ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
It is worth noting that people have always sought to understand their own identity. The individual’s desire or need for identification is due to the search for stability in the rapid flow of global change. Mass culture, advertising, and other significant factors might have a major influence on the formation of human identity in society, as well as while communicating with other people. The purpose of this paper is to consider the way fashion as a symbolic value can be used to identify gender. Background Initially, fashion was a means of forming attraction, that is to say, a special attitude to perception. It played a positive role in interpersonal communication and helped shape the attractiveness of a person in the eyes of other people. In particular, fashion had a function to emphasize gender identity, which was observed throughout centuries (Barnard 113). For instance, in the olden Egyptian clothes, it was possible to trace clearly the way women reflected their gender identity through clothing, the use of fabrics, and special accents in accessories. The clothing of the Asian peoples reflected the social role of women. In the same manner, clothes in Ancient Rome were also gender specific, in which men’s suits accentuated majesty, and female dresses – beauty and flirtatiousness. Later, in the Middle Ages, men tried to emphasize their ascetic way of life through clothing and accessories, and women clothing reflected the refinement inherent in females of that epoch. Core Theories There are many theories that address the way fashion can be used to identify gender; however, each of them supports major points. The majority of experts in the field stress that fashion (clothing and accessories in particular) does not influence directly the way people behave or oversee the world that surrounds them and its peculiarities (McCracken 113). Nonetheless, it does represent the visual communication of the individual’s message. That is to say, fashion adoption implies or enables a person to transmit socially formed representations of gender (Paoletti 7). Image 1 displays a type of clothing, which is typically referred to as female due to commonly accepted representations. Image 1. Strapless female dress by Christian Dior (Waddell 2). Another theoretical approach to fashion and gender identification is linked directly to the way cultures and subcultures form people’s perceptions of female or male sex. To be more precise, each nation or culture has its individual representations of masculinity and femininity, which can be perceived differently by the representatives of various cultures (Kaiser 101). A vivid example is Scottish kilt, which is a traditional element of Scottish male clothing. How
Statement and Description of Central Issue Lululemon is a company which specializes in yoga-oriented merchandise. Its initial designs displayed orientation at performance and functionality for serious yoga practitioners, a direction that later was expanded to cover other active sports fields such as running. However, over the recent years, the company shifted from specialized goods to form a more inclusive approach. As a result, the current merchandise offered by Lululemon includes casual merchandise such as dresses, bags, hats, and rain jackets. Most of these goods have little to no connection to yoga or other active sports and offer almost no advantage in terms of performance. Instead, the marketing strategy focuses on what can be described as “selling the goals and ideas.” In other words, the emphasis is made on associations with yoga and appeal of its concepts rather than the actual usability and utility of products. This approach reportedly allowed Lululemon to significantly expand its customer base by including individuals who were reluctant to engage in physical exercise. On the downside, such strategy gained significant criticism from skeptical community and business ethics advocates. Some analysts also theorize that such reputation caters to the audience of “posers” who value their image over effort. Naturally, some portion of athletes are expected to be dissatisfied by the prospect of being associated with such audience and may stop using company’s services. In addition, some of the claims made by marketers were perceived as attempts of deceptive marketing. To minimize adverse effects of the questionable strategy, the company alternated its practices by excluding explicitly unrealistic claims. However, such move may be insufficient for improving the situation. Thus, additional business strategies should be considered. Identification/Description of Alternatives Despite the fact that the company is subject to criticism, there is no data that allows us to conclusively identify its benefits and shortcomings. However, two conclusions can be made with certainty. First, the initial shift of emphasis from functionality to concept proved beneficial for the business. Second, at least some of the specific decisions made by the company’s marketing department, such as its claim of seaweed fabric capable of exerting vitamins and minerals into the customer’s skin, can be clearly identified as examples of deceptive marketing. Since the latter is recognized as a violation and is subject to punitive actions, it is to be excluded from the preferred strategies. Considering these facts, three options are possible to amend the situation. First, the company can abandon the newly chosen direction and roll back to its initial performanc
General information about Edgar Degas and the Waiting The painting by French artist Edgar Degas, the Waiting, was created from 1880 to 1882. The work is painted with pastel on paper. The size of the painting is 19 x 24 in. (48.3 x 61 cm). The style of Waiting may be defined as Impressionism. The work by Degas represents two women, a dancer, and a chaperone sitting on the bench. The dancer wears a traditional costume of a ballet dancer, and the chaperone wears a black dress, black hat, she holds a black umbrella in her hands. The chaperone sits crossing her arms orthogonally, while the dancer rounds her back and massages her lag. The painting is divided into two parts. The lower part is empty, while two women occupy the upper part of the Waiting. I visited the museum and observed the Waiting on November, 3. I could not but think about the place of ballet and women in the works of Degas. Formal Analysis of the Painting The whole work is performed on the contrast of light and dark colors. For example, the dancer’s cloth is white, while everything that the chaperone wears is black, even the umbrella. The composition of the Waiting is rather simple. Degas depicted two women sitting on a bench and doing nothing but waiting for something. Other elements of the painting are the wall and wooden floor which are also in contrast to each other. The floor is lighter than the wall. There is a shadow on the right side of the Waiting, but it is not clear who or what is its owner. Degas depicted not only elements of the women’s clothes, but also the lines of the hands, fingers, and the whole appearance. It is obvious from the positions of the women that they are not eager to communicate with each other: the chaperone looks straight before her, perhaps at the floor, her look does not express pensiveness. Perhaps, she is thinking about her life. What is more interesting is that Degas does not show the eyes of two women: the face of the chaperone is half hidden by the hat, while the face of the dancer is unseen because she looks straight at the floor. Nevertheless, both women are moody. Maybe, the dancer is upset about the trauma and the fact that she cannot dance, and the chaperone is sad about her life. Yet, it is just a supposition. Nevertheless, the whole mood of Waiting is highlighted not only by the figures of the women but coloring and composition of the painting. The fact that Degas places two women aside, but not in the center of the painting, is a hint that they both are aside of life: the only thing which unites the dancer and the chaperone is their status, outsider. They both have a dream: the young lady dreams to become a professional dancer. The chaperone dreams to change her life. Still, their dreams are unrealizable at this mom
My impression is that the pseudo-documentary Goodbye Uncle Tom is a rather provocative movie that is full of brutal and shocking scenes. However, it is impossible to say that the problem of slavery is exaggerated or depicted unrealistically in the movie. I can guess that the authors of the film followed the documents used for the script strictly, and the events are represented closely to the reality (“Goodbye Uncle Tom”). Still, the tone of the movie is surprising for me because it is not a traditional documentary, but a motion picture with the elements of drama and fantasy. As a result, the depicted characters and events seem to be even grotesque. I hold the view that the movie allows discussing the problem of slavery in the North America from a new perspective. First, a viewer can perform the journey in the time following the authors’ vision and observing the realities of slavery as contemporaries. Second, it is possible to concentrate on the perspective of the Europeans in discussing the problem of slavery. In addition, the idea of interviewing characters allows focusing on their actual words and perceptions of slavery. As a result, it is possible to become directly involved in the events to understand the role of slavery in the social development. I am of the opinion that this pseudo-documentary is important to be viewed by persons interested in the history of slavery. I believe that people often perceive the historical events as lists of dramatic facts without realizing the realities and particular features of the people’s interactions during those periods. Movies like Goodbye Uncle Tom allow focusing on the historical realities that are often discussed as hidden, avoided, and violent. Works Cited Goodbye Uncle Tom . 2014. Web.
Introduction Giotto di Bondone was one of the first greatest personalities in architect and Florentine painting of his time. According to Pioch (1), during the Italian renaissance Giotto became renowned as the first genus of art. His greatness in the field of art is attributed to two factors. Firstly, he brilliantly got to the heart of every sacred history event he was representing by breaking down the episode to its fundamental, dramatic core, as well as his ability to design compositional means through which he could express the deepest spiritual meaning of the sacred history episode and its emotional effects in terms of uncomplicated area of paint. The second factor is that Giotto’s art is outstanding for its simple, grave, and clear solution to the central tribulations of an attempt to represent the human figure, volume and the space, solitary and structure of three dimensional forms. The solutions that he came up with helped in solving fundamental dramatic narrative problems, as such, these solutions have never been surpassed and in many ways, they have consequently been elaborated (Wolf 29). Discussion Tactile imagination Giotto’s deep understands of other sculptors’ achievements such as Giovanni Pisano, Nicola Pisano, and Arnolf di Cambio is seen as the greatest inspiration of his success in his representation of the basics of human psychological and spiritual reaction to events as well as human form. The aforementioned sculptors were very keen in tackling the fundamental problems of representation particularly in a physically three dimensional medium. Giotto’s paintings do not only appeal to the tactile imagination which the objects of the art possess and represented by the human figures, his paintings also depicts a keener sense of reality, with a more likeness of life than the objects. His paintings are therefore intensely real in that they deeply evoke the tactile imagination of the audience thus compelling them to everything that stimulates their sense of touch while observing the objects (Williamson 15). Movement and action Another peculiar aspect of Giotto’s painting is his treatment of movement and action. In all his paintings, the gestures and the grouping never fail to convey the intended meaning. Giotto used the significant shade and light, significant line, the significant gesture, and the significant look up or down, to convey an absolute sense of motion in his work such as Paduan frescoes of the Ascension of our Lord, of the Resurrection of the Blessed, of the angel in Zacharias Dream . Or of the God the rather in the Baptism. Giotto’s ability to convey action and movement in his work is indeed a claim to perpetual appreciation as an artist (Gillet 6). This genius appreciation enabled him to represent objects in a representation that is more complete and quick, subsequently giving the audience the opportunity to confirm their senses of capacity that in turn bring into being a great source of satisfaction. It is arg
The modernity era was characterized by industrialization, capitalism, urbanization, and secularism. It brought wide changes not only to people’s lives but also to the world of art. Many artists responded to the progress of modernity in an unusual way. Some, like Picasso, scared the audience with geometric forms of human bodies. Russian avant-garde chose a defensive position, refusing to believe in the positive side of the progress. Surrealist Salvador Dali represented chaotical and paradoxical elements in his pictures. The world of art reacted to the changes with non-traditional ways of reality representation creating new movements. Cubism, with its angular and sometimes monstrous forms, has become one of the brightest movements of the modernity era. In 1907, Pablo Picasso created the picture Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon). The painting depicts five nude women having figures with straight lines and sharp corners. Apart from being the first Cubism piece of work, this painting also reflects different periods of Picasso arts. Inspired by African culture, Picasso depicted two women on the right side of the picture with African masks. At the same time, the tones of the painting remind of Picasso’s Rose and Blue periods. The researchers also see this piece of art as revolutionary. According to Chave, “Picasso’s picture has been held to mark or even to have precipitated the demise of the old visual order and the advent of the new” (596). The plot of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon has sexual context as the represented women are the prostitutes in a brothel on Carrer d’Avinyó in Barcelona. The style and plot of the picture caused controversy among the contemporaries of Picasso. The audience of that time did not accept the painting. As Chave notes, the picture seemed mad and monstrous to many, and the men viewers even felt as if they were victims of depicted prostitutes (596). Researchers consider that men became the main audience for that piece of work and were terrified by geometric forms of female bodies and uncertainty that hides behind African masks (Chave 609). The painting, depicting one of the most vulnerable female groups involved in the sex industry, also causes debates from a feminist perspective. Chave finds the picture offensive and attractive at the same time, seeing its attractiveness in the fact that the painting “makes fun of the prostitutes’ clients, despoiling their sexual appetite” (599). Thus, it is possible to agree that Picasso tried to make people reconsider their view not only on art but also on sexuality. An unusual answer to social and industrial changes during the modernity era was given by Russian avant-garde. According to Groys, Russian artists were “far from enthusiastic about technology or inspired by a naive faith in progress,” seeing the destructive effect in those changes (15). One of the artists who r
Introduction Children with Down’s syndrome are doomed to lead life different from that which normal children have. They demand special care and attention, as well as presence of adults with them all the time. The doctors have been exploring Down’s syndrome (DS) for years trying to prove that children who have this disease also have a chance for normal life. The reviews of two journal articles, one concerning children with Down’s syndrome and the other exploring the education of exceptional children, show that the researchers never abandon hopes that children with disabilities can be full-fledged members of the society. Article 1 The first article is “Children with Down Syndrome: Discovering the Joy of Movement” by Anne Jobling , Naznin Virji-Babul , and Doug Nichols. This article explores motor skill performance of children with DS, or “clumsiness” which is essential for all of them. The authors of the article review numerous studies in which the researchers agree in the idea that dance programs can be useful for children with DS because they “improve the form and quality of [their] movement patterns” (Jobling, Virji-Babul, and Nichols 34). Dancing allows children with DS to develop space, body, and effort awareness (Laban approach), which further results in their movements becoming less clumsy. These concepts are referred to as Laban’s core concepts of movement; they are discussed together with other researchers’ findings who assumed that movement was “an important part of physical development and suggested that the ability to move makes the environment more accessible for exploration and learning” (Jobling, Virji-Babul, an
Teaching individuals with physical and mental disabilities the life skills needed to compensate for their disadvantages are considered to be the key factor to ensuring a relatively safe, functional, and happy life for those individuals. As it stands, many countries around the world do not provide accommodations for mentally disabled individuals, nor do they provide enough funding for the public school systems to encourage teaching DLS for these students. This paper will examine two articles dedicated to the subject and provide arguments and counterarguments, highlighting the issues surrounding DLS and its inclusion in the curriculum. Pros of Teaching DLS to Intellectually Disabled Students Daily living skills are necessary to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities to facilitate a healthy standard of living. These include maintenance skills like cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene. Academic skills include time management, reading, writing, and using electronic libraries. Lastly, safety skills include being able to avoid various hazards, such as traffic, disease, and violence (Bouck, 2010). According to Ruteere, Mutia, Mwoma, and Runo (2015), it is a constitutional right of every intellectually-disabled individual to receive DLS instructions at schools. School-taught DLS is assumed to be the best way of improving the lives of individuals with learning disabilities. Challenges of Teaching DLS to Intellectually-Disabled Students There are many questions raised about the actual effectiveness of school-taught DLS. Ruteere et al. (2015) provide very little evidence to why such practices deserve the additional funding, aside from an appeal to the constitution. Bouck (2010) acknowledges that the academic data regarding the effectiveness of DLC is not sufficient. In addition, the use of specialized life skills-based curriculum contradicts man
The wine industry is one of the most competitive industries in many countries around the world. Companies involved with wine production have to put in place the right marketing and promotional strategies in order to retain and attract customers. The Three Choirs Vineyard offers different wine varieties and accommodation services in addition to a beautiful and relaxing environment. The Three Choirs Vineyard facility has a wine shop, gift shop, daily guided tours, a restaurant, eleven boarding units, and a state of the art winery with 75 acres of vines. To fully analyze the Three Choirs Vineyard, it is important to highlight the organization’s marketing strategies such as segmentation, targeting and positioning. To begin with, Three Choirs Vineyard has tried its level best to divide its market into segments of consumers with a common inclination towards a particular brand of products and services. Market segments are created according to demographic variables, income, behavior, lifestyle and the type of benefit sought from the product or service. Consumers with the same interests and needs are divided into small segments to ensure that everyone is fully satisfied. The success of Three Choirs Vineyard is attributed to its segmented market. Three Choirs Vineyard provides a unique experience for its customers with the different varieties of wine and other recreational facilities being perfect segments for its customers. Three Choirs Vineyard caters for wine enthusiasts, gift shoppers, holiday makers and those just looking for a beautiful place to relax. The organization produces different brands of wine according to the different preferences of its segmented market. Promotional schemes of products and services depend on the unique tastes and preferences of a particular market segment. After creating marke
Introduction There is an increase in the number of global issues that have been inadequately addressed or have not yet been addressed. High levels of global poverty, humanitarian crises, environmental destruction, and financial crisis are but disheartening issues that the world is experiencing currently. This has sparkled debates pertaining globalization, questions about global democracy, international relations, global politics and power –cum- governance are but at the center of the debate (Chaturvedi and Painter 382). This paper cuts across all those facets bringing into light the major conflicts and controversies that are innate to them. Global Governance Governance is a very key continuum in globalization, especially when power and politics comes into place. Governance is an issue that has had a lot of scholarly and realist approaches within the facets of internationalizing it. Theories and countering constraints are at the center of governance especially in respect to responsibility of power. Over the years the world has experienced a rapid increase in creation of knowledge institutions on an international level where these institutions have depicted the effort through which different nations and international bodies have asserted democratic barriers at a global level on how power is to be exercised. They have achieved this through their ability to modify structure and create processes through which the global society is supposed to deliberate and reason when exercise of global power comes into play (Miller, 328). This creates a vacuum in the proper and stringent processes that should be put in place by international knowledge institutions; whereby definite and clear setting or roles, standards and contributions by which power should be exercised on a global level. Legitimacy is also cognizant in governance and its current decline is as a result of power delegation by the knowledge institutions as well as the world organizations dealing in democracy, security and sustenance. As a result coalitions amongst states in crippling and this can be attributed to an array of financial crisis which continue to haunt as well as cripple the world economy. These have a long-term negative impact in creating more strict trade barriers thus hampering economic policy integration among nations across the board. Global Politics and Power Power is at the epicenter to international relations. The divergence in concepts and alienation of non-representative groups overlooks the different approaches and forms of power in the international politics. Relevant concepts that are non-discriminatory need to be employed so as to help in understanding the various frameworks that forms power. According to Barnett & Duval (2005) there are four concepts that consolidate power namely compulsory, institutional, structural and productive. This dictates the interpretation of power within international politics as “a disciplinary attachment to realism”. This creates a paradox of power that disintegrates capabilities and outcomes. This holds t