Dance, Girl, Dance Essay

Dance, Girl, Dance is a film from the Classical Hollywood period that presents a complicated reading when viewed through a feminist lens. The 1940 film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the most notable female directors and the only prominent woman in Hollywood at that time. Arzner presents her audience with an array of female characters, the main characters being Judy O’brien and Bubbles/Tiger Lily White. Judy is a dedicated dancer, honing her talents as a ballerina. Bubbles, on the other hand, uses her looks and sexuality to land jobs as a burlesque dancer. Dance, Girl, Dance reveals these characters’ experience in a dance troupe with several other girls. When the troupe disbands, Bubbles comes to offer Judy a humiliating job as her stooge. As tensions rise, the two eventually come to blows, quite literally, when both fall for the same man, Jimmy Harris. Through their relationship with each other and with men, a dynamic is defined that gives insight into the power of the male gaze and sexual politics, not only in the film but also in society at large in the context of 1930s America. This can be seen in the analysis of a particular scene near the beginning of the film. Judy and one of her roommates, Sally, are preparing for bed after their performance at the nightclub in the opening scene. Bubbles, their third roommate, arrives at home after a disappointing outing with Jimmy. This scene specifically highlights the contrast between the personalities of Judy and Bubbles, and speaks to the many ways female characters are coded based on their sexuality and appearance. The analysis of the scene begins at the moment Bubbles enters the room. She comes into the frame through the doorway in a medium shot. It is important to note her costume, as it speaks to her character. She is wearing makeup, jewelry, a fox fur stole around her shoulders and a feathered hat. One may get the impression that she is trying to look as glamorous or ostentatious as possible on her limited budget. At this point, Bubbles has already been partly established as a brash woman who does not shy away from her ability to attract men. This can be contrasted with Judy’s costume during this scene, modest button-up pajamas. The scene continues as Bubbles enters the tiny apartment. She turns on the light, when Judy whispers that Sally is asleep from off camera. Bubbles leaves the light on, looks down at Sally in the bed, and proceeds to loudly close the door while muttering â€Å"So, what? † As she delivers her dialogue, the camera follows her as she walks to her bed, panning over to include Judy in a two shot. One key element in this simple interaction is the difference of attitude toward female solidarity between Bubbles and Judy. Judy obviously cares to not disturb Sally, while Bubbles seems disappointed and only concerned with her own problems at this point. Then, the camera cuts to a close shot of Sally lying in bed, smiling and clearly awake. She then closes her eyes and continues to try and sleep, rendering her unimportant to the rest of the scene. The next cut brings us back to a long, two shot of Bubbles and Judy as they discuss what happened to Bubbles that evening. Bubbles is explaining how she had gone out with Jimmy, but he suddenly left her at the bar after giving her a little stuffed bull. In this shot, Bubbles is in the foreground, a little closer to the camera than Judy, making her appear slightly larger. This could be interpreted as signifying her social dominance over Judy, and the fact that she â€Å"stole† Jimmy from Judy earlier that evening. Bubbles dismissively tosses the bull onto a chair in front of Judy. Judy picks it up, stating â€Å"It’s cute. † Bubbles tells her that she can have it. The audience is clearly meant to get the impression that the token of the night has no significance to Bubbles, and she is merely disappointed that she could not add Jimmy to her list of men to dote on her occasionally. The camera stays stationary as Bubble walks to the background of the shot and sits on her bed. Judy gently places the bull back on the chair, already showing signs of her eventual fetishization of the bull and Jimmy. Then, she continues to bend and stretch her legs, as Bubbles pouts behind her. It is interesting to point out that as Judy resumes her exercises, she has gained the â€Å"high ground† of the shot. The reminder of her status as a dancer, a more artful and talented dancer than Bubbles, means she is the larger, more significant character in the frame now. The focus has moved from Bubbles proficiency as a female spectacle, completely at home under the male gaze, to Judy’s proficiency as a ballerina, with no real concern for superficial male attention. Then, this is reinforced when there is a cut to a medium shot of Bubbles, looking at Judy. The camera follows Bubbles line of sight and there is a quick cut to a medium shot of Judy, then it reverses back to the shot of Bubbles on her bed, shaking her head. She says, â€Å"I’ll say one thing for you, Pavlova. You’ve certainly got ambition, even if it’s dumb. As she says this, Judy’s foot briefly enters from the side of the frame as she kicks her leg. Once again, Bubbles is coded as having no passion for her craft as a dancer, seeing it as a means to an end of attracting men and/or making money, while Judy genuinely loves to dance. One way of reading the film is through the suggestion that Judy’s ballet is high art, while Bubbles’ burlesque is low art. In the world of the Dance, Girl, Dance, women utilizing their sexuality for physical and financial gratification given by men is deemed less valuable than artistic expression. What follows is a short series of counter shots between the two, as Bubbles ponders how she will get back to New York, going through her list of male suitors to find a solution to her dilemma. On a surface level, this shows that Bubbles needs men to get where she is going, whether it is for a trip to New York or a trip to stardom as they buy tickets to her shows later in the film. The scene comes to a close as Bubbles decides on Sam, the traveling salesman that is â€Å"sweet on her. As this line is delivered, there is a quick cut to Judy whipping her head around to look back at Bubbles. Judy has an expression on her face that is hard to describe, but it gets across the fact that her reality is very different from that of Bubbles’. Judy goes on to ask if there will be room for Sally, as the camera tracks Bubbles while she walks to the bathroom. As the camera stops tracking, it stops in a medium shot of Bubbles as she eventually replies, â€Å"†¦ All right, she can go, b ut don’t blame me. That guy’s got more arms than an octopus. † There is a cut to a close shot of Sally in bed with a wide-eyed, nervous expression as she quickly lifts up her head and plops back down. Like Judy, her reality is very different from the reality of the dynamic Bubbles, and the possibility of encountering a man from that reality seems to frighten her. After the last cut of the scene, it ends on a medium shot of Judy picking up the stuffed bull once again and smiling at it fondly. This emphasizes the fact Judy is not asexual and clearly is developing feelings for Jimmy. Although, Judy seems to have a more deep, emotional connection to Jimmy than Bubbles has for her various men. Judy only became interested in Jimmy after he helped the girls at the nightclub and talked with her earlier in the film. Her interest is not based solely on what he can provide to her. The differences in costume, behavior and motivation between Bubbles and Judy are relevant to a larger scope of the film involving sex and gender politics. For all of the above reasons found in the formal elements of the film’s visual and narrative composition, Bubbles is coded as superficial, purely physical and vapid. On the other hand, Judy is given much more value and depth. While Bubbles goes on to find success by exploiting her good looks, Judy is the winner in the end, when she lands her position in the ballet company and achieves her dreams. In this way, the film is sending a message that female self-worth is not derived from male approval or reaffirming of beauty, but from accomplishment of what are considered to be more substantial goals.

Education and Louisiana Content Standards Essay

The word comes from the Latin word currere which means the course to be run. It contains the courses of study that a student has to complete successfully to obtain a degree certifying competence. (It is the What and Instruction is the How) In K-12 schools, it also contains the standards and benchmarks for each of the courses of study. Students must successfully complete the benchmarks in order to complete the course. In this new age, those benchmarks are measured by the Louisiana Educational Assessment Plan (LEAP). During the 1920s, the definition of curriculum as school experiences was developed by progressive educators to emphasize the quality of experiences. What children learn in school is wider than what goes on in the classrooms. It includes experiences in hallways, the cafeteria, playground, etc. These experiences cannot be separated from the responsibility of educators. There are five types of curriculum: FORMAL- The formal curriculum is the intended curriculum, explicit, overt, and written. It includes the planned and advertised menu of courses, the content of those courses, the catalog descriptions, and the regular public activities included in those courses. You will find this in the Louisiana Content Standards and Benchmarks and the Grade Level Expectations (GLEs). INFORMAL-The informal curriculum is also intended, but not explicit or written. This includes such things as citizenship, manners, and social skills and is influenced by the teacher and his or her educational philosophy. It is reflected in the classroom and is often found in the rules and procedures that a teacher implements. It is also evident in the methodologies chosen by a teacher. For example, I have a strong belief in learning styles; therefore, in face-to-face classrooms, I include a lot of hands-on activities for students to participate and engage in. Also, I include activities that involve lots of student interaction. HIDDEN- The hidden curriculum is the covert, or implicit, implied by the very structure of the school buildings. It is learned by exposure of living in  the environment. It is characterized by the reward systems, physical plan of the school, furniture arrangement, etc. When you look at a school, is there a trophy case for sporting events, but not academics? Are classes dismissed every Friday, 6th or 7th period, for a pep rally? If so, that school would value athletics over academics. As you look at the structure of the school, is there a computer room, or is technology eviden t in every classroom? Are teachers allowed to attend professional development activities during the school day? All these things will provide information about the hidden curriculum of the school. Hidden curriculum is researched by critical theorists. NULL-The null curriculum is what is left out, not attended to, or taught. What is missing from your school, or even the Louisiana Content Standards and Benchmarks? Does the school embrace diversity, or just say it does? EXTRA-The extra-curriculum includes those activities that are structured by the teachers and administration. If a school has a football team, a basketball team, track team (etc.) but no history club, Spanish club, math club (etc. ), one might infer that athletics are valued more than academics. If the school has a basketball team and track team and also has National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America, (etc. ), one would infer that all learnings are valued. What is the relationship between Formal Curriculum and Hidden Curriculum? What is the relationship between Formal Curriculum and Informal Curriculum? How do all forms of c urriculum relate to each other curriculum?

Business and Social Approaches to Social Media Opportunities and Essay

Business and Social Approaches to Social Media Opportunities and Issues - Essay Example 3-7). Social media is defined to as the tools of communication available online that give people a platform to share opinions, views and obtain the resources that they need (Simour et al 2011, p. 3-7). There is use of tools such as texts, audio and visual resources among others. It is also known as social networking. Social media has brought with it innumerable changes in the way people to interact (Simour et al 2011, p. 4-7). The direct way of living and communication is slowly being replaced by virtual communication. Virtual is a word that means being effective, but not in the direct sense of it. The actual subject is represented by someone or something else but in every way represented. For example a person may be presented in the presence of their agent (Ludlow 1996, p. 67-75). The social interactions through the social media bring about virtual interaction. It is clear that expression of one self in the modern day is done through the social networking. The feelings of happiness, disappointments, and excitements, among other feelings, are expressly shared in the social net workings. In the modern day, one can literally receive every sort of information from the social media. Every thing that is of importance to the growth of the community is found in the social networks (Thielke 2011, p 48-55). For example, information on deaths, birth, and peaceful existence of people within the society is found in the social media. One therefore eliminates the need to relate with people directly as it were in the days past. As a matter of concern, whatever was once directly experienced has now shifted to mere representation of the same. Change has been inevitable with the upcoming of social network as far the corporate world is concerned (Ludlow 1996, p. 66-69). For any given person in the business arena, such change must be analyzed in terms of opportunities and threats to the enterprise. The enterprise is faced with the challenge of considering whether the

Developing and Managing Performance (Organisation Essay - 1

Developing and Managing Performance (Organisation - Essay Example Over the years, there has been a lot of attention given on performance management and development with the demand for thorough information being actually intensified with the economic downfall. Human resources specialists have toiled to make sure that they keenly evaluate performance between relevant and fair measures putting most of their focus and efforts on essential aspects of any business. Essentially, the different efforts have circled around making sure that the processes are similar in temperament with the requirements of a changing breed of line manager, stream line the systems that are paper based and facilitate admittance through media. Nonetheless, most of the human resource strategies that have more experience are also focused in ensuring that managing the performance conveys in an environment where the evolution of numbers and effect on organizational brand and innovation is based on the ways of the business success. Concurrently, the report focuses on evaluating the challenges an organization may incur in putting it into place a performance and reward strategy using knowledge of the results past case studies and theories from different specialists on the field but mostly on human resources. Currently, the nature of work is altering with diverse organizations and corporations operating in more of a specialized network that is also flexible and natural; basically, the frequency of strategic partnering arrangements between organizations increasing the need for management relationships to be managed beyond the organization and hence further work is required. On the other hand, reward systems are also a critical part of any organizations design and how well they are compatible with the rest of the systems has an equal effect on to what extent they will be effectual and also on the quality of life that people will experience in the organization. There have been new reward systems practices

The IAT Demonstration Tests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The IAT Demonstration Tests - Essay Example However, it is hard to know if this actually measures what it says it measures, as the responses were so quick and I made a few mistakes because I got confused about which button corresponded to which category. It was interesting to complete the tests, however, and I am definitely pleased with my results.  The Understanding Prejudice links were surprising in a way because it completely categorized every type of prejudice, and it is sometimes hard to remember that there are so many different types in the world. When I think of prejudice my mind automatically goes to racism and homophobia, but the links about genocide, anti-semitism, and stigmatization were definitely interesting. Some of the links about sexism were troubling particularly because this seems to be a type of â€Å"hidden† discrimination, as women are generally considered to be equal, but when we really think about it and use the information in the links, this turns out not to be true. It is interesting to see ho w often homophobia and related prejudice is linked to religion, but this type of attitude is also a type of prejudice (grouping all religious people together) in itself. Overall, there is a lot of value although I would have liked to have more information about the treatment of disabled people, people with mental illness and those from other â€Å"sexualities† that were not often mentioned.

Comparison between the uk and usa on the Legislation system on Essay

Comparison between the uk and usa on the Legislation system on occupational safety and health - Essay Example The 1974 act on the safety and health of the worker at the place of work in the United Kingdom and the 1970 act targeting the safety and health of workers in the United States are some of the example of the legislations that have been passed with workers health and safety in mind. The health and safety executive in the United Kingdom is responsible for enforcing laws that targets occupational health and safety within the member countries. In the United States, the occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) which was created in the 1970 is responsible for ensuring the safety of the workers at their place of work. OSHA is responsible for guiding both the employee and the employer on occupational health issues and ensuring the laws that support occupational health and safety are applied at the place of work. These are done through education and training .The impact of globalization in the two regions has been considered as a force of change in the occupational health and safety scope. World trade liberalization, significant improvement in the transport and communication sector, rapid progress in technology, shifts in employment patterns, changes in practices at the place of work, changes in employment patterns targeting women and men and the structures , enterprise lifecycles and advancement in technology has generated new patterns and types of exposures, risk and hazards (Burke &Ronald, 2011). Population movements and changes in demography have affected the health and safety of people at their place of work. the high rate of unemployment due to increase in number of people migrating to the united kingdom has resulted to opening up of more industries with owners not informed of the legislation pertaining to occupational health. Lack of information on occupational health legislation among the employers both in the United Kingdom and the United States has resulted to exposing workers to work environments that are unsafe and which can

Policing of Aboriginal Communities with Emphasis on Canadian Policing Essay

Policing of Aboriginal Communities with Emphasis on Canadian Policing Examples. - Urban and Rural Differences in Policing in Canada and at large to be examined - Essay Example In Canada, aboriginal policing came into being a professional, reliable and responsible government body with the introduction of the First Nations Policing Policy (FNPP) in June 1991. The objective of First Nations Policing Policy is to provide aboriginal communities of Canada social security, order and individual safety on the basis of cost-shared funding by federal and provincial governments. It is aboriginal communities choice either to develop their personal police service or opt for a police service provided by a contingent of First Nations officers. The Aboriginal Policing Directorate ensures policing that is answerable to the desires of aboriginal people residing in rural and urban areas. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – the Canadian national police service has its Aboriginal Policing Branch that prepares culturally alert policing services agreeable to aboriginal people. It takes into confidence aboriginal organizations to come up to their needs and expectations. The RCMP absorbs aboriginal people in its recruitment and plans problem-specific programs relevant to aboriginal communities needs. Some of the programs include RCMP Aboriginal Youth Training Program (AYTP), Community Suicide Intervention Program, and First Nations Community Policing Service (FNCPS). The Community Policing Model is the result of severe criticism of the traditional model of policing, which was not sufficiently equipped to deal with the issues of aboriginal communities. Now, communities get support from the police in managing their risks. Both work hand-in-hand to solve the crime and law & order problems created by local inhabitants. In the Community Policing Model, the police don’t behave irrationally to cope up with law & order issues; it takes proactive steps to recognize and remedy, to establish peace. The police intervenes in the dialogue process to know the opinion of the community on touchy issues, first by holding general level

AS Level History - Tsarist Russia, 1855 - 1917 Essay

AS Level History - Tsarist Russia, 1855 - 1917 - Essay Example Contextually, a few of the key attributes of the country (such as the huge size and the diversity issue which concluded on the insecurity factor of the economy, the gradual development of the country as a military state, and the poverty regions), laid the foundation of Tsarist Russia during 1855 with the inheritance of Alexander II. However, similar to any other event of history and reform the phase was set to dusk by Nicholas II during the end of 1917 (Bromley, J. â€Å"Russia, 1848-1917†). 1. Embarking on Reforms by Alexander II Alexander II played the most crucial role in the underpinning of Tsarist government through embarking several reforms which evidently concluded the philosophy of Serfdom in Russian economy. It was in 1855 when Alexander II happened to be the ‘Tsar of Russia’ after the death of Tsar Nicholas I. Consequently, Russia was then involved in the Crimean War which created an impact on the perception of Alexander II regarding the military outlook of the economy. With this changed perception, Alexander II established several reforms, such as the Emancipation Manifesto including 17 parliamentary acts aiming to free the serfs (i.e. the class of peasants fundamentally associated with agricultural labour) in Russia. The reform further rewarded the right to the serfs to purchase land from their landlords and therefore abolished the practise of personal serfdom in the economy. Noteworthy, the amount to be payable in turn of the land would be provided by the government in advance to the landlords and shall be recovered from the peasants in regular intervals. This indeed created an intense pressure on the serfs which was evidently on the contradictory aspect of the main objective of the reform to abolish serfdom (Spartacus, â€Å"Alexander II†). Furthermore, Alexander II introduced many such reforms which indirectly strengthened the power of the wealthy class, affecting the interests of the poor class of the economy. For inst ance, the establishment of Zemstvo in 1864 which would represent a council in each district, possessing the right to build up roads, provide medical services and educational services to the local people. However, the power to elect the members of the Zemstvo was restricted in the hands of the wealthy group of peoples demonstrating the inequality of rights existing within the economy. Apart from this the Tsar ruler also introduced reforms intended to the development of the municipal government, and universal military training. He also emphasised on the issue related to the expansion of industrialisation and the railways networks all around the country (Vernadsky, G., â€Å"A History of Russia†). 1.1. Reasons to Embark on these Reforms Alexander II gained his identification as the emperor of Russia in 1855, incidentally when the economy was facing the issue of Crimean War with turkey which was satisfied with a treaty of Paris. This result of the war evidently affected the perce ptions of Alexander II influencing him to believe that the military state of Russia was on a downfall. Moreover, the comparison of the Russian economy with that of France and Britain proved that the economy is evidently at a slower pace, inadequate to compete

Mesopotamians Polytheism and The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay

Mesopotamians Polytheism and The Epic of Gilgamesh - Essay Example Nippur city state for example, was dedicated to the god of the wind known as Enlil. Occupying a number of acres was a temple complex at the heart of each city-state. It comprised of a ziggurat and a temple dedicated to the god or goddess of the city at the top. The god or goddess placed at the top of the temple was in the form of a statue. The construction of temples and other buildings such as priests and priestesses residents always consumed a lot of wealth. A close relationship between the culture and religion of the Mesopotamians could be seen in the way temples were dominating structures in their commercial and personal lives. The Mesopotamians view of the world or universe was impacted by their physical environment. Their local climate consisted of a disturbing climate, heavy downpours, ferocious floods and scorching winds. Famines and such conditions were convincing factors to the Mesopotamians that supernatural powers controlled the world and the life of human beings in it we re short. These can be clearly seen in the laments of the epic of Gilgamesh where the Mesopotamians always felt helpless in the presence of nature. Some words from the poem are as follows; â€Å"The rampant flood which no man can oppose, Which shakes the heavens and causes earth to tremble, In an appalling blanket folds mother and child, Beats down the canebrake’s full luxuriant greenery, And drowns the harvest in its time of ripeness.† (qtd. in Spielvogel 11). Because of the many gods and goddesses that controlled the universe, Mesopotamians had a religion of polytheism. The greatest god was An, god of the sky, he was the source of all authority followed by Enlil, god of the wind. The god of the earth was known as Enki, he was in charge of all canals, wells and rivers as well as waters of creativity. Ninhursaga, the goddess was initially associated with mountains, soil and vegetation but eventually became a mother goddess. The relationship between the Mesopotamians an d their gods was that of subservience since they believed they were created to work for their gods. Since they were unsure of what the gods would do they developed arts of divination. Divination took various forms with the most common being that of priests and kings. They would kill animals like sheep and analyze their organs to foretell events. Predicted events served as a means of guiding people to act wisely. The Mesopotamians viewed death with horror and fear. Death and disease were viewed in a spiritual perspective. They believed that the gods ordained immortality for themselves and death for man. They also believed that death and sickness were the results of sin. According to their mythology, man was made of clay which was then added blood and flesh of a god; therefore, God was present in all human beings. The main purpose why man was created was to serve the gods. When humans offended the gods, they would get angry and withdraw their support allowing demons to take over. The souls of dead people went to the underworld where according to the Mesopotamians was a dark land from which no one returned. However, offended spirits could find their way back to the living and inflict misery on them for their wrongdoings. To avoid such wrath, the Mesopotamians gave daily sacrifices to the spirits of the dead to appease them. The story of Gilgamesh is similar to the story of Noah in the Bible. The story deals with issues surrounding mortality and immortality. Gilgamesh was Sumerian king