The Woman in black The Fortune theatre Essay Example

The Woman in black The Fortune theatre Paper This is a ghost play by Stephen Mallatratt. The play sees the elderly Arthur Kipps, played by Pip Donaghy, attempt to exorcise the ghosts of his past by having a young actor, Colin Hurley, portray his experiences on the stage of a currently empty theatre. The set and lighting that was used during the play was very basic, this was done purposely because the lay is set in an empty theatre, which is still tidying up after a past production. The main items used during the play were visible from the outset. There was a large wicker basket, a stool, two wooden chairs and a clothes wrack. Seeing as these items had to be used to portray most items and settings, the lighting would have to be used cleverly, and it was. It enhanced the simple set and added to the illusion of place and created an atmosphere. The lighting and sound in the following places was; London office- A low and dull light with sound =s of horse and carriages trotting past outside. A ticking clock was cleverly used to create an office feeling. Tomes had his room down stage right in this scene. Kipps Young Kipps Tomes room Train-Different chairs were used to give us an idea of the three trains comfort. A big comfortable chair and warm lighting was used in London to show optimism, where the wicker basket and cold lighting were used on the final train to create an ominous feeling, this train was ancient and comfortless. A clever piece of lighting was also used in this scene. It was a revolving gobo to create the look of the train going through a tunnel. Tannoy announcements between trains to create atmosphere. Hotel- Busy bar sound effect, which went quiet with the mentioning of Alice Drablows name. We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman in black The Fortune theatre specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman in black The Fortune theatre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman in black The Fortune theatre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Church- A laundry basket was the alter and it was positioned upstage centre. Footsteps of coffin bearers are heard as well as a vicars voice as he gives the funeral sermon. A gobo of a cross is projected upstage centre where it is thrown onto gauze. In the Churchyard a leaf gobo is projected onto the floor to represent the outdoors, sounds of crows are heard which is unpleasant and gives an anonymous feeling, vicars voice is still heard as coffin goes into ground, vicars last words, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Outside eel marsh house- A gobo of the house has been projected onto the first gauze. The gobo represents an unwelcoming, doted mansion (this gobo is shown every time a scene is set outside eel marsh house) he is quoted as saying A tall gaunt house. Inside eel marsh house- A musty yellow lighting, the sound effects are the door slamming every time Kipps enters, whilst Kipps is looking through the house a grandfather clock is heard ticking, this creates suspension. One of the best scenes for visual acting was scene 7. this was the horse and trap scene. It was good because even though all the actors had to work with was an old wicker basket, they managed to create the image of two people riding in a carriage. They did this by bobbing up and down and swaying from side to side. They also shouted things like giddy up and made a whipping action towards the horse. Everything they did was supported by sound effects. The lighting in all scenes was good as it created the places and made us feel as if we were actually there. These were; the gobo of Eel Marsh House, a tall dark and eerie building that created a feeling of discomfort. And a cross (crucifix) to represent the inside of the church, along with a leaf to represent the outside. The set behind the two gauzes was brilliantly concealed and surprised us when it came into the play. One section behind the play was used to represent two settings. The cemetery and the childs bedroom. Covering the bedroom furniture with old dustsheets that you would have found in a theatre during a production, created the cemetery. The period that child died was late 19th century and the furniture represented this. It was mahogany and very expensive. There was padding on the rocking chair, which was red to symbolise blood. The toys and clothes are neatly stored and folded for the little boy, this shows that even though he was dead, Jennet and Alice still cared for it and one of the dolls was a golliwog, which also shows period as they would probably be banned if brought put now. The Music box played Swanlake. There was an even bigger shock in act two when we saw it in disarray after Jennet had vented her anger at not being able to kill Spider, Kipps canine companion in the marshes. This again told us of Jennets deranged State of mind. Second gauze reveals arched stairway, which he walks up revealing his silhouette. This was also effective as, again, it was a surprise to see it appear. These were made to appear by the use of the lighting from above shining through the gauze. The use of the second gauze impressed me even more than the first one as when used you could not see the nursery in front of it. Both actors did brilliantly throughout the performance, here is a brief itinerary and description of the parts they played; Acting as old Kipps Pip Donaghy- He walks on very shyly with nose in script, not very confident in his own acting ability (and rightly so! ). He speaks quietly with no emotion (monotonously). We realize how boring and rubbish old Kipps is at acting when he comes back on, this time with a pair of glasses, and speaks with real confidence and moves with prowess. Old Kipps looks the actor in the eye, it must be told he says, to show his age the actor leads him upstairs hand in hand. He snorts instead of sniffs, and walks a bit kift, this is because Tomes is a comic character. Arthur old Kipps now becomes the actor young Kipps boss. Hes now well spoken and clips the end of his words, he now becomes joyous, and laughs as this character, making him seem friendly and approachable. He sits casually and blows his nose, a feat not accomplished with any other characters, he also taps his foot, another sign of happiness. In the first part of the play and he is still reading from the script, however. as mentioned earlier he now wheres glasses, and with this he learns his lines and can act. He now speaks in a well-spoken Yorkshire accent. Holding his head high (confidence) he makes eye contact with young Kipps because he is friendly and bobs up and down. As the barman he is not well spoken, and when young Kipps mentions Alice Drablow he acts shocked and moves away and acting shocked again, starts to stutter and talk slowly. Back as old Kipps and he is now going through various emotions as he watches the play progress from the wings of the stage, for instance when the actor says that he doesnt believe in ghosts he holds his head in despair of his own naivety. He acted Jerome by dropping slightly at his knees to show that he is older than Daily but not quite as old as Tomes. The woman in black killed Jeromes child and when the actor asks who the woman with the wasted face is, Jerome wont look. The actor then asks Jerome if he could find him someone to help with the paperwork at Alice Drablows house, Jerome says you will find no-one suitable shudders and walks away. As Keckwick he is non-communicative, he never looks at the actor and grunts occasionally but when the actor (young Kipps) mentions that he is going to the Drablow house he goes uhhh! In a surprised manor, he also holds the reigns differently to when he played Daily. When the actor is explaining of the death of his wife and kids he hugs himself and looks very upset. DOG They acted the dog by ;- 1- looking down at the same time to show the dog. 2- He (the actor) looked down and shouted here Spider and 3- He tilts his head away from the dogs wet tongue. Acting as The Actor Colin Hurley When we first hear Colin Hurley he has a big loud voice, which he amplifies brilliantly from the back of the theatre, when playing the part of the actor, he is also very confident in doing this. When narrating about his family telling ghost stories he spoke as an excited young child, the line he spoke was, were telling ghost stories. When he went back to being Kipps he spoke quietly and with fear, because he was remembering the woman in black, he also sounded angry and resentful of the fact that people were treating ghost stories as light entertainment, he spoke with real bitterness. When he walks onto the train he walks sideways and dodges air to make it look as if it is a crowded railway station with lots of people. On seeing the woman in black at the graveyard he acts cautiously and scared. When he walks from eel marsh house he panics and collapses in horror of the woman in black and when he realizes that the horse and trap sounds are ghosts he looks terrified with his eyes wide open, eyebrows drawn and tensed muscles. On rescuing Spider he lay flat on the floor down stage right and lent over the edge as if the pit was the marsh. He tenses his arms to show that he is struggling to tug Spider out of the deep pull of the marsh, he eventually pulls spider up and collapses on the stage. When hearing music from the jewellery box, he pauses and focuses on the door to create tension. Acting to show his toddler son Joseph, he puts hand down towards the floor and leans slightly to show hes holding Josephs hand, he took small slow childlike steps. He mimed lifting Joseph by bending down low, putting his hands child width apart and smiled as he put his happy child onto the pony and trap. Later in the same scene he describes his childs death as, crumpled on the grass dead! He pauses to show us how difficult he finds it to speak of this tragic event. He then quietly sniffs as though trying not to cry. I really enjoyed watching The Woman in Black and would recommend it to anyone. The quality of acting was superb and with limited resources in the way of props, they portrayed the obstacles brilliantly, especially the horse and trap (see earlier). The Director Robin Herford, who has directed this play for fourteen years and travelled to Tokyo to direct the Japanese adaptation, wanted the audience to experience the fear of this ghost story through their imaginations and not through the use of special effects, which can be seen far too easily on T. V today.

Deal Kennedy Essay Example

Deal Kennedy Essay Example Deal Kennedy Essay Deal Kennedy Essay Deal and Kennedys cultural model Page 1 of 2 Changing Minds. org Search Home Please Vote for our site Now, you can buy the real book! Blog! Executing Your Strategy Strategy2Reality provides strategy execution planning facilitation www. Strategy2reality. com Solve Your People Problem Aliign business, people and process strategies to drive performance www. mindsetgroup. biz Learn To Set Goals How Good Are You In Setting Goals? Take Our Free Quiz Now! singapore. dalecarnegie. com How we change what others think, feel, believe and do Disciplines Techniques Principles Explanations Theories Quotes Guest articles Analysis Books Help us Links Deal and Kennedys cultural model Explanations gt; Culture gt; Deal and Kennedys cultural model Feedback | Risk | The four cultures | So what? Deal and Kennedys model of culture is based on characterizing different four types of organization, based on how quickly they receive feedback and reward after they have done something and the level of risks that they take. Engagement Not Stress Does a better worklife exist? Improve your work environment www. orkengagement. com Feedback and reward A major driver of people in companies and hence their culture is the general feedback and specific rewards that tell them they are doing a good or bad job. If this feedback is immediate or shorter-term, it will quickly correct any ineffective behavior and hence lead to a consistent culture (those who cannot survive will quickly find out and either leave or be sacked). If the feedback takes longer to arrive, then can leave mistakes uncorrected, but it also lets people look further out into the future. Either way, there is likely to be some substitute activity (such as process management) to help keep things on track until actual results are known. Business Productivity Find Out How To Improve Business Productivity. Learn More Now! productivity. enterpriseone. †¦ Look inside Add/share/save this page: Risk Uncertainty and risk are something that some people hate and some people thrive on. In either case, it is another motivating force that leads people to focus on managing it. Change Management: Strategies for Handling Change Management Right the First Time. www. SixSigmaIQ. com Ads by Google School Culture Brazil Culture Asia Culture Love Culture Where the risk is low, people may be willing to take risks up to their acceptable limit. Where they are high, the risks need to be managed or accepted. High risk companies are more likely to include people who enjoy the frisson of taking a gamble. Risk Low Work-hard, play-hard culture High Tough-guy macho culture Young Manager Program For High Potential Managers Taught by World Renowned Faculty www. aventis. edu. sg Save the rain Feedback and reward Rapid SafetybizSAFE Consultant MOM Risk Consultant,bizSAFE,OHS MOM Risk Assessment Management www. aceehss. om/Call_653†¦ Slow Process culture Bet-thecompany culture The four cultures Work-hard, play-hard culture This has rapid feedback/reward and low risk, leading to: Stress coming from quantity of work rather than uncertainty. High-speed action leading to high-speed recreation. Eg. Restaurants, software companies. Tough-guy macho culture This has rapid feedback/ reward and high risk, leading to: Stress coming from high risk and potential loss/gain of reward. Focus on the present rather than the longer-term future. Eg. police, surgeons, sports. Process culture http://changingminds. org/explanations/culture/deal_kennedy_culture. htm /5/2011 Deal and Kennedys cultural model Page 2 of 2 This has slow feedback/reward and low risk, leading to: Low stress, plodding work, comfort and security. Stress may come from internal politics and stupidity of the system. Development of bureaucracies and other ways of maintaining the status quo. Focus on security of the past and of the future. Eg. banks, insurance companies. Bet-the-company culture This has slow feedback/reward and high risk, leading to: Stress coming from high risk and delay before knowing if actions have paid off. The long view is taken, but then much work is put into making sure things happen as planned. Eg. aircraft manufacturers, oil companies. So what? So if you are influencing into an organization, find out what style it has and adjust your approach accordingly. If you are a member of the organization, you may understand why you are either right at home or way out of place. See also Culture Books Buy Me =UK= =USA= =CAN= Terrence E. Deal, Allan A. Kennedy, Corporate Cultures, Perseus, 2000 A useful book on organizational culture, including Deal and Kennedys famous sociability/solidarity model. Good linkage to general cultural aspects of tribes, heroes and rites and rituals. Originally published in 1982. - Contact - Caveat - About - Students - Webmasters - Awards - Guestbook - Feedback - Sitemap - Changes - Improving Safety Culture Helping you manage your safety culture more effectively. www. safetyperformance. com INSEAD Exec Education Learn How to Successfully Move to General Management. Enroll now ! Executive. education. insead. edu Collateral Management Effectively mitigate risk exposure. Automate your processes. www. omgeo. com  © Syque 2002-2010 Massive Content Maximum Speed TOP Search http://changingminds. org/explanations/culture/deal_kennedy_culture. htm 1/5/2011

Relativism, Socrates & Plato, Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, Aristotle II Essay

Relativism, Socrates & Plato, Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, Aristotle II - Essay Example While the former deals only on the â€Å"what is†, the latter is concerned about â€Å"what ought to be†. As such, descriptive ethics looks into the morality of a person in particular or an entire society in general based on the actual conduct and behavior of the people under observation while normative ethics insist that human conduct and behavior must be measured against a universal set of prescribed moral norms which civilizations must follow and comply with. The third level of ethics is metaethics which is a study of the meaning behind ethical language and theories. It not only analyses and compares different moral standards; it also examines the significance and purpose of the ideas and concepts of ethics itself (Lutz 8). Moreover, these ethical theories may be differentiated from one another by looking into how they adopt the theory of relativism. On the one hand, normative ethics acknowledges that certain situations do arise which necessitate deviation from the p rescribed norms and thus require some degree of tolerance. On a case-to-case basis, a specific action is determined whether it is right or wrong by taking into consideration the specific circumstances which caused the deviation or non-compliance with the universal moral norms. On the other hand, relativism in metaethics takes into consideration the fact that people and societies come from different race, culture and set of common beliefs. Some degree of tolerance is given to the idiosyncrasies of cultures that are different from one’s own. As such, there is no absolute moral standard of right and wrong, rather, human conduct is measured against the prescribed norms of a given culture or group to which he belongs. 3.) Aristotle argues that ethics is the science of achieving happiness. What is his argument for this? What is happiness for Aristotle? And why doesn’t he think it is identical to pleasure? Explain the function argument and how it connects rationality with hap piness. What role do the virtues play in this argument? Aristotle argues that ethics is the science of achieving happiness because in order to be happy, a person must first conduct himself properly and attain his goals in life. For Aristotle, happiness is the ultimate goal of every person and the core motivation and driving force for all of our actions. Happiness is where all actions end and one will never stop until it is achieved. A person’s behavior and action can be likened to a pyramid which has a wide base of different goals for different needs. Then, as each goal is achieved, one moves forward and upward to another goal which brings him closer to the top where all other goals converge and end at point happiness. No matter how many or hard the obstacles and circumstances are, a person is motivated to move forward by the prospect of reaching to the top. Lest happiness be confused with mere pleasure, Aristotle expressly clarified that there is a world of difference betwee n happiness and pleasure, the latter being a mere emotion felt by a person when an intermediary goal is achieved. Throughout his journey to the apex of the pyramid, a person may feel pleasure as each specific goal brings him closer to his ultimate goal. Finally, according to Aristotle’s function argument, the function of man is to achieve rationality through different activities which call for the use of the human mental faculties. Human rationality is what separates us from plants and animals; we do not just exist in this world, we

Working Capital Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Working Capital Management - Essay Example Gross Working Capital: It refers to the firm's investment in current assets. Current assets in year 2006- 2000000 and in 2007- 2470000. It increased significantly instead of dip in cash because of nearly 71% increment in debtors and 58% increment in inventory of finished goods, but cash reserve dipped by 96% and tightens the liquidity position of company by the end of 2007. Net Working Capital: It refers to the difference between current assets and current liabilities. In year 2006, NWC-1300000 and in year 2007, 1490000. Net working capital has been increased YoY but it's difficult to assume that how much Working capital is required by the company in the existing business as no industry standard or benchmark standard is not provided. Even the trading cycles are not mentioned regarding finished goods, creditors and debtors, therefore assuming the different cycles is difficult and so does the prediction of working capital. If we checkout the current asset to fixed assets ratio as it helps in determining the optimum level of current assets so that the wealth of shareholders is maximized. As the firm's output and sales increase, the need for current assets increases. Generally, current assets do not increase in direct proportion to output; current assets may increase at a declining rate with output. This relationship is based upon the notion that it takes a greater proportional investment in current assets when only few units of output are produced than it does later on when firm can use its current assets more efficiently. For year 2006, CA/FA ratio is 0.55 For year 2007, CA/FA ratio is 0.58 Company has nearly same ratio in both the years that means company increases its assets as per the requirement. That can be analyzed by taking ratio of working capital requirement as a percentage of turnovers, which is nearly 27% in 2006 and nearly 23% in 2007. Therefore it can be said requirement of current assets has been increased proportionately. It's difficult to assume how much is required to run the business as any standards are not given and it's difficult to presume for an industry. But it can be said that Adorama net working capital has been increased even though company might face problem in quick solvency (which includes mainly within a week convertible current assets) but if we see overall situation of working capital needs company is in sound position even it has overdraft problem but sound position of debtors and inventory can sort it out, certainly company might face liquidity problem as company has very less to meet immediate demands but money can be raised by mortgaging debtors to meet immediate requirements. Overtrading is mainly matching sales and production cycles, it takes place when a business accepts work and tries to complete it, but finds that fulfillment require greater current assets or working capital. Overtrading is a common problem in businesses and it often happens because of some mismanagement or any unprecedented cause. If you see Adorama has net working capital of 1490000 in 2007, which is enough to meet the requirements but in its cash kitty it has only 20000. Therefore, passing a judgment is difficult and highly depends upon the nature of business, position of different cycles( debtors and inventory mainly) but still I would like to say that there is certainly problem of cash crunch or current

Seeking creative talents for visual design Essay

Seeking creative talents for visual design - Essay Example Aside from genuine enthusiasm to decorate one’s home, I also love to travel and to immerse myself in varied forms and styles of art in diverse genres. Upon remuneration, I am realized the determination to pursue a career in fashion, interior design and visual communication which brought me to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). A quick glimpse of what FIDM offers immediately enticed my appeal. I chose FIDM for various reasons such as the commitment for the development of creative, innovative and leadership skills in the fields of Fashion, Visual Arts, Interior Design, and Entertainment. The varied options and alternatives of creative majors to choose from give me ample leeway to determine the career paths and the degree programs to pursue. Further, the expanse of industry contacts that FIDM is affiliated with would assist in defining employment opportunities that would help in the achievement of personal and professional goals. Actually, I plan to major i n visual communications due to the diversity in career paths and more varied opportunities open for graduates. As indicated, there are eight possible career options from majoring in visual communications, to wit: fashion public relations specialist, fashion stylist, promotions and events coordinator, retail visual and merchandise coordinator, set decorator, store visual manager, visual design director and visual stylist. I envision continuing to path that I have already. Further, the expanse of industry contacts that FIDM.

Portrayal Of Vampires In Contemporary Media

Portrayal Of Vampires In Contemporary Media The original concept of vampires was penned down by Bram Stoker, in his book, Dracula. In this classic novel, Dracula is the main antagonist, the most dangerous predator on earth, whose survival depends on the blood of human beings. Thus, the concept of vampires became popular and they were seen as blood thirsty predators, the creatures of the night. Stoker depicted them as the living dead, who had the power to control human minds and ability to shape-shift. Their weaknesses included fear of the cross and the inability to withstand the sun. Since then, the concept of vampires has become popular in media and has changed to a significant level. The present day representation of vampires is different as compared to the concept that was introduced by Bram Stoker. The elements of romanticism and humanism have shaped the concept of vampires and they are now depicted as immortals, living in isolation and seclusion. In contemporary media, vampires are seen as soulless individuals, struggling for their survival based on different perspectives. This dissertation would concentrate on analyzing the modern concept of vampires in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Case study analysis has been selected as the research methodology, which would concentrate on reviewing and analyzing the concepts of modern vampires in six different Cult TV series related to vampires. LITERATURE REVIEW Classical Concept of Vampires Early literary renditions of vampires did not necessarily present the creature in an actual human form, for example they would have conspicuous pointed teeth, pointed ears or grotesquely hairy hands (Bartlet Idriceanu, 2006, 105). As the concept of vampires grew in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, vampires emerged as evil creatures, looking like human beings. They were depicted as charming and attractive creatures, making them convenient for them to attack their victims. In the film Nosferatu, which was released in the year 1922, the vampire looked like a ferocious and inhuman monster, with sharp talons (Bartlet Idriceanu, 2006, 111). In Hollywood, Dracula was seen as a charming and handsome vampire, dressed in suits and capes. In order to study the modern concept of vampires, it is essential to understand the primary classical concepts. Classical vampires have been portrayed in several movies and television. One of the classical vampires can be seen in the film Interview with a Vampire and Bram Stokers Dracula (Bartlet Idriceanu, 2006, 125). The classicals have been represented as those vampires, who have a pale, scrawny and pallid appearance. Gordon (2004, 89) asserts that it was once believed a Classical had to drink blood, not only for nourishment but to replenish his blood supply, which he did not have because he was believed to be dead. The concept of classical vampires has been derived from the historical Carpathian texts, which talk about Vlad Tepes as well as the research and analysis of Bram Stokers Dracula (Jennings, 2004, 295). The concept of classical vampires did exist before Bram Stoker penned his original masterpiece, however, Dracula, is the most popular and well known classical vampire of all times. It should be noted that the characteristics of classical vampires have been derived from those of Dracula. A classical vampire is considered to be weak and gaunt in appearance. Once it feeds on the victim, it gains its human form. However, as the blood dissipates, it again returns to its former state. They have the ability to change into animals. True classical can only become vampires after becoming the victim. This indicates that the victim loses his or her blood and dies. The infected victim revives as the undead. Literature also reveals that newly born undead need to feed on blood as soon as they awake. They cannot withstand sun. Bram Stokers Dracula lived in isolated, dark castle, which was found in the deep forest (Jennings, 2004, 299). Furthermore, they need to sleep in a coffin in order to restore and revive their strength. Literature also suggests that classical vampires are predators and it is in their nature to kill human beings. They see human beings as food, which provides them the nourishment to survive. Feeding on blood is necessary for their survival (Summers, 2009, 115). Modern Representation of Vampires in Media: History There is no doubt that the classical concept of vampires has been changed by the contemporary media. The new, modern vampires have been romanticized. As mentioned earlier, the concept of vampires gained immense popularity after the publication of Bram Stokers classic novel, Dracula. The success of this novel led to the development of vampires and thus, it gained the attention of media. Since the introduction of Dracula, people from all over the world have become interested on the subject of vampires. The film Nosferatu, a German film, which was based on Dracula, is the first ever film as it was the first time anyone could truly witness the rising of the undead from its coffin (Bartlet Idriceanu, 2006, 205). In the thirties, Todd Browning brought Dracula to life in Hollywood. Unlike its German counterpart, Brownings Dracula was charming and attractive and as sinister as the vampire depicted in Nosferatu. The only difference was that Hollywoods Dracula was good-looking and attractive. Thus, Browning laid down the foundations for the concept of vampire in the American media. From here, the concept of modern vampires emerged; the creatures of the night, who were painstakingly beautiful and attractive yet they had a monster inside them. During the seventies, the concept of vampires in media changed to a significant level. Before the seventies, vampires in media were seen as physically attractive and charismatic individuals, who were the most dangerous predators on earth. The main focus was primarily on their external attributes. Their internal characteristics and personalities were unknown. They were only seen as creatures of the night, the undead, who fed on human blood(Summers, 2009, 119). Beginning in the seventies, the concept of vampires changed as the internal characteristics and personality were being explored. During the eighties, the concept of vampires changed in accordance to the culture of Hollywood(Bartlet Idriceanu, 2006, 225). The vampires of the eighties adopted a gothic lifestyle and resembled like rock stars. These vampires were dangerous and deadly and cool. The eighties witnessed a whole new concept of vampires. In the nineties, the concept of vampires in media became romanticized. The movie, In terview with a Vampire, completely changed the concept of vampires (Gordon, 2004, 125). The nineties witnessed a new and improved concept of vampires in the media (Gordon, 2004, 147). They were now viewed as the creatures of the night, whose aim is to survive in the human society, facing various obstacles and hurdles. They are now viewed as immortals, who watch as the human society grows. The concept of vampires further changes with the emergence of Television series such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Lies, the Vampire Diaries, etc(Summers, 2009, 121). In these television series, there were two types of vampires; the good ones and the evil ones(Wolf, 2007, 258). The good vampires worked collaboratively with their human alias to combat against the evil and sinister vampires. The nineties media also gave rise the possibility of love between a vampire and a human being; for instance, the love relationship between Buff and Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the love relat ionship between Stefan and Elena in the Vampire Diaries(Summers, 2009, 138). The possibility of love relationship between a human and a vampire has also been discussed in Stephanie Meyers Twilight, between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. All of these new concepts have romanticized the concept of vampires in media and they are no longer seen as the creatures to be feared. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY For this research, the research methodology selected is the case study approach, which would review the most popular Cult television series in order to answer the questions addressed in this research. Each of the series selected needs to be discussed extensively and in terms of characters and their popularity. The overall goal of case study analysis is to analyze the modern portrayal of vampires in media. The series selected are as follows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, Being Human and the Vampire Diaries. Following are the aims and objectives of the study: The similarities and differences between the classic and modern concepts of vampire. To study the relationship between popular culture and the present day representation of vampires. To study the modern day presentation of vampires in Hollywood movies and to compare it to the concept found in Television series. Why modern vampires are seen as isolated, humane individuals, fighting for their survival in their own community, in order to capture and captivate the target audiences? To study whether the soft image has been used to charm the audience in order to cater emotional drama? To study the relationship between the vampire and a human character of the series. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS Buffy the Vampire Slayer In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the creator Joss Whedon has explored the possibility that the vampire can have a soul. The soul found in the vampire Angel, who has conscious and wide ranging emotions, which makes him a good vampire. Thus, Joss Whedon has explored the fact that vampires can have a soul and therefore, they can have a conscious. Furthermore, the creator also explored the possibility of the love relationship between Buffy, the vampire slayer, and Angel, the vampire with soul. Even though, they were completely in love with another, their relation had to come to an end after realizing that Angel can give her nothing but darkness (Dundes, 2008, 98). The concept of vampires in this show is relatively new and it gave the possibility that vampires can be good. Similarities can also be found between the classical vampires and the concept of vampires created by Joss Whedon (Summers, 2009, 145). Just like classical vampires, evil vampires feed on blood. They are afraid of sunlight a s it can kill them. They are killed by stakes. However, at these modern vampires live among human beings and during the day, hide in their underground hiding place. The series had made significant impact on other television shows and it has been successful in capturing wide ranging audience from all over the world. Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed the whole world, and an entire sprawling industry, that writing monsters and demons and end-of-the world is not hack-work, it can challenge the best. Joss Whedon raised the bar for every writer-not just genre/niche writers, but every single one of us (Jennings, 2004, 298). Angel Angel is another television show, which is based on vampires. The series was also created by Joss Whedon. The show is similar as that of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. In this show, Angel is the vampire, who has soul(Wolf, 2007, 258). He had been given back his soul after he had killed one of the gypsies and therefore, he has spent more than a century to get over the guilt of killing so many innocents. The show starts off with Angel working as a private detective. He and his associates work collaboratively to help those people, who have lost their way in order to save their souls. Furthermore, they fight with demons. The concept of vampires in this television series is that a vampire is working to help others(Jennings, 2004, 299). The nature of the vampire depicted is soft, which is used to gather the attention of the audience. The concept of vampires in this show is relatively new and it gave the possibility that vampires can be good. Similarities can also be found between the classical vampires and the concept of vampires created by Joss Whedon. Just like classical vampires, evil vampires feed on blood. They are afraid of sunlight as it can kill them. They are killed by stakes(Jennings, 2004, 300). However, at these modern vampires live among human beings and during the day, hide in their underground hiding place. The series had made significant impact on other television shows and it has been successful in capturing wide ranging audience from all over the world. True Blood True blood is another American television series, which is based on vampires. In this series, vampires have gained citizens rights and they are living with humans. The series also explores the relationship between Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, a vampire(Summers, 2009, 296). In this series, the vampires do not feed on human blood and thus, they are seen as citizens, who have the same rights as humans. Like other modern versions of vampires, the series concentrate on the possibility of a relationship between a human and a vampire. Being Human The concept of vampires in Being Human is same as True Blood. The story revolves around three vampires, who concentrate on adjusting themselves to the human society. Vampire Diaries The concept of vampire in Vampire Diaries revolves around the relationship between Stefan, a vampire and Elena, a human. Stefan is a good vampire and only feeds on animal blood, whereas his brother, Damon is vicious and preys on human blood. The concept of vampires in this show is relatively new and it gave the possibility that vampires can be good (Summers, 2009, 302). Just like classical vampires, evil vampires feed on blood. They are afraid of sunlight as it can kill them. They are killed by stakes (Dundes, 2008, 114). However, at these modern vampires live among human beings. At the same time, they can withstand sun rays by wearing a ring or an amulet, which protects them from sunlight. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Bram Stokers Dracula is the main antagonist, the most dangerous predator on earth, whose survival depends on the blood of human beings. Thus, the concept of vampires became popular and they were seen as blood thirsty predators, the creatures of the night. Stoker depicted them as the living dead, who had the power to control human minds and ability to shape-shift. Their weaknesses included fear of the cross and the inability to withstand the sun. A classical vampire is considered to be weak and gaunt in appearance. Once it feeds on the victim, it gains its human form. However, as the blood dissipates, it again returns to its former state. There is no doubt that the classical concept of vampires has been changed by the contemporary media. The new, modern vampires have been romanticized. As mentioned earlier, the concept of vampires gained immense popularity after the publication of Bram Stokers classic novel, Dracula. The nineties witnessed a new and improved concept of vampires in the media. They were now viewed as the creatures of the night, whose aim is to survive in the human society, facing various obstacles and hurdles. They are now viewed as immortals, who watch as the human society grows. The concept of vampires further changes with the emergence of Television series such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Lies, the Vampire Diaries, etc. In these television series, there were two types of vampires; the good ones and the evil ones. From case analysis, it can be concluded that the soft image of vampires have been depicted in order to captivate the audience. Furthermore, the possibilities of a love relationship between a vampire and a human, makes a vampire more humane, having a consciousness.

Free College Admissions Essays: Attending School in the United States :: College Admissions Essays

My  Dream of Attending School in the United States    Few people handle death well; my family is no exception. We were sitting in our living room and discussing my future educational plans, whether I would study in the US or not, when the phone rang. As my mother hung up the phone, I saw her trembling, trying hard not to cry. She sat on the couch and explained what happened. Grandfather had called to tell us that he carried my grandmother to the hospital because of a critical situation. We knew that she didn't feel well, but nobody thought the situation could become this serious. For a moment, I read the noticeable signs of guilt in my mother's eyes because she was 400 km away when my grandmother needed her. The coming days were not easy for us. My mother went to look after my grandmother at the hospital. Although my father tried hard to fill my mother's place, he had to concentrate on his business also.    We were waiting for a promising word from the doctors, but we received no positive feedback. They said that they would try chemotherapy but that they couldn't promise success. The cancer might destroy her. Meanwhile, the time was shortening. I had to choose between staying in my country or going to the US the mysterious and fascinating place whose pictures and maps decorated my room. The chemotherapy might last an entire year, and my mother had to stay with my grandparents through this process since she was their only child. That meant that my mother wouldn't be with us for one whole year and somebody had to take care of the housework. Since my father needed to support the family by going to his job regularly, I had to stay home to help both him and my little sister.    With this responsibility, I couldn't selfishly leave my family to study in the US. My mother painfully watched her mother become emaciated as the cancer advanced day by day, so I had to be there for her.