Film and Literature Essay Example for Free

Film and Literature Essay Literature and film feed at the same breast, considering the affinities between them. Since its very beginning, Hollywood has used works of fiction as source material for films. One of the most discussed adaptations is Francis Ford Coppola’s Film Apocalypse Now (1979) based on Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness (1902). This paper compares and contrasts these works of art, arguing that while there are obvious differences, the film generally general remains true to the core meaning of the novel. One can say that Coppola’s film is a thematic and structural analogue to Conrads novel. Differences On the surface it seems that Apocalypse Now deviates largely Heart of Darkness. The differences can be seen in settings, events, characters, and other snippets of information such as quoted lines and strange actions of the major characters. The settings of the two stories are different and written in different periods of time. The setting of Conrads late nineteenth century novel is the Belgian Congo in the 1890s. By contrast, Coppolas 1979 film takes place in Southeast Asia in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. In addition, the novel centers on Charles Marlow, a British sailor employed by a European trading company as captain of one of their steamboats, whereas the film focuses on an American army officer, Benjamin Willard. Another major difference is that the ivory traders are in the Congo of their own greed and free will, whereas the American soldiers are drafted into Vietnam and engage in the war against their will. At the first glance, there seem to be character differences in the novel and film – Copollas Willard is nothing like Conrads Marlow. In the novel, Marlow is very eager to meet Kurtz and perhaps gain knowledge about the secrets of the ivory trade in the former Zaire. On the other hand, Willard seems to have a death wish. Copolla portrays Willard as a depressed human, having a soldiers killer instinct, throughout the entire film. The effectiveness of point of view also differentiates the novel and the film. While it is true that Willard remains on the screen more than anyone else in Apocalypse Now, and his comments are often heard on the films sound track, viewers still do not see others completely from his perspective as readers do in Heart of Darkness. Hence, the film is robbed of some of the emotional intensity that one feels when one reads the novel. This is simply because the narrator in the novel communicates his subjective reaction to the episodes from the past. In the film, the audience does not grasp the extent to which the narrator is profoundly affected by Kurtzs tragedy. Many of Marlows sage reflections about Kurtzs life and death are absent in the film. Moreover, while Coppola successfully creates a staggering experience of the wars madness, he seems to confuse the moral issues. This is perhaps because of his view of personalizing the novel. The director identifies so strongly with Kurtz that he modifies the issue of power and disturbs the delicate balance between Conrads story and the subject of Vietnam. Apocalypse Now succeeds in making its viewers experience the horror of the war and to realize their own complicity in it, but it fails to highlight the nature of Kurtzs horror illuminated in Heart of Darkness. Coppolas failure to combine Conrads story and the Vietnam War in this respect points largely to The films adaptation of Kurtz. In the novel, Kurtz is corrupted by his isolation in the wilderness, resulting in an obsession with power and unfolding frightening truths about himself: I think it had whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with his great solitude-and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core. (133) in the film, Coppola tries to resonate Kurtz’s â€Å"hollowness† by having the character recite The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot. But this can be seen as more of an emblematic solution that does not somewhat applies in the Vietnam War context. Parallels While the settings, backgrounds, characters, and approaches of the novel and film are somehow different, the narration, structure, and that theme are similar. The following paragraphs summarize some of the essential parallels between Conrads Heart of Darkness and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. In the novel, Marlow introduces his narrative with a passage about â€Å"devotion to efficiency†, the idea behind how the ivory trade makes profit, justifying cruel exploitation (Kinder 16). This statement is also applicable to the Vietnam War context as they are both in the stages of Western imperialism: The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea: and an unselfish belief in the idea-something you can set up and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to. (70) Coppola does not retain this speech in the film, but it becomes the groundwork for the dramatic events that unite Kurtz and Williard: the former’s recounting of the inoculation story and the latters murder of a wounded Vietnamese woman. The two are driven into a situation in which â€Å"military efficiency is totally undermined, yet they have been trained to worship it and to internalize it as the source of their own personal pride† (Kinder 16). In the novel, although Kurtz embodies all of Europe, he can be viewed as a â€Å"universal genius† who shows what lies ahead for those who take the challenge to look into the abyss. Despite the shortcomings in the handling of Kurtz, Copollas conception of film remains a masterful work that complements the power of Conrads vision. The novel and the film embody the theme of insanity and madness and insanity caused by the evil of imperialism. Madness in the novel is the result of being removed from ones normal environment and how people cope with their new environment. The same theme is explored in the film. Many soldiers who are drafted into Vietnam are barely 18 or 19-year-olds. Their mental stability is shaken when they are thrown into a harsh environment, where their lives hang on by the minute. Soldiers such as Lance and Chef are ready to snap at any moment due to the shock and realization of what kind of situation they are in or what is the purpose of fighting fellow men. They also fear the fact that they do not know where they are headed. Copolla and Conrad literally and metaphorically confront the madness and insanity brought about by Western imperialism and colonialism. Through Kurtz and the American soldiers, Copolla is able to portray what war is like for them, and why so many of them suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The film suggests that wars are an imperialist tool that drives the weak into their destruction. On the other hand, Conrad exposes how the imperialist agenda leads to the exploitation of foreign lands and its people, leaving the imperialist agents themselves deranged and empty (Papke 583). Both the novel and the film also give rise to a race discussion. Conrad and Coppola portray White men as the dominant. They not only rule over their respective crews; they also dominate the local peoples. Marlow and Willard look at the native people as if are the savage culture and White men are the civilized one. But it is interesting to note that each of the two main characters see a little of himself in Kurtz, a degenerated savage White man. Coppola’s take on Conrad’s Heart of Darkness has gained much attention from film scholars. In â€Å"The Power of Adaptation in Apocalypse Now†, Marsha Kinder states that â€Å"Coppola rarely hesitates to change Conrads story-setting, events, characters-whenever the revision is required by the Vietnam context. † (14) Moreover, the dialogues in the film, especially Willards voice-over narration, have been attacked by several film critics for sounding more like a parody of author Raymond Chandler than an adaptation of Conrads novel. But a deeper look suggests that Willards character and tone are not intended to be Marlows. To suit the Vietnam context, Willard has been totally transformed into a trained assassin, whose life has been drained of all meaning. Coppola retains Conrads focal image of the river. In the film, just as in the novel, each of the main characters embarks on a literal and metaphoric central journey. Marlows description of the Congo is an enormous snake uncoiled that fascinates him as a snake would a bird. The films structure is controlled by the image of the river â€Å"that snaked through the war like a main circuit cable,† carrying Willard to Cambodia. The novel and the film begin with the protagonists explanation of how they got the appointment which necessitated their excursion upriver. Marlow is dispatched to steam up the Congo in to find Mr. Kurtz, while Willard is mandated to journey up the Mekong River in a navy patrol boat to find Col. Kurtz. Moreover, while they travel up a primeval river to fulfill their respective assignments, they speculate about the character of the man they are seeking, with the help of the information they have pieced together about him. In both novel and film, the river eventually leads Marlow and Willard to Kurtz and his dying words of horror (Kinder 15). This final destination for both men is their soul-altering confrontation with Kurtz. Overall, it is an expedition of discovery into the dark heart of man. It is also a close encounter with mans capacity for evil. Coppola agrees with this observation and stated that he also saw Willards voyage upriver as a representation for the journey of life that people take within themselves and during which they decide which side to take: good or evil. The horror of the world dominated by hollow men is at the center of both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. Kurtz, in his god-like acousmatic voice and morally terrifying manifestation, is invested with much greatness: He fully understands existence in all its repugnance. Repelled and terrified Kurtz pushed himself to go into the very heart of darkness, to fully engage in the dualism (good and evil) of Being. To call Kurtz heroic or rapacious or good or evil, is to miss the point entirely. He is forever shaped by a dark satori, by an understanding of the omnipresent nature of darkness. Marlow and Willard are arguably Kurtzs spiritual sons, and they experience the same realization. Both of them look full face at the great condemnation, at the dark obscurity of Being. Each of them faces moral terror in the shape human conduct forced beyond decent limits; and each of them is profoundly transformed by this experience. In her book, Double Exposure: Fiction Into Film, Joy Could Boyum states that â€Å"in substituting Willard for Marlow, a madman for a sane one,† Coppola creates a character incapable of â€Å"any shock of recognition,† a man unable to â€Å"know evil when he sees it† (114). Boyum also argues that there is no discovery for Willard; he is a â€Å"murderer confronting a murder, a madman face to face with madness-it amounts only to a tautology. † Thus, Copollas Apocalypse Now can be argued as a movie that has no moral center. Unlike Willard, Marlow returns from the river experience with intact moral perspective and sanity, inviting the readers trust and identification. But one can also say that, like Apocalypse Now, Conrads Heart of Darkness, itself, is a novel that has no moral center. The book suggests that Marlows great realization is that existence itself has no moral heart. The character has not sustained the river journey with his intact moral perspective unchanged. Towards the end of the novel, Marlow is a transformed man, largely isolated and very different from those people aboard the Nellie. He is alienated forever in his wisdom. Willard, too, in the end, is vastly separated by his new knowledge. While many critics see Willard as immoral, insane, and unchanging, Kurtzs view of him is more fitting. In the film, Kurtz describes Willard when he sees him for the first time as â€Å"an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill. † But in the end, Willard becomes wiser. He has been transformed, humbled by his face-to-face confrontation with the darkness natural in Kurtz, in himself, in existence. Therefore, the separate stories of Willards and Marlows river experiences follow a similar narrative pattern and arrive at a similar truth. Apocalypse Now is a thematic and structural analogue to Heart of Darkness. This is perhaps because, Copolla, in his authorial wisdom, fully understood that theme and technique, meaning, and structure are inseparable entities. To tell a story differently is to tell a different story. It seems that, ultimately, Copolla and Conrad tell the same story. Conclusion This paper looks at the differences and parallelisms between Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. In comparing and contrasting the novel and the film, this paper suggests that the film has some significant deviation from the novel. Despite this, however, Apocalypse Now generally remains true to the core of Heart of Darkness. Both the novel and the film follow the same story line but Conrad and Copolla have different ways of presenting this story. This results in surface differences. But a deeper and closer reading of both the novel and the film reveals that they complement each other. This is one of the most important things in adapting a work of literature into a film. Works Cited Boyum, Joy Gould. Double Exposure: Fiction Into film. New York: Universe Books, 1985. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: New American Library, 1950. Kinder, Marsha. â€Å"The Power of Adaptation in ‘Apocalypse Now’†. Film Quarterly 33. 2 (1979-1980): 12-20. Papke, David Ray. â€Å"Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness: A Literary Critique of Imperialism. † Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce 31. 4 (2000): 583-592.

William Shakespeares Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

William Shakespeare's Hamlet Disillusionment. Depression. Despair. These are the burning emotions churning in young Hamlet's soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father's death and his mother's incestuous, illicit marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsinore; this, in stark contrast to Claudius' fervent attempts to obscure the truth of murder. Deception versus truth; illusion versus reality. In the play, Prince Hamlet is constantly having to differentiate amongst them. However, there is always an exception to the rule, and in this case, the exception lies in Act 2, Scene 2, where an "honest" conversation (sans the gilded trappings of deceit) takes place between Hamlet and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Via the use of prose and figurative language, Shakespeare utilizes the passage to illustrate Hamlet's view of the cosmos and mankind. Throughout the play, the themes of illusion and mendaciousness have been carefully developed. The entire royal Danish court is ensnared in a web of espionage, betrayal, and lies. Not a single man speaks his mind, nor addresses his purpose clearly. As Polonius puts it so perfectly: "And thus do we of wisdom and of reach^Ã… By indirections find directions out" Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 71-3 The many falsehoods and deceptions uttered in Hamlet are expressed through eloquent, formal, poetic language (iambic pentameter), tantamount to an art form. If deceit is a painted, ornate subject then, its foil of truth is simple and unvarnished. Accordingly, when the pretenses of illusion are discarded in Act 2, Scene 2, the language is written in direct prose. Addressing Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet pleads with them to deliver up honest speech about the intent of their arrival: "[offer up] Anything but to th' purpose." Act 2, Scene 2, Line 300 In a gesture of extreme significance, in a quote complementary to Polonius' aforementioned one, Hamlet demands: "Be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no." Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 310-11 Being the bumbling fools they are, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern disclose their intentions and purposes to Hamlet, revealing the King and Queen's instructions. Thus does truth prevail in this passage. For this reason, the whole passage is devoid of the "artful" poetic devices that are used in the better portion of the play. The recurring motif of corruption also appears in the passage.

Nick in the opening chapter of “The Great Gatsby” Essay

Nick Carraway is the narrator of â€Å"The Great Gatsby†. He begins the novel by talking about himself: he says that he is very tolerant, and has a tendency to reserve judgment. The opening paragraphs teach us a lot about Nick and his attitude toward Gatsby and others. Nick introduces himself to us as a young man from the Midwest who has come East to learn. He tells us that he’s tolerant, inclined to reserve judgment about people, and a good listener. People tell him their secrets because they admire and trust him. If you read closely, you’ll see that Nick has an uncertain feeling toward Gatsby, almost as if he himself (who knows the story and its ending) doesnt know what to expect. From the novel’s opening paragraph onward, this will continue create tension in Nick’s narrative. He both loves Gatsby and is critical of him. He hates Gatsby’s crass and vulgar attitude, but he also admires the man for his aspirations. Specifically, Gatsbys â€Å"romantic readiness,† and his â€Å"extraordinary gift for hope.†The reader realises that Gatsby presented, and still presents, a challenge or opposition to the way in which Nick is accustomed to thinking about the world. It is clear from the story’s opening moments that Gatsby is not quite how he appears on the outside. Despite being vulgar, Nick describes Gatsby’s personality as â€Å"gorgeous.†The novel’s characters are obsessed by class and privilege. Its the high-class lives that intrigue the common man, an idea which continues today with the footballers wives culture. Our first view of Tom Buchanan shows a powerful man standing in riding clothes with his legs apart on his front porch. The riding clothes are a classic symbol or high-status. Tom exploits his status. He is horrible, completely lacking positive aspects. His wife describes him as a â€Å"big, hulking physical specimen,† and he seems to use his size to dominate others. The fact that Daisy chooses to comment on his size rather than personality insinuates that there is nothing good about his personality to comment on. We are ushered into the living room with its â€Å"frosted wedding cake† ceiling, its wine coloured rug, and its enormous sofa on which are seated two women in white. They are Jordan Baker and Tom’s wife, Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald controls the whole scene through his use of colours. White and gold suggest a combination of beauty, cleanliness, innocence and wealth. Underneath this picturesque surface there is something wrong. Jordan is bored and unamused.  She yawns a few times. There is something slightly unpleasant about the atmosphere. The telephone rings, and Tom is called from the room to answer it. When Daisy follows him out, Jordan Baker confides to Nick that the call is from Tom’s woman in New York. Daisy Buchanan stands in contrast to her husband. She is frail and shy, and actually doesnt seem completely shallow. She laughs at every opportunity. This makes me wonder if its an awkward laugh, perhaps she doesnt feel she belongs there? Though she remarks that everything is in decline, she does so only in order to seem to agree with her husband. The visual purity of Daisy and Jordan stands in contrast to their actual decadence and corruption. Nick arrives home, and gets his first glimpse of Gatsby. Gatsby is standing on the lawn, stretching out â€Å"his arms toward the dark water in a curious way.† Nick believes that he can see Gatsby trembling. As Nick looks out at the water, he can see â€Å"†¦nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.† Bibliography -F Scott Fitzgerald, ‘The Great Gatsby’ Ch. 1

Assessment Philosophy Essay

In my opinion, assessment is what teachers do in order to better understand where their students are on the cognitive learning level of a subject matter. Assessment is a continuous process that takes time and understanding. As a teacher I will constantly assess my students by getting feedback from them in class. I feel that it is important for me to do this as a teacher, so I know which students need more attention on certain areas of the subject. By assessing my students, I will gain knowledge on how to use types of differentiated instruction where necessary. I believe assessment is a tool used to evaluate both the teaching and learning of  content of the student. A variety of assessment tools should be utilized to effectively reach students strengths. I realize that children learn differently and at their own pace. The types of assessment I will use to determine if my students have gotten where I want them to go will vary. Samples of my formative assessment tools I would use in the classroom would include informal and formal questioning, oral presentations, peer evaluations, variety of projects, quizzes, test, demonstrations, drawings, and web quest observations. We all have strengths and weaknesses and we all have different means of  demonstrating each. If I use a lot of assessments, and vary the types I use, it gives my students the best opportunity to show me what they have. I will allow students the opportunity to pick from various projects that will enhance their learning ability, so I can see what they are able to accomplish. As a teacher I will need to use assessments in my classroom to determine how to act upon the assessment to improve the students’ learning. I think assessments are an important part of being a successful teacher and I hope to encourage my students and show that I care about each one of them.

This is about weapons of mass destruction including anthrax etc...

This is about weapons of mass destruction including anthrax etc... Weapons of Mass DestructionChemical and Biological Warfare, use of harmful or deadly chemical or biological agents as weapons of war. These agents can kill many people and are considered weapons of mass destruction. Chemical weapons are made up of poisonous chemical compounds, whereas biological weapons are living microorganisms. Toxin weapons contain poisonous chemical products of living organisms and are sometimes classified separately. Chemical and biological weapons can cause injury in several ways. Most cause injury or death when inhaled, and some cause injury through contact with skin or through ingestion of contaminated food.A chemical or biological attack usually involves dispersing agents into the air. This can be done in various ways, such as firing artillery shells that burst in midair, or using airplanes to spray the agents over an area. If released outdoors, these types of weapons can be affected by weather conditions. Rain would reduce the effectiveness of the agents, a nd wind might spread them in unexpected directions.Major Tá » ± Ä Ã¡ » ©c Phang was exposed to dioxin-cont...In the 20th century, chemicals were used extensively as battlefield weapons only in World War I and the Iran-Iraq War. The release of the nerve agent sarin in a Tokyo subway in 1995 was a rare terrorist chemical attack. The mailing of anthrax bacteria to government and news media offices in the United States in 2001 was a rare terrorist biological attack.The 1972 Biological Weapons Convention and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention are the most recent international agreements prohibiting these types of weapons. Both have been signed by many countries. Nevertheless, analysts contend that following the Iran-Iraq War, more countries began to secretly develop chemical and biological weapons, and the threat of their use has become greater. Iraq in particular has been accused of stockpiling such weapons, and Iraqi resistance to United Nations (UN) weapons inspections in...

Political Thories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political Thories - Essay Example He believes a society’s central authority can only decree that moral judgement. This presents Thomas belief in an autocratic and absolutist government. Thomas believes that absolutist government is the only government that can guarantee peace for humankind. Thomas presents the three laws that govern societies search for peace. The first being humans have the power to utilise all means they know to preserve his life. The second law all men have a natural right to all things and lastly the making of contracts is necessary to assure peace. The two treaties of a government represent the moral role of a government. The first treaty focuses on the rights of kings (Locke 16). Locke disagrees with the argument that man is born a slave to the kings. Locke presents his belief in reason and ability of man to govern himself according to Gods law. Locke believes that all men are naturally in a perfect state of freedom (Locke 8). Locke’s belief is in agreement with Thomas idea. The second treaty is Locke’s definition of power as the right to make laws for the protection and regulation of property. The laws work because people accept the laws and because they are for the public good. The second treaty is the proposed solution for political upheaval in England and other modern

The Framework of Marriage and Family Counseling Essay

The Framework of Marriage and Family Counseling - Essay Example These models developed over time to facilitate the management of age-old conflicts and modern concerns in the face of rapidly changing responsibilities of counseling practitioners. From the exposition of the five models and supporting research findings, the framework of marriage and family counseling may, therefore, be viewed as an aggregation of elements having specific applications to various issues for the purpose of keeping the family intact and functional as one, happy, cohesive social unit. â€Å"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way† goes a popularly quoted line from the opening of a classic novel Anna Karenina (Tolstoy, trans. 2003). The quotation serves a significant and fitting introduction to an academic paper that tackles the framework of marriage and family counseling. From prose to reality, most counselors would concur with Tolstoy and with me that, indeed, â€Å"every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,† owing to individual differences and a whole lot of factors. However, families may seek assistance from marriage and family counseling practitioners to guide them either in the context of individual or group sessions to assuage issues. The fact that families are different and unique have given way to the establishment of a host of techniques, strategies, and models to facilitate counseling efforts and either bring back or continue on with happy family living. This paper tackles a review of existing literature on the framework of marriage and family counseling by going over both time-tested and newer models used by counselors in their practice. A combination of academic texts and peer-reviewed journals provided rich sources of materials for this paper. From the existing literature and studies, it became apparent that counselors apply different techniques and intervention models that will fit