The Civil Strife And Chaos That Had Torn Russia Limb From Limb In The

The civil strife and chaos that had torn Russia limb from limb in the early 20th Century, although brutally devastating, did not hail the end of the stability and power that had characterized the massive country for so much of history. The continuing strength of what was now the Soviet Union lay in the newly formed support structure provided by Socialist Realism, a force that directed the awareness of, and the arts produced by, the Soviet people. The ideals of Socialist Realism deified Lenin and Marx, attributed the Bolshevik ranks with heroism undaunted by overwhelming opposition, and directed the proletariat towards a better future through reconstruction and industrialization of the state. Socialist Realism was essentially a Party tool that, combined with the Bolshevik ideals of collectivization and unity, would transform the people into a formidable, indestructible mass force. Socialist Realism's central code of conduct was, in Stalin's words, to above all portray life truthfully. Any form of art that depicted Bolshevik life was to do so in a realistic and accurate manner, on its way to socialism; that will be socialist art, that will be Socialist Realism. (Lincoln 333) This was the paradigm that all Soviet art was to be modeled after; implemented in 1934, the formula of Socialist Realism would heavily influence artistic life in the Soviet Union until the 1960s. The rise of Socialist Realism was rapid and dramatic. It dampened Europe's excitement over Russia's post-schism, secular art by redirecting art inward towards the Soviet people and forcing form and function upon it rather than abiding by the ideal of art for art's sake. Once again, the ancient religious ideals of Orthodox Russia were shunned, and the Party replaced God at the forefront of Soviet life. The Party mimicked Socialist Realism as a model for the people, who were expected to take the example of their heroic yet humble forefathers and arise from the masses to submit themselves to the principles of Lenin, then confidently lead their comrades forward to a bright Bolshevik future where both nature and human opposition would bow to the power of the Soviets. Although the Soviet Union was markedly secular, it adopted Orthodox Russia's replacement of the individual with the collective. Many artists collaborated on gigantic pieces that depicted the immense size and grandeur of their unified country. Overwhelming all other artistic principles, Socialist Realism became synonymous with the state. It modified the past and the future by making both conform to reality and to Lenin's timeless ideals. Most importantly, it portrayed the Soviet Union's future as being filled with an unequaled prosperity that would forever shame capitalism and its proponents. However, much of the reality that Socialist Realism depicted existed solely in the minds of the Soviet people. Socialist Realism portrayed life only as the Bolsheviks wanted it seen, and in many ways created an idealistic world of fantasy that overlooked massive failures (Lincoln 335) such as the death and suffering that continued to prosper in labor camps throughout the country. Socialist Realism was Stalin's aesthetic cover-up of the horrid, truly real Soviet reality, and if an artist intentionally or accidentally ventured too far behind the scenes in his work, official confession and apology to the state did not always prevent him from being sent to one of many labor camps. Socialist Realism was largely effective in indoctrinating simple-minded men and women with Bolshevik ideals. Nowhere else was this practice more effective than in Soviet literature, which was directed towards the unsophisticated, newly literate masses rather than the intellectual elite. Much of this literature focused on the Russian Civil War and the immortalized heroes that were crucial to socialism's victory. It was meant to instill the proletariat with a nationalistic pride that would direct its minds and hearts towards the interests of the state. Because of their overwhelming prominence, the influences of Socialist Realism were nearly impossible to escape. One of the most paradigmatic, and also one of the first Soviet heroes was Vasilii Chapaev, a Red soldier killed in the Civil War and elevated to the status of legend through the efforts of Socialist Realism. The author Dmitrii Furmanov wrote a novel depicting Chapaev's exploits, which was made into a screenplay in 1934 and became one of the

The Progressive era and its li essays

The Progressive era and its li essays The Progressive Era and its limitations In this essay I am going to first show the sources of progressivism. Then I will analyze and describe various reforms. Following I will get into the limitations of these reforms for certain groups of people. I want to show that even though the progressive era had been full of significant reforms with good intentions, it had its limitations as far as poor people, minorities and immigrants were concerned. I believe that this progressive era did bring many great and beneficial reforms but it did not always help the poorest and the minorities. The study of the emergence of modern America begins with the Progressive era which included the nations most vibrant set of reform ideas and campaigns since the 1830s-40s. Various aspects triggered the Progressive Reform Era. Industrialization, with all its increase in productivity and the number of consumer goods, was one of these aspects. It created unemployment and labor unrest, wasteful use of national resources and abuses of corporate power. The growing cities magnified problems of poverty, disease, crime and corruption. Influx of immigrants and rise of new managerial class upset traditional class alignments. On top of all of these problems, the Massive depression of 1893-1897 convinced many that equal opportunity was out of reach for many Americans. The Progressives arose from all of these problematic issues. These Progressive reformers were composed of several different groups: new middle class composed of young professionals, Muckraking journalists, political reformers and socialists. The young professionals sought to apply principles of professions ( medicine, law, business, teaching) to problems of society. They had a strong faith in progress and the ability of educated people to overcome problems. The journalists attacked corruption and scandal with a sense of outrage: Lincoln Steffens exposed city machines in The Shame of ...

How have media technologies changed our experience of space, and how Essay

How have media technologies changed our experience of space, and how have these changes been represented - Essay Example Inasmuch as pre-modern art was based on fetish techniques adopted by individual artists, messages contained in each artistic medium did not contradict standards of rationality. Rutsky (1999) mentioned that contents of traditional media represented perennial happiness and perceptive inclination of both artists and audiences. Those perceptive inclinations constrict individuals to adopt a uniform rationality of ideas contained in media channels. However, contemporary media possess substantial difference from its traditional versions. Today, incorporation of technology in media has significantly changed the audiences’ perception of space and time. Media technologies today are constantly evolving. Consequently, contents of media continue affecting audiences’ lives in a complex manner. The media environment together with its representation of space and time causes a substantial impact on social, economic and political aspects of human life. Increasing dynamics within the media’s virtual environment presents temporary ramifications of time and space orientation. According to Frederick and Mast (2007), current contents of digital media throws consumers into a strange environment of ordered and linear coordinates of space and time scales. As acknowledged earlier, traditional media demonstrated uniformity and objectivity in terms of content representation. However, digital media today represents concepts by immersing then into inconceivable spatial dimensions. This creates a situation where consumers are in constant quest for the difference between real and virtual representation of life aspects. Rutsky (1999) added t hat spatial dimensions in digital media take consumers into environments with contents that cannot be comprehended through simple sensory perceptions. Meaning of digital contents does not result from immediate experience. Rather, understanding them requires mediation between concepts of rationalism and instrumentalism. In order to understand

Human Euthanasia is Unethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Euthanasia is Unethical - Essay Example All of them are for the protection of life. In the world of medicine, the World Medical Association (WMA, 2002) made its point well on euthanasia. The policy adopted by the 38th WMA Assembly, in Madrid, Spain, October 1987, states: "Euthanasia, that is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient, even at the patient's own request or at the request of close relatives, is unethical. This does not prevent the physician from respecting the desire of a patient to allow the natural process of death to follow its course in the terminal phase of sickness." "Physicians-assisted suicide, like euthanasia, is unethical and must be condemned by the medical profession. Where the assistance of the physician is intentionally and deliberately directed at enabling an individual to end his or her own life, the physician acts unethically. However the right to decline medical treatment is a basic right of the patient and the physician does not act unethically even if respecting such a wish results in the death of the patient." As one of the most contentious issues of our time, "euthanasia" (herein clarified as human) is understood as "good death." According to Bamgbose (2004), there are many angles in looking at this issue as euthanasia has been deliberated in a many-sided debate from different groups. On one side are the medical practitioners ready to assist with their expertise; on another are the legal practitioners who interpret the law; on still another are those in the judicial arm of government who have to make authoritative decisions. There are yet the two groups where on one side are the terminally ill who look for assistance to die with dignity, and then on the other side are the family members much tormented with anguish. My position. The debate on euthanasia is on whether a person may decide to have his or her life terminated for his or her own benefit (Bamgbose, 2004). The burden appears to lie on the one who has a life to reckon with. Does a person own his own life such that he can decide how long he should live or notAs defined by euthanasia.com (http://www.euthanasia.com/index.html), euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. Accordingly, the key word here is "intentional" so that if death is not intended, it is not an act of euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia therefore refers to when the person who is killed has requested to be killed. Accordingly, there is no euthanasia unless the death is intentionally caused by what was done or not done (Website: euthanasia.com). Zeroing in on this angle, this paper takes on the position that a person's decision to terminate his or her life is unethical. In other words, the WMA's belief that euthanasia is unethical is well taken. Euthanasia or good death or mercy killing may take on other meanings like suicide or physician-assisted suicide (PAS) depending on the circumstance. All of them, however, amount to euthanasia. For either argument for and against euthanasia, this paper will endeavor to counter or concur with the contentions accordingly The word euthanasia originated from an amalgam of two Greek words: eu

Essay on the book Christianity in the first three centuries by Adolf

On the book Christianity in the first three centuries by Adolf Harnack - Essay Example Thus, the religion of Christianity has â€Å"become a power† (Harnack 312). Initially, Christianity has been known as a part of Judaism; subsequently, it has become one of the most dominant religions in the world. In its evaluation as a popular religion, it has attained a powerful grip on humanity. Harnack, by analyzing both historical developments of dogma and of the relation of the church to the state, along with missionary movement of Christians, investigates the expansion of this religion. Christianity has received a strong foundation to grow and the time too has been perfect in a certain sense, despite the stiff oppositions, constant attacks, enemies, unfavorable rulers and authorities. Harnack’s work is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the humble but dynamic beginning, with the background of Judaism, and the emergence of Jewish religion. Then it goes on to the mission, consequently segregating from the mainstream. The second section concer ns with the contents of the message that influenced the Christians with such a powerful force. The third section dwells on different methods employed, and hostility suffered in the voyage of the mission until it attained the recognition of the masses. This paper offers a critical analysis of Harnack’s work in relation to the mission and the expansion of Christianity. Review: Right at the beginning, in Book 1, Harnack brings to the attention of his audience Christianity’s germination on the fertile land of Jews and examines how it has fared then on. The context has remained favorable for Christianity’s growth. Jewish foothold has been very firm and their propaganda profound. Judaism gradually kept transforming in a philosophical context. However, afterwards, the religion has â€Å"presented itself in the eyes of the law and the authorities as a religion distinct from that of Judaism, its character as a religio illicita was assured† (Harnack 302). Simultane ously, the religion has blended itself into the lives and other aspects of the society in the east. This was syncretism, which looked like a unity from distance but is heterogenous in reality. When â€Å"Christianity came to formulate ideas of God, Jesus, sin, redemption, and life, it drew upon the materials acquired in the general process of religious evolution standing against polytheism.† Harnack showed that Jesus’ preaching and works are the base for further mission work and the impulse given by His genuineness worked as its spirit. The earliest followers, especially Paul, got this profound consciousness of being an apostle to the world. He was driven till the western ends of Roman Empire. The transition from Jewish mission to gentile mission is clearly shown by Harnack. In between, he argues against the Jews’ evilness and unworthiness of God’s grace. He takes it to extremes. In the gospels, first of all, one can find the obligation to go to the Jews and then the Gentiles. Jesus, however, did not give an explicit command for this, which remained further a field to think upon. However, His message was for the whole humanity. Harnack depicted Christianity as a syncretistic religion. But it is not clear to what extent this syncretism or the acceptance of ideas from others, and employing them for own understanding, was present in the words of Jesus and the

London Street Photography Exhibition Photography Essay

London Street Photography Exhibition Photography Essay This exhibition shows images of London streets taken between 1960 and 2010, some of them come from the museum archives and was not exhibited before at such a scale. Exhibition takes place in a couple of rooms in the lower level. The main exhibition space takes two rooms to the side showing films about street photography. The images are displayed in chronological order around the room, as we go feather faded sepia images stands out to our eyes as we go along they loosing they grainy quality, the moving objects becoming less blurry and they change to black and white photographs. As we progress to the end of exhibition photographs transform into colour images. An introduction show us a short film which include a interview with Paul Trevor who took photographs of the East End between 1970s and 1980s that were a high points of the exhibition. Over 60 photographers shown their work starting with Valentine Blanchards who were born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire in 1831.His photograph taken in 1860 of Covent Garden Market where man in a hat is caught looking at vegetables while behind him world continues in its busy way. Looking at this image is giving you a feeling of turning back in time, stopping for a while and think about yourself and all those years that passed. Really calming effect I would say. There were images of Terry Spencer who shot skinheads frowning at hippies in Piccadilly Circus. Another image of couple walking down the street in anticipation, it is beautiful proof that out there somewhere it always be a moment to be caught .For example when child looks up and smiles or a person sitting alone on the bench in the park. This British capital, wrote Henry James, is the particular spot in the world which communicates the greatest sense of life; there is nothing one cant study at first hand. Roger Mayne sought to record a way of life in North Kensington before it was redeveloped in 1960s. His images often looked at the use of the streets as social space. The photograph that caught my eye is the image of two men walking down the Latimer Road caring shopping and just drifted away with their minds completely not aware of the photographer. I like that the image is in greyscale which makes it stand out more because you get that feeling of time and how the viewer perceiving the convening message. The framing and the location show us that Roger Mayne dedicated himself to describe life on London working class people and streets. Other photograph of Tom taken in Trafalgar Square in 1970 involved simplification of black and white and freezing the moment in time. Other of his picture included in exhibition is picture of children playing cricket in Notting Hill. As Roger Mayne said himself I went to South London and I saw, in the distance, a bombed building with a lot of children pl aying in it, so I thought that might be an interesting subject. So I walked towards this building and when the children saw somebody with a camera they immediately stopped this fascinating thing, whatever they were doing which intrigued me, so they all came out and wanted their photograph. You used to get this cry, please take my photo Mister. As you move around the place you witness capital developing and changing across a century. Some of the locations appears a couple of times and as you follow you can see that they are becoming more and more as they are today. Different elements pops up, the number of non white faces increase, style of clothes becoming more similar to what we are wearing today and we notice that British culture is influenced more and more by brands and trends from United States. Really interesting for me were the images of racial tensions in 1970s but the photograph of white woman kissing a black man, photograph by Charlie Phillips, seems to improve the relations between immigrants and Londoners. I noticed that photography drastically changed across the exhibition. Since the innovations in technology cameras were getting smaller and exposure faster we could notice how the photographers approach changed relating to the subject. Furthermore the subject matter also changed specially in the war period as artists changed their focus from capturing streets to highlighting the London inequalities. After that noticeably compositions approached changed due to emigrating people from Europe who brought new modernist style with them. That style moved back and forward since 1960s and which quickly were displaced. What amazed me the most were the techniques used to produce the image. The street photographer often needs to get his shoots quickly and secretly that push him to compromise in technique. We can find photographers that do this, by intentionally heighten contrast and grain, emphasizing the grittiness of that street which in my opinion did not look amusing at all. However in whole exhibition you could find beautiful pieces in deed. For example George Reids photographs shot with plate glass camera showing an amazing control of depth of field and exposure with carefully planned and examined shoot of the scene. Moving into colour which is delayed and does not become obvious after us past 1980s because people belief that greyscale images are more successful for documentary storytelling as a medium. The image taken by Bob Tapper called Two children looking out of a window in Fieldgate Mansions ;1986 draw my attention straight away because of that children they looked like they are prisoners of their own house. For a while I felt sad but then I realised that they are actually happy. I do like framing in this image and how photographer emphasizes his point of view standing up and taking picture from that level. Also the writing on the wall matches the subject matter as we do not know if they having a mum or they are orphans. The fact that window is just on the footpath level makes it more abstract how the kids looking out of a window. Further I found interesting photograph of Stephen McLaren called Dog, Big Ben taken in April 2007 .It is a shoot of a dog jumping in the air and captured next to Big Ben on beautiful cloudless sky .What makes the dog look really big almost the size of the Big Ben is the way how it was captured pushed me to think how much you could do when you actually looking around. Also how important is approaching your subject in a way how you want to display your work to the viewer. The last photograph that I will talk about that grabbed my attention was the image by Marco Fiori Metro London Street Photography winner, 2011.The image shows interesting contrast of red and black and it captured the spontaneity of a perfect moment. Overall the exhibition show how London changed around its residents to become a city as we see it today. The down side of the whole experience was queuing for an hour and allot of people shuffling around the small room briefly looking at a succession of the prints which we re A4 size or smaller. Also a short description was hanged almost at the ankle level what was real struggle to read. To summarise the exhibition provides the facts that street photography is no longer alive but its shows that is still relevant in todays world.

The Argument for Celibacy Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Argument E

The Argument for Celibacy    How could someone explain America’s loosening view of sexual intercourse over recent decades? Have our moral standards changed so much that they now accept or even encourage frequent sex? Is it just a method of rebellion as people attempt to fight conservative societal views? Perhaps we just wish to fight those who instill inhibitive ideas on us, and our forms of freedom – in this case, that of our bodies. Has American media’s desire for revenue and profit caused an increased sway towards what was previously deemed inappropriate? Thomas Jefferson even once said that â€Å"man is an imitative animal†. Is America just experiencing a spontaneous hormone rush? Is it possible for a society to experience its own version of puberty? Or has America just always been horny and never shown it? After all, the 70-year-old chick from The Wedding Singer screwed the modern equivalent of 200 men before she got married, didn’t she? One can speculate on these ideas, probably others as well, and not really get anywhere. They’ve all contributed to modern attitudes towards sex. But beneath all the sexual innuendos of American entertainment, the social standards of acceptance based on sexual practices, and all of the Saturday night hoopla over who’s going to get laid first and how many beers it will take, there is a subtle current of those who look in the other direction. Imagine this – some people are actually happy without getting any. You can reread that last sentence if you have to. That’s why it’s there. Not all people consider it a priority to do push-ups the hard way every weekend. In fact, some consider it a priority not to. These people are celibates, and they’re not ashamed to admit it. They’re proud... ...any man-made laws, there is a strong value in preserving one’s virginity until marriage. But again, in our country, adhering to these principles is a matter of choice. Most choose not to, and find many forms of sex to be part of our culture, and completely acceptable to engage in. Some do not view it as such. While the celibate may not make his virginal state well-known, the values that influence its holding remain true and steadfast in his life, regardless of cultural and social change. Celibates are often ridiculed for not following societal views or conforming to popular culture. Anyone can argue as to whether or not these aspects of life are acceptable, but next time you think of a celibate in a ridiculing manner, ask yourself if you would have the courage and the integrity of one. Then try ridiculing. It could prove much harder than getting someone in the sack.