Sunday, November 24, 2019
Louis Daguerre, Inventor of Daguerreotype Photography
Louis Daguerre, Inventor of Daguerreotype Photography Louis Daguerre (November 18, 1787ââ¬âJuly 10, 1851) was the inventor of the daguerreotype, the first form of modern photography. A professional scene painter for the opera with an interest in lighting effects, Daguerre began experimenting with the effects of light upon translucent paintings in the 1820s.à He became known as one of the fathers of photography. Fast Facts: Louis Daguerre Known For: Inventor of modern photography (the daguerreotype)Also Known As: Louis-Jacques-Mandà © DaguerreBorn: November 18, 1787 in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-dOise, FranceParents:à Louisà Jacquesà Daguerre, Anne Antoinette HauterreDied: July 10, 1851 in Bry-sur-Marne, FranceEducation: Apprenticed toà Pierre Prà ©vost, the first French panorama painterAwards and Honors:à Appointed an officer of theà Legion of Honour; assigned an annuity in return for his photographic process.Spouse: Louise Georgina Arrow-SmithNotable Quote: The daguerreotype is not merely an instrument which serves to draw Nature; on the contrary, it is a chemical and physical process which gives her the power to reproduce herself. Early Life Louis Jacques Mandà © Daguerre was born in 1787 in the small town of Cormeilles-en-Parisis, and his family then moved to Orlà ©ans. While his parents were not wealthy, they did recognize their sons artistic talent. As a result, he was able to travel to Paris and study with the panorama painter Pierre Prà ©vost. Panoramas were vast, curved paintings intended for use in theaters. Diorama Theatres In the spring of 1821, Daguerre partnered with Charles Bouton to create aà dioramaà theatre. Bouton was a more experienced painter but he eventually bowed out of the project, so Daguerre acquired sole responsibility of the diorama theatre. The first diorama theatre was built in Paris, next to Daguerres studio. The first exhibit opened in July 1822 showing two tableaux, one by Daguerre and one by Bouton. This would become a pattern. Each exhibition would typically have two tableaux, one by each artist. Also, one would be an interior depiction and the other would be a landscape. The diorama was staged in a round room 12 meters in diameter that could seat up to 350 people. The room rotated, presenting a huge translucent screen painted on both sides. The presentation used special lighting to make the screen transparent or opaque. Additional panels were added to create tableaux with effects that could include thick fog, bright sun, and other conditions. Each show lasted about 15 minutes. The stage would then be rotated to present a second, completely different show. Diorama became a popular new medium and imitators arose. Another diorama theater opened in London, taking only four months to build. It opened in September 1823. Partnership With Joseph Nià ©pce Daguerre regularly used a camera obscura as an aid to painting in perspective, which led himà to think about ways to keep the image still. In 1826 he discovered the work of Joseph Nià ©pce, who was working on a technique for stabilizing images captured with the camera obscura. In 1832, Daguerre and Nià ©pce used a photosensitive agent based on lavender oil. The process was successful: they were able to obtain stable images in under eight hours. The process was called Physautotype. Daguerreotype After Nià ©pces death, Daguerre continued his experiments with the goal of developing a more convenient and effective method of photography. A fortunate accident resulted in his discovery that mercury vapor from a broken thermometer could speed the development of a latent image from eight hours to just 30 minutes. Daguerre introduced the daguerreotype process to the public on August 19, 1839, at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris. Later that year, Daguerre and Nià ©pces son sold the rights for the daguerreotype to the French government and published a booklet describing the process. The Daguerreotype Process, Camera and Plates The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative. The process required great care. The silver-plated copper plate had to first be cleaned and polished until the surface looked like a mirror. Next, the plate was sensitized in a closed box over iodine until it took on a yellow-rose appearance. The plate, held in a lightproof holder, was then transferred to the camera. After exposure to light, the plate was developed over hot mercury until an image appeared. To fix the image, the plate was immersed in a solution of sodium thiosulfate or salt and then toned with gold chloride. Exposure times for the earliest daguerreotypes ranged from 3-15 minutes, making the process nearly impractical for portraiture. Modifications to the sensitization process, coupled with the improvement of photographic lenses, soon reduced the exposure time to less than a minute. Although daguerreotypes are unique images, they could be copied by re-daguerreotyping the original. Copies were also produced by lithography or engraving. Portraits based upon daguerreotypes appeared in popular periodicals and in books. James Gordon Bennett, the editor of the New York Herald, posed for his daguerreotype at Bradys studio. An engraving based on this daguerreotype later appeared in the Democratic Review. Daguerreotypes in America American photographers quickly capitalized on this new invention, which was capable of capturing a truthful likeness. Daguerreotypists in major cities invited celebrities and political figures to their studios in the hopes of obtaining a likeness for display in their windows and reception areas. They encouraged the public to visit their galleries, which were like museums, in the hope that they would desire to be photographed as well. By 1850, there were more than 70 daguerreotype studios in New York City alone. Robert Cornelius 1839 self-portrait is the earliest extant American photographic portrait. Working outdoors to take advantage of the light, Cornelius (1809-1893) stood before his camera in the yard behind his familys lamp and chandelier store in Philadelphia, hair askew and arms folded across his chest, and looked off into the distance as if trying to imagine what his portrait would look like. Cornelius and his silent partner Dr. Paul Beck Goddard opened a daguerreotype studio in Philadelphia around May 1840 and made improvements to the daguerreotype process that enabled them to make portraits in a matter of seconds, rather than the three- to 15-minute window. Cornelius operated his studio for two and a half years before returning to work for his familys thriving gas light fixture business. Death Toward the end of his life, Daguerre returned to the Paris suburb of Bry-sur-Marne and resumed painting dioramas for churches. He died in the city at age 63 on July 10, 1851. Legacy Daguerre is often described as the father of modern photography, a major contribution to contemporary culture. Considered a democratic medium, photography provided the middle class with an opportunity to attain affordable portraits. The popularity of the daguerreotype declined in the late 1850s when the ambrotype, a faster and less expensive photographic process, became available. A few contemporary photographers have revived the process. Sources ââ¬Å"Daguerre and the Invention of Photography.â⬠à Nicephore Niepce House Photo Museum.Daniel, Malcolm. ââ¬Å"Daguerre (1787ââ¬â1851) and the Invention of Photography.â⬠Inà Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Leggat, Robert. A History of Photographyà from Its Beginnings Till the 1920s.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
ON THE BUS WITH ROSA PARKS RESEARCH PAPER Essay
ON THE BUS WITH ROSA PARKS RESEARCH PAPER - Essay Example y cello in her high school band and visit the White House for the first time in her senior year of high school as a Presidential Scholar (ââ¬Å"Rita Doveâ⬠, 2005). Her education included graduating summa cum laude from Miami University in Ohio, two years studying in Germany, taking a Masterââ¬â¢s from the University of Iowa and then moving on to teach creative writing at Arizona State University. She had already gained some public recognition through magazines and anthologies before she published her first collection of poetry in 1980. Her third collection won the Pulitzer Prize in 1987. Her career has also included short stories, plays and text for orchestral music (ââ¬Å"Rita Doveâ⬠, 2005). Although prolific in her writing, Dove says she doesnââ¬â¢t derive inspiration from any one thing. ââ¬Å"If you wait for inspiration, inspirationââ¬â¢s going to go away and look for more fertile ground to work withâ⬠(ââ¬Å"An Online Interviewâ⬠, 1994). Asked in the same interview for advice for budding writers, Dove adds, ââ¬Å"they can only write what they feel. That doesnââ¬â¢t mean they have to experience it, but to write something because someone else thinks its right, to write for PC reasons, to write because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is really going to matter to anyone else.â⬠To understand Doveââ¬â¢s inspirations for poems such as those found in her collection On the Bus with Rosa Parks, it is thus necessary to examine the poems themselves. On the Bus with Rosa Parks is a collection of free verse poems that are loosely connected by the characters featured and the experiences shared. The book has a logical progression. It starts with the individual Lucille as she struggles to give birth alone in her Depression-era home after having been abandoned (temporarily) by her husband Joe. As it develops, Dove increasingly brings in greater involvement with the external world as the children of Lucille and Joe increase
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Social media in marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Social media in marketing - Research Paper Example With the introduction of the concept of E-commerce, the outlook of business changed entirely. Now a day, maximum extent of the entrepreneurs desire to promote the features and benefits of the product lines of their brands through online sites or social media such as face-book, twitter, LinkedIn and others. By doing so, the entrepreneurs might reach a wide range of customers in a very small time span that improved its position and ranking in the entire globe. Along with this, due to the use of social media sites, the level of awareness of the customers also enhances to a significant extent that may enhance the trust and reliability of the brand in the market among other rival contenders (Macdonald, 2013). Apart from this, due to the introduction of mart phones or electronic devices such as tablets, the intensity of purchase or access of the social media sites increased. As a result, all sorts of updates regarding any product or service or brand are easily viewed by the customers. Due to which, the scope of success is extremely high in this age as compared to previous era that improved the total sale and demand of the products or brands. Thus, E-commerce or social media helped the brands or entrepreneurs to create a market presence or improve the existing position or ranking. This research paper tries to attract the attention of the viewers over the importance and role of social media in marketing. However, in order to describe this topic, the paper is divided into five sections. Social media is the way of communication platform with the help of which, an individual may easily share information or ideas through online sites like face-book, twitter, you-tube etc. It also acts as a source of engaging with a wide range of customers that may enhance the profitability and productivity of the organization. Moreover, it is a medium with the help of which, the rate of reach of the customers might be enhanced that may increase the sustainability and competitive
Monday, November 18, 2019
Can country risk analysis be quantifiedShould CRA be quantified Essay
Can country risk analysis be quantifiedShould CRA be quantified - Essay Example These samples of observations help analysts to develop a statistical function which is open to probability analysis. Most of the events which are individually investigated by country risk analysis will come down closer to doubts rather than clear statistical risks. This drives the analysts to build risk channels from judgmental or theoretical foundations and may not be probabilistic. Country risk analysis depends upon the basic principle that increasing instabilities in social, political or economic components augment the risk of a deficit in the anticipated payoff on an investment. Imbalances in a particular risk factor represent one or more risk classes. Mapping all the elements at proper level of control produces a general assessment of venture risk. The structure of mapping varies with the type of investment giving rise to an imbalance in a given factor creating different risks for different investments. Unfortunately there is no all-inclusive theory which can guide the procedure of mapping the process in a country risk analysis (Sabal J., 2002). Country risk services build their risk measures with the help of an assorted mix of socio-political or economic indicants established on the choice of standards. These standards are developed out of analystsââ¬â¢ knowledge, experience and judgment. The services generally merge a range of factors indicating real and possible imbalances into a complete risk assessment which applies to a wide range of investment classes. Analysts have separated country risk into 6 major categories. But many of these categories overlap each other. Although most of the risk analysts do not agree with this list; these 6 constructs can be seen in risk ratings of virtually every service as seen below. Yes, country risk has to be quantified. The quantification of a country risk will help the investors to calculate the cash flow out of their investments. Investments can be based on
Friday, November 15, 2019
Consequentialism And Deontology Will Be Critically Discussed Philosophy Essay
Consequentialism And Deontology Will Be Critically Discussed Philosophy Essay Consequentialism and deontology will be critically discussed on their impact on psychological research. The following areas will be discussed on how the ethical theories link with the BPS (British Psychological Society) guidelines. How current studies have impacted on both philosophical ideas and the BPS ethical guidelines. Additionally, it will conclude that a mixture of both theories is more morally and ethically valid. The deontological theory has impacted on psychological research as it argues that human beings are equal so act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law (Kant, 1985 p. 422). This is similar to the BPS guidelines which promote ethical behaviour (BPS, 2000). For example Milgram (1963) was slated for not being ethically valid however, there were no ethical guidelines during his era (Youngpeter, 2008). Yet, this allowed him to investigate the role of obedience and how this affects a persons moral value. In addition, how the participants were going to behave and the outcome of the study was unexpected (Russell, 2009). This supports rule-consequentialists who argue that even if there were ethical guidelines in some cases breaking some rules might be beneficial overall, rather than a world where individuals decide whether some rules should be kept or not (Eggeston, 2007). The impact of the consequentialism theory would argue that current replications of obedience studies are not ethically valid because the participants might think they are harming another individual thus causing the individual stress (Burger, 2009). This suggest that the research was not maximising the good and supports the BPS code of conduct (2009) which claim that participants must be protected from physical and mental harm. However, replication studies of Milgram (1963) have found that, whilst societal attitudes and changes can affect behaviour, the result indicted that the same situational factors that affected obedience in Milgrams experiment is still present today (Burger 2009). This then outweighs the discomfort in the participants because it can explain the role of authority figures during World War 2 and the present day, thus the research was maximising the good. In addition, one important implication of Burgers (2009) replication study was that it did not violate any ethica l guidelines, as the research excluded people with a history of psychological or emotional problems (Burger, 2009, p.10). And the participants were debriefed at the end. Furthermore, the current research links with a consequentialist strength that pleasure is good and suffering is bad (Sinnott-Armstrong 2009). However, consequentialism has issues which surround the idea that if people lived by producing the best possible balance of good over bad then it would not be maximised because people would make miscalculations, allow their personal biases to interfere thus, it may distort their decisions (Shand, 2003). Furthermore, it was found that consequentialism is very demanding as individuals might have to abandon personal projects in order to maximise the good and to resolve issues (McNaughton and Rawling,1998). Similarly, deontology allows the consideration of a persons autonomy, which allows us to assign more weight to our own personal desires and values (Singer, 1993). Consequently, this will make sure we avoid wrongdoings therefore argues that actions are more important than the consequences (Singer, 1993). Kants argues that the moral worth of an action is not determined by its consequences because it is possible that someone does something out of a good intention but ends up bringing about bad consequences (Shand, 2003). Reicher and Haslam (2006) caused stress among the guards and prisoners which violated the ethical code of protection, thus bringing about bad consequences. However, the research provides insight into how social roles can trap us into behaving against what we believe is morally wrong (Reicher and Haslam 2011). This would relate back to a consequentialism idea, that it may be appalling to think of harming the one person but it must be equally appalling to think not of doing so and as a result allowing, the killing of many people (Singer, 1993). Thus maximising the good for the greatest number. Nevertheless, deontology argues that the right should not be defined in terms of the good, the goodness of the ultimate consequence does not guarantee the rightness of the actions which produced them (Fried, 1978, p.9). According to deontologists, it is obvious that the interests of the many does not count nor does it count equally and if they did then it would be obligatory to save all of them and harm the one (Singer, 1993). Furthermore, deontologists forbid harm and criticise consequentialism because it leaves no room for personal autonomy (Singer, 1993). In addition, critics of consequentialism would argue that it would lead an individual to do horrendous deeds, so long as they promise the best consequences (Singer, 1993, p.234), thus consequentialism would support the killing of innocent people however, they argue that the theory should not be judged on wild unlikely possibilities as it is not true to life (Shand, 2003). Although, it has been argued that it would allow and encourage the individual to contemplate more about bad deeds thus by doing this, individuals might not recognise the rights of others in consideration which ought to have restrained th em without thinking about the consequences itself (Singer, 1993). This relates back to the BPS codes, as psychologists can look back at the ethical guidelines when they find themselves in a tricky situation. In addition, in real life there are laws such as the Human Rights Act (1998) which should help individuals make morally right decisions. Deontological theories have impacted on psychological research, as they argue that we must not lie (McNaughton and Rawling, 1998). This supports the ethical considerations in the British Psychological Society which argue that we must not deceive participants about the nature of the experiment (BPS, 2000). Most psychological research deceive participants in order to find out what they are thinking. For example, self report measures use deception frequently in order to find out other factors that might affect the results. For example, one contemporary piece of research told the participants that the questionnaire was on memory and on drug abuse but they also looked at the number of mistakes they made on the questionnaire and gender differences (Rodgers et al, 2003). Another current study deceived hospital staff and results showed that experts misdiagnosed healthy patients (BBC, 2008). This suggests that deceiving participants is necessary because it can show the impact on labels and ho w they affect treatment given (Blass, 1991). Therefore, they were deceived in order to find out whether they were diagnosed correctly. These findings are important as it allows improvements in diagnostic criterias, therefore consequentialists point out that in practice most people do lie and we should break rules in certain circumstances (Shand, 2003). However, it has been argued that there is a risk of psychological harm to the participants and the violation of their autonomy because they are deceived about the true nature of the experiment (Bortolotti and Mameli, 2006). This relates back to a deontological idea on an individuals autonomy. Consequentialism looks at actions and deontological looks at what I ought to do however, further argument suggests that emphasis should be placed on the individual character which is a virtue ethic idea what sort of person should I be (Shand, 2003). Virtue ethics could impact on psychological research for example if Reicher and Haslam (2006) or Burger (2009) involved virtuous individuals then the results might differ in terms of, participants might not conform to groups or they might be more determined to withdraw. Furthermore, according to Annas (2007) argues that the idea that we have global character traits or virtues is empirically inadequate as it does not have a cross situational consistency. A further weakness of virtue ethics is that it does not provide individuals with enough guidance on what we should do but how we should be what would a virtuous person do (Doris, 1998). Additionally, as society develops, individuals might find it difficult to decide on what are the most im portant morals to develop or what type of actions are virtuous or not (Doris, 1998). It is argued that consequentialist theories achieve moral closure, as the individual acts rightly only when their actions maximise utility, whereas deontologists act may be acceptable without it being the best or possibly a good option (Singer, 1993). If both theories were grouped together then it is possible to look at both the type of action and consequence produced, whether if it is right or wrong, this would allow a individual to think and behave more ethically. In conclusion, consequentialism looks at the consequences whereas deontology places importance of the right action to be fundamental to ethics. Consequentialism links with the BPS guideline in explaining psychological research e.g. Burger (2009) and Reicher and Haslam (2006). However, they both maximised the good by giving an insight into social roles. Yet, deontology states that participants in research need to be treated equally. Deontological theories support the BPS ethical guideline e.g. deception, the participants should not be deceived however results will be affected if the participants knew what the research was about. By concentrating on consequences it misses out individual factors (virtue idea). Both theories will be more ethically valid if they were merged together.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Lord of the Rings :: essays research papers
In the The Lord of the Rings, by J. Tolken, there are many things that make the story symbolic of a Christian influence. The constant emphasis of good vs. evil brings forth reason to suspect that this novel has a Christian basis. In this paper I will prove and backup my personal opinion through sighting specific examples of the influences from the book. Iluvatar is similar to a Christian god and the Valar are something in the middle of Christian angels and the gods of pagan myth. The highest of the Valar was Morgoth, who led a satanic rebellion; Sauron was the lieutenant of Morgoth. The Lord of the Rings is only one chapter of that mythology; it continues the fight of good (Iluvatar) vs. evil (Morgoth). One of the people in the book that particularly stood out was Tom Bombadil. Tom says one of his purposes is to "teach the right road, and keep your feet from wandering." In the bible it says, "...your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, this is the way; walk in it." (Is. 30:21). As the hobbits begin their journey, they fall into trouble with Old Man Willow and are rescued by Tom Bombadil, who possesses power over Nature. They donââ¬â¢t really understand who he is, all he will say is, ââ¬Å"Eldest is what I am.â⬠In Christian Philosophy the eldest are the wisest and best at making disicions it seems that Tom represtents that elderst wise man. Tom acts almost like an angel it seems, he will only help when worst comes too worst to intervene in outside affairs. This is what Tom Bombadil does in rescuing the hobbits from Old Man Willow. Another one of the big things is the black rider who is the servants of the enemy. Though all Free People oppose Sauron, the elves have been his greatest enemy, which is why the Black Rider immediately leaves when he hears the elves' voices. Elves are immortal (unless slain) In one of the scenes the Riders chase down Fro do at the Ford. As they wade their horses into the river, they are swept away in an enormous, magical flood. In the bible the story of Joshua, the waters of the river are "stacked up" in a similar manner, allowing God's people to cross into the promised land before the river resumes flood stage. And remember the deal with Moses and the Red Sea?
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Bladerunner â⬠Humanity and Nature Essay
The central theme of Bladerunner is the relationship between humanity and nature. More specifically it has a purpose in showing how science can negatively influence this fragile relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western society into an inhumane harsh impersonal, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who fight for their daily survival are in desperate want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the consequent exploitation of the natural world conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with itââ¬â¢s own nature. The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion are all rare or absent. This ailing relationship between humanity and nature is conveyed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other film features. All these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective portrayal of the unifying theme. In Bladerunner the most prominent element of cinematography is mise en scene. It generates a context for the film and therefore makes the plot and themes acceptable. To set an appropriate scene different variables need to be controlled. These variables include location, props, lighting and colour. In general the location of the plot is in the vast urban canyons of 2019 LA. The imposing dark buildings, the dirty fog, perpetual rain and the crowded dark streets devoid of vegetation make up the backdrop of most scenes. All this is filmed in dark lighting, which complements the effect produced by the fog in obscuring the living details. From this the responder acknowledges the deterioration of society, the harsh conditions that the humans are subjected to and the way the human spirit itself is progressively destroyed under such conditions. Filming such a location at night provides the director with the opportunity to use chiaroscuro (a technique of strong contrast) to further convey the dominance of technology over humanity. For example in outdoor scenes the garish flickering neons are obtrusively visible but they fail to illuminate the obscure, dark, fogged surroundings, including the multitudes of faceless people. The prominent visibility of artificial things over human presence together with the qualities of the location indicates the degradation of human life under the rule of science. The clothing worn by characters is an important choice made as part of setting the scene. Most of the street people wear hooded dark clothing covering their whole body. This is possibly to protect them from the rain but it also hides their faces and their eyes from the camera and from us, creating an impersonal atmosphere in conjunction with the harshness of the surroundings. We get a feeling that everyone hides from everyone else and human interpersonal interaction is limited to the bare necessity. Sometimes the style of clothing worn by characters tells us something about the characters themselves. For example the trenchcoat style garments worn by Deckard are a throwback to the ? 20s and ? 30s detective genre in film, and the responder instantly sees Deckard as such. There are times when the clothing worn gives us an insight into the themes of the film. When we first see meet Racheal (and we think she is a human), her outfit with geometric ââ¬Å"power dressingâ⬠shape, the black hues and the perfect hair create an impression of power and efficiency, qualities that are valued in androids. The next time we meet her we see her in a fur coat and underneath, a soft white blouse. Then when she lets her hair down the transformation is complete. By now we know that she is a replicant and for a replicant to be so human is ironic when the ? realââ¬â¢ humans donââ¬â¢t show such qualities. This irony elucidates the deteriorated nature of humanity very effectively. The film is not only able to show the way humanity has lost contact with nature but also how much they appreciate and want it back in their society. The unicorn dream-scene conveys this effectively. The soft back lighting, the low tonal contrast, the colour and the lush vegetation create a setting that is very different to the usual scenes. It is contrasted with real world to further reinforce the lack of nature in society. The short length of the scene, and the fact that the scene is only Deckardââ¬â¢s dream, conveys the elusiveness of nature and shows us that humans still ? dreamââ¬â¢ of having the presence of nature back in their world-weary lives. Another method used by the cinematographers to show the want for nature is through the presence of artificial animals. While the artificiality of the animals shows the destruction of nature the way humans still keep them as pets conveys their yearning to bring back nature. The decay of human spirit is also shown through the dialogue. In Bladerunner the scarcity of the dialogue itself potrays the lack of human interaction and consequently the lack of empathy or emotion. Characters only speak when it is necessary for their own survival and comfort but not for the sake of emotional involvement. However, the replicant slaves, who supposedly feel no emotion, interact more sensitively with each other. This irony again has the effect of showing the dehumanisation suffered by this society. The absence of nature and the way society deals with this is revealed through the way they refer to nature. For example at Tyrellââ¬â¢s office Decker asks Racheal if the owl is artificial, to which she replies ââ¬Å"of course it is. â⬠A similar conversation that occurs later between Salome (Zhora) and Decker about artificial snakes, further reinforcing the sad truth. Another common literary language feature that is used in Bladerunner is symbolism. The film is filled with visual symbolic codes. The unicorn, a mythical creature, which, according to myth, is a fragile and elusive being of beauty known for its rarity. In the film it symbolises the rarity of nature and itââ¬â¢s beauty and fragility. There are other symbols that signify the elusive presence of nature in human life. One is the unnaturally weak and indistinct sun. The sun is the source of all life on earth and natureââ¬â¢s sustaining energy. The weakened presence of the sun is possibly due to the fog but the importance lies not in the cause of the weakness. The dim sun is an indication that nature is being destroyed or is already destroyed. Another symbol is the motif of the human eye. Close to the beginning of the film we are presented with an ECU of Holdenââ¬â¢s eye reflecting bursts of flame. The fiery human spirit. The motif carries on throughout the film, the close up of eyes during the Voigt-Kampff tests, Mr Chewââ¬â¢s eye shop, the glowing eyes of the owl and the gruesome death of Tyrell. In many cases we encounter human figures whose eyes are hidden. The important example is Tyrell whose eyes are hidden by the thick glasses, but this is also true for the ââ¬Å"little peopleâ⬠or the street people. If the eyes symbolise the human spirit then it is also true that the concealment of the eyes represent the destruction of this spirit. The characters and the way they respond to events in the plot is the most significant way through which the creators of the film express their concerns about the relationship between humanity and nature. It is through the characters and the way they are influenced by the society in which they live that the audience are able to receive the majority of information about that society. To make up a character the director (Ridley Scott) has to synthesis the acting, the physical qualities of the actors, the costume, the lighting and the camera work. Harrison Ford plays Deckard; a Detective who is forced to put up in insensitive wall around him so as to carry out his job properly, but with the help of Racheal and Batty his soul comes through. The seriousness, the no-nonsense speech and the mechanical execution of his tasks all contribute to this image of a tough guy cop. It is also sad to see that he is forces hide his emotions and sentiments for the sake of survival in this harsh world. By the end of the film we sense that if Batty and Racheal had not saved him his spirit would have been lost under the pressure. Rutger Hauer has possibly the most appropriate natural qualities to play Roy Batty (robot? ). The ? Aryan lookââ¬â¢, a western cultural assumption of superiority and the Swedish accent with the concise overtones which is particularly effective in a quiet voice make him the perfect super/sub-human replicant. To enhance the effect the hair is died white, his body and face is always lit up to prominence, and almost always the image is shot from underneath making him look surrealistically handsome and at the same time imposing. However the way he responds to the events in the plot show that he has more ? humanityââ¬â¢ in him that the people who consider themselves human. The most memorable instance is they way he moaned for the death of Pris. He is not ashamed to return to the most basic instinct of openly showing emotion. This beautiful scene along with other such human responses from a replicant serves to convey the suppression of human nature in the society. Rachael is played by Sean Young as the replicant who doesnââ¬â¢t know she is an android. The characterââ¬â¢s function is similar to that of Batty. To show the deterioration of everything ? humanââ¬â¢ in the world of 2019. Her transformation itself carries the message. When she thought she was a human her conduct was much like a robot; the emotionless soulless state of mind everyone is in. But once she begins to realise that she is replicant her appearance becomes increasingly ? humanââ¬â¢. This humanisation is portrayed through the use of costumes, the use of varying light and the use of ECU. Tyrell is the other character who has an important function in conveying the themes. Genuinely lacking emotions or empathy, his main objective is the profit margin. He is part of the corporate dictatorship that has suppressed the spirit of the people and destroyed the natural world. His character is the total antitheses of Batty. The overconfidence in his intelligence, the impersonal way in which he addresses other characters, the opulent surrounding in which he lives show him as powerful tyrant. The irony is that he holds the status of God when he is not even fit to be a human. Thus through the development of characters and their response to the events of the plot, Ridley Scott and the actors communicate the way relationship between humanity and nature has evolved (deteriorated) into the world of 2019 LA. In effect all the techniques mentioned above portray a society of individuals who are weary of the world they live in. They are rejects who lead a pitiful existence in a wasteland called earth because they are not fit enough to go the out-world colonies. Suppressing their own natural instincts for the sake of physically surviving they really the walking dead. Scientific progress conducted not for the best interests of humanity but for the best interests of business has effectively brought about the progressive degradation of society. By exploiting and destroying the natural world human can no more find solace or beauty so as to recuperate their weary minds and rekindle their dying spirits. In summary the techniques that are unique to film such as camera, lighting, costuming, colour and location works in conjunction with common literary techniques such as visual symbolism, irony and characterisation to effectively convey the relationship between humanity and nature.
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