An oral history of the zombie war Essay Example for Free

An oral history of the zombie war Essay Though perhaps not as â€Å"academic† as the other sources in this bibliography, the oral history of the zombie war is an important side note to the whole genre. In Brooks’ book, there are several moments, while recounting the battles with the zombies, where they are told from the point of view of the liberators. In fact, in his story, he coins the phrase â€Å"LAMOE† which stands â€Å"Last men on earth†. These individuals, much like the character played by Will Smith, had been left behind, the infected zones to fend for themselves. Often, as the story is told, these people left behind, were not all too happy to be â€Å"liberated†, as they had conditioned themselves to the isolation of being, and believing they were the last â€Å"people† on earth. In this sense, the film version and incidentally the book, deal with these concepts from the point of view of the isolated; but, what if they were to be told from the point of view of the liberators? Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1949. Joseph Campbell’s book, is an overview of legends and the masks our heroes wear. Both in the film version and the book version of I Am Legend, the Robert Neville character must go through various trials; which, ultimately in the film version, leads to his transformation from this plane of existence to another. (Mainly, by dying) The first trial, is simple isolation, which Campbell explicitly describes as one of the most common trails of mythology. Additionally, in the film, the main character exhibits a certain arrogance, which ultimately turns around on him. I. E the way he had caught the other zombie, the trick sort to speak, was used against him later in the movie. Giglioli, Palo Pier. Language and Social Context. New York: Penguin. 1972. It should be of note: the original book written by Matheson, had a lead character who was white; whereas the film version cast the lead character as black. Setting aside the box-office appeal of Will Smith for a moment, what were some of the other reasons for the change of race? Could the film be taken as an commentary of the plight of successful African-Americans, being isolated, though working desperately to help their friends, family and peer group? If the film is viewed in this light, one could most accurately argue that it is in fact a commentary on racial issues within a particular racial group. Hellekson, Karen Ph. D. The alternate history (Refiguring Historical Time). Kent: Kent State University Press, 2001. Through out her review of the alternate history genera of story telling, Karen Hellekson, makes not of the function of the story being told. If one were to apply her same method of criticism to the movie version of I AM Legend, we would find that it too is an alternate history. Obviously, fictions, the film I Am Legend, begins with the initial out-break, due to the cancer fighting drug. Although, this is told in a â€Å"present† narrative, the inclusion, of these scenes are to create an artificial history in the story’s time line. Matheson, Richard. I AM LEGEND London: Orion Books, 1954. Naturally, the movie version starring Will Smith is radically divergent from the original book published in 1954. An example of one such divergence, is in the role of the main character. In the original works, the main character, was a former Marine, whereas in the film version, he is a current Marine working with the CDC. Another divergence, which actually changes the nature of the title, is found at the ending of both the book and the film. In the film version, the main character becomes legendary, due to how he dies; whereas the book version, Robert Neville, is legendary due to him being the last non-infected â€Å"human† or in essence the last man on earth. Twain, Mark. â€Å"On the Damned Human Race† A collection of Essays Edited by Janet Smith. 1962. An argument could be made that both the film and the original fiction, had been a commentary on the human condition, the human race. Twin’s wit and insight into the social conditions apply aptly to both the film version and the book. The fact Robert Neville takes it upon himself to â€Å"cure† the world is manifestly anti-twian-ian. â€Å"it is the ghost, of fool-hardy chivalry† as Twain would say, about the lengths the character goes to rid the world of something, that it seems more than happy to live with.

General Motors/UAW :: essays research papers

GM/UAW What Can We Expect? In the past, General Motors (GM) has been the top seller of the three major automakers and had one of the strongest unions in the United States. Today, GM is decreasing in rank due to other automakers. The moral among the members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) is diminishing. If things continue on this current path, GM may be of the pass. Even with all the discounts GM is advertising, this may not be enough to pull them out of their financial burden. Could the answers to GM worries be the UAW? The UAW was organized in the late 1930’s. The purpose of the organization was to protect the workers rights. GM was not in agreement with the workers forming a union. After much debate, the workers staged a sit down strike that lasted about six weeks. This tremendously affected GMs’ profits and they decided to give recognition to the UAW as having the right to represent workers who are union members. The UAW and GM are both strong organizations in their own rights. They must put aside their past disagreements and come together to help GM out of this financial situation. GM has threatened to make cuts on their own, causing breakdown in the relationship with the union. UAW is willing to make concessions, but not to the extent of what GM is demanding. UAW needs to open a contract talk before 2007, in order for GM to survive. Without a GM there will be no UAW, and UAW needs to remember that. GM and UAW seem to be playing a dangerous game that can destroy many people’s lively hood. GM is hurting financially and instead of asking for help from the UAW, GM prefer to threaten them about health care costs. GM chairman, G. Richard Wagoner Jr., said recently that he prefers to collaborate with the UAW on health care issues rather than a fight. Mr. Wagoner stated that he would press the issues for health care cost cuts with or without the union’s approval. It is crystal clear that we need to achieve a significant reduction in the health care cost disadvantage and it needs to be done now (Welch, 2005). GM is seeking to slash health care cost and the stakes are massive. Billion in potential savings for GM if their demands are met, but if not GM will have lost billions if the UAW strikes.

Analysis of the French Ambassadors

Holbein’s piece of the French Ambassadors (23-11) depicts two people standing in what seems to be an office or study. One man, the one on the left seems to be a patron or some sort of a wealthy man. You can tell by the clothes he is wearing and how much more dignified he looks than from the man on his right. The landowner has a fancy coat lined with some sort of fur. He has on some jewelry, a necklace, hanging from his neck. In his right hand he seems to be holding some kind of instrument showing he is an educated man. His face is rendered with more realism than his peer on the right. He also seems to be bit more lively in spirit. The landowner is leaning upon a table that is loaded with many other instruments for collecting data. These tools are symbols that these two men aren’t your ordinary common folk, they are more like scholars and have curiosities about many different things in life as what was a main theme of the Renaissance. The globes on the tables indicate an interest in astronomy and geology. It could also be a reference to Nicholas Copernicus a Renaissance astronomer who was the first to theorize that the earth wasn’t the center of the universe. Other instruments on the table indicate interests in mathematics, as there seems to be some cube object with numbers and angles maybe referring to geometry. Also on the table there is a mandolin signifying that not only are these two just purely scholars, but lively entertaining people or culturally diverse people. Another object on the table has to be the open books, which seem to be journals or diaries of some sort because of how there is a feather pen marking a spot in one. On the table there is a mantle but to me it looks more than just a decorative pattern for protection of a table but a tapestry of some sort. Above and behind the men and the table is a green patterned curtain. The drapery on the curtain causes your eyes to flow downward upon to the men and the table. The man on the right is dressed in black robes, clothing of a clergyman with a pair of gloves in his hand. If the clothes aren’t enough, he also has the white collar that all Catholic members of the church wear. The lighting in this painting is coming from the left as you can tell from how the landowner’s face seems to be more brightly lit than the clergyman’s. also you can tell by how on the clergyman’s side the painting gets gradually darker. One important thing about this painting is also the face of the gentlemen. In a way it seems as if two different artists of different caliber painted the faces. The landowners face looks loquent and beautiful, while the clergyman’s face looks simple and without much enthusiasm. The biggest concept of this image has to be the grayish line of some sort running through the ground. This object is an anamorphic image and the most interesting part of this painting. An anamorphic image is a distorted image that is only viewable from a certain angle or through a mirror. When looking at the painting from a lower angle and tilting your head towards the left you see an image of a skull. This skull is a symbol that can mean two different things. One is the study of sciences of the human body as there is no evidence of studying the human body is shown on the table that is supposed to represent education. The skull shows that the ponderings of the science of the human body bring these two men together. Another explanation for the symbol of the skull is to remind the viewer that even with all these great advancements and breakthroughs that man is still mortal and eventually one will die. The theme at first that I got was that men of the renaissance were greatly interested in the fine arts and education. Once looking at the painting more in depth and various times I see that that is just scratching the surface. The theme for this painting is how even though the Church and Landowners/nobility and wealthy were of such different social classes and distinctions, and even though they had many differences, they were brought together by their thirst for knowledge about everything they could imagine of. This theme comes through how the two men are leaning on the table full of symbols of education and higher learning showing their interests in it.

Official Function of Emperor Akihito of Japan

From the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the Japanese surrender that ended World War II, the Emperor of Japan was an all-powerful god/king. The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces spent the first half of the twentieth century conquering vast swathes of Asia, fighting the Russians and the Americans, and menacing even Australia and New Zealand. With the countrys defeat in 1945, however, Emperor Hirohito was forced to renounce his divine status, as well as all direct political power. Nonetheless, the Chrysanthemum Throne endures. So, what does the current emperor of Japan actually do? Today, Hirohitos son, Emperor Akihito, sits on the Chrysanthemum Throne. According to the Constitution of Japan, Akihito is a symbol of the state and the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power. The current emperor of Japan has official duties that include receiving foreign dignitaries, awarding decorations to Japanese citizens, convening the Diet, and officially appointing the Prime Minister as selected by the Diet. This narrow scope leaves Akihito with a lot of free time to pursue hobbies and other interests. The Emperors Schedule How does Emperor Akihito while away the hours? He gets up at 6:30 each morning, watches the news on television, and then goes for a walk with Empress Michiko around the Imperial Palace in downtown Tokyo. If the weather is inclement, Akihito drives in his 15-year-old Honda Integra. Reportedly, he obeys all traffic laws even though the roads in the Imperial Compound are closed to other vehicles, and the Emperor is exempt. The mid-day is filled with official business: greeting foreign ambassadors and royalty, handing out imperial awards, or performing his duties as a Shinto priest. If he has time, the Emperor works on his biological studies. He is a world-class expert on goby fish  and has published 38 peer-reviewed scientific papers on the topic. Most evenings include official receptions and banquets. When the Imperial Couple retires at night, they enjoy watching nature programs on TV and reading Japanese magazines. Like most royals, the Japanese Emperor and his family live an oddly isolated lifestyle. They have no need for cash, they never answer the telephone, and the Emperor and his wife eschew the internet. All of their houses, furnishings, etc. belong to the state, so the Imperial Couple does not have any personal belongings. Some Japanese citizens feel that the Imperial Family has outlived its usefulness. Most, however, are still devoted to this shadowy remnant of the former god/kings. The true role of the current emperor of Japan seems to be two-fold: to provide continuity and reassurance to the Japanese people, and to apologize to the citizens of neighboring countries for past Japanese atrocities. Emperor Akihitos mild manner, distinct lack of hauteur, and express contriteness for the past have gone some way toward repairing relations with such neighbors like China, South Korea, and the Philippines.