ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In the story Battle Royal, the author Ralph Ellison depicts vividly the situation in American for African Americans as they struggled to find a place in the American society. The protagonist, a black African American youth just about to graduate from high school struggles to fit into the society and faces racial discrimination. This discussion will look at the struggle of African Americans with the issue of racism. The young black man is invited to give a speech at an exclusive white men’s club because he was good speaker. The setting symbolizes the white man’s environment that is new to the black man. The white man is willing to let the black man in to his space but not to benefit the black man but to humiliate him. The ring in which game of battle royal takes place denotes the space that the black man is enclosed in and thus faces isolation from the society. The white man also shows that help will only be offered to the blacks that know their place. For example, the narrator goes to an African American college so that he can remain in his place and continue in isolation after he gets a scholarship at the club. The American society discriminates against the African Americans due to racism. The main character envisions an inclusive society. In his speech, he dwells on humility and urges that humility is the only way the society can develop. However, the atmosphere he finds in the club is anything but peaceful. Racism still rears its head and the blacks are asked to participate in a battle royal before he delivers his speech. Together with other nine blacks, are blindfolded and asked to fight each other in a ring. The battle had no order and everyone fought each other blindly. Likewise, racism has blindfolded the blacks and instead of keeping together, they fight against one another when they should unite and fight against the oppression of the white man. The fight symbolizes the methods that the white men used in order to control and suppress the blacks. Blindfolding the young men depicts the inability of the African Americans to see in the society due to racism. They do not see the reality of the situation just as the protagonist had no idea of the real behavior of the white men who he always thought were respectful until he saw their brutality in the club. The white men humiliate the young black men by arousing them sexually through a naked white woman and if they did not look and frowned upon for not looking. Yet many black men had faced imprisonment on allegations of raping white women. This activity depicts the place of a black man in this society. He is a servant who is required to do what the white man asks of him. On the other hand, the black man is used as a s
Introduction As I sat down to write this I thought about all the other families I know and realized that most families are less than fully functional, but mine will likely never recover, because the dysfunctionality will never be acknowledged. With all the multitude of information available to us via the Internet and in schools, one tenet remains constant, that recognition of a problem is the first necessary step. Without that, nothing can be done. Main text Our family was a typical nuclear family of father, mother and three children. The family is of mixed Irish and Mexican races, with an Irish father and a Mexican mother, but this was never an issue. Mama’s ethnicity is exotic in our town and she was educated, so she was of the higher middle class . We were middle income, middle class and completely dysfunctional due to a biologically based neuropsychological disorder known as bipolar disease or manic depression. It has gone undiagnosed, because my mother, the main victim, has never seen the problem and father refuses to see it. For my mother it is like the hole in the roof, which does not leak when the sun shines, and which cannot be fixed while it rains. When she is feeling great, nothing needs fixing and she can whip the world. When she is down it doesn’t matter, because she should never have been born or she is so angry(mostly this) that nothing else matters. Our father cannot admit to the possibility and maybe influence mother to get help, because he only sees the stigma attached to a “mental disease”, and insists that mother is perfectly fine, just a little high strung. Mother’s manic-depression seems to cycle quite fast, often every few days or even daily, at times. I have researched the condition and there are so many physical and emotional triggers that it is almost impossible to figure out the triggers when the cycle is very fast. Manic depression can have cycled from hours to years, and the research has not identified either a cause or a cure. However, medication and understanding can regulate the symptoms. It is also hereditary, so I shall be on the lookout for symptoms in myself. However, it is possible that it skipped me, since symptoms generally set in at puberty. Our
Women’s images faced many alterations during the different cinematographic periods. The presence of women on the screen is commonly accomplished by the sexualization and objectivization of female characters. Mulvey, in her paper, indicates gender figures according to their roles and positions (750). According to her view, female characters do not play a significant role in the development of the storyline. Their function is mainly revealed in two levels: an erotic object for the protagonist and an erotic object for the auditorium. Mulvey exemplifies Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window to represent the picture of voyeurism and sexual division in cinema (754). Rear Window depicts a standard template in cinematography with the dominant male hero and stereotypical women blamed for all faults. The picture gives a template proving the vision that the man is always on the right side and the woman on the wrong (Mulvey, 755). Mulvey’s analysis of gender roles in Rear Window determines the Hollywood movie industry as a whole. It would be argued that Mulvey’s inquiry is both problematic and persuasive due to well-defined patterns of women in cinematography and parody of women’s image. Hitchcock’s representation of women is mainly based on the investigative side of voyeurism. Mulvey claims that in Rear Window, women are the main object of observation and visualization (754). This assertion is also supported by Mondal, who states that Hitchcock utilizes women’s image as the source of surveillance and active watching in other pictures as well (85). Women are presented as a visual distraction from the narrative, while male characters’ image is combined with the whole story (Mulvey, 751). Heterosexual divisions according to active and passive positions makes male unpreferable to carry the burden of sexual object. Therefore, as stated by Mulvey, films with male-dominant characters illustrate women as a part of decorations (752). In Rear Window , Hitchcock describes Lisa, the protagonist’s girlfriend, as a cliched glamourous woman who functions as the only sexual interest of the hero (Mulvey, 755). Moreover, visual voyeurism is actively observed through inactive phantasy positions and passive sexual attraction. Mondal supports this view as Hitchcock’s other films, including The Silence of the Lambs and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer , symbolize women’s bodies as a clue and temptation for murders (90). Another example given by Mulvey is the movies Only Angels Have Wings and To Have or Have Not. In these pictures’ women are isolated, sexualized, and obsessed with the male protagonist. As their love line starts, women lose signs of their personality and become the property of the male hero, acting like an accessory (Mulvey, 754). Along with that
Introduction Halloween , the 1978 movie directed by John Carpenter, is considered to be an all-time classic of the horror genre. If a film’s greatness is defined by the combination of popularity and significance, then Halloween is “arguably, the most successful horror film in American history” (Knöppler, 2017, p.212). The reason why it is such a remarkable movie is the way Halloween satisfies the spectator who came to see the horror story by building up the tension and then releasing it via various tools and decisions. Halloween as a Classic Example of the Killer Genre Summary and Genre Classification In order to identify which genre of horror Halloween belongs to, one needs to turn to an overview of the plot. Knöppler (2017) lays it out as follows: the year is 1978. Michael Myers, a young man, who killed his sister, has remained in a psychiatric hospital for the past fifteen years. On October 30 th , Michael escapes and drives back to his hometown, while his psychotherapist, Dr. Loomis, decides to track him down, knowing what danger he possesses. There, Myers, wearing a white mask, stalks female high-schoolers Laurie, Annie, and Lynda. On Halloween night, Myers kills Annie and Lynda, and attacks Laurie. Dr. Loomis arrives to the rescue and shoots Michael, but the body vanishes. The film ends with Myers’s heavy breathing – it is implied he has survived. From the description it becomes evident which genre of horror this movie belongs to. Halloween is a classic example of the killer genre, which, consequently, features a killer – a human being or a supernatural creature – who, for some reason, hunts people. This perfectly fits the description of the antagonist, Michael Myers, who stalks teenage girls throughout the entire narrative in hopes to kill them. Narration that Evokes Fear Since the plot of the movies of the killer genre revolves around the murderer, it is only fair that the way his presence and actions are depicted is what makes the story horrifying. Catharsis, which is a crucial element of horror, occurs at the very end – and one is masterfully led up to it (The Psychology of Fear). One example, according to Knöppler (2017), would be the audiovisual presentation of Michael Myers. The first half of the movie only features him in long shots or extreme close ups, escalating tension. The music adds to it – non-diegetic sounds indicating danger accompany Michael’s appearances on the screen. His body language is almost absent and he rarely makes a sound; even his accessory is a mask with no expression. All this dehumanizes Myers and presents him as rather a shadow of the person, which provides a spine-chilling effect (Knöppler, 2017). Another way to emotionally affect the audience is to adopt the camera to Michael’s point of view. Some have argued that this subjective camera use is one of John Carpenter’s more arguable choices since it makes the viewers active partakers in the violence depicted on the
Picture 1. Reddit’s logo (from Reddit Inc.) Now more than ever, communicating online to discuss favorite topics is an important source of relief for people. If you want to engage in an online debate about something you enjoy doing, for example, playing video games, this blog will tell you how to create a Reddit thread and make it popular. This post will guide you through some steps you can take to design an engaging Reddit threat where you will be able to write about your favorite games. Reddit’s r/gaming is a space where users can share their experience with games, which mainly consists of posts about different games, gaming news, activities, and of course, memes. Since r/gaming is relatively popular, it is best to choose a narrower topic, for example, based on your favorite genre of video games or game developers. This will help make a distinction between r/games and your thread and attract a specific audience, which should help shape meaningful discussions. So, the first step is choosing a topic for the subreddit. The first thing that people see when entering a subreddit is the title and a picture above it. These are the only two elements that can be customized and arranged in a way that is attractive to users. In the case of r/gaming, the creators have done a reasonably good job utilizing the space they had, with an interesting background photo. All the colors are chosen to match – red, black, grey, and white. Hence, the next step is thinking about the color scheme and pictures you can use. It is evident that when thinking about a threat, one must
In human societies, there is interdependence between members of the community as they seek to accomplish their daily tasks and achieve individual and social goals. Durkheim’s theory of social solidarity is based on this phenomenon. He argues that societies place some amount of control, integration and regulation on individuals. In addition, he suggests that everybody is bound to live within these aspects. In his 1922 poem “The waste land”, Thomas Eliot attempts to portray how social solidarity of in the modern world is affected by social and cultural changes such as the change in gender roles, dynamism in humanity and psyche of humanity. Similarly, in his play “Angels in America”, the 1993 Pulitzer winner Tony Kushner attempts to describe how modern societies are bound by social solidarity; the community’s embracing of change and the impact of change on social solidarity in the modern context. Both writers, although at different times in history, attempt to highlight the changing nature of social solidarity. Eliot tends to describe how the community’s social solidarity changes as communities are destroyed, and others created. In his play, Kushner attempts to portray how changes in the society affect social solidarity with time and how social solidarity tends to change with these changes. Arguably, despite their different approach to the topic of social solidarity and change, both writers seem to derive one notable factor- that social solidarity remains a pivotal aspect of any society, despite the endured changes in cultural, norms, values and behavior. In “The waste land”, Eliot attempts to express his perception on modern society and modernity. He attempts to describe how the changing or destroyed psyche of humanity affects social relationships and social solidarity. With reference to Europe, Eliot points at some notable historical aspects such as the First World War as a cause of loss of culture and humanity. It causes of changes in social solidarity. In the first section of the poem (called “the love song of J. Alfred Prufrock”), Eliot describes the impacts of the Second World War on European culture (Eliot 27). For instance, it left the social nature of Britain destroyed, with a large number of young men lost in the battle. The remaining population cannot find happiness. The social order has been destroyed and the social connections have cut. This is shown when speaker in this section wonders whether he should die, eat or change his life (Bush 37). He is an example of the people left hopeless after the social solidarity has been destroyed by the war. In addition, the poem describes the impact of war on the wider society- the social system has been destroyed. For instance, as the speaker narrates, the war has destroyed the British Empire. The damaged psyche of humanity in Europe is preventing the remaining people to communicate and connect with each other. In other words, social solidarity is entirely affected as shown in the “hollow men” that Eliot mentions in this poem. Despite this, Eliot’s poem continues to describe how a new society
Introduction There are numerous documentations that accounts for the American history. Most of these documentations give details on events such as colonization and slave trade in the country. It becomes fascinating to study the transition that United States has undergone since its establishment. There are other documents that accounts for some of the historical sites and their significance to the country. One of the sites that have been greatly featured in the country’s history is Fort Sumter. Situated in the harbor of Charleston, Fort Sumter is a vital part of American history. It is believed that American civil war originated from this fort and spread to other parts of the country. As a result, there have been numerous documents that give reasons that triggered civil war in this region while others outline the progression of the civil war and its effects to the fort. The discussion of this paper aims at giving a historical account of the fort, how it was built and its significance to parties that fought in the American civil wars. It will also give the current status of the fort and its current use. Building of Fort Sumter The fort is located at the entrance to Charleston harbor and is named after Thomas Sumter a general. The 1812 war spurred the need for construction of a fort to strengthen the United States military along the coast which led to construction of fort Sumter. Its construction commenced in 1827 and went on up to 1860. It was built with granite from England which was used to make a sand bar at the entrance. The fort itself was built by brick. It was made up of 5 sides and had the capacity of handling 135 guns and 650 men though there was no time that the fort was full to the capacity. To ensure that it was hard to destroy the fort, the builders decided to make its walls thicker. Confederate rebels fired at Fort Sumter in April 1861. This was at the time when Lincoln was president 1 . The president had to act fast to ensure that his soldiers were not overpowered and the fort confiscated from them. The harbor was in command of Major Robert Anderson. Sumter was the most vital fort under Union control. To overthrow those manning the fort required a thorough training as it was hard to gain access into the fort. Beauregard continued training the South Carolina militia how to use guns in harbor ports. Lincoln did not like war and he sent supplies to the harbor using Star of the West ship, which were blocked by the Confederates. This is after being informed that Anderson had food that would last him to the fifteenth. Lincoln tried to reduce tension by calling South Carolina’s governor to inform him about the supplies. Acting under orders of President Jefferson Davis of Confederacy, General Beauregard commanded the Union to surrender Fort Sumter. The Union ignored this order prompting the Confederate to fire. This made Anderson surrender. Abraham had a strong belief about the supremacy and need to protect the country’s constitution. This belief made him to call upon local militia to suppress any opposition against fede
A successful business thrives on services offered by well skilled and trained personnel. That is not the case with a recently established restaurant, Chiefs. A close evaluation of the restaurant’s employees reveals a striking skills gap for the restaurant’s cooks (Marshall, n.d). To ensure better service delivery and increased productivity, the proprietor of Chiefs restaurant resolved to introduce a training program for the cooks. Code named ADDDI, the training program’s model incorporates various training elements. To conduct an effective training based on this model, the initial step involves conducting an analysis of employee performance and assessing their training needs. Having identified these needs, the model involves moving on to the design stage where training objectives are set. At this stage, test items are developed, and knowledge for the training is evaluated, information content is classified, and instructional strategies such as the use of presentation aids are designed. This is followed by the development stage where the trained personnel and the training are evaluated and implemented through various strategies. One of the development strategies is prototyping (Marshall, n.d). A prototype will be used to evaluate and analyze the efficiency, productivity, benefits, and performance expectations. Marshall (n.d) notes here that the developed system is put on a pilot test. A Pilot test is used to evaluate the system for implementation and to isolate flaws that have been incorporated in the design and development stages. Further tests are used to evaluate and identify any weaknesses in the system, system organization, work flow control, system efficiency, and possibly to re-tailor the system if it does not perform to the restaurant’s objectives in meeting the stated business goals. Successful testing leads to system implementation. Once the system has been put in place and running, it undergoes formative and summative system evaluations. One of the evaluation models is a bottom up approach that includes evaluating if the cooks perform to the established benchmarks and whether service delivery is satisfactory. In addition to that, the cooks are evaluated to determine if they can perform as per the newly acquired skills. According to the ADDIE model, the cooks are then tested for consistent application of the acquired skills before the whole training is evaluated for strategy propagation. The ADDIE model comes with a host of benefits. The system employs empirically proven scientific principles in system development. The system is also defined, it is self-correcting. The self correcting nature makes it flexible for use in any environment and with people of different skills levels. The system is characterized by a unique ability to help in planning within available resources. The system’s development strategies help evaluate whether the system has been developed in line with the goals and objectives of the restaurant’s business goals. According to the paper Strategy Process (n.d), the process is also flexible to implement and it c