The overarching themes presented in the texts of this course are the mechanisms and purposes of human nature. These ideas can take the form of human morality, prejudice, philosophy, and science, allowing for the questions of the functions and results of human nature to be interpreted and analyzed in both reflective and creative texts. Thus, an understanding of the human event is achieved by developing an understanding of the manner in which human nature functions.
Thomas Hobbes – Leviathan, England, 1651 (Political Philosophy)
This text focuses on social structures as well as the function of a legitimate government. It introduces the idea of a “social contract”, and discusses a state of nature in which all beings are naturally in until joining
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society and sacrificing some of their natural rights. This book proposes a human nature and discusses human inclination towards aggression by describing a state of nature. John Locke – Second Treatise of Government, England, 1689 (Political Philosophy) This text proposes a different interpretation and discusses how its characteristics lead to the development of a civil society. Locke contends that a government functions for the people and any government operating without consent of the people has the potential to be overthrown. This book also introduces ideas of property, slavery, revolution, and representation, allowing for the morality and prejudice of human nature to be interpreted. Thomas Jefferson – The Declaration of Independence, United States, 1776 (Political Philosophy) The Declaration of Independence is the statement made by the United States colonies announcing their sovereignty from, and war against, the Kingdom of Great Britain. The text describes in detail the reasons for secession and discusses the immoral actions of King George III. The text has a very evident underlying message of equality and freedom and allows for these characteristics of human nature to be analyzed. Mary Wollstonecraft – A Vindication of the Rights of Women, England, 1792 (Feminist Philosophy) In this text, Mary Wollstonecraft reacts and responds to the 18th century belief that women should not be allowed a fair and proper education, and argues against the notion that the lone role of women in society is to reproduce and provide companionship. The text criticizes double standards between the sexes and argues for more than just gender roles. Ideas of equality, discrimination, and morality are apparent throughout the text, allowing for the relationship between these characteristics and human nature to be explored. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, United Kingdom, 1818 (Science Fiction) This novel tells the story of a young scientist that uses unconventional experimental techniques to create a monstrous, conscious being. As the text follows the events of Victor Frankenstein, the question of morality in science becomes apparent. The text also introduces the concepts of life, happiness, and revenge, allowing for the intentions and purpose of human nature to be interpreted. Herman Melville – Moby Dick, United States, 1851 (Fiction) Moby Dick follows the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab for revenge on a monstrous white whale that destroyed his ship and severed his leg. The story is told from the perspective of the sailor, Ishmael, and describes his relationship with both Captain Ahab and Moby Dick. This novel discusses ideas of obsession, death, and passion, bringing into question the consequences of human nature. Harriet Beecher Stowe – Uncle Tom’s Cabin, United States, 1852 (Fiction) Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an antislavery novel written by the abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe prior to the U.S. Civil War. The book follows the story of three slaves (Uncle Tom, Eliza, and Harry) on their quest for freedom. The text suggests questions regarding the intentions of human beings by presenting ideas of race, discrimination, death, and morality Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities, United Kingdom, 1859 (Historical Fiction) This novel follows the story of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton on their journey for safety, love, and tranquility during the brutal and chaotic French Revolution. The book depicts the corruption of the French aristocracy and the miserable life of the French peasantry. This book has a lot to offer regarding human nature, as it brings into account ideas of life and death, love and hate, oppression, resurrection, and redemption. Victor Fleming – The Wizard of Oz, United States, 1939 (Fantasy Film) The Wizard of Oz depicts the story of Dorothy and her journey through the magical Land of Oz, and her relationship with other characters.
The film effectively portrays themes of courage, resilience, and perseverance, making it a great tool to understand the mechanisms of human nature.
John Steinbeck – Of Mice and Men, United States, 1937 (Fiction)
Of Mice and Men tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small as they struggle to find work during the Great Depression. When the two land on a small ranch in California, they dynamic relationships with other characters and trouble ensues. John Steinbeck effectively portrays themes of friendship, persistence, and hope, while bringing up important questions concerning the morality of human nature.
Richard Rhodes – The Making of the Atomic Bomb, United States, 1986 (Science)
This text provides a historical account of the development of the atomic bomb and nuclear fission. It provides insight into the function and effectiveness of the Manhattan Project, as well as the destruction of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This book illustrates human determination, the ability to perform during times of crisis, and again brings up the question of morality and human
intent. Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner, United States, 2003 (Historical Fiction) This novel tells the story of a young boy, Amir, and his closest friend, Hassan, during the fall of Afghanistan’s monarchy, and the rise to power of the Taliban. As the story progresses, Amir develops a relationship not only with Hassan, but also with Hassan’s son, Sohrab. These characters provide insight into both friendship and familial relationships, and the text presents ideas of redemption and sacrifice, making this a good text to interpret the mechanisms, as well as the purpose, of human nature.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about the friendship between George Milton and Lennie Small, who travel together due to the fact that Lennie suffered a childlike mental illness and someone needed to take care of him. Lennie only listens to his friend George, no matter what George may say. This novel shows characteristics of their true friendship and George's compassion towards his companion. George shows acts of love and kindness out of sympathy for Lennie, yet he also seems to show an unconscious effort to make up for Lennie’s mental impairment.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a fiction novel. This novel is about two best friends who work as farm hands. Both men dream of owning a farm together one day. On the way to that dream the men face some struggles and that is what most of the novel is about. The novel goes into detail about how they overcome their struggle.
“Were off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz” One of the infamous phrases from one of the most well know classics of all time. The original movie titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was made in 1939 by Frank Baum. This film featured stars such as Judy Garland, Jack Hayley and many others. This was not only a movie, it was a fantasy, and a musical storytelling adventure with unusual characters that shook the audience. This was one of the first films to make it to the big screen with color. Because of its success, this film has been remade many times with multiple different spins making it rhetorical. Over the years this film has become one of the best films of all time and is still watched today among all ages
Scene: This scene in the film comes just after the house has been picked up in the twister. Dorothy's house has been lifted up into the sky and suddenly dropped back down to earth in the middle of the Land of Oz. In the scene itself, Dorothy leaves her home to see that she is "Not in Kansas anymore," and finds the new and amazing world of the munchkin city in front of her. She also meets Gwendela the good witch as her journey in Oz begins.
across all of our written history have discovered the importance of knowing human nature. Human nature is responsible for our definitions of abstract concepts that are surprisingly universal across the western world like justice, equity, and law. Human nature must also be carefully studied in an effort to understand, obtain, or maintain power within society. Finally, human nature must also be carefully understood so as to protect it from being manipulated and to understand its place in society.
What makes a film interesting? What makes it stand out from other films? What makes it unique? The visual design aspects of color and lighting in a film play a major role in giving the film meaning and depth. A lot of thought goes into what colors and lighting should be used that will help convey a mood and theme central to the film. You wouldn’t see dark colors and lighting used in a children cartoon, instead you see bright color and bright lighting. And vice versa; most horror films don’t focus on bright colors and bright lighting. In The Wizard of Oz (Dir. Victor Fleming, 1939) , the director uses bright colors and lighting to portray the moods of happiness, joy and innocence in Dorothy’s life. In contrast, dark colors and lighting that go hand in hand with the evil parts of Oz portray the
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
Dorothy was a young lady, full of spirit, living with her aunt and uncle on a farm in Kansas. She was full of energy and really loved her little dog Toto. A whirling cyclone landed her house on a witch in Oz; she started her journey to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz how to help her return to her hometown of Kansas. Dorothy was really nice and kind and she had many traditional moral values. She didn’t worry about the past events; she somehow made the best out of thing that was happening in the present. Her goal was to return home despite the difficulties she encountered in the magic city of Oz.
The Wizard of Oz is a film created by MGM Studios in 1939, directed by Victor Fleming and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, Frank Morgan as the Wizard and Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West. The Wizard of Oz is commonly known as the classic film of American cinema and is loved by many people. It can be classified as a Family, Fantasy, Musical film due to the touching messages told throughout the film, the magical special effects featuredn and the beautiful musical numbers highlighted in the film.
Every single film we watch has a major theme. The text describes theme as, “an idea, plot, or topic of some kind that pervades the plot. It is not so much what happens, but rather what the movie is about, part of the meaning you are expected to take away from the work” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). The theme of The Wizard of Oz is made very clear within the film because it is announced by Dorothy herself; stating, “there’s no place like home” (Langley, Ryerson & Woolf, 1939). I believe this simple phrase is the major theme, viewers were supposed to take away from this fascinating work. No matter where you go or what they have to offer you, there will be no other place you can truly call home, other than that in which you have grown to know as home. Many different techniques and elements from The Wizard of Oz contribute to this production to reveal on of the most meaningful major movie themes of all times.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fictional tale that appeals to many children as they travel with Dorothy from her gray home in Kansas to the wonderful land of Oz. The story begins with the lead character Dorothy, who lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on their farm in Kansas. A horrible cyclone carries her and her dog Toto inside their home to the Land of Oz, where her home falls on the Wicked Witch of the East. She learns from the munchkins (citizens) that to return home, she needs to travel to the Emerald City, where Oz the Great and Powerful will help her. On her journey she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and The Cowardly Lion; the three accompany her due to their desire to also receive gifts from Oz. After enduring many dangerous encounters with traveling troubles and defeating the Wicked Witch of the West with Oz’s instruction, she is finally able to return home by clicking her silver shoes together three times.
The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that lead to another conflict. The Cold War was a political standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States that again created a new worldwide nuclear threat. The destructive potential of nuclear weapons had created a global sweep of fear as to what might happen if these terrible forces where unleashed again. The technology involved in building the first atomic bombs has grown into the creation of nuclear weapons that are potentially 40 times more powerful than the original bombs used. However, a military change in strategy has came to promote nuclear disarmament and prevent the usage of nuclear weapons. The technology of building the atomic bomb has spurred some useful innovations that can be applied through the use of nuclear power. The fear of a potential nuclear attack had been heightened by the media and its release of movies impacting on public opinion and fear of nuclear devastation. The lives lost after the detonation of the atomic bombs have become warning signs that changed global thinking and caused preventative actions.
This section will seek to explain the key aspects which form the basis of the main argument. The main focus on the essay looks into a political community which is a collective arrangement between individuals that is intrinsically linked by a political relationship that encompasses rights and duties to all its members, it is through such membership that privileges and obligations are formed and are usually demarcated by political boundaries which draws a clear line between members and outsiders (Munoz 2012: 57). The virtue of membership to a political community is closely linked to the construct of the state and ...