Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay â€Å"Fast Food Nation† is a film directed by Richard Linklater and it was released in the year 2006. This is one of those films, which provide new sources of thinking to a generation. This film deals with a large number of topics, which are old but still existing on our planet. Among these topics the mentionable ones are gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation and oppression. The film also shows that although being different parts of the social strata – these things are actually well related with each other. They act not only in the small communities but also throughout the world. There is no bar for these topics among the developed and developing countries in the present day world. â€Å"Fast Food Nation† upholds the problems, which are old enough to have been erased by now. But as a matter of fact, they still loom large in the human societies of all standards. Don Anderson is the main character of the movie. He is the famous Anderson who is known for the preparation of â€Å"Big One† of Mickey’s hamburger. This shows how the protagonist of the film is connected with the world of fast food. The main thing around which the film is constructed is to judge whether these businesses are honest or not. Anderson is not a bad human being but as a matter of fact he does not seem to know everything that is associated with his business. He finds one fault with the products of his company and travels to Cody in Colorado to trace the source of these bad and unhealthy ingredients in the products. Cody in Colorado is the center for the preparation of all the products of Mickey’s. Very soon Anderson comes to know about the faults that are actually taking place while manufacturing the products of his company. These are some of the most horrible truths waiting for him. The film has dealt with some other complicacies as well. Among them, the most important one is the exploitation of the illegal immigrants. People come to America to win a good fortune from various corners of the world. Mexico is one of these countries from where a number of illegal immigrants come in search of jobs. Very soon after entering the country they are exploited by the white settlers of the United States of America. Fast food culture has given birth to a huge industry in this country and most of the immigrants are taken in for the jobs that are available in this industry. Cheap labor is the main reason why the companies are always interested in taking these employees. By doing this, they can also earn a huge amount of profit within short time. (Linklater, et al, 2006) The tagline of â€Å"Fast Food Nation† says â€Å"The Truth Is Hard To Swallow†. In a way this film introduces the audience with the modern day world where almost every vice is present in the society just as they used to exist in the past. The presence of cow manure in the Mickey’s product is highly symbolic as it shows the commonly found tendency to live by cheating on others. A fast food nation like USA today looks after only the benefits from the business and not after the quality of service they are providing the customers with. This is the harsh truth, which Don Anderson discovers in his own company while visiting Cody in Colorado. â€Å"Fast Food Nation† is a movie that concentrates on many of the recent problems, which we come across in the modern world. Apart from that there are also other problems, which are not felt by us. Some of the downtrodden people have to face these truths in their lives. This is really unfortunate as we talk about the overall development of the world we act in a very hypocritical way. According to some of the well known critics â€Å"Fast Food Nation† is a well made angry movie which vents out the idealistic wrath on the wrong way in which the nation like USA is traveling towards a so called progress. It is obviously a credit going to Richard Linklater for the fact that he has chosen such a sensitive subject on which the economy of USA is dependent to a great extent. The glamour-less style of the movie is one of the most important symbolic, which is followed throughout the movie. We all know that America is a country of glamour and this is why a movie based on this country is hoped to be flashing with glamour and style. Unlike all other movies, â€Å"Fast Food Nation† is an entirely anti-glamour movie where all the characters are the dwellers of a very indifferent land. Truth hidden beneath the glamour is the main motive of this movie and this is why Linklater has focused more on incidents rather than the glamorous aspect of the film. (Morris, 2006) Linklater is very much successful in taking the audience to the root of the problems. He takes the audience to the slaughterhouses where raw materials for hamburger are produced. Visiting these places the audience is able to go through a series of events, which are revealing about how USA still deals on the grounds of race, gender and ethnicity. The Mexican immigrants are nothing better than the cows, which are slaughtered for the production. They are also exploited to a huge extent. By connecting to the story of the Mexican border Linklater actually introduces the audience with another horrible truth, which is looming large in the country. The country, which boasts of its democracy, is itself a system of exploitation and this is something, which Fast Food Nation deals with very carefully. Uniglobe is the meat plant where the team of Mexican workers joins. This is the place where the white Americans take the full advantage over the Mexicans as they have come in the country obtaining illegal process. It is very shocking to see a white that works as the floor supervisor threats the Mexican workers to kill them through the slaughtering machine unless they work properly. This show of rudeness opens up the horrible way in which the white people in American society are still dealing with the Mexicans. Money is the main thing, which draws the poor Mexicans to this vast land of USA where they have neither identity nor respect. There is a scene in the movie where a Mexican falls inside the slaughtering machine and loses his hand, which is chopped by the blade. The terrible scene is something, which agitates the audience to the core. Fast Food Nation not only focuses on the macro system of the society but also on the micro system where the workers are exploited at the same rate. We see the troubles, which are faced by Sylvia, the Mexican young woman who starts working as a hotel room cleaner. She faced huge problems in the slaughterhouse of Uniglobe where her husband and sister continue to work. The dangers of crossing the border are one of the most important elements, which the movie has dealt with. It shows the extent of risk, which the Mexicans are ready to undertake for their survival. Throughout the film it has dealt with huge problems in modern America. But the most important thing about them is the fact that everything, which happens in the life of the Mexican friends, is also the parts of the greater American life. Exploitation and all the other associated elements in the movie are actually representing the wholesome picture of the United States of America.   (Mother Jones, 2006) The use of satire in the film is a main thing, which consolidates the theme even more. There are actually three narrative parts that have been used in this movie. The pattern of the movie is very much like the documentary films, which shows the true picture of the world and easily deal with even some of the most controversial topics. Apart from human cruelty, animal cruelty is also an integral part of the film. However, the movie also concentrates on the matter of sexual orientation, which is a big issue in today’s America. Amber, the role played by Ashley Johnson, faces problems seeing the difference of sexual orientations among her friend. She asks her close friends not to meet cute looking boys, believing that they practice homosexuality. This is somehow associated with the slaughterhouse atmosphere and the theme thus becomes more convincing.

Comparing The Buried Life and A Room Of Ones Own :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing The Buried Life and A Room Of One's Own      Ã‚  Ã‚   Victorian writers did ask difficult and unsettling questions, and the modern writers continued on with the quest to display these unsettling thoughts and feelings in their works even more so. You can see this continuing easy from "The Buried Life," to the ideas of "A Room Of One's Own."    In "The Buried Life," Arnold questions why men in society bury their emotions and innermost thoughts from one another like they are the only one's with these qualities, even though every man has them: "I knew the mass of men concealed their thoughts, for fear that if they revealed they would by other men be met with blank indifference, or with blame reproved; I knew they lived and moved tricked in disguises, alien to the rest of men, and alien to themselves--and yet the same heart beats in every human breast" (p.2021). He doesn't understand why this is the case, and believes humanity would be better if we let this buried life out of its cage to be free, freeing us to be our true selves. The way to reach this goal is through open love by a fellow human being: "When a beloved hand is placed on ours...the heart lies plain, and what we mean, we say" (p. 2201).    In "A Room Of One's Own," Woolf questions society's view on how geniuses of art are created. She shows that this is a natural gift, but it is one that can either be stifled or let prosper and grow, depending on how the members in society rule and treat the artist with the gift. She says that these artists need to be allowed to garner in knowledge in order to feed their ideas for their art, and they must be allowed to be free in mind and spirit so that they can create their masterpieces: "The mind of an artist, in order to achieve the prodigious effort of freeing whole and entire the work that is in him, must be incandescent...There must be no obstacle in it, no foreign matter unconsumed" (p. 2472).    As you can see, both of these works question society in the matter of chaining up it's members true feelings and ideas.

Mobile Technology in Learning Essay

Researchers are in a dilemma about whether mobile learning should be introduced in higher learning institutions as a form of educating students. Criticism of M-learning includes lack of proper knowledge in using mobile devices, lack of evidence that M-learning works and skepticism about M-learning. However various new articles about M-learning address these criticism and strongly support the use of M-learning in higher learning institutions they include, Mobile learning as an evolution of E-learning, Clarification of mobile learning, Clarification of mobile learning and Mobile learning in higher education as a new educational tool. A new form of learning should be adopted by teachers for use with their students. Defining Mobile Education Educational technology has generated new tools and approaches to learning in the classroom. One new concept that is relatively new in education is mobile learning. Mobile learning can be described as any learning that occurs when facilitated through a mobile device (Harrington et al., 2009). Examples of portable devices include mobile phones, i-Touch or i-Pads, mp3 players, tablets, or portable computers. There are different characteristics of mobile devices that should be stated in order to learn more about mobile learning. Mobile devices have become universal and pervasive in our society that it has made an impact on obtaining knowledge. For instance, mobile devices have begun the trend of learning by finding information at a specific time instead of obtaining information for long-term memory (Traxler, 2007). An example would be a fifth-grade student wanting to know who the second President of the United States was. The fifth-grade student can use an i-Touch to find the answer by searching the internet. While the fifth-grade student may forget that John Adams was the second President of the United States, he can use the tool as a way to obtain the answer at any given time. Another characteristic of the mobile device is that it can alter the nature of work (Traxler, 2007). Instead of showing to an orientation for jury duty, people can now watch the orientation on any mobile device as long as it has internet. This saves the time of having to participate in an earlier orientation and makes the work easier for the person. Lastly, mobile devices can create new forms of knowledge as well as new ways of accessing it (Traxler, 2007). For example, instead of having to purchase a textbook for a college class, the student can download the eBook and use his eReader to read his book and study at any location. Clarification of mobile learning The research paper by El-Hussein, M. O. M. And Cronje, J. C. Seeks to clarify the meaning of mobile learning. The authors approach was to critically examine a selection of documents that relate to mobile learning. The authors argue that to comprehensively understand and define mobile learning their outset should be formed and its key components separated and arranged under three different concepts: A conceptualization of mobile learning, the first step of research involved exploring the wider context of mobile learning. Mobile learning in higher education, the second step involved identifying the technology, learner (who are nomadic and able to interpret learning materials) and learning material as well as mobile technology such as portable devices. The third concept involves examining the mobility and dynamism of the learning process and the flow of information. The authors’ definition of mobile learning is any type of learning that takes place in learning environments and spaces that take into account the mobility of learners, learning and technology. Research should be done to examine the implications of these devices for the design of teaching and learning. Mobile learning as an evolution of E-learning. The research paper by Grane et al claims that mobile learning can be termed as an evolution of E-learning. Research has been done on both M-learning and E-learning looking at how they have evolved and a comparison and contrast on the two has been drawn. Learning has always had a mobile character in it, and hence the authors seek to establish a difference between what is termed as mobile learning today and what was regarded as mobile learning traditionally. The aim of the research is to identify context and interaction as being essential to understand how mobile learning can be integrated to conventional education. The research involved introducing E-learning through mobile devices; this was achieved by giving an iPad to 97 students. The students were to use these mobile devices as part of a traditional E-learning environment. To learn how the devices were used three approaches were used: Pre/Post-test questionnaire, before the course and after the course an online survey was used to collect data. A discussion forum, an interactive and dynamic forum was used as part of the study. The interview, an in-depth interview was carried out to obtain precise information of the student’s experiences using the mobile devices. The results indicate that most students rely heavily on E-learning. Mobile devices were characterized as a useful tool for searching for information, their main advantage being location is of no importance. Evaluating Mobile Education Following the widespread reception of mobile technologies in learning, it is paramount to evaluate mobile education to see if it does benefit teachers as well as students when it comes to learning. However, it is difficult to create a perfect evaluation because it depends on how we define a good evaluation. Some guidelines that Traxler (2007), recommend are an efficient, ethical, and authentic. He believes the evaluation should access what learners really experience from using mobile devices. In addition, the evaluation should be economical in terms of cost and time. These guidelines can help execute more evaluations and studies on mobile devices in the future. While there are limited studies on this topic, we will discuss what is known about mobile education in elementary school and higher education. If teachers are now surrounded with mobile devices and technology, why do some teachers not utilize these materials or opportunities? While some teachers refuse to acknowledge technolog y or refuse to change their teaching styles, other teachers have begun to discuss the use of technology. The problem is that teachers usually concentrate on teaching about the technologies to students instead of having the students use the technologies to learn with (Salomon, 1991). Therefore, the student never really learns how to utilize the technology first-hand. It can be related to teaching a child how to ride a bicycle. You can lecture a child about everything there is to know about a bicycle and how to ride it. However, the child will never learn how to ride a bicycle unless the child is given the opportunity to actually test the skills by riding a real bicycle. If not, the child certainly does not know how to ride a bicycle. One good way of understanding if a student can use mobile device is by analyzing a study of how the student is taught. The project was to implement mp3 players as cognitive tools to create a digital book of pictures and sounds for children (Herrington, et al., 2009). Students were asked to write a story intended for young children and use the technology on iPods to recreate a digital version of that story. Students were placed into groups where they learned about the iPod and used learned practical usages that would help when creating a digital story. Then each group was given an iPod along with other resources like a computer to begin the process of creating the digital story. The researchers interviewed the teacher to gain insight on certain questions. The teacher believed the students responded positively to using iPods for the project. Overall, they enjoyed and had positive experiences using the iPod for creating the digital story. Even though teachers know iPods are too sophisticated for younger children, they gave several examples of how they would utilize an iPod to teach young children. Some examples included singing songs, listening to a narrative of a story, and recording children while they read. Overall, students learned a lot from this experience. Not only did they learn how to use an iPod but also utilized other software such as PowerPoint, Photoshop, and iMovie. Mobile learning in higher education as a new educational tool The authors Mcconatha D, Praul M, and Lynch M illustrate that mobile learning or M-learning as it has come to be known is a new tool in the academic store to assist students and teachers in the learning world. The authors assess the challenges, possible methods and potential of using M-learning in a college classroom. The article further discusses an empirical evaluation on the effectiveness of M-learning in a college classroom. From the research carried out those students who used M-learning tool demonstrated higher levels of knowledge on the subject covered as compared to students who did not use the tool. This results support the notion that use of mobile learning makes a positive and significant difference in the outcome performance of students. The main obstacle of M-learning is that it heavily relies on students owning the necessary hardware. Studies show evidence of different ways in which teachers utilize mobile devices for learning. At Osaka Jogakuin College, a college in Japan, first year students were given iPod for English class so students can download podcasts of English news broadcasts (McCarty, 2005). These English language news broadcasts were portable for students and were used to complete homework assignments. It seemed beneficial for Japanese students since they can learn the English language and how English is spoken on a news broadcast. The use of mobile technologies to support learning in large campus university classes The research paper by Oliver, R. seeks to show the advantages of using mobile and wireless technologies in large classes. The authors approach is; technology facilitated learning: technology is an affordable way of providing meaningful learning for learners and it provides appropriate learning support. The focus is on mobile learning and how it distinguishes itself from the conventional forms of E-learning. There being a growing number of devices that can be used for mobile learning, the authors aim is to show how these devices can provide opportunities to enhance learning. This research paper provides descriptions of applications of mobile technology that can be used to provide opportunities and reduce the limitations within large classes. Research should be done to examine how cultural changes can affect the integration of mobile technology in learning and the cultural issues that need to be addressed. Examples of Types of Learning that Involve Devices Mobile devices can be employed into E-learning through numerous ways. While different teachers have different styles and conceptions of teaching, they can also have diverse ways of utilizing mobile devices. Mobile devices can be used in education to support the transmission and delivery of strong multimedia material (Traxler, 2007). A teacher can post a video for the students to watch on their own time for homework on their mobile device. Other teachers may use mobile devices as a way of discussion via text or possibly real-time dialogue. Web 2.0 has also been used to improve learning. For example, students may text their reaction and opinion to an online article that the teacher chose for discussion. The type of learning a teacher uses can also have an impact on how the teacher uses the mobile device in the classroom. Personalized learning is defined as learning that acknowledges diversity, difference and individuality (Traxler, 2007). These different learning styles and approaches implement social, cultural, and diverse aspects into learning. A teacher may implement a language program like Roseta Stone for teaching Spanish in the classroom. By installing the program to the mobile device, each student has access to the activities and lessons related to learning Spanish. Situated learning is another type of learning that can utilize mobile devices. Another learning style, authentic learning, involves learning real-life problems and everyday scenarios that occur today (Traxler, 2007). A good example would be using authentic learning in a nursing class. Students would be participating in an activity that would simulate a role-playing scenario. With technology, some mobile devices may already have role-playing applications where nursing students can practice giving a shot or taking blood out of a patient. Something as sophisticated as this would be a great learning tool for nursing students. In conclusion, technology affects our lives in more than one way. Technological advancement is known to bring in changes that maybe positive or negative, but many are the times that technology has resulted in positive change. As illustrated in this paper the adoption of M-learning is set to bring in positive change in the delivery of education. Either from the various researches that have been carried out, those who adopt M learning have performed better or had an easy time teaching or learning. The negativity surrounding mobile learning has been brought about by the lack of appropriate knowledge concerning the benefits of mobile learning. Education on the benefits of mobile learning is highly recommended as majority of those opposed to mobile learning lack proper information and are still tied down to their traditional knowledge of mobile learning. Mobile learning in institutions of higher learning is highly recommended as it is a cheaper way of providing education for large classes and the students tend to understand more easily where M-learning is employed. References El-Hussein, M. O. M. & Cronje, J. C. (2010). Defining mobile learning in the higher education landscape. Educational technology and society, 13(3), 12-21. Grane, M., Olmedo, K., Crescenzi, L., & Suarez, R. (2010). Using mobile devices in E- learning programs. Herrington, J., Herrington, A., Mantei, A., Olney, I.W., & Ferry, B. (2009). New technologies, new pedagogies: Mobile learning in higher education. Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong. McCarty, S. (2005) Spoken Internet to Go: Popularization through Podcasting. Jalt Call Journal, 1(2): 67-74. Mcconatha, D., Praul, M., & Lynch, M. (2008). Mobile learning in higher education: an empirical assessment of a new educational tool. The Turkish online journal of educational technology, 7(3). Salomon, G. (1991). Partners in cognition: Extending human intelligence with intelligent technologies. Educational Researcher, 20(3), 2-9. Traxler, J. (2007). Current state of mobile learning. International Review on Research in Open and Distance Learning, 8(2). Oliver, R. (2007).Using mobile technologies to support learning in large campus university classes. In ICT: providing choices for learners and learning: Proceedings of ASCILITE Singapore. 788-798. Retrieved December 1, 2012 from Research Online

Ridley Scotts Use of Mise-en-Scene to Convey Atmosphere...

â€Å"There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile.† The film ‘Gladiator’ was released in 2000. A thrilling action film, it was a huge success, scooping five Oscars and earning over $427 million dollars. Sir Ridley Scott- who directed the film-already had many great films to his name, such as ‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘American Gangster’, so it was no surprise when this film became one of the highest earners of the year 2000. The mise-en-scene used throughout was, perhaps, behind the genius that made this film as much of a success today as it was nine years ago. An example of this in the opening sequence is the music. Beginning calm and gently, the†¦show more content†¦There is a close up of his face, which allows the viewer to see every emotion, which adds an essence of vulnerability to a character that is more often than not, perceived as the complete opposite. It is also used to emphasise the fact that Maximus is the character the film will be based around. Following the close up, there is a shot of a robin sitting on the branch of a tree, after a short while it flies away, perhaps sensing danger. The shot is then back to Maximus, who is smiling sadly, possibly at the thought of the robin being able to fly away from it all, when he can’t. The way that mise-en-scene has been used to depict a slight fear in the character of Maximus, adds contrast to his personality, which in turn adds depth, leaving the audience feeling able to connect to him. The music in this scene makes it almost haunting as it creates a calm yet unea sy atmosphere. Maximus is wearing gold in this which, not only continues the theme of gold, but also represents his authority. The combination of this strong, powerful figure being slightly fearful at what lies ahead, adds to the uneasy atmosphere. The lighting in the sequence is also a lot darker than the previous which adds to the implication that the atmosphere is about to change, this along with the non-diegetic sounds like the wind blowing and the distant sound of birds, help create a really dramatic, prominent sequence which leads on