Ethnicity In Hollywood And American Culture Film Studies Essay

Ethnicity In Hollywood And American Culture Film Studies Essay Hollywood movies have preached the assimilation of the ethnic other into American culture. This is a dangerous prospect as media representations are used to frame our understandings of ethnic groups and sub-cultures. In this study, a social semiotic approach is used to frame the violence, food, musical score, and set furnishings present in The Sopranos. By contrasting these elements with those found in The Godfather, assimilation of the ethnic Italian is revealed. Using an interpretation that rests on the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, this study adds to our understanding of ethnic representation in media. Through a deeper understanding, we can resist negative media representations of ethnic groups. In 1997, The Godfather Saga, a revised version of The Godfather and The Godfather II, was televised to a national audience. This was a broadcast landmark as it was preceded by a disclaimer to forewarn the audience that the characters were not representative of any ethic group (Cortes, 1987). The statement became a model for television broadcasts that depicted any ethnic group as criminal and violent. The disclaimer was indicative of a burgeoning awareness that entertainment films possess the power to create, reinforce, and modify public perception of ethnic groups (Cortes, 1987). While a number of factors likely influence public perception of ethnic culture, mass media representation has been documented as a significant factor (Jamieson, 1992). Indeed, some researchers suggest that much of the information people acquire about ethnic culture comes from mass media (Bodenhausen, Schwarz, Bless, Wà ¤nke 1995). A century of media representation of Italian culture and its mythical link t o organized crime, has created paradoxical visions of admiration and disdain; fascination and fear; endearing attractiveness and aversion. Central to the popular vision of the Mafia, the depiction of Italian family culture is a dichotomy between family values and violent family business. The existence, success, and continuation of the Italian family depend on a system of traditions and rules rooted in extreme patriarchy and enforced through acts of violence. The immutable strength of this image effects both public perceptions of Italian culture and the Italian self-image (Quinn, 2004). The debut of The Sopranos in 1999 represents a significant event in media representation of Italian culture. The series portrays American born Mafiosi as ordinary suburban neighbors, complete with barbecues, golf games, kids in College, and stock options. How does the The Sopranos contribute to the media image of the Italian family? In this study, I take a constructivist approach to examine the first season of The Sopranos in an effort to determine how the series changes the traditional image built by gangster movies like The Godfather. The Sopranos updates the image of the Italian mob family by completely assimilating it within American cultural norms (Blackwood, 2006). In this way, The Sopranos supports the symbolic interactionist assertion that ethnic groups are not natural biological divisions of humanity, but rather temporary alignments of people created by communication channels (Freidman, 1991). The influence of The Sopranos is appreciated by considering the thirteen million viewers it attracted by its third season (Cartier, 2006), and in the attention it garnered from both television critics and politicians. In 2001, the producers of the Sopranos were unsuccessfully sued under the individual dignity clause of the Illinois Constitution (Italian-American group sues, 2001). In the previous year, Essex County officials banned HBO from filming scenes on county-owned property (N.J. county shoots down Sopranos filming request, 2000). In announcing the ban, officials expressed their displeasure at the shows portrayal of Italian-Americans. Backed by sixteen colleagues, New Jersey congresswoman Marge Roukema proposed that the House of Representatives chastise producers of television shows like The Sopranos because of their depiction of Italian-Americans as criminals (Congresswoman asks House, 2001). These events underline the importance of understanding the link between popular drama and cultural representation. As the demands of modern life become more complicated through a mixing of cultures, our understanding of the larger world becomes more important to us. Therefore, we use the messages we decode from popular culture to frame our understanding of ethnic groups, and the nature of diverse subcultures (Beck, 2000). This means that media representation, and more specifically ethnic representation within popular culture, plays a key role in our understandings of immigrants and their subcultures (Cortes, 1987). Further, because entertainment and information are no longer distinct streams within the public consumption of cultural products, the fate of diverse subgroups within our society depends on the roles assigned to them in [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] popular dramas (Beck, 2000, p. 25). Through careful evaluation of the set furnishings, music, food, and violence presented in the popular drama The Sopranos, an assimilation of Italian culture into American culture is rev ealed. This assimilation is so strong that only the most obvious ethnic symbols remain resulting in a link between the Italian family and crime that is much stronger than any previously portrayed. Literature Review The earliest film representation of Italians and crime is documented by Blackwood (2006). The Black Hand (1906), a seven minute one-reeler, was allegedly based on an actual kidnapping and ransom demand that occurred in the Italian quarter of New York City. A number of later films including The Black Hand (1912) and Binks, The Black Hand (1913) followed. In 1908, the New York Police Department established the Italian Bureau, headed by Detective Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino. An Italian immigrant himself, Petrosino was subsequently murdered by a Mafia Don while conducting research in Palerimo, Italy (Giuliani, 1999). This event spawned a number of Mafia movies including The Detectives of the Italian Bureau (1909), The Adventures of Lieutenant Petrosino (1912), The Padrone Ward (1914), The Last Mafia (1915), and Don Caesar de Bazan (1915). Although this very early representation of Italians is often overlooked, Blackwood (2006) points out the importance of this period. The films demonstra te the incredible age of the Italian Mafia stereotype, and they represent the birth of the link between Italians and crime. Benshoff Griffin (2004) point out that this period fashioned a second stereotype of Italian people. The movies often portrayed the good Italian falling victim to the bad Italian. The good Italian representation was that of an assimilated small businessman. He was a simple-minded, working class Italian often named Luigi or Guido who spoke broken English, wore a bushy moustache, and had a large family. He was gracious, always smiling, and worked as a street vendor, organ grinder, or ran a small restaurant. The stereotype exists to this day in the Super Mario Brothers games (1993) and on countless pizza boxes. Cortes (1987) identifies three distinct periods in the history of Italian representation in film. In the first period, 1917-1928, the depiction of Italians was heavily influenced by a negotiation for whiteness (Benshoff Griffin, 2004). America experienced a great surge in immigration during the final years of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. Large numbers of Eastern and Southern European people flooded into the urban centers of America. From 1900 to 1910 over eight million immigrants entered the United States (U.S. Census Data, 2003). This sudden mixing of white ethnic culture with the established white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant culture increased levels of xenophobia and forced people of non-Anglo-Saxon, European descent to negotiate their relation to whiteness. This negotiation, and a general concern over the growing presence of foreign culture in America, lead to strict immigration laws and influenced the way Italians were represented in film. Italians w ere depicted in films with darker skin tones, thick curly hair, and little education. As immigration fears increased, the white ethnic Italian was portrayed as unsavory, radical, and over-sexed in such films as Dangerous Hours (1919) and Manhandled (1924). In the 1930s, Hollywood became fascinated with crime. The Great Depression coupled with Prohibition focused that fascination on the problem of gangsters, leading to the rediscovery of the Italian American mobster. By 1932, Italian gangsters [had] become the personification of Americas social failures, including the crisis of the increasingly elusive American Dream (Cortes, 1987, p. 110). In this second period, 1930-1970, Italian mobsters were vicious, violent, self-serving, one-dimensional characters. The period is characterized by the advent of sound, and the ear-splitting shots of Italian-mobster machine guns became the symbol of Italian ethnic violence. So great was the impact on the Italian psyche that the release of films such as Little Ceasar (1930), The Public Enemy (1931), Scarface (1932), The Gay Divorcee (1934), and Top Hat (1935), prompted the Italian government to ban importation of all American films containing Italian characters (Vasey, 1992). In an effort to remove thi s barrier, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), a trade association formed to negotiate American film trade agreements with foreign governments, was successful in influencing a more positive film image of Italians. Obvious references to Italian ethnicity were removed from many gangster movies although the inferences remained (Vasey, 1992). Films such as Golden Boy (1939) and They Knew What They Wanted (1940) actually depicted Italian characters as law-abiding, hardworking ethnics (Cortes, 1987). During the war, Italian Americans increasingly promoted their loyalty to their adopted country. As a consequence, Italians were often depicted in wartime propaganda films as courageous and dedicated soldiers fighting alongside American soldiers (Benshoff Griffin, 2004). This depiction is evident in the Giuseppe character from Sahara (1943), Lieutenant Angelo Canelli in The Purple Heart (1944), and Captain Andrà ©s Bonifà ¡cio in Back to Bataan (1945). Post-war film making in Italy had an effect on Hollywood images of Italian Americans. Italian film makers worked to increase cinematic realism leading to a movement called Italian Neorealism (Benshoff Griffin, 2004). The films resulting from this movement were popular and often represented Italians as poor and working class. Consequently American depictions began to represent Italians as down-to-earth, working class people in such films as Marty (1955) and The Rose Tattoo (1955). The final years of the second period defined by Cortes contains another interesting phenomenon. Both Italian and American film makers resurrected the hot Italian lover stereotype that had been well crafted by the Rodolph Valentino movies of the 1920s. Italian actresses Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and Anna Magnini became famous for their uninhibited sexuality. In the repressive, socially conservative 1950s, these ethnic other actresses provided sexual escapism not possible for respectable white women. A s the 1970s approached, various ethnic movements popularized the search for and the celebration of ethnic heritage, identity, and pride (Cortes, 1987, p. 116). This new enthusiasm for ethnicity, coupled with an influx of talented Italian movie producers and actors, led to an explosion of Italian character representations in film. In addition, the disappearance of the Hayes Code in 1968, Hollywoods self-censorship system, encouraged a war where filmmakers vied to top each other in graphic depictions of sex and violence (Cortes, 1987). All of these factors influenced the watershed moment in the depiction of Italians in film, the release of Francis Ford Coppolas The Godfather. The third period, 1970 to present, is epitomized by The Godfather. This 1972 film, by Francis Ford Coppola, depicts the Italian gangster as a complex, multi-dimensional character. For the first time the activities of Italian gangsters are firmly entrenched within Italian family values. The Godfather set a trend for complex mob characters in many movies that followed including The Don is Dead (1973), Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and Analyze This (1999). Blackwood (2006) categorizes the periods of Italian representation in film according to artistic device. In the silent era through to the 1960s, Italians are portrayed minstrelsy. Italian characters are used to exploit and rebuke the Italian sub-culture. In the 1970s, portrayals of Italian characters are changed, and serve to historicize the Italian life experience in the U.S.A. (Blackwood, 2006, p. 8). According to Blackwood (2006), the third period of representation began in the late 1990s with the renunciation of the Italian gangster figure. The television show The Sopranos (1999-2007) and the movie Analyze This (1999) present the assimilation of the Italian gangster figure into North American society, depicting the acceptance of American values. Method The Sopranos debuted on HBO in 1999 (Martin, 2007). The show follows the life of notorious gangster Tony Soprano and his family as they deal with modern life in New Jersey. Tony, his wife Carmela, and their two children, Meadow and AJ, live in North Caldwell, New Jersey where Tony presides over a Mafia team. With eighty-six episodes spanning six seasons, the show is iconic in the world of Italian gangster stories. Television critics praised the show as the apotheosis of television drama, and the recalibrated scale for comparing TV shows [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] everything else seems flawed (Martin, 2007, p. 16). The show also enjoyed instant success with audiences, claiming four million viewers during its debut season and quickly increasing to thirteen million viewers by the third season (Carter, 2006). Winning a plethora of awards including five Golden Globes, two Peabodys, two Writers Guild Awards, and 18 Emmys, the incredible popularity of the show propelled it into many manifestations o f pop cultural success including a MAD magazine parody (issue 389, 2000), appearances on The Simpsons, and the cover of Rolling Stone (vol. 865, March 29, 2001). Grand Theft Auto III, the best selling video game of 2002 with sales of three million units, mimicked The Sopranos by placing players inside a Mafia organization. The game allows players to move up through ranks of the Mafia by delivering suspicious packages, ferrying hookers to and from their dates, tailing suspected snitches, planting car bombs [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦], and having sex with their own goomahs (Croal, p. 50). The Sopranos became so well recognized that HBO developed an entire side industry of Sopranos accessories including a mens clothing line, mainstream coffee table and humour books, and even architectural plans for building Tony and Carmellas house (Quinn, 2004). The Sopranos was created in 1995 by David Chase. Chase is a television veteran who served as executive producer of such shows as Northern Exposure (1990-95), Ill Fly Away (1991-93), and as writer/producer on The Rockford Files (1974-80). Chase claims the character of Jim Rockford, created by Stephen Cannell, as the major influence on his creation of Tony Soprano, the patriarch of the Soprano clan (Chase quoted in Martin, 2007, p. 10). However, there are those in the Italian American community, including Lawrence Di Stasi, historian and past president of the Western Italian American Historical Society, who believe a darker influence lies behind the show and the character of Tony Soprano. Di Stasi believes that Chase, whose surname has been anglicized from the Italian name De Cesare, internalized his ethnic hatred by externalizing his self-loathing (Di Stasi quoted in Quinn, p. 167). Chase stands accused of betraying his own culture by strengthening the association, more than ever, bet ween Italian-American families and criminality. Di Stasi claims the average television viewer sees the link between the two as genetic. Using existing literature combined with my own semiotic analysis of the television series The Sopranos, I take a constructionist approach to determine how The Sopranos changes the image of the Italian mafia family since the release of The Godfather. In doing so, I expose the Italian ethnic signs within the text and discuss the role these signs play in supporting Blackwoods (2006) assertion that The Sopranos represent the assimilation of the Italian gangster into American culture. My data sample consists of the first seasons episodes of The Sopranos series. Limiting the catalog of data to thirteen episodes produces a feasible and manageable data set, and it allows analysis of a text created purely from the authors intentions, before its extreme popularity could influence new or exaggerated messages. Using a social semiotic approach advocated by Fairclough and Van Leeuwen (see Van Leeuwen, 2005, p. 139), I analyze the first thirteen episodes of The Sopranos in an effort to reveal the u nderlying messages of ethnic Italian identity. This approach is selected because it focuses on the function of texts in social interactions. It recognizes discourse as an element to structure content (i.e. what is expressed), genre to structure interaction (i.e. what happens), and style to structure the manner in which a text communicates (Van Leeuwen, 2005). Under Van Leeuwens approach, the text will be examined through the frames of violence, food, musical score, and set furnishings. Framing is a way of describing the power of communication within a text (Entman, 1993). It involves the selection of an aspect of perceived reality, and the elevation of the salience of that information within the text (i.e. making it more noticeable). The analysis provided rests on the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism. The rejection of the notions that meaning emanates intrinsically from objects that provide meaning and that meaning is derived through a coalescence of psychological factors, allows us to see meaning as product of social interaction (Blumer, 1986). Thus, the meaning of things is formed from communication channels through a recipients interpretive process. This theoretical framework makes possible the assimilation of one culture into another. Hollywood movies are bastions of symbolic interactionism. They impose Americaness as a self-ascripting category whose value orientation dominates any primordial ethnic condition (Freidman, 1991, p. 22). Data Analysis In The Sopranos, Chase removes the impenetrable barrier between Italian family values and Italian family business that was so carefully constructed by Coppola in The Godfather. Coppola manages to create an intensely powerful and thought provoking audience experience of The Godfather through narrative and visuals that present the opposition of family values and violence. In the opening scene, the viewer is presented with a dark image of a heart-broken man confessing a heinous act of sexual violence perpetrated against his daughter. As the camera pans out, and the screen brightens only slightly, we see the man is in the study of Vito Corleone, a mafia Don and patriarch to one of New Yorks most infamous crime families. The man is begging Vito to avenge his daughters honour. Suddenly, the camera reveals the outside of the house, where there is a great celebration. Vitos daughter is marrying. Men, women, children, and even rival mobsters attend the elaborate festivities. There is much lau ghter, singing, and dancing. In contrast, the dark study, allows only a few privileged men to enter and make requests of Vito, who cannot refuse their requests on the day of his daughters wedding. The movement of the camera back and forth between the two locations creates a striking, visual divide between the celebration of family, and the dark world of the family business. The study is the location of power, a private sanctuary where reports are given and violent reprisals are arranged. The scene very effectively illustrates the ironic nature of the relationship between the family values and the family business. The room is physically separate from the family rituals thus maintaining a strong separation between the two worlds. The dichotomous nature of Corleone family values allows the characters to tread a delicate line between valorization and criticism (Simon, 1983). In The Sopranos, Chase completely removes this separation by immersing the Italian characters in American cultura l ritual and symbols. The family business is deeply entangled in everyday family rituals and activities. The world of family values and dark family business become one. The total assimilation of the Italian mafia family into American culture is achieved by the removal of all but the most obvious signs of ethnic stereotyping. The Long Island estate of Vito Coleone, with its stone and stucco exterior, Italian style courtyard, and extensive vegetable and fruit gardens, is replaced with a New Jersey, sprawling, modern American, brick ranch. Vitos Italian gardens are replaced with Tony Sopranos landscaping that appears to come straight from the pages of a Home Depot magazine. The interior of the Soprano house is a striking contrast to that of the Corleones. The Corleone mansion, with its dark leather furniture, dark oak paneling and trim, dim lighting, and minimalist furnishings is replaced by the bright modern American dà ©cor of the Sopranos home. An authentic New Jersey look was crucial for Chase whose production designer spent countless hours poking through houses up and down the Garden State parkway (Martin, 2007, p. 29). What Chase achieved are lu xurious interiors of light coloured oak flooring, tan leather furniture, modern glass top tables, and light oak shelves carefully decorated with showy books, pricey figurines, vases, and candle sticks. The walls are finished in tame colours of tan, ivory, soft greens, and gold. In the dining room and bedroom, the furniture is finished in light pastels that imitate stone which was common in upscale American homes of the 1990s. The kitchen, with its recessed pot lighting and bleached oak cabinets, is typical of popular modern American design. This is the home of a typical middle-class American family, from the bright, warm, inviting family room to the messy teenager bedrooms covered in dirty laundry and grunge band posters. The lack of a musical score for The Sopranos also assists in the assimilation of the characters into American culture. The Godfather provides the viewer with a rich ethnic and folkloric musical score written by Nino Rota with additional music by Carmen Coppola, Francis Fords father. From luna mess o mare sung by family members during the opening wedding scene to the main title, called The Godfather Waltz, the viewer is immersed in the melodic strands of Italian music and reminded of the rich ethnic background that gave rise to such music. In contrast, there is no musical score for The Sopranos; however, each Sopranos episode opens with Woke Up This Morning (1997) by British fusion band Alabama 3 and closes with a different previously recorded pop tune such as Elvis Costellos Complicated Shadows (episode 3), Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit (episode 7), and Bruce Springsteens State Trooper (episode 13). This music lends a contemporary feel to the show that is decidedly American. Chase believes firmly that the lack of a musical score increases the authenticity of his work. He notes that like Quentin Tarantinos movies, the use of pre-recorded, popular music promotes an authentic American feel to the work (David Chase Interview, 2000). Despite the assimilated nature of the characters, a link to Italian ethnicity is maintained. This link is achieved primarily through the constant reference to Italian cuisine within each episode. A major sub-plot in episode one involves young AJs birthday party where Ziti and the proper way to cook Italian sausages is a significant part of the narrative. In episode two, Paulie Walnuts becomes enraged at the profits earned by large American corporations through their cooption of Italian cuisine. Father Phil, the priest from the local Roman Catholic Church, is often seen visiting the Soprano home. The character of Father Phil is intended to create sexual tension with the character of Carmella Soprano (David Chase Interview, 2000). This tension is overshadowed by Father Phils desire for home-made Italian food and his constant dialog regarding the superiority of Italian cuisine. He visits the Soprano home, and the homes of other Italian parishioners, constantly looking to be fed (episode s 1, 5, 6, 13). Artie Bucco, a close friend of Tonys, is an accomplished chef specializing in Italian cuisine. This character appears in numerous scenes where he serves sumptuous Italian cuisine and his skills as an Italian chef are praised (episode 1, 2, 3, 9, 13). Chase devotes a significant amount of dialog in each episode to the discussion of Italian food. In addition, Italian food is visually depicted through camera close-ups in restaurant scenes and in the many scenes involving Soprano family dinners. In these close-ups, the camera frames the food much like what one would see on a cooking program. The viewer is presented with large images of Italian pastas being dished from platters while the character dialog continues in the background. A second important symbol that serves to link the assimilated Soprano family characters to their Italian heritage is observed in the characters of Paulie Walnuts Gualtieri, Silvio Dante, and Salvatore Big Pussy Bonpensiero. These characters are part of Tonys crew, and they epitomize the stereotypical vision of the urban, somewhat slow, greasy, Italian tough guys. They dress in dark clothing; wear patterned, silk shirts, unbuttoned to show thick gold chains and crosses around their neck; grease their hair back; and speak with the same Bronx-Italian accent heard in Goodfellas (1990). Violence plays a central role in The Sopranos. This centrality contrasts sharply with the The Godfather where violence operates as a backdrop against which we can examine characters and observe family customs and behaviour. The Godfather represents a major shift in the narrative perspective of gangster films (Simon, 1983). Besides being the first film to portray the Italian Mafia, although it never uses the word Mafia in its narrative, the film uses carefully placed narrative gaps to control the affect of violence on the viewing audience. For example, the audience is not prepared for the now famous scene when studio head Jack Woltz lifts the sheets of his bed to find the severed head of his prize racehorse. The previous scene ends with Woltzs refusal to hire Johnny Fontaine, Don Corleones godson, in a discussion with Tom Hagen. When Woltz finds the horse head in his bed, the audience is forced to assume that Hagen ordered the head be severed and placed there. Through this narrative g ap, the audience is completely unprepared for the violence, and as a result, they feel the violence from the victims perspective rather than through the perpetrators. Coppola uses this narrative gap technique again and again for the assassination attempt on Don Corleone, Luca Brazzis strangulation, Sonnys execution, the murders of Paulie Gatto and Michaels Sicilian bride, and the climatic final sequence when Michaels order to assassinate five rival mobsters is carried out. This technique allows Coppola to keep the violence in the background; the violence is the inevitable outcome of failed negotiations or necessary due to ethical codes. The viewer is able to remain focused on the characters with their complex behaviours and the relationships that are demanded by their Italian ethnicity. In The Sopranos, Chase removes the violence from the background and puts it on display. Through narrative and visual signals, the viewer becomes well prepared for violent scenes and experiences those scenes from the aspect of the perpetrator. We see evidence of this in the first act of violence in episode one, The Sopranos (1999). As Tony begins his first session with therapist Dr. Malfi, he recounts a story of a chance meeting with a man who owes him an outstanding debt. Dr. Malfi interrupts Tony to mention that she knows he is a crime boss. She reminds him that if she were to hear of a murder or intentional injury, she would be required to report the incident to authorities. Tony relies, nothin happened, we had coffee. The sarcastic narrative combined with the smirk on Tonys face perfectly sets up the sudden cut to the next scene where Tony hits the man with his nephews car and then proceeds to violently punch and kick the man. When Tony contracts with a Hasidic Jew to extort a div orce from the Jews son-in-law (episode 3), Tony discusses threatening the son-in-law with castration. Several scenes later, the viewer witnesses the assault on the son-in-law, and two scenes later, Tony gleefully describes the assault to Jackie Aprile, a high ranking mob boss. When Tony takes his daughter, Meadow, to her university interviews in New England (episode 5), he unexpectedly bumps into an ex-associate who testified in court against an old mob boss. In several subsequent scenes, Tony and his daughter discuss Tonys involvement in the Mafia. Tony continually downplays his role in criminal activity. Interspersed with these scenes are scenes of Tony planning and carrying out the murder of the ex-associate. These examples demonstrate how The Sopranos follows the television practice of tell them what will happen before it happens; tell them what is happening when it happens; tell them what happened after it happens (David Chase Interview, 2000). This practice elevates the violen ce to a central position where it becomes hopelessly interlaced with family struggles such as dealing with elderly parents (episode 2), illness (episode 3), choosing a College (episode 5), children acting out in school (episode 7), the safety of children from sexual predators (episode 9), and depression (episode 12). Conclusion For most Italians who have emigrated from Italy, remnants of Italian culture are still present within their lives. American writers and scholars use the term italianità ¡ to describe these remnants of culture that persist across geographical borders and time (Tamburri, Giordano, and Gardaphà ©, 1991). The use of italianità ¡ in The Sopranos was crucial to the shows success. After a century of media representation that links Italian culture to crime, italianità ¡ authenticates the story for the viewer and makes it all seem real. Similar to the sexual escapism provided by the Italian actresses of the 1950s (Benshoff Griffin, 2004), the use of Italian culture creates the ethnic other necessary to validate the extreme violence, sex, and criminal activity. The viewer remains safe with the notion that the illicit activities and uninhibited sexuality in The Sopranos are perpetrated by transplanted ethnic others, not by respectable, white Americans. Chase admits that The Sopranos helped realize his desire to produce feature films (David Chase Interview, 2000). Although each episode is only one hour in length, airing the series on HBO allowed broadcast without commercial interruption. This permitted the writers to abandon the common television drama structure of four-act scripts permitting slower plot development. Indeed, Chase claims that each episode in the first season is a separate complete movie, that continuation of story lines from one episode to the next was low priory during the writing process. As crucial as the ethnic other is to the authentication of the story, The Sopranos became exemplary of the ethnic assimilation port

The French Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

The French Revolution The years before the French Revolution (which started in 1789 AD.) were ones of vast, unexpected change and confusion. One of the changes was the decline of the power of the nobles, which had a severe impact on the loyalty of some of the nobles to King Louis XVI. Another change was the increasing power of the newly established middle class, which would result in the monarchy becoming obsolete. The angry and easily manipulated peasants, who were used by the bourgeoisie for their own benefit were another significant change, and finally the decline of the traditional monarchy, that for so long had ruled, were all factors to the main point that the French Revolution was caused by a political base, with social disorder and economic instability contributing to the upheaval. All of the sub-factors relate with one-another, but are separate in their own ways. For centuries, the French noble was well set in society. He found prosperity and security in the old regime, and all he had to do was pay homage to the king, and provide the king with his services. This all came to a gradual stop, however beginning with the loss of the noble's power over their own land at the hands of Louis XIV.1 This was the foundation of the revolte nobiliaire in the fact that it formed a basis of mistrust, and anger for the monarch.2 In that time the feudal system was still being practiced, so social status was based on the amount of land you could attain. With no land, the nobles saw themselves to be as common as the common folk. Even in their arrogance they saw that they were losing power. The next blow to the pride of the nobles came from Louis XV, who passed a bill to let wealthy commoners purchase prominent spots in political and social positions. This event shows how corrupt and money hungry the government had become, by letting anyone get high up in the political chain just by feeding the gluttonous king. The next king, Louis XVI saw that the majority of France (75%) was peasants and serfs. Consequently, to try to ensure their happiness (and prevent the Revolution), he had the Estates-General abolish the feudal system, in which they held no ranking.4 This made the nobility extremely unhappy. With no feudal system, they no longer were much higher up politicly than the commoners. The next noble atrocity came with Louis XVI making the nobles pay taxes. Ever since... ...hat the monarch was untouchable. Seeing as how Louis was to get his head chopped off, that resolution may not have been a good idea. To make things even more equal and just, the commoners had one of the three votes his Estates-General. This meant fair representation, but it also meant that the nobles were upset with their decline of power and the commoners wanted more of their new-found power. All of these ideas seem to be good ones, but ones that would, and did harm his position. One evidently bad move was to heavily tax everyone. The peasants were already heavily taxed, so they were then brought to famine, the nobles were never taxed before and consequently disgruntled and the middle class just did not like it. If Louis XVI were alive today he would probably be a good politician-too bad the people were not ready for him in 1789. Historians have argued for centuries over what started the French Revolution: some say economics, some say politics some say the change of social structure. The only logical answer, then is that it was a little (or a lot) of all three, resulting in the decline of nobility, the rise of the middle class, the anger of the peasants and the fall of monarchy.

Marketing Survey Dettol Liquid Handwash Essay

Following is the questionnaire followed to take up the survey: Neha: Who makes the decision to buy this product? Kamal: I make the decision to buy the product. Neha: Who else plays a role in this decision making? Is there anyone else whose opinion you take into consideration while choosing this product?Kamal: Mostly, I decide as to which product to buy, but my kids and husband also voice their opinion sometimes. Neha: Why did you buy this product and what are the attributes you look for? Kamal: I have been using this product for quite a long time. The main attributes are quality assurance and cost factors. Its re-fill pack is also a good attribute, as once you buy the pump pack; you can get the re-fill at much lower cost. It is reasonably priced and also the dettol is a well known brand. Neha: Have you used any other brand of liquid handwash? If yes, then what motivated you to try the other brand? Also, what made you come back to dettol? Kamal: Yes, I have also used Lifebuoy hand wash. I have tried lifebuoy once or twice, mainly because of the non availability of the dettol hand wash in the local store from which I get the monthly ration. So, when dettol is available, I go for that only. Neha: Why didn’t you choose to wait for the new stock of dettol liquid hand wash to arrive? Kamal: Hand wash is a product of daily use, so availability is necessary. Also, Lifebuoy, dettol and a couple of other brands are almost similar in pricing and quality. Thus, there is no incentive in waiting for new stock. Neha: Have you been using this product for long? Where did you get information about this product? Kamal: Yes, I have been this product for quite some time. I got to know about this product from advertisements in television. Also the displays in the store from which I buy most of my daily needs products , also helps me make an informed decision as I can compare the prices of different brands and also the various discounts and schemes offered. Neha: Which store do you go to? Any specific reason to choose that particular store? Kamal: I go to the local departmental store in the market near to my house. I choose this store as it is nearby and I can get everything from kitchen products to sanitary products to everything. It has wide variety of products available which makes my job easier. Summary: From the above survey, following are the conclusions that can be drawn about the consumer preference and the demand of a daily mundane product of less than Rs. 75/-. Stock Availability: One of the most crucial factors for low price daily products is the availability. As they form the daily needs of the consumers, non availability of the product is not an option. Consumer will quickly switch to a new brand. Competitive Pricing: For daily products like hand wash, face wash etc. pricing plays an important role in consumer opting for a particular product. As lots of options offering almost comparable quality and price are available, pricing is very important to attract the consumers. Consumer Loyalty: Consumer loyalty also plays a significant role in the sales of the product in question. A common answer as to why they continue to buy a given product is, that they have been using the product for very long time and never faced a problem. Hence, as long as the product is consistent in quality and pricing, consumers tend to be loyal to one brand as they get used to it. Promotion: Advertisements in television/print and display in the retailer store is the main source of information for the consumers. Attractive advertisements may prompt the consumer to try out a different product and thus effective promotion campaign is needed to sustain consumer interest. As the consumer is mainly the budget conscious house wives, discounts and schemes are another effective means to maintain consumer base and also attract new consumers.

Definition and Examples of Figures of Thought

Definition and Examples of Figures of Thought In rhetoric, a figure of thought is a  figurative expression that, for its effect, depends less on the choice or arrangement of words than on the meaning(s) conveyed. (In Latin, figura sententia.) Irony and metaphor, for example, are often regarded as figures of thoughtor tropes. Over the centuries, many scholars and rhetoricians have attempted to draw clear distinctions between figures of thought and figures of speech, but the overlap is considerable and sometimes bewildering. Professor Jeanne Fahnestock describes figure of thought as a very misleading label. Observations - A figure of thought is an unexpected change in syntax or an arrangement of the ideas, as opposed to the words, within a sentence, which calls attention to itself. Antithesis is a figure of thought involving arrangement: You have heard that it was said You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:43-44); rhetorical question one involving syntax: But if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? (Matt:5:13). Another common figure of thought is apostrophe, in which the speaker suddenly makes a direct appeal to someone, as Jesus does in the eleventh verse of Matthew 5: Blessed are you when men revile you... A less common, but quite effective figure is climax, where the thought is emphasized or clarified and given an emotional twist as if by climbing a ladder (the term means ladder in Greek): We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us (Rom. 5:3-4). (George A. Kennedy, New Testament Interpretation Through Rhetorical Criticism. The University of North Carolina Press, 1984) - Recognizing that all language is inherently figurative, classical rhetoricians regarded metaphors, similes, and other figurative devices as both figures of thought and figures of speech. (Michael H. Frost, Introduction to Classical Legal Rhetoric: A Lost Heritage. Ashgate, 2005) Figures of Thought, Speech, and Sound It is possible to distinguish figures of thought, figures of speech, and figures of sound. In Cassiuss line early in Shakespeares Julius CaesarRome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloodswe see all three sorts of figure. The apostrophe Rome (Cassius is really talking to Brutus) is one of the rhetorical figures. The synecdoche blood (using one component of the organism conventionally to represent human quality in the abstract) is a trope. The pentameter, the iambic rhythm, and the emphatic repetition of certain sounds (b and l in particular) are figures of sound. (William Harmon and Hugh Holman, A Handbook to Literature, 10th ed. Pearson, 2006) Irony As a Figure of Thought Like Quintilian, Isidore of Seville defined irony as a figure of speech and as a figure of thoughtwith the figure of speech, or clearly substituted word, being the primary example. The figure of thought occurs when irony extends across a whole idea, and does not just involve the substitution of one word for its opposite. So, Tony Blair is a saint is a figure of speech or verbal irony if we really think that Blair is a devil; the word saint substitutes for its opposite. I must remember to invite you here more often would be a figure of thought, if I really meant to express my displeasure at your company. Here, the figure does not lie in the substitution of a word, but in the expression of an opposite sentiment or idea. (Claire Colebrook, Irony. Routledge, 2004) Figures of Diction and Figures of Thought To confer distinction (dignitas) on style is to render it ornate, embellishing it by variety. The divisions under Distinction are Figures of Diction and Figures of Thought. It is a figure of diction if the adornment is comprised in the fine polish of the language itself. A figure of thought derives a certain distinction from the idea, not from the words. (Rhetorica ad Herennium, IV.xiii.18, c. 90 BC) Martianus Capella on Figures of Thought and Figures of Speech The difference between a figure of thought and a figure of speech is that the figure of thought remains even if the order of the words is changed, whereas a figure of speech cannot remain if the word order is changed, although it can often happen that a figure of thought is in conjunction with a figure of speech, as when the figure of speech epanaphora is combined with irony, which is a figure of thought. (Martianus Capella and the Seven Liberal Arts: The Marriage of Philology and Mercury, ed. by William Harris Stahl with E.L. Burge. Columbia University Press, 1977) Figures of Thought and Pragmatics This category [figures of thought] is difficult to define, but we can begin to understand it from the perspective of pragmatics, the dimension of linguistic analysis concerned with what an utterance is supposed to accomplish for the speaker and with how it functions in a particular situation. Quintilian captures the pragmatic or situational nature of the figures of thought when he tries to distinguish them from the schemes, For the former [the figures of thought] lies in the conception, the latter [the schemes] in the expression of our thought. The two, however, are frequently combined . . .. (Jeanne Fahnestock, Aristotle and Theories of Figuration. Rereading Aristotles Rhetoric, ed. by Alan G. Gross and Arthur E. Walzer. Southern Illinois University Press, 2000) Further Reading Figurative LanguageFigures of SoundFigures, Tropes, and Other Rhetorical TermsMeaningParrhesiaTool Kit for Rhetorical AnalysisTop 20 Figures of SpeechTropes  and  Master Tropes

What Made Us Americans essays

What Made Us Americans essays As an American citizen, have you ever given any thought of the land that your standing on? Do you know as an American, you give part of yourself to this nations character? Well, you do. For several intellectual generations, a dispute has raged over the concept of the frontier, as articulated by Fredrick Jackson Turner in 1893. He posed his belief that the American frontier was at the root of American exceptionalism. The result is that to the frontier the American intellect owes its striking characteristics (Turner, 549). The Frontier created a new exceptional person- an American. He promoted that the American character was shaped by the continuous confrontations Americans had with an ever changing frontier that moved civilization westward. Turners conclusion about American characteristics is not because of the frontier, but of the American people who have accomplished many people dreams and made American what it is today. Turners thesis is useless as a guide for the presen t and future, because the Frontier did not make American and its people exceptional. The frontier can be used objectively to gain a knowledge about the history and process of western expansion. But many Americans would not admit to say that they are proud of what our people did to the early settlers (Indians). American Frontier experience has been involved its own environment problems, contacts with Indians, and economic and social organization. Long before the white man set foot on American soil, the American Indians, or rather the Native Americans, had been living on this land. When the Europeans came here, there were probably 10 million Indians north of present-day Mexico and they had been living here for quite some time. So, when the Europeans started to arrive in the 16th- and 17th-century they were met by Native Americans. It was the Europeans' cultural arrogance, coupled with their ...

MBA in Finance Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MBA in Finance - Personal Statement Example Like most other individuals of my age, I had been directed towards completing tasks mechanically. Little had I known that I had been drawn towards engineering. However, to my disappointment, I could not make it to Embry Riddle University as I could not clear the engineering exam for that. Nevertheless, I was determined to move forward in life. Behind an ardent reader, I had been inspired by Einstein’s quote of playing the ‘game’ of life better than anyone else. Considering that it was now time to chart my career path, I decided to enhance my knowledge of finance. In doing so, I came across reading several books such as articles in the Economist magazine. Even though I could not make much sense out of them at that time, they were instrumental in my success at university later on. This eventually led me to studying Finance at UT in the USA where I developed interest in the subject in a short frame of time. During this period, I greatly improved my analytical, writin g and numerical skills. From making investment decisions to solving managerial problems, the baggage I carried in this field was quite comprehensive. My experience at UT was further enhanced by my earlier diploma in English Language in Orlando which was my first step in to the diverse and multicultural world. Even though I had travelled to various places previously, such as Europe, North America, Africa and Asia for vacations, never had I encountered as a diverse a place as the U.S.A. This short educational experience  ­Ã‚ ­has developed my cross-communication skills which are necessary for survival for any profession in the modern workplace. Furthermore, my experience at UT as a Finance student has helped me relate finance with everyday life. Previously I perceived finance as a strictly specialized and confined domain. However, by studying the real-life applications of finance I was able to relate theory with practice. Most importantly, I could relate most of the concepts to the recent financial downturn which turned around the economies of most advanced nations such as U.K and U.S. I was able to understand how most economies work and how the public and government policies jointly determine the state of economy in most countries. Even though I still endeavor to understand complex financial models and theorems, I do not have much difficulty in understanding the conceptual content and application. In the contemporary age of advanced information systems, I believe the competitive advantage of a Finance professional does not lie in the reproduction of models or calculations but the conceptual analysis and interpretation of those in the context of real-life scenarios. Considering that I had been an out-station student studying in UT in U.S.A, I have gained insight into the demands of an academic and professional life. Since I was in-charge of everything and had to do everything on my own, I learnt to take my own initiatives and gradually became independent. The demanding commitments to academics further taught me how to organize my study schedule and in no time I learnt how to communicate with my peers. This also provided a tremendous platform for my personal growth as I learnt how to strike a balance between personal and academic life. I was much clearer regarding my goal (of pursuing a career in finance) and was determined to enhance my horizon of learning by taking a giant leap into a well-reputed college for my Masters. However, I

Contrast and compare what the literature has to say on why, despite Essay

Contrast and compare what the literature has to say on why, despite the advance of globalization, business systems in the main i - Essay Example It is argued by him that all decisions about the route to be followed are not made within an organization rather state plays a potentially important role in deciding the character of any business system in addition to determining how the employers should behave and what strategic choices should they make in response to rising globalization when the need arises to not let their businesses grow in isolation from the global business trends. There is greater state involvement in determining a business’s character and the path it would follow. By developing a framework of analysis to examine business systems, Whitley explained at length â€Å"certain components of business systems and their interaction with institutions† (Tempel, 2001, p. 43). Whitley’s concept of national business systems has however been criticized often due to its weaknesses like portraying organizations as â€Å"passive pawns† which have little option but to comply (Scott, cited in Tempel, 2001, p. 42). Employment systems– national systems of training: With the help of extensive research and discussion regarding why it is that business systems in many developed nations continue to diverge, many factors are unveiled. While a market driven approach lays the foundation of employment systems in UK, fully developed vocational educational systems in France ensure high skill development and strict on-the-job training. Such pattern of allocating highly skilled workers even for the lowest jobs is not observed in UK. Germany, in contrast, practices the best system of economy wide vocational educational training. The rate of formal consultation is highest in European countries like Germany, Italy, and Sweden where employees are highly valued (Brewster and Larsen, 2000) in contrast to US or UK. As a result, there exists convergence of skills in contrast to polarization of skills as has been reported in UK business leading to â€Å"dead-end and low-skilled employment† (Crouch, 1997, p. 372). German business has advantaged hugely from VET system which demands continuous retraining and up-skilling (Crouch, 1997, p. 372). Clear difference exists in employment systems and HRM policies between CMEs (Germany, Italy, France etc.) and LMEs (US, UK etc.) (Boyer, 2005) which explains why business systems continue to diverge despite increase in globalization. Reportedly, there is greater polarization in US business systems â€Å"with the bottom 10% of the working population now being absolutely poorer than they were at the end of 1970s† (OECD, cited in Crouch, 1997, p. 370), but they also emphasize more on diversity management (Egan and Bendick, 2003). Japan, however, practices a blend of general education system of a US kind and VET system of a German kind and believes in ensuring diversity of opportunities â€Å"but within a more German context† (Crouch, 1997, p. 373). HRM: In contrast to LMEs (Liberal market economies) like US, UK, and Au stralia, business systems in German, Netherlands, and Swedish market economies show different approach to dealing with HRM. Germany and Scandinavia are CMEs (Coordinated market economies) where legislation value is maximized. CMEs emphasize more on employment regulation in which state plays a greater role than the stock market. All business systems in CME countries have stronger systems of employee voice and there is higher consultation between firms and employees (Farndale, Brewster, and Poutsma, 2008, p. 2008). Now in HRM terms, business systems operating under CMEs are