Culture debasing Essay Example for Free

Culture debasing Essay The mass media is constantly around us, through newspapers and magazines, the internet, television and film etc. these are used by us everyday in our spare time and academic work. So are we influenced by this form of secondary socialisation in our lives to create a mass culture? And does this mass culture debase ordinary culture? In this essay I will use secondary research and my own opinion to answer this question. The media itself plays a big part in creating images through the way they report and advertise consumer products and moral panics. I feel that the type of media presentation demonstrated influences different subcultures into believing that what they are seeing is true, hence the change in their attitudes to different topics, music and fashion. Especially young people today can be nai ve and believe everything they see or hear on television or the internet, which could cause primary socialisation to change for the children, because of these views. This mass culture, I believe could destroy and make an ordinary culture into extinction through too much influence of babble and consumer products on television. Although you could ask what is ordinary and normal? Normal does not have a clear definition; as no one is completely normal, but ordinary seems to be defined as routine or customary, so an ordinary culture is considered the norm way of living. So what is mass culture? An extra- ordinary way people live, or is it a negative perception of some peoples choice of life? By using the textbook seventh edition Sociology Themes and Perspectives. I found that the development of the media was debasing the culture of ordinary people, which could cause problems for western societies. This comment could back up my opinion of a negative effect of media through a mass culture which could destroy the traditional thoughts and practices of western life. Dwight Macdonald had a theory about mass culture. He claimed that mass culture was very different from high culture and folk art. He states that mass culture is standardized and a commercial kitsch (popular culture which could be considered worthless) used by business to create a profit. This shows that Macdonald as well as I believe that mass culture is kitsch- worthless babble used to sell products, which also influences or brainwashes people into believing that anything merchandised is right or sick as teenagers of today say. Dwight also stated that mass culture takes less mental effort and that it tended to undermine high culture. So basically he is saying that mass culture is maybe for a different class of person.

Analysis of The Scarlett Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a man of business, politics, nature, morals, dedication and imagination who was greatly haunted by the actions of his Puritan ancestors (Gollin 360). Being one of the pioneers of noteworthy American literature, Hawthorne used the issues of his time and the history of Puritan New England as his settings. He was the son of Nathaniel Hathorne and Elizabeth Manning and was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. After his father’s death, Hawthorne and his family moved to their mother’s house. Later, he went to Bowdoin College and graduated in 1825. Here, he became friends with future U.S. president Franklin Pierce. He lacked interest in medicine, ministry and law, so he chose to write (Gollin 358). Perchance in shame of sharing a tie with men like John and William Hathorne, he then added a w to his last name. His early works were short stories put into periodicals and eventually into the Twice Told Tales which earned him fame. Then, he spent a year at both the Boston Custom House and the utopian Brook Farm. Both of these experiences stifled his imagination, and so he left. After marrying Sophia Peabody and having children, Hawthorne became destitute. So, he earned through Democratic Party ties a stable job at the Salem Custom House but lost it when the Whigs took over. So, he began to write again and produced his greatest acclaimed works. Eventually, President Pierce appointed him as the U.S. consul in Liverpool. From Liverpool, he moved to Italy, where he wrote a novel, back to England and finally back to Concord, Massachusetts. There, he died on May 19, 1864. Hawthorne covered the literary gamut with children’s books and short stories to powerful novels. Ultimately, Hawthorne represents how the issues ... ...Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. Chicago: World, 2009. 114-115. Print. Delaney, Bill. â€Å"Hawthorne, Nathaniel.† Magill’s Survey of American Literature. Rev. ed. Pasadena: Salem, 2007. Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. . Gollin, Rita K. â€Å"Hawthorne, Nathaniel.† American National Biography. Ed. Garraty and Carnes. Vol. 10. New York City : Oxford UP, 1999. 356-363. Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† Preface. The Scarlet Letter. By Hawthorne. New York City: Bantam, 1988. N. pag. Print. - - -. The Scarlet Letter. 1850. New York City: Bantam, 1988. Print. Liukkonen, Petri, and Ari Pesonen. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† Kirjasto. N.p., 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. .

Michelangelo and Mannerism

Michelangelo Bonaparte has come to be known as the greatest artist of his time, and one of the all time greats for sure. Albeit unlike other artists of his time he was recognized for his greatness while he was alive. He was also torn between his patronage, of the Medici family in Florence, and the Catholic church in Rome. He was born in 1475 and died in 1564 a ripe age of 88 or 89 years old. Michelangelo is also attributed with development in Mannerism. Mannerism emerged in 1520, about 40 years before Michelangelo death. Mannerism is a rich period of European art that was later replaced by Baroque erred.Mannerism is basically taking a turn after the High Renaissance from the sweet angelic ideals to a more basic, tense, unstable perspective and is often credited with the growth of intellectual sophistication. By the end of the High Renaissance some of the younger artists felt that everything difficult to be done to prove yourself in the art world had already been done, thus the develo pment of a new style, Mannerism. The Last Judgment, or better known as the Sistine Chapel, shows strong tendencies of the Mannerist Period. The exaggerated muscles on the naked bodies is strong example.Also the way the bodies are positioned in such pained poses also points towards the Mannerist style. The overly ornate and intricate style of painting and the over the top color scheme and overall grandeur of the fresco also points towards the Mannerist period. Another piece of art that exemplifies the Mannerist period by Michelangelo is his sculpture of David. Although its a sculpture he is trying to show the human soul personified by the ornate and obscure structure of the human body and musculature. He is showing you a man in a seemingly natural position.But in reality this pose would be hard to hold over a period of time. And if a closer look is taken it can be seen that the musculature of this sculpture is not exactly anatomically correct. With Mannerism developing towards the mi ddle of his life, Michelangelo got to paint not only during the High Renaissance but the Mannerist period as well. Although I only listed two examples, Michelangelo had many more paintings and such that exemplify the styles of Mannerism. He was a great artist who contributed to the Mannerist period in many ways. Michelangelo and Mannerism By gingering

Mythological Heroes Achilles And Hercules Essay - 1389 Words

Mythological Heroes: Achilles and Hercules nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The subject of mythology deals mainly with the notion of battle, or good versus evil. In this struggle many individuals are singled out for either the evil they cause, or from the good they bring to people. When you mention heroes in mythology, there are two distinct names that a majority of people bring up, those names are Achilles and Hercules. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Achilles was born to King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. Soon after Achilles was born his mother dipped him in the River Styx, she was told, by doing this, that the water would make every part of his body that it touched invincible. Little did she know that the one part of his heel which he†¦show more content†¦When Alcmene awoke to see what all the commotion was about, she was amazed at the sight of her infant son holding two snakes that he had killed with his bare hands. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;When Hercules grew to manhood, he married and had six sons, and again fell victim to Heras hatred towards him. What Hera did was send a fit of madness upon Hercules who mistook his wife and children for enemies and killed them. When his sanity returned he realised what he had done he shut himself up from the world for a long time. After a long time in seclusion Hercules finally emerged and went to the Oracle of Delphi to beg for punishment for his crime. Hercules was sent to King Eurystheus and told that the king would assign a punishment to Hercules. The punishment was to perform twelve nearly impossible tasks which are known as the twelve labours of Hercules. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The first of these tasks was to kill and skin the Nemean Lion, whose skin could not be punctured by any weapon. His second labour was to kill the Hydra of Lerna which had numerous heads, one of which was immortal. Every time one of the mortal heads was cut off two or three new heads would grow in its place. The third of his tasks was go to the Ceryneian Hill and capture a beautiful bronze-hoofed hind without spilling one drop of its blood. For his fourth task Hercules was to capture alive a huge wild boar which often killed humansShow MoreRelatedMythological Heroes: Achilles and Hercules1394 Words   |  6 PagesMythological Heroes: Achilles and Hercules The subject of mythology deals mainly with the notion of battle, or good versus evil. In this struggle many individuals are singled out for either the evil they cause, or from the good they bring to people. When you mention heroes in mythology, there are two distinct names that a majority of people bring up, those names are Achilles and Hercules. Achilles was born to King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. Soon after Achilles was born his mother dippedRead MoreClassical Mythology Of The Greek And Roman Societal Views2237 Words   |  9 PagesHeroes are a common theme in both modern and ancient works, and are often referenced as people who have influenced society in some way. Disney’s Hercules incorporates Classical Mythology within a number of scenes and includes a variety of typical mythological themes, yet fails to accurately characterize Hercules and reproduce his role in the Greek and Roman societal views, while neglecting major aspects surrounding his existence in the mythological world. 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Zeus reinedRead MoreThe s Opinion Of Life3374 Words   |  14 Pagesphysical features that he could use against animals. Hercules is one of the best examples of this notion. He is considered the greatest Greek hero ever to live. Through a tragic sequence of events, he killed his sons and wife, but was doomed to live on in order to undergo a series of trials to redeem himself. His first predicament was to â€Å"kill the lion of Nemea. Hercules solved [that] by choking the life out of [the lion]† (Hamilton 231). Hercules also had to drive out the â€Å"Stymphalian birds, whichRead MoreAnalysis of Percy Jackson and the Olympians2772 Words   |  12 PagesOlympus with the help of his fellow demigods. The aim of this paper is to discuss his Hero’s Journey throughout the series, provide an in depth character analysis, and draw parallels between Percy and the three classic Greek heroes of mythology: Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules. The first novel of the series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief , is where Percy’s Hero’s Journey begins, encompassing the first five stages. The Ordinary World, the first stage, is the introduction of the main heroRead MoreBuddhism Versus Greek Mythology Essay3667 Words   |  15 Pagesphysical features that he could use against animals. Hercules is one of the best examples of this notion. He is considered the greatest Greek hero ever to live. Through a tragic sequence of events, he killed his sons and wife, but was doomed to live on in order to undergo a series of trials to redeem himself. His first predicament was to â€Å"kill the lion of Nemea. Hercules solved [that] by choking the life out of [the lion]† (Hamilton 231). Hercules also had to drive out the â€Å"Stymphalian birds, whichRead More Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Essay3103 Words   |  13 Pageswrong. After watching the movie again and researching the different hero myths my opinion has changed. 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