Romeo and Juliet - Zeffirelli and Luhrmann Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Zeffirelli and Luhrmann Essay The two main film interpretations of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet are Zeffirellis, made in 1968, and Luhrmanns, made in 1997. Although they use the same original script written by Shakespeare, these two films are very different. Zeffirellis is set in the 16th century, at the time when the screenplay would have first been written whereas Luhrmann has set his film in modern time but still using the Shakespearian language. The most popular and well-known scene of Romeo and Juliet is the balcony scene where Romeo and Juliet first declare their love for each other. Luhrmanns version of the balcony scene is started with a shrill crash as Romeo enters the Capulets house and knocks a post to the ground. This gains the audiences attention immediately for the scene. Romeos movements are clumsy and speech is fast-paced and raspy. Romeo escapes outside and awkwardly attempts to climb a vine below Juliets window. The camera pans out frequently to show the view of their entire Capulet estate, this shows the importance of where they are as its a forbidden area for Romeo to be. Romeos inept actions put a brief comical twist into this classic tragedy. From Juliets window, a small figurine of the Virgin Mary can be seen for a short time through the curtains. This has a strong symbolic meaning, showing the contrast between Romeo and Juliets sexual intentions and a sense of purity and religion. It could also be a symbol of warning meant for Romeo and Juliet. When Juliet is first seen in the Lurhmann version, she is the complete opposite of Romeo. Juliet is wearing a flowing white dress, signifying her innocence and inexperience; she delicately exits an elevator and begins to speak her lines with full use of facial expressions, acting confused and stressing the unimportance of names. Romeo jumps out abruptly and the serenity of Juliet looking over her swimming pool is broken by her shocked high-pitched scream. The two fall together into the pool with the same startling affect used at the opening of the balcony scene, grabbing the attention of the audience. The sudden movements are quickly slowed as Romeo and Juliet start to talk. Their words are hurried and there is an obvious need for secrecy which is stressed by the security cameras and guards surrounding the area. Their kisses are romantic and loving but not lacking  passion. Juliet is suddenly struck with fear of being caught with Romeo and with another sudden movement, she leaves the pool. The scene ends romantically and with both Romeo and Juliet feeling happy. Throughout the film, Romeo and Juliet are both on the same level, showing that their characters are equal at this time. The romantic feel is constantly interrupted by sudden movements or noises to keep the audiences concentration, making the film interesting to watch. Zeffirelli starts the balcony scene with Romeo gazing longingly at Juliet who is on her balcony dreamily staring across her garden. Romeos lines are whispered, romantic and spoken very slowly and softly. The scene is shot through the leaves to show the mystery and danger of Romeos being there. The bright light silhouettes Juliets figure like an angel. Juliets dress is low cut and quite revealing making her seem mature and seductive, which is very different to Luhrmanns interpretation of Juliet as his is very innocent. When Juliet first sees Romeo, her actions become quick, rushed and sudden. Juliet spends the entire When Romeo and Juliet share a kiss it is sexually motivated and very passionate. Romeos movements become excited and quick as he swings from trees. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is very passionate and lustful as opposed to how the relationship was portrayed in Lurhmann. When Juliet decides its time for Romeo to leave, the pace of the film slows once again. The voices become romantic instead of sexual. As Romeo and Juliet part, the camera pans out to show their hands drifting further apart from each other in a slow lethargic movement showing the separation and isolation of Romeo and Juliets character. Zeffirellis film was very serious, stressing on infatuation where as Lurhmanns film was light-hearted and showed real love between Romeo and Juliet.

Police Brutality: A Minority Group Concern Essay -- Use of Excessive Fo

"Relations between the police and minority groups are a continuing problem in many multiracial societies. Surveys consistently document racial differences in perceptions of the police, with minorities more likely than whites to harbor negative views." (Weitzer and Tuch, Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct, 2004) A great deal of society views law enforcement officers as heroic and honorable individuals, whose main purpose is to protect and serve the community. For many officers, this description is accurate, however for others; violence and brutality against innocent citizens is part of getting the job done. For years, minorities have fallen victim to police brutality based on racial profiling, stereotypes and other unjustifiable reasons that has cost innocent lives. The involvement of officers in police brutality against minority groups causes tainted and negative views on policing. This reduces their ability to protect and serve the community. Police brutality is a violent incident involving an officer and a victim, usually including excessive force, unnecessary violence and sometimes resulting in a senseless fatality. Minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanics have often been the victims of this form of abuse by officers, however little justice has been done in order to protect these individuals from this form of cruelty by the hands of those with the most power. For many individuals, police brutality is a non-existent matter because it does not directly affect them or the community in which they live. Yet for others, this is an everyday occurrence and few limitations have been set as to what is unjust and malicious behavior of an officer towards the public, therefore, several officers are rarel... ..., 747-763. Simmons, K. C. (2008). The Politics of Policing: Ensuring Stakeholder Collaboration in the Federal Reform of Local Law Enforcement Agencies. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973- ), 98(2), 489-246. Smith, B. W. & Holmes, M. D. (2003). Community Accountability, Minority Threat, and Police Brutality: An Examination of Civil Rights Criminal Complaints. Criminology, 41(4), 1035-1063. Tyler, T. (2005). Policing in Black and White: Ethnic Group Differences in Trust and Confidence in the Police. Police Quarterly, 8(3), 322-342. Weitzer, R. and Tuch, S. (2004) Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct. Society for the Study of Social Problems, Inc. SOCIAL PROBLEMS, Vol. 51, No. 3, pages 305–325. ISSN: 0037-7791; online ISSN: 1533-8533 Web. 4 Sept. 2015. http://web.missouri.edu/~jlfm89/Race%20Perceptions%20of%20Police%20Misconduct.pdf

European Government and Politics Essay

The political system in Britain has seen the dominance of two parties and hence traditionally, Britain has a bi-party system. The Conservative Party, also known as the ‘Tories’ has existed since the 17th century while the present Labour Party has existed since the 20th century. Earlier, the principal opposition to the Conservatives was the Liberal Party, which later merged with the Social Democratic Party, forming the Liberal Democrats. Although Britain has a bi-party system, there are a number of other parties and the Liberal Democrats form the third largest party. The Conservative Party has been extreme rightist in political terms, in favour of complete privatization. This was particularly prominent during the Prime Minister-ship of Margaret Thatcher who came to power defeating the Labour Party in 1979. Under the Conservative leadership of Thatcher and subsequently John Major, the government followed policies of privatization and monetarism. The two policies were together known as Thatcherism. The Labour Party on the other hand belongs to the leftist orientation. In recent years however, it is adopting a more centre-left approach. Although the Labour has functioned since 1906, it came into prominence in the post World War II scenario with electoral win in 1945. however, the Labour went into opposition during 1951-1964 and 1979-1997. the Social Democratic Party was formed as a break away party by right-wing Labour MP’s. under the leadership of Tony Blair, the policies of the Labour Party were changed considerably. Political parties first appeared in Britain during the English Civil Wars of 1640 and 1650. among the first political parties in Britain were the Royalists and Parliamentarians, after that came the Tories (who were the patriotic party) and the Whigs (who wanted to reduce monarchical powers). The Conservative Party holds the claim to being the largest political party in the world. Apart from the two dominant parties and the third largest party, there are a number of other parties that function within the political milieu of Britain. These parties are – the UK Independence party, the Green Party, the Plaid Cymru (belonging to Wales) the Socialist Nationalist Party, the Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party. However, it is the Labour and the Conservatives who are taken into account broadly, during the elections. The party which secures a majority of the votes polled is called upon to form the government and the leader of the winning party becomes the prime minister of Britain. Since the parliamentary form of government prevails in the UK, there is one real executive, the prime minister and the one nominal executive, the monarch. Also, the executive works in close collaboration with the legislative, with the prime minister’s Cabinet being formed by people who are members of the legislature. The grounds on which the major parties share similar views are – a free market economy, rule of law, nationalized health services and regarding Britain’s membership of the European Union and the NATO. However, the factors on which these parties are divided are taxation laws, dealing with poverty, the extent of state intervention in the economy and how to strike a balance between individual and collective rights. Although the politics and electoral process of the UK appears to be simple and straight forward, there has been one or two occasions when things were not as simple. For instance, in the 1951 and 1974 elections, the party with the fewer votes secured more seats in the polls. It shows that politics is unpredictable even in an apparently straight-jacketed political system having a political tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Germany : Politics in Germany or the political system in Germany is very different from that existing in both Britain. While there is a bi-party system in Britain, Germany is largely a multi-party system. However, unlike the multi-party political systems existing in other countries of the world, the German one is a ‘dominant multi-party system’, that is, politics is dominated to a great extent by two parties despite greater representation provided by other parties. Also, where as the political system in Britain has been in existence for centuries with minor changes over the years, the German political system is rather recent. The political system in Germany has been through two major shifts. Firstly, since its inception in its present form in 1949, German politics was dominated by the communist forces in the area under Russian control and the non-communist forces in the area jointly held by Britain, France and the US. The second shift occurred in 1990 when Britain, France, US and Russia withdrew from the country. Despite the second shift, the dominance of the Socialist Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union often in alliance with the Christian Socialist Union, both in existence since 1949, is there still. Nevertheless, since there are other parties and fragmented or multi-party representation, it has never been possible for either the SDP or the CDU/CSU to win a complete majority in the elections. It is at this juncture that the role of the other parties assumes importance because the support of these parties to either the SDP or the CDU helps form the coalition government. Germany therefore, is an example of perpetual coalition politics. The other parties include the Free Democratic Party, the Left Party and the Alliance 90 or The Greens. The centre-right is represented by the CDU/CSU and the centre-left by the SDP. The SDP and the Greens were in a coalition government from 1998-2005, after a sixteen year long government of Helmut Kohl, which was toppled by the grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and the SDP since 2005. SDP registered its lowest results since World War II in the wake of sweeping labour reforms that were announced in Agenda 2010. One important characteristic of German politics is the fact that funds for elections are essentially drawn from the public purse. The current Chancellor of Germany is Angela Merkel who had become the first female chancellor after winning the 2005 elections. France : The French political system is probably one of the most colourful political systems in the world in that it has a vibrant history. The left wing in France has gone through several phases starting with the Anarchists, Revolutionaries and Reformists of the early 19th century giving way to further splits in the post World War I period. Three broad divisions of the Old Left, the New Left and the Centre-left can be drawn today. The New Anticapitalist Party has been the culmination of the fragmented left in France and seeks to bring about a unity between the various bifurcations of the French left. The right wing can also be classified into three broad clusters of the Legitimists, the Orleanists and the Bonapartists. The dominant issue in French politics is that of the extent of government intervention in the economy. Naturally, the liberals are in favour of free market while the socialists prefer a limited governmental intervention and a welfare society. The political sphere comprises two parts – the left wing represented mainly by the French Socialist Party and the right wing represented previously by the Rassemblement pour la Republique (RPR) and presently by the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) which is neo-Gaullist in approach. The constitution of the Fifth Republic has transformed to a great deal over the years with further institutional reforms on the cards. The people have been influenced by the left wing for years but following trends of globalization, the left has found it difficult to hold its ground. Like in Germany, coalition governments have more often than not been the order of the day. In the end, one can conclude that while multi-party systems offer more representation, bi-party systems are more stable. Also, ideological differences are in most cases not rigid as has been demonstrated over time and can become accommodative according to the demands of the day. References Curtis, Michael & Ammendola, Guiseppe. (2002) Western European Government and Politics. Longman.

The Effect of Technology On Society Essay - 1003 Words

Every day the world is changing and things are done differently. Technology has also affected the way students are taught and in which they learn. It has changed the classroom. Technology saves us time and allows us to access material in only minutes. â€Å"The Internet and online subscription databases, even as a supplement to the printed works in the library, allow students to see, and force them to consider or reject, points of view that they might never have encountered in decades past† (Gow 4).With all the time technology produces, it also has downsides and it also may have created a less intelligent society. Some look at technology as if has dumbed downed society but if we take a look at the past we see that it has helped to†¦show more content†¦There are tools that we use that make task tedious easier and saves times. Instead of going and filing taxes we can go online and do it there instead, and allows us to be more productive (Darlin). Today we have the world of Google and over hundreds of cellphones, iTouchs, e-books and millions of websites at our disposal (Loertscher 2). These types of tools bring success to wide range of learners who face physical, development al, language or personal problems (Loertscher 3). Even though this tools can help different students with different types of learning styles and problems. Linking into Google and overflowing learners with information does not make products better or allows students to learn more. Technology has no real value if it is used for entertainment value or to use up time (Loertscher 3). â€Å"Internet, mobility, and multimedia are important technology tools that are used in education industry† (Hameed 372).Although the internet is an important tool in the classroom and out, it does have downsides. Websites have become more commercialized, and this has made searching through websites difficult since not all websites are reliable. In the Journal done by Shihab Hameed he says that statistics show that teenagers use the internet more than adults, they use the internet to play games, listen to music and meet new people. Hameed also mentions that it reduces student activity. Students are able to get solutions to homework and as resultShow MoreRelatedTechnology : The Effects Of Technology And Society1283 Words   |  6 Pages The effects of technology with society has beneficial impacted the way we live. With technology is providing many advantages, but also it has some disadvantages it has on children and adults. There is little room for people that wish to live without technology, moreover than living the way they did in the old days. Technology has its advantages, it’s has changed the way people have communicated by email, social media, the way traveling has improved. Have you ever heard the saying ‘Children are bornRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society871 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is technology? 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FurthermoreRead MoreTechnology And Its Effects On Society1372 Words   |  6 PagesTechnology Abuse Technology has rapidly increased over the past few years and has had a great impact on everyone in several ways. The impact of this applied science on people’s lifestyles has made several too dependent on technology. There needs to be a specific limit to technology that is reasonable but considerable for everyone. This new addiction is truly significant because this modern world of ours can have dangerous consequences that we are not aware of. In the past, many of the machines and