all the time. I think I'm standing on solid ground, but then I discover that there's something moving underneath it, shifting from place to place."(104). The most striking example of this, is of course the secret of the incest. But throughout the novel, there is an interplay of social imperatives and individual expression, a power struggle of discourses. This struggle is hidden under a shiny hard surface maintained by patriarchal control, as when Jess left for Canada to avoid the draft and "slipped into the category of the unmentionable" (6), or in Ty's own desires having to be "camouflaged with smiles and hopes and patience" until he becomes his own mask; "casting no shadow, radiating no heat" (306). As signified by the motif of the tiles, and its many metaphoric implications, the community that Ginny lives in, especially her family, is ruled by a network of masks concealing the real motivations of people. For Ginny, this is even internalized into her understanding of her own body as layered with meaning: I seemed, on the surface, to be continually talking to myself, giving myself instructions or admonishments, asking myself what I really wanted, making comparisons, busily working my rational faculties over every aspect of Jess and my feelings for him as if there were actually something to decide. Beneath this voice, flowing more sweetly, was t... ... semiotic, even that has been contaminated by the poison of Apollonian control. This covert control -in farming, capitalism, and discourse- is part and parcel of the land and its people, and it always has been: "You [Ty, but by implication everybody in this system] see this grand history, but I see blows. I see taking what you want because you want it, then making something up that justifies what you did. I see getting others to pay the price, then covering up and forgetting what the price was. Do I think Daddy came up with beating and fucking us on his own?[...] No. I think he had lessons, and those lesons were part of the package, along with the land and the lust to run things exactly the way he wanted to no matter what, poisoning the water and destroying the topsoil and buying bigger and bigger machinery..." (342-343) Destroying the poison jar may be futile. Covert Control in Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres Essay -- Smiley Thous Covert Control in A Thousand Acres Though there are instances of overt control and destruction performed by the patriarchy upon both women and nature, the most pervasive forms the Apollonian controlling impulse takes, are covert. What Ginny says about Larry, also goes for the system of which he is the ultimate signifier: "I feel like there's treacherous undercurrents all the time. I think I'm standing on solid ground, but then I discover that there's something moving underneath it, shifting from place to place."(104). The most striking example of this, is of course the secret of the incest. But throughout the novel, there is an interplay of social imperatives and individual expression, a power struggle of discourses. This struggle is hidden under a shiny hard surface maintained by patriarchal control, as when Jess left for Canada to avoid the draft and "slipped into the category of the unmentionable" (6), or in Ty's own desires having to be "camouflaged with smiles and hopes and patience" until he becomes his own mask; "casting no shadow, radiating no heat" (306). As signified by the motif of the tiles, and its many metaphoric implications, the community that Ginny lives in, especially her family, is ruled by a network of masks concealing the real motivations of people. For Ginny, this is even internalized into her understanding of her own body as layered with meaning: I seemed, on the surface, to be continually talking to myself, giving myself instructions or admonishments, asking myself what I really wanted, making comparisons, busily working my rational faculties over every aspect of Jess and my feelings for him as if there were actually something to decide. Beneath this voice, flowing more sweetly, was t... ... semiotic, even that has been contaminated by the poison of Apollonian control. This covert control -in farming, capitalism, and discourse- is part and parcel of the land and its people, and it always has been: "You [Ty, but by implication everybody in this system] see this grand history, but I see blows. I see taking what you want because you want it, then making something up that justifies what you did. I see getting others to pay the price, then covering up and forgetting what the price was. Do I think Daddy came up with beating and fucking us on his own?[...] No. I think he had lessons, and those lesons were part of the package, along with the land and the lust to run things exactly the way he wanted to no matter what, poisoning the water and destroying the topsoil and buying bigger and bigger machinery..." (342-343) Destroying the poison jar may be futile.

The Power of Myth Essay examples -- Literary Analysis, Joseph Campbell

According to Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth, one archetypal mythic hero appears in diverse cultures in different forms. Two protagonists in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki share similar heroic characteristics despite their different backgrounds and cultures. One of the concepts explained in The Power of Myth is the stages of human development. Campbell states that â€Å"As a child, you are brought up in a world of discipline, of obedience, and you are dependent on others. All this has to be transcended when you come to maturity, so that you can live not in dependency but with self-responsible authority† (Campbell 87). Thor and Santiago both experience the stages of human development, from dependence to maturity. In The Alchemist, Santiago decides to become a shepherd and travel the world, disobeying his parents who want him to be a priest. When his father says â€Å"Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds†, Santiago makes up his mind to become a shepherd. (Coelho 9). In Kon-Tiki, Thor was disappointed and discouraged because his theory is rejected and ignored by people. However, soon, he decides to sail the sea with few other people to show that his theory is right. Thor says to his friend, â€Å"I’m so sure the Indians crossed the Pacific on their rafts that I’m willing to build a raft of the same kind myself and cross the sea just to prove that it’s possible† (Heyerdahl 23). Santiago’s making his own decisions and Thor’s taking action to get out of his helpless situation show their developments to the more mature human beings. According to The Power of Myth, one of the characteristics of hero is to encounter troubles. He explains, â€Å"The trials are designed to see to it that the intending hero sh... ... by giving money to prepare sailing, and equipments that they need while sailing. Also, when they struggle to settle on the land, the native people help Thor and his companions. Native people helped them settle the raft on the island, and to reach the destination. According to Thor, the native inhabitants â€Å"pointed westward indicating that they were heading toward dangerous reefs† (Heyerdahl 182). Listening to this, they got prepared for the dangerous way and succeed go through there. These examples demonstrate that the two protagonists escape from their troubles with the help of other people. In conclusion, the two characters in The Alchemist and Kon-Tiki share similarities in their stages of human development, encountering troubles, and getting help from other source. These supporting details illustrate the universality of the characteristics of mythic heroes.