Comparing Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini's use of light Essay

Comparing Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini's use of light and shadow in their architecture - Essay Example In their architectural works, Borromini symbolized the imaginative and idiosyncratic sector of the baroque while Bernini represented the purposes and ideas of ancient Rome (Zelanski & Fisher 172). During their architectural works, both architectures used light as a building material so that they can cause visual and ornamental effect to describe the planned space. Therefore, both the architecture perceived light and shadow in their buildings for identity. Comparing Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini’s use of light and shadow in their architecture Both Bernini and Francesco used light and shadow in different sectors of their architectural works for varying functions. First, they considered the rays of light very important in their work since they used windows to act as lighting holes. They used windows to attract sunrays as seen on the church of the monastery. These architectures also used window lights in their works to show the cyclic values of time on varying seaso ns. They ensured that they built their windows in a systematic manner to have an opening, which allows rays to penetrate into specific areas within a house. Second, both Bernini and Francesco included light walls in their architectural works (White 27). ... An example is the church at Walsenburg Abbey. They enabled uniform lighting in their works by including several windows. Both architectures blended light and shadow in their work to make them appear livelier. This is because; both architectures believed that good lighting improves the surfacing texture, depth and the form of the work. They used different types of lighting and shadow in different areas; for example, they used homely lighting during the interior designs for domestic homes. Bernini and Francesco used light and shadow in their art works in order to bring about decorative effect (White 28). This is because light effects on any artwork clearly show the design of that work hence helping many people in defining such work. Both architectures considered light and shadow to rhyme; therefore, they used glass and other translucent materials in order to avoid brightness hence creating shadows in their artistic works. During their time, both architectures used light mainly in inter ior designs. They integrated fenestration together with artificial light hence creating illumination, which gave their works a sense of movement and emotion. They applied interior lighting to lessen focal prominence hence increasing a sense of openness as well as height of the objects. Both architectures used natural light to draw attention to specific parts of a given space and this was commonly applicable in churches and uniform tall windows. They also used light and fire to make their surfaces more reflective and the candle encouraged spectacular illumination (Ficher-Rathus 400). ContrastingGian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini’s use of light and shadow in their architecture Bernini and

Family Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Family Sociology - Essay Example According to the NSCFC (2010), the family system in UK has undergone many solid changes during the past fifty years. According to their statistics, fifty years ago only 25 percent of people above thirty were single, however this percentage has reached to 55% in 2007. The discipline of Sociology views the family as being the basic unit of society (Bernardes, 1997). The idea of nuclear family is quite powerful; it includes the correctness of gender specific roles and also the responsibility of parents regarding the well being and upbringing of children (Muncie, 1995; cited in Bernardes, 1997). Immigration, technological development, economic pressure, homosexuality and increased broken and displaced families have created great diversity among the UK family system (Diversity in families and households, 2010). Ethnic families are more extended as compared to British families that are more nuclear. Separated and reconstituted families are also common in which children from different parents have to live with their step siblings. In secularized countries, the family is more cohabitation based than legal marriage based and homosexual co habituation is also common (Cheal, 2002). According to Bernardes (1997), it is a common perception among people that a family consists of a heterogeneous couple, with a small number of healthy kids, where the women have the primary task of care taking and may be occasional supportive income source and the men have the real bread winning task. Women having young children are usually financially dependent on men and are not a part of the paid work world at all (Allan, 1999). As soon as a baby is born, the women are forced to stay at home and care for the young one, while men are expected to earn enough to provide for the family. This snatches the privilege of being paid for work from the women despite the fact that they work at home as much as men do

Recruiting Approaches For Tanglewood Assignment

Recruiting Approaches For Tanglewood - Assignment Example Contextually, Tanglewood has the need to recruit sales associates for their stores for which they need a proper recruitment plan that includes an appropriate recruitment guide. Furthermore, based on their requirement of human resource the company will also need to identify proper recruitment methods after taking into consideration the historical recruitment data of the company (Heneman III, Judge & Kammeyer-Mueller, 2011). With reference to the recruitment needs of the company, the aim of the paper will be to analyses the past recruitment records of Tanglewood and recommend an appropriate recruitment method and approach for its future recruitment needs. Recruitment Guide Position: Store job associate Reports to: Regional Managers Qualifications Required: Anyone with a previous work experience in other stores, as a sales associates or assistant manager can apply for the post. Freshers can also submit their application for the mentioned designation Relevant Labor Market: Washington and Oregon Activities to Undertake: Employee referrals, Newspaper advertising, Post job vacancy on company website Staff Members Involved: HR recruiting manager and Regional manager Budget: $ 3,070,768 for each region Advantages of Open and Targeted recruiting Approaches for Tanglewood It is known that recruitment is one of the most important and highly prioritized processes of any organization. ... On the other hand, in targeted recruitment, organizations target at a particular group of qualified candidate for the post. In this method, the company needs to deal with only the qualified candidates, which make their selection process simpler, time saving and cost effective. Furthermore, this method ensures maximum probability for the company to recruit desired candidate for the job (Heneman III, Judge & Kammeyer-Mueller, 2011; Roberts, 1997). Evaluation of the Historical Cost of Recruitment to Determine Effectiveness Tanglewood adopted five methods of recruitment in the past which comprise of media, referrals, Kiosk, State Job Services and staffing agency. All this methods have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Candidates recruited through media advertising cost the company $4,945,655 in the past years. The hiring rate of candidate through media advertising comprises 14.66% with a retention rate of 44.66% for the same. Subsequently, candidate recruited through referra ls cost the company with an amount of $ 8,437,420. The hiring rate through this method was 29.66% on an average. The retention rate of the candidate hired through this method is depicted to be around 54.33%. Furthermore, candidate selected through the means of Kiosk cost the company around $ 10,097,412. The hiring rate and retentions rate of candidate recruited through this method are 16.75% and 62% respectively. Apart from this, candidate recruited through job services cost the company merely $ 1,412,720. The hiring and retention rate for this method are 9% and 75% respectively. Cost of using agency method for recruitment is around $ 3,798,880 with a hiring rate of 33.50% and a retention rate of 90% (Heneman III, Judge & Kammeyer-Mueller, 2011). From

Response to Stuart Keisman’s Reflection Essay Example for Free

Response to Stuart Keisman’s Reflection Essay I agree with what Stuart wrote about people using unique methods when they speak. Everybody does have their own, individual way of speaking, and this results from people’s personal character, combined with the environment that they were raised in. I have noticed this myself, but it also seems that people speak in different manners when they are around various people. The same person can sound like, or give others the impression of, a completely different person depending on how they speak in different environments. This particularly affects shy people. Around people that a shy person does not know very well, he or she may be reserved, but when in comfortable settings, he or she may be much more outgoing and talkative. This is also when people, such as myself, choose to use slang words or speak in familiar ways, but around strangers, people generally tend to speak in more formal manners. Stuart did a great job summarizing how most people operate when speaking. I do the same things that he described. In my own experience, I have basic ways of talking, but they are different when I am around different people. I find myself able to joke around with friends, where it would be hard for me, and make me uncomfortable to do the same with strangers or new acquaintances. In my life I have also noticed that people seem to form opinions about my character base on my word choice, just like people do about Stuart has when he refrains from using bad words. Also, when I joke around with people who do not have a good sense of humor, I find it harder to communicate or connect with them. If I were going to apply Stuart’s ideas to my teaching, I would emphasize the different word choices that people use when they are in particular settings. I think it is amazing that people may seem like different people when they are in school, or church, but they are their usual, relaxed self when in they are in familiar company. Identifying how people verbally react to particular settings is a great way to understand how individuals think and it provides insight to their character. Response to Jodi Arbus’ Reflection I agree with Jodi that particular regions of various countries have individual dialects. People in the Midwestern states speak very differently from people in the south, or northeast. Sometimes the accents are so strong that it is hard to understand what people from other parts of the country are even saying. But dialect, or accent, seems to result not at all from the personal character or word choice of someone, but from the environment he or she was raised in. People are able to adapt, and accents or dialects are examples of our adaptation, because we blend in with them. When we move to a new place, eventually most of us will lose our own accents and adopt the one of our new home. I do not know whether or not Jodi is right about male and female speech, as people of both sexes seem to have unrestricted speech characteristics based on their gender. In my own experience, I have noticed that my own accent separates me from certain people, and gives me something in common with other Mexican Americans. As English is my second language, I have a noticeable accent, and it lets people identify certain things about me. This accent also allows people to know things about how, and what community, I was raised in. Jodi also talked about the difference between male and female speech. I am not sure if I have noticed any differences other than that males usually use more slang and a more relaxed form of speech when in comfortable settings. I have also noticed the differences in formality that people use in certain areas. In the areas where I grew up, people often address each other in familiar tones, but when speaking to people from other areas, we are more formal. In the south, Jodi notices a key feature that people use when speaking: they are often very formal and courteous, even to people who are somewhat familiar. This is interesting, because in my experience, I have noticed that many people do not even address strangers in ways that are very formal or customary. But I have noticed that this is different in other areas. I would use what Jodi wrote in my teachings by emphasizing accents or dialects that people use. These are important ways of understanding the characters of individuals, and determining what is a result of people’s character, instead of a result of the environment they were raised in. Also, it would be important to teach the differences in language from certain regions. Not only are the accents different, but the formality may be different as well. In the south, where people address one another in more formal ways, and say ‘ma’am’ and â€Å"sir† more often , it is important to know the ways that people speak to know how to be inoffensive. So I would teach the differences in speech of certain regions, as that would help outsiders to seem friendly and polite when visiting. Understanding lingual characteristics in certain areas, and the differences from place to place will help people to communicate in friendly manners with people who are unfamiliar.

The Metamorphosis of Achilles in Homer’s The Iliad Essay -- Iliad Essa

The Metamorphosis of Achilles in Homer’s The Iliad Dr. Frost’s comments: With his clear explanation, illustrative quotes, and logical organization, the student easily proves his thesis, recapped and affirmed very well in the final paragraph. From the first pages of Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is portrayed as vengeful, proud, and petty. As the book progresses, the image of Achilles as a spiteful child is sharpened dramatically. Towards the end of the epic; however, Achilles begins to exhibit qualities that are considered heroic even in today’s society. Once his loyal and trusted friend Patroclus dies, Achilles undergoes a drastic change in character. When he confronts the true horror of death, Achilles puts aside his immature ways to fulfill his duty to his friend, his compatriots, and his conscience. In this way, the progression of Achilles as a character is an analogy for the transition from youth to maturity. The first book of The Iliad, appropriately titled the â€Å"Rage of Achilles,† sets the scene for the remainder of the epic. Agamemnon seizes Achilles’ prize, the beautiful Briseis, to sooth his own wounded pride. Even though Achilles is correct to suggest that Agamemnon return Chryseis, the swift runner’s brash manner leaves Agamemnon feeling slighted. In return, Achilles vows that he will not fight in the Trojan War any longer. Once Briseis is seized, Achilles goes to the beach to cry to his mother. This is reminiscent of how a small child would act when denied something he wants. It seems that Homer is trying to compare Achilles’ actions in the early books to that of a child. Achilles implores his mother to go to Zeus and ask the god to crush the Greeks until they give Achilles the honors he ... ...les has been throughout the epic. His actions show that he has finally seen to the heart of his fury and found it pointless and destructive. He is ready to fulfill his duty to the Greeks, yet is willing to treat his enemies with respect and courtesy because they are humans as well. In conclusion, the progression of Achilles’ character in The Iliad can easily be viewed as an analogy for the progression of a child to an adult. From the spiteful rage in the beginning to the compassionate respect in the end of the epic, Achilles’ development mirrors that of a stereotypical human from childhood to maturity. The concepts that seem important to him in the beginning, his honor and glory, slowly become supplanted by more reasonable and mature ideals of duty, respect and compassion. Work Cited Homer: Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003. The Metamorphosis of Achilles in Homer’s The Iliad Essay -- Iliad Essa The Metamorphosis of Achilles in Homer’s The Iliad Dr. Frost’s comments: With his clear explanation, illustrative quotes, and logical organization, the student easily proves his thesis, recapped and affirmed very well in the final paragraph. From the first pages of Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is portrayed as vengeful, proud, and petty. As the book progresses, the image of Achilles as a spiteful child is sharpened dramatically. Towards the end of the epic; however, Achilles begins to exhibit qualities that are considered heroic even in today’s society. Once his loyal and trusted friend Patroclus dies, Achilles undergoes a drastic change in character. When he confronts the true horror of death, Achilles puts aside his immature ways to fulfill his duty to his friend, his compatriots, and his conscience. In this way, the progression of Achilles as a character is an analogy for the transition from youth to maturity. The first book of The Iliad, appropriately titled the â€Å"Rage of Achilles,† sets the scene for the remainder of the epic. Agamemnon seizes Achilles’ prize, the beautiful Briseis, to sooth his own wounded pride. Even though Achilles is correct to suggest that Agamemnon return Chryseis, the swift runner’s brash manner leaves Agamemnon feeling slighted. In return, Achilles vows that he will not fight in the Trojan War any longer. Once Briseis is seized, Achilles goes to the beach to cry to his mother. This is reminiscent of how a small child would act when denied something he wants. It seems that Homer is trying to compare Achilles’ actions in the early books to that of a child. Achilles implores his mother to go to Zeus and ask the god to crush the Greeks until they give Achilles the honors he ... ...les has been throughout the epic. His actions show that he has finally seen to the heart of his fury and found it pointless and destructive. He is ready to fulfill his duty to the Greeks, yet is willing to treat his enemies with respect and courtesy because they are humans as well. In conclusion, the progression of Achilles’ character in The Iliad can easily be viewed as an analogy for the progression of a child to an adult. From the spiteful rage in the beginning to the compassionate respect in the end of the epic, Achilles’ development mirrors that of a stereotypical human from childhood to maturity. The concepts that seem important to him in the beginning, his honor and glory, slowly become supplanted by more reasonable and mature ideals of duty, respect and compassion. Work Cited Homer: Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003.

Digital Bangladesh Essay

Introduction: digital Bangladesh is a new world, a new concept, a new dream. Bangladesh is now resounding with the aim of achieving digital Bangladesh. Our present prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in their election manifesto of 2008 declared to build up Bangladesh as a digital one by 2021. Since then this concept has become almost a lip-word with the people of Bangladesh. Meaning of digital Bangladesh: our life today is governed by the offshoots of science. Science has ushered in new era in the history of human civilization. Computer invention is the most determining factor in the respect. It has brought about a revolutionary change on the face of the global world. This change has been possible through the information technology (it) based on computer-internet system. The micro-electronic system through which all sorts of information are collected. Assimilated, preserved, processed and transmitted is known as â€Å"information technology†. This information technology or computer & internet based Bangladesh is called a digital Bangladesh. Necessity in Bangladesh: ours is a developing country. We a achieved independence in 1971 after a bloody liberation war. Science then began the campaign of building up the war-shattered Bangladesh as a Bangla of gold. But it is a matter of great sorrow that we have not been able to cross just the stage of a developing country even after the lapse of a long period of 38 years of liberation. No expected development has yet been achieved. The main causes are: laziness, lack of morality, tendency to make more talks than work, lack of tendency to go ahead with the advanced technology etc. The gradual connection of the digital system in all the activities of Bangladesh, if possible, may give birth to a digital Bangladesh. This perspective plan can be brought into reality only when the important places of the country can be brought under control by setting us CCTV camera based on the computer-election campaign through video conferences as a part of her dream of building up digital Bangladesh. We can apply digital system in the following sectors of our national life. Educational sector: education is the backbo ne of a nation. So we must put our first priority on education sector with a view to establishing a digital Bangladesh. We can make video of teacher’s lectures of speeches and display them on the white screens before the learner. Read more: Essay on Liberation War of Bangladesh A learner can receive education sitting in his house. Medical sector: medical facilities are one of the basic needs of human beings. Modern science has given birth to a new  world in the field of medical treatment. If the internet connection can be spread widely, a patient can receive prescription of medicine without appearing before a physician by paying offers through online banking system. Agricultural sector: ours is an ago-based country. More than 80% of the people of our country are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. But they are ignorant of the more method of cultivation whereas the developed countries of the world have championed in this fields by using the boons of mechanized method of cultivation. Administrative sector: most of the offices of our country are extremely sluggish in work and life in wait for taking bribes by holding up work days after days. We can make the administration dynamic, work-oriented and free from corruption by setting up CCTV camera th rough computer-internet system. Security sector: security is a must in every sphere of our national life. No national can expect to advance without having a well-founded security system. It can be made possible by setting up CCTV camera through computer internet system. This system will help us detect the miscreant event after ling period of their occurrence of mischief’s. Buying and selling sector: buying and selling are our every-days matter. Everyday we go to markets or shopping malls to make purchase of different essential things of our daily life. If the computer network can be spread widely, we shall be able to make our necessary purchases by staying in our house. Not only in the native land, can it be extended even to the foreign countries by making payments through credit cards. Communication sector: â€Å"transport is civilization† –goes a wise saying. It is not possible to make all round development without having a good and dynamic communication system in the country. At present, many a thing of communication affairs is Bering controlled through computer-internet system. We can also bring the whole country within the reach of our hands through this system. Publication sector: we cannot think of publication books today without the help of computer network. The computer system has already been introduced in our publication industry. Earlier, the booed which took at least two months to be published, now that blood can be published within two days. Newspaper sector: computer network is now being used in publishing newspapers on a large scale. Now a newspaper is being published in different regions of the country simultaneously. So newspapers are no more sent to Chittagong, khulna, Rajshahi or sleet from  Dhaka by transport. Especially tins system is being followed in case of first call news papers. Recreation sector: recreation sources are badly needed for the modern mechanized hard-field of recreation. We can enjoy different sorts of amusements including different games and film shows. We can now know the results of the games which are going on overseas within a moment through internet. Banking sector: computer network has given a new impetus in the banking sector. It has made banking sector mere dynamic than ever before. Online system has already been introduced in many banking institutions. Now we no more nee d carry cash money with us to the remotest regions of the country. If this system can be introduced in all banking institutions in our country, Bangladesh will be able to step into a digital one. Setting up online information center: the information services of different public and private sector can be made reach to the door-step of the people by setting up online information centers. Then people will be able to collect different data or information from this information center. Not only that they will be able to know about the final institutional conditions and position. Conclusion: it is said â€Å"hope springs eternal in the human breast† we also hope that we shall be able to turn our war-shattered country into a digital Bangladesh by bringing about an all round development through all-out efforts of people of a all walks of life. We are very hopeful to learn that the daily Jougantor and the Cambrian college have jointly taken a gigantic to set up digital campus all over the country with the Sklogan.

A Synopsis of the Movie Fight Club Essay

The movie begins as Jack, the protagonist, is trapped in a state of insomnia by his job at calculating the cost of recalling a faulty car as opposed to paying court settlements to the relatives of the people killed by that car. He then recommends the one that seems less expensive. While he tries to argue with a doctor about how he can start sleeping, the doctor happens to make a sarcastic remark about how if he wants to see real pain he should go to a support group for men with testicular cancer. Jack takes this remark literally. It is there that he meets Bob, whom I shall describe shortly. Anywhere, he begins to find the support groups addictive, and attends more and more of them, and finds that they allow him to sleep. Soon after in the movie we find Jack meeting Tyler Durden on a plane trip, and when his apartment later explodes Jack meets Tyler Durden in a bar. Having agreed to let Jack stay at his house, Tyler asks Jack to punch him. He tells Jack this will make him feel that hi s life was indeed exciting, and Jack obliges. They begin to fight, and others begin to stand around, wanting to join as well. They gather together, protesting amongst themselves that society was trying to turn them into wimpy and uniform machines and preventing them from feeling like real people, constantly telling them that they need to buy all sorts of stuff that they only need because the advertisements said they did. Pretty soon there are weekly gatherings of these men, waiting for a chance to fight one another, and then they move into the basement of a local bar. More and more men begin to attend Fight Club with the express agreement that they would not mention it, and rumors begin to circulate of Clubs in other cities. Gradually Durden begins to make the Club more involved, giving out â€Å"homework assignments† such as to start a fight with a stranger and lose. Thus Jack finds himself watching as Durden institutes Project Mayhem, an outward attempt at changing society based on widespread attacks on coffee franchises and corporate artwork. Finally Durden plots to blow up ten major credit card companies, with the intent that to erase everyone’s debt would create chaos, and allow society to re- organize itself from that chaos. Many critics of the movie found it to portray antisocial behaviors as a valid way of expressing oneself. (Particularly if only the beginning and middle of thi s movie are looked at.) They argue that its violence is there merely to draw an audience. This is supported by numerous instances of young men and boys vandalizing cars as was done in the movie or forming clubs of their own. Therefore many say that the movie succeeds in condoning what the ending condemns. They say that it promotes violence by making it seem so attractive in muck of the movie, regardless of the conclusion. With this argument in mind, we shall proceed with our analysis of the movie itself. One of the principal themes in Fight Club is its treatment of violence and its relationship with masculinity. The men in the film are portrayed as confronting a society which gives them little meaning and refuses to give them what they feel to be a birthright, a meaningful, productive place in society. Tyler Durden, the leader of Fight Club and the manifestation of the angry, alienated, and purposeless feeling, articulates this, â€Å"We’re the middle children of history, with no special purpose or place. We don’t have a great war in our generation, or a great depression. The great depression is our lives. The great war is a spiritual war. We have been raised by television to believe that we’ll be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars–but we won’t And we’re learning that fact. And we’re very, very, pissed off.† The men in this movie, having their traditional masculine role of breadwinner seemingly denied by feminism and left with meaningless corporate jobs compensate for this loss of masculinity and control by re-affirming their masculinity for themselves through the only masculine behavior they still can do: fighting. According to Jackson Katz: One way that the system allows working class men (of various races) the opportunity for what Brod refers to as â€Å"masculine identity validation† is through the use of their body as an instrument of power, dominance, and control. For working-class males, who have less access to more abstract forms of masculinity-validating power (economic power, workplace authority), the physical body and its potential for violence provide a concrete means of achieving and asserting â€Å"manhood†. Bob also fits this description of fighting as compensation for that sense of paralysis preventing men from being either a crucial part of society or being able to change it so that one can be. Through a combination of the treatment for testicular cancer and of increased estrogen as a result of his steroid use while a body-builder which Bob was left with unusually large breasts and left him with very little perception or himself as masculine or valuable to anyone. However, Bob later appears in the movie as a member of Fight Club, where he finds that once again he can act â€Å"like a man† and feel as if his masculinity is validated. Jack finds Durden’s assertions that the men in their generation have no other wa y to express their individuality or to free themselves from materialism than to fight each other, and to use their fighting as a method of filling the void left by the removal of worthy roles for men in society. In the beginning of the film Jack is using mail-order catalogs, becoming so obsessed with buying whatever he sees advertised in them that his orders become an end to themselves. I would flip and wonder, â€Å"What kind of dining room set ‘defines’ me as a person?† He became so obsessed with obtaining what he saw in the catalogs that he filled up his apartment with furniture and all sorts of other stuff he didn’t need. This seems also to address the increasing assertion by advertisements that you can be defined and given a soul by acquiring products. Durden also spoke of this sort of cycle: â€Å"Look at the guys in fight club. The strongest and smartest men who have ever lived — and they’re pumping gas and waiting tables; or they’re slaves with white collars. Advertising has them chasing cars and clothes. A whole generation working in jobs they hate, just so they can buy shit they don’t really need.† He was alluding to the shackles that a culture based on acquisition has on its members, and inviting these members (namely men) to throw off the shackles and prove that they didn’t need a better dining room set to define them. All they needed, he assured them, was to fight, and would show their humanity and masculinity through that. During another one of his outcries about the male relationship with society, Durden once came upon a designer clothing billboard featuring a muscular man in jeans and no shirt, and criticized it much like various critics of ads which use unrealistic shows of feminine beauty to sell products asked, â€Å"Is this what a real man looks like?† After smearing it with blood, he proclaims, â€Å"Guys packing into the gyms, all trying to look like what Calvin Klein says. Fight club isn’t about looking good.† Susan Faludi, author of Stiffed: the Betrayal of the American Man† calls this sort of â€Å"ornamental masculinity† a major factor in the â€Å"Angry White Male† mentality: The more I consider what men have lost–a useful role in public life, a way of earning a decent living, respectful treatment in the culture–the more it seems to me that men are falling into a status oddly similar to that of women at midcentury. The ’50s housewife, stripped of her connections to a wider world and invited to fill the void with shopping and the ornamental display of her ultrafeminity, could be said to have morphed into the ’90s man, stripped of his connections and invited to fill the void with consumption and a gym-bred display of his ultramasculinity. The empty compensations of a â€Å"feminine mystique† and transforming into the empty compensations of a masculine mystique. Douglas Rushkoff gives his account of the switch from a linear and continuous world to one that was non-linear and discontinuous. Before this switch, middle-class men were seen as valuable and benevolent authority figures who were a pillar of society and who always succeeded in bringing home food for the table because his work paid relatively well. The society felt that there was value also in acquiring as many new and technologically advanced possessions as possible, which allowed for the men to ensure that their wives would find it enjoyable to expend all of their energy at home, cooking and vacuuming and buying better things for cooking and vacuuming. In this way men were given the great majority of political power and respect. However, the awareness of the corruption in politicians’ lives from Watergate, the national confusion after a country was able to watch Kennedy assassinated on TV, and possibly the most lasting of all, the first time that ordinary citizens were able to see combat in Vietnam on the nightly news, creating a much more suspicious outlook on the government and military, caused society to become discontinuous. The former male status symbol was gone along with continuity, replaced by gender equality which prevented men from using the feminine mystique to their advantage, making them less likely to have a dependent wife and family. They lacked that meaning which they had when they were providing for their offspring and mate, to put it in a biological concept, so their motivation to work was largely gone, with consumerism alone unable to fill the void. Their power having toppled, the male now tried to fill this void and prove that he indeed was still a man for society. Consumerism was unable to do that anymore, and so the male body itself, as Jackson Katz said, became the tool. This is shown by the film, in which Tyler Durden attempts to destroy the discontinuous society which tells him that he should not have this total control. This is shown by his completely anti-feminist outlook, particularly his meaningless sexual relationship with Marla Singer. â€Å"Except for their humping, Tyler and Marla were never in the same room†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jack relates. Tyler also describes a generation of unaggressive men â€Å"raised by their mothers†, that characterized his peers who grew up in a time of increased divorce rates and in turn grew up without fathers. â€Å"The last thing we need is another woman.† He gives reason to his masochistic fights and burns by saying that you could create pain for yourself, thereby â€Å"hitting bottom†. He describes it not as a painful and agonizing experience, but a turning point, where you are going to feel excellent after having your teeth knocked out no matter how bad your station in life is. And so Durden’s scheme to create chaos which would then begin society anew, Rushkoff would say, actually was showing that he was trying to mold society around himself. Meanwhile Jack in the end renounces Tyler’s ideas of violent upheaval, instead deciding that he would accept society as discontinuous and use its discontinuity as part of his life. This film therefore shows the advantage in not letting what happens matter to you such as it would in a linear world. Edward Herman’s perceptions of the film would be those of contradiction, largely centering around the fact that the movie is marketed and designed to make a profit, yet at the same time it criticizes the idea that you need to buy what society tells you to buy and that material goods are unnecessary to life. He might postulate that the companies had realized that a capitalistic message promoting conformity doesn’t sell, and instead used and anti-capitalistic message of being skeptical of what society and everyone else tells you to make an even greater profit (much like Sprite’s paradoxical campaign which made fun of soft drink ads, then told people to buy Sprite). he would observe in short not that corporations indeed rejected themselves, but that they now make themselves even more effective by letting people pay to watch them pretend to do so. My own impressions of the movie are that along with its messages on corporations and their relationship with the identity crisis in American men is that it also offered a lot of information on the ultimate problem with taking violence as a way of demonstrating masculinity. This is especially apparent with Bob, who, managed to rediscover his manhood in Fight Club and in Project Mayhem, but was also killed while part of the latter. Fol lowing his death, he is spoken of by his comrades as if he had never been human. This is saying that to become part of violence unquestionably despite perceived acceptance and purpose is to swap one form of denial of yourself for another. Bibliography. Katz, Jackson/ authority on phenomenon of violence and its link to masculinity and cultural trends creating this phenomenon/ Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity This article discussed the use of violence by white men as a tool to regain power they feel to be lost to other groups. Discusses overuse of portrayals of violence and its symbols in advertising. Faludi, Susan/ author of Backlash and Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man, a contributing editor for Newsweek, â€Å"The Betrayal of the American Man, At Ground Zero of the Masculinity Crisis, The Ornamental Culture, Beyond the Politics of Confrontation† Newsweek, (09-13-99) â€Å"It’s ‘Thelma and Louise’ for Guys†, Newsweek (10-25-99) These articles discuss how men have reacted to the identity crisis from their loss of job status and expresses that much of it comes from a modern image of manhood impossible to attain and in the latter relates such phenomena to the film . Fletcher, Kim, â€Å"Male Fantasies† The Spectator (11-20-99) Much like Faludi in that it concludes that film is the result of male feelings of inadequacy in modern culture addressing the question of how to react. Rushkoff, Douglas/ author of Media Virus and Playing the Future among others content take from excerpts of Playing the Future This book describes the cultural evolution caused by the digital age and resulting in adopting non-linear thought and in chaos mathematics. Herman, Edward/ linguistics professor at MIT, comrade of Noam Chomsky â€Å"The Propaganda Model Revisited† from Capitalism and the Information Age This essay enlightens as to the role producers’ and reporters’ personal biases and more particularly of their desire for profit plays in how the media portrays certain events or whether they even mention certain events at all. Braun, Bill, â€Å"Auto dealership vandal released after finishing ‘bootcamp'†, World Staff Writer final home edition (date not given) This, among other articles, outlined or mentioned the violent and anti-social effects that the film seemed to have on the younger adults and adolescents, such as forming their own little fight clubs or vandalism. Uhls, Jim Fight Club screenplay available at http://geocities.com/scifiscripts/scripts/fight_- club_shoot.txt