ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
War Requiem (1989) by Derrek Jarman accounts on the horrors of the World War I. The story represents speechless scenes of war and struggles accompanied with Benjamin Britten’s poems and music pieces. The story concentrates on horrifying events taken from the recollection of the old soldier who is morally and physically injured with the cruelty of war. The movie depicts murder, abhorrent scenes of dead soldiers, as well as changing attitude of people to human lives. Humiliating the overall concept of humanness is the main idea of the movie striving to emphasize the negative consequences of war actions for shaping morality and ethics. In this respect, War Requiem is a commentary on horrible experience revealing the message of infinite futility, waste, and sacrifice. The author has managed to prove that war is senseless because it deprives people of their life being the most precious thing. The movie reflects uselessness and infinite futility of war and violence against humanity. At the beginning of the movie, the old soldier recollects the episode when German soldier kills his best friend. The scene depicts this killing as the most senseless action due to the situation and context in which it is presented. Jarman intentionally introduces musical instruments into the piece to remind people of the merits of peaceful existence. However, the soldiers neglect this utmost value and continue fighting. Such a contrasted representation emphasizes horrors and senselessness of struggles. It also emphasizes negligence of such positive emotions as joy and excitement that are diminished by hatred, anger, and fear. By representing flashbacks from the World War I, Jarham also represents people who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the sakes of others. In this respect, the movie presents such human qualities as mercy, kindness, and readiness to struggle for better future. Most importantly, the story accounts on desperate attempts to remain human in front of severe reality. Despite the hardships and sufferings that people had to endure, they still search for any possible reasons to remain positive and hopeful. The author represents sacrifice as essential part of human nature. The movie represents war as a mere waste of human life. War cannot be justified because its main purpose is destruction. The movie scenes are intertwined with displays of mass murders, fighting, and violence. The story, therefore, also renders the concept of war as mere waste of time, as well as grief of loss and despair that people endure. A combination of many episodes from other contemporary wars enhances the impression on the audience and strengthens the overall idea of the movie. Hence, the main heroes encounter indifference of some people who neglect other lives and long to dominating by means of war. Therefore, the war is nothing more than a spectacle controlled by governors. In conclusion, the movie seeks to criticize the horrors of the war because it distorts the accepted morality and the
Cultural capital is a terminology used in sociology to refer to non-economic assets that enhance social mobility. For instance, education, intelligence, lifestyle, dressing code, and beauty, are all forms of cultural capital. French sociologist referred to as Pierre Bourdieu coined the concept in reference to the behavior of children under the age of fifteen. Cultural capital differentiates people in society because those believed to be in a similar social class will always relate and interact freely. Cultural capital is closely related to Bourdieu’s works on habitus. Cultural capital suggests that groups are always in constant struggle for scarce resources in society, including cultural resources. In my school, various categories of students identify themselves with certain cultures. Those who view themselves as academic giants tend to form close links. This implies that they form strong relationships in school based on the culture of reading. They tend to discriminate other students because they believe that other students have nothing special to offer. Within each social class, there is a habitus meaning that each class has a system of choices. These systems of choices are often passed from one student to the other. It is expected that a new member of the group would behave the same as other members after a very short period. After a few months, the group would be seen to be different from other groups in terms preferences. This means that the group would tend to have something in common in terms of culture. It is evident that groups have different tastes, depending on cultural practices, education, and financial capabilities. Cultural practices influence members of groups to adopt certain values and preferences. In my school, the less privileged tend to admire the high culture, but they do not have the means of attaining the superior culture. The behavior of students in school is compared to the findings of Bourdieu who conducted an extensive study on members belonging to a low culture in Europe. He found out that those with low cultures complained because the social structure never favored them. Members from a culture appreciated the fact that the works of art represent class and prestige in society. However, they could not acquire the works of art because of insufficient capital. In this regard, the type of cultural capital exhibited by students in my school is objectified. This was the same case with members of the low culture in Europe, as was noted by Bourdieu. However, students from low classes are encouraged by the fact that education w
Mercator is a commonly used projection, but it does not adequately represent the real size of the country. The most common complaint is that the size of the country is extremely biased. The sizes of Greenland and Africa are classic examples. According to the Mercator projector, they have the same size. The Mercator projection mistakenly exaggerates the size of Europe and North America. Greenland, which appears as a huge frozen land in the Mercator projection, has shrunk dramatically. The African Continent occupies a far more prominent place on this new life-size map. Distorted sizes aren’t just worrisome, as they give the wrong impression of what the world looks like. In relation to non-white nations, Mercator is expanding and perhaps increasing the importance of white nations. As far as I know, the real size of a country differs from the size illustrated by the Mercator projection. I started to get a new perspective on the world with a new map. One of them is Google Maps, where at higher zoom settings, the Earth will appear as a globe. This completely avoids the difficulty of map projection and displays the planet as it is in a circle (Setiawan & Sediyono, 2017). This means that countries and land are more accurately mapped. Users often use maps at narrower zoom levels, such as for navigation designed with the Mercator projection. The exact angle between the lane and the boundary is preserved in this projection. In an increasingly globalized world, having relevant geographic knowledge is essential. Misunderstandings about the size of continents can disappear as people become accustomed to maps of the same area and the spherical Earth. My view of the world changed when I realized that the Mercator projection wasn’t accurate. I understand that the actual size of a country may differ from the size and proportions shown on the map. Reference Setiawan, A., & Sediyono, E. (2017). Using google maps and spherical quadrilateral approach method for land area measurement. In 2017 International Conference on Computer, Control, Informatics and its Applications (IC3INA) (pp. 85-88). IEEE. Web.
Introduction Online shopping became one of the most common things for people around the world. It is, as usual, today as going to the brick-and-mortar stores. However, online shopping also became one of the significant parts of the global economy with its top players such as Amazon.com, for example. Amazon is the largest Internet-based seller in the USA. The company started as an online seller of books, but later, Amazon became the platform for a variety of goods and services to sell. It is, probably, the quintessence of online shopping as people know it today. The company does not have brick-and-mortar stores, but it has website versions in other countries, providing customers abroad with the same services and opportunities. It should be noted that Amazon represents itself as the company of innovations, developing its own products such as Kindle, Fire Tablets, for example, and several services under the Prime brand ( About Amazon , 2016). Online shopping still has the potential to develop, and Amazon is the pioneer in many areas in this market, so the company has a future full of plans according to own representations. Analysis More and more people shop online, and they start to purchase goods unusual even for Amazon. The article by Riaz and Raman (2015) evaluated the emerging trends in online shopping worldwide, and the authors concluded that people started to buy literally everything online because it became more convenient and suitable for them. Amazon is focused on the products and services that people used to buy online. However, modern internet users buy even groceries online because such a channel of distribution is the most appropriate one in terms of time and effort spent. China is the top country in the list of purchases made online via mobile phone (PWC, 2016), so maybe Amazon should start to provide new services on this tremendous market instead of selling books online. However, according to the Nielsen Company (2010), six years ago, books were the most expected purchase online, so maybe Amazon is not that fast-reacting company after all. The trends change very quickly these days as it is clearly stated by Riaz and Raman (2015), and Amazon, as the company of innovations, should be more adaptable to the changes. The point is that behind the delivery by unmanned aircraft that should be implemented by Amazon in the nearest future ( About Amazon , 2016), the company may miss the maj
Psychology helps people understand their self-esteem, politics entails governance and polling matters, while biology relates to life issues. However, sociological imagination by Mills provides scope for knowing the complex social world that supersedes our ordinary imagination and experiences. Although Mills’ concept was not initially recognized, it is applied in the modern society to provide knowledge on various issues affecting the humanity. The theory forbids individuals from regarding their personal experience as their own creation but seeing the problems as those created by the society. In other words, if one individual is suffering, then there are many others undergoing the same all over the world. For instance, I have been raised in a poor family, but sociological imagination discourages me from only focusing on the negative side of poverty, but instead encourages me to take the challenge with an open mind. This essay will apply C. W. Mills’ sociological imagination concept to explain the issue of poverty problem I have been experiencing. Personal Explanation I was born 26 years ago in Princeton, a small city in Missouri. Although it is small in size and population, it is rich in geographical beauty. I was raised in a nuclear family, where my mum was a housewife, and my father worked in a local hog farm as the overall manager. Although I considered myself lucky, since I had both my parents living together in an environment where single parents raise most children, life could not be considered easy. Poverty was the norm of the day since my dad was only paid a small amount of money, yet he had four of us to support. He was always overwhelmed, and at some point in life, he had to seek a second job to increase his financial status. My elder brother and I joined a local public school, which was considered an education center for the low-class citizens. Moreover, having Christmas gifts and birthday celebrations was a luxury. In most cases, we even forgot our birthdates because it was just a typical day. Our misfortune blossomed when my father was
The administration of President Barack Obama seems to lose the argument about Syrian refugees as the unity among the Democratic Party may be compromised by the terroristic attack in Paris (Lind par. 1). At the same time, French President Francois Hollande stated that his country would welcome 30,000 refugees in the next two years (Sandhu par. 2). Thus, the western world should continue to perform its humanitarian duty of assistance the refugees. Furthermore, it is not only a question of humanity for the USA to host the refugees but also a matter of its long-term interests. The current strategy of the White House suggests resettling 10,000 Syrians next year in order to help the Old World to overcome the worst refugee crisis since the times of the Second World War. While the USA, because of its geographical location, has an option whether or not to host these refugees, crowds of desperate people are storming the borders of European and Asian countries. About four million Syrians were forced to leave their homes to Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, while hundreds of thousands have sailed across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, and nearly 5000 have sunk to death trying. Turkey has already hosted almost two million Syrians. Germany’s plan is to take up to 800,000 this year. 190,000 are expected in Sweden (Jacobsen par. 2). The U.S. has taken only 1500, and even the scheduled 10,000 is ridiculously low. Despite this, many politicians are skeptical about the idea. More than half of governors oppose letting the refugees into their states. It is the federal government’s authority to accept the refugees into the country, but the governors can still make the process more difficult. For instance, Texas Governor Greg Abbot suggests that “American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger,” referring the Paris’ tragic events (Satlin par. 3). Since the attack of September 11, the USA has admitted 1.5 million migrants and refugees from the Middle East, and it is not the time to close the border now.
Introduction The history of our world can be described as a chain of conflicts and mutual interactions between states at different stages of their development. Events that emerge under the impact of these factors can be considered the main factors driving change in countries, their people, mentalities, and culture. At the same time, the diversity peculiar to our world gives rise to radical differences in lifestyles, traditions, and values. For this reason, there is a significant gap between the Western and Eastern worlds, their perspectives on particular events, and policies used to create the basis for the further development of nations. In the course of their evolution, these cultures have to interact to avoid isolation and stagnation. However, the clash of two worlds can be dangerous because of the existing discrepancies and struggle for dominance. Events of the 18th century in Japan and China triggered by Western influence perfectly prove this assumption. Background Speaking about this topic, one should analyze peculiarities of the Eastern states cultures and policies to understand why one or another response was chosen. Both China and Japan faced the same challenges arising from the European countries presence and their attempts to become dominant powers in the region. However, the countries political setting and historical background preconditioned the emergence of opposite strategies to resist a new threat. For centuries Japan had remained isolated from other states and preserving its unique culture and way of living 1 . However, this way of development resulted in stagnation of the economy because of the lack of fresh ideas and innovations. Political elites of Japan recognized the need for change and the Meiji regime initiated the procedure of Westernisation to modernize all spheres and become a developed state 2 . At the same time, China had always cultivated traditional values and remained a highly conservative society with powerful institutions of power selected to hold on to outdated approaches and methods to resist pressure 3 . Imperial institutions were not able to initiate the reorganization of the economy that remained mostly agricultural and failed to struggle against the developed Western economies. The utilization of outdated approaches affected the country and undermined its ability to survive in the new world 4 . China had become dependent on new actors dominating in the area. Major Events China The need for responses mentioned above was preconditioned by the growing power of the West and its penetration into the Eastern world. This process gave
Introduction Black Panthers was a revolutionary movement started in 1966 by a group of African American nationalists who were concerned about the social segregation in the American society. According to Alexander, the African Americans have suffered injustices since the country gained independence in 1776 (2). They were living in a free world yet they were not free. The Blacks could not attend specific schools, live in specific towns, or board the same buses and trains used by the Whites. As Alexander puts it, they were second class citizens in a country they called home (2). Most of the African Americans could withstand the social segregation in the society. However, the oppression by the police and other security agents was unbearable. They were subjected to regular police brutality even in cases where they were wrongfully accused of crimes they did not commit. The fact that they were Blacks was in itself a crime, and many paid dearly for this. People died, others were maimed, while children were orphaned by the brutality directed against the blacks. It is these social injustices that led to the creation of the Black Panther, and organization that grew to become a political party. In order to be heard, they would use violence against the authorities and the White communities. However, Martin Luther King once said that violence can never bring a lasting peace and solution to the oppressed. Instead, it only brings new complication that works against them. In this paper, the researcher will look at the incidents where the Black Panthers used violence to express their oppression and whether or not this helped in addressing their problem. Violence against the Police Officers Policing the police According to Alexander, “The police force was one of the main instruments that were used by the ruling class to oppress the African American,” (2). The Black Panthers gained popularity when it defined its main mission as policing the police officers. Members of this group would follow police patrol cars in private cars and monitor their activities. When the officers attacked an African American, members of this group would get out of their cars and demand to know why the police officers were using excessive force instead of making peaceful arrests. They acted as civil rights group only that they used a different approach. They did not organize street demonstrations against the police system. They went on the ground, monitored the activities of the police officers and made instant interventions whenever they felt the officers were using excessive force. Use of violence The tactics of the Black Panthers in policing the police degenerated to violence following an i
One of the most remarkable aspects of renaissance religious paintings by John Stuart Curry (1897-1946) is that it depicted life in the natural world and expressed the practice of fanatic religious sects. Having been born and raised in Kansas, his exotic locale was important for artistic work as depicted in his memorable paintings. It also provided inspiration for his art as well as a powerful drive for high and mundane artistic elements. Pinto et al describe Curry’s artistic works in his paintings of Baptism in Kansas and the Tornado as some of the most amazing and influential pieces of art during the renaissance era. Curry astonishingly used colors in his paintings to bring out the intensity and reality of the circumstance in Kansas. 1 In agreement, Howe indicates that his use of colors was very instrumental in developing open air religious activities and impending natural disasters. 2 This paper deduces that Baptism in Kansas was one of the most defining paintings by Curry that greatly displayed his extensive and substantial abilities since it illuminated and described his paintings by articulating his view on the practice of open air baptism. The painting describes the practice of open air baptism by fanatic religious sects. His painting has a unique compositional layout that most representations of well known baptism lack. Agreeably, his artistic aesthetic as described later in the paper is greatly inspired by his experience (what he saw) and represents unique contribution to the study. Curry’s painting attempted to relate real life experiences with an abstract world of artistic work. According to Pinto et al, his piece of artistic work elicited greater understanding and was conceived as well as treated with a greater reverence. 3 Today, the painting Baptism in Kansas stands out as one of the works that express a deep observance of religious fundamentalism. Pinto et al describe the painting as a complex one that is expresses a spectrum of emotions like submission, and is filled with religious practice carried out during the renaissance. 4 It is important to note that while some observers regard the painting as curiously ambivalent and satirical of religious practice of renaissance, others characterizes the practice as reflective of early Christian rituals which is expressed in complex interaction of colors showing dark shadows and brightly reflective areas. Julia concurs with Pinto et al’s view of the painting and observes that the complex communication of colors create vivid contrasts which augment the sense of quiet, peaceful and heavenly atmosphere. 5 Although the above piece of painting was eminent as one of Curry’s works, Tornado is another painting by Curry which depicts an approaching tornado. The painting which was unveiled in 1929 shows a farmer struggling to shelter his family and pets from an approaching whirlwind. The struggle and tolerance which the family goes through is depicted through images of societal workforc