1. This website gives a brief history of how American film censorship came into existence. It lists all the contributing factors, like religion, that have led to the conservative film censorship in the United States.
http://www.ncac.org/issues/film_censorship.cfm
2. The article gives a short yet precise explanation of how film censorship has evolved in the US. Although film censorship is technically not allowed, absolute right to the freedom of speech, economic pressure and moral pressure have created a system that ranks movies according to their level of obscenity. These rankings create age categories and have great influence on the success of the movie. This article also mentions the influence that religion has/ had on film censorship.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/593210/index.html
3. Definition and explanation of film censorship.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_censorship
4. This website is one of many that rates movies and gives brief explanations for these ratings. These websites seem to be quite popular amongst parents, that are interested in the movies that their children are watching. These websites are not exactly unbiased.
http://www.filmratings.com/
5. This website gives movie ratings for parents. This website is for parents from parents and rates movies according to appropriateness for children. The website directly criticizes the MPAA.
http://www.kids-in-mind.com/h/hangover.htm
6. This is the official website that rates movies in the US. The MPAA does not censor films but rates them according to age.
http://www.mpaa.org/AboutUs.asp
7. Wikipedia gave me an overview of what I was working with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_the_United_States
8. This website talks about how Prizefighting in the early 1900’s led to censorship.
http://www.orbach.org/1897/
9. These two websites give current news on censorship issues around the world. They talk about things that were never published and are trying to fight against censorship.
http://www.bannedmagazine.com/
http://www.projectcensored.org/
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Playing Our Part in a New Global Agreement on Climate Change
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/copenhagen/news-index/playing-our-part.aspx
Precis
The article „Playing our part in a new global agreement climate change“ by the Australian federal government speaks of Australia’s successes and goals to reduce carbon emission in the future. Their participation in Copenhagen seems to be very important and helpful for the world. The article repeatedly mentions Australia’s goals and successes such as efficient, fair, and effective plans for the future. Secondly Australia will support any developing countries that are not capable of supporting the global climate change themselves.
Playing Our Part in a New Global Agreement on Climate Cnge
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/copenhagen/news-index/playing-our-part.aspx
Mitigation
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/copenhagen/australias-position/mitigation.aspx
Precis
The article “Mitigation” from the Australian Government- Department of Climate Change, stresses the importance of global participation in the reduction of carbon emissions, to slow down global warming. Although it is vital that all countries participate and take mitigation responsibilities, the article mentions that the world cannot the poorest countries to take such great responsibilities upon themselves. On the other hand there are some very easy steps that these less developed countries could take to reduce their excessive carbon emissions. The article frequently uses jargon and alliteration to convince the reader its opinion. The article uses a very demeaning and almost arrogant tone when it speaks of the developing nations and their incapability’s to contribute to a climate improvement. Australia seems to be very confident with its plan and believes that developed and developing countries need to work together to achieve the common goal of sustainability.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Planting a Sequoia Commentary
Aleya Thakur-Weigold
Planting a Sequoia Commentary
There is no doubt, that there is no greater pain than that of a parent who has lost a child. Dana Gioia’s lyric poem Planting a Sequoia reflects on the traumatic experience of losing his son. The poem was structured in five stanzas is mainly driven by imagery and tone. Although the poem is dominated by an elegiac tone, there is still a strong sense of honor and hope present.
The first stanza does not reveal much about the content of the poem but gives the mood and the setting. Dana Gioia makes use of strong sensory imagery to set a gloomy and negative mood and lets the reader know that he has situated the poem on the North West coast of the United States. Although he has not yet revealed the content of the poem, he uses figurative imagery to symbolize death “Of and old year coming to an end […]” which creates a very sad and negative tone.
The second stanza of the poem introduces the idea of the Sicilian tradition of planting a tree in honor of a child’s birth “In Sicily a father plants a tree to celebrate his first son’s birth-[…]„. Dana Gioia embraces this tradition to overcome the grief of his son’s death. In his poem he writes “But today we kneel in the cold planting you, our native giant,[…]” which signifies that he is not planting a fruitful tree for the birth of his son, but a sequoia shrub in honor of his late sons memory. Although the sequoia tree is still small and vulnerable, it should grow into a grand and great tree, that will survive through the ages and that will “[…] stand among strangers […]” even after time has changed the setting. Instead of mourning and endlessly suffering over his son’s death, Gioia plants a tree in his honor which symbolizes life in the face of death.
With the shrub he also plants “[…] a lock of hair, a piece of an infant’s birth cord,[…]”, which personifies the tree and gives it more human traits. This line from the third stanza is the heart of the poem and there is a clear change of tone. The mood and tone of the poem change from being elegiac and mournful to showing hope and faith in a more fruitful future.
The poem is written in a free verse which symbolizes infinity and makes it seem like the poet is speaking directly to his son through the sequoia tree, while allowing the reader to be part of this moving moment between father and son.
Dana Gioia frequently uses sensory imagery throughout his poem to visualize the pain and suffering but also the hope and honor that the poet is feeling. It allows the reader to imagine and understand the terrifying situation of the loss of a child. Images like “Rain blackened the horizons […]” and “Nights scented with the ocean fog […]” give the reader the opportunity to fully embrace the opposing ideas of life, death, hope, and loss that shape this poem.
The strong imagery in the poem gives it an elegiac tone which seems to be stronger in the first few stanzas and then continues to have a more hopeful and positive tone towards the end (the future).
Dana Gioia frequently uses juxtaposition and opposing ideas in his poem. The entire poem is driven by juxtaposed ideas like life and death or the brevity of life versus the eternal lifetime of a sequoia tree. The idea of planting a tree for a child originally comes from a Sicilian tradition that symbolizes birth and celebration instead of pain and loss, like Gioia represents it in his poem.
But the tree does not solely represent the Gioia’s son’s memory, but it also symbolizes the brevity of life. The tree will grow into a native giant and even when Dana will have died and all of his unborn children will have passed, the sequoia tree will live and grow. A human lifetime to the tree will seem like a cherry blossom to man, brief and insignificant.
The poem is characterized by a father’s pain over the loss of a child. Dana Gioia uses a lot of imagery to connect with the reader and to create an elegiac yet hopeful tone. In honor of this late son he plants a sequoia shrub, passing his sons life into the tree. It will grow and outlive him and his brothers and nephews and one day the tree will stand among strangers, but will forever be in his memory.
Planting a Sequoia Commentary
There is no doubt, that there is no greater pain than that of a parent who has lost a child. Dana Gioia’s lyric poem Planting a Sequoia reflects on the traumatic experience of losing his son. The poem was structured in five stanzas is mainly driven by imagery and tone. Although the poem is dominated by an elegiac tone, there is still a strong sense of honor and hope present.
The first stanza does not reveal much about the content of the poem but gives the mood and the setting. Dana Gioia makes use of strong sensory imagery to set a gloomy and negative mood and lets the reader know that he has situated the poem on the North West coast of the United States. Although he has not yet revealed the content of the poem, he uses figurative imagery to symbolize death “Of and old year coming to an end […]” which creates a very sad and negative tone.
The second stanza of the poem introduces the idea of the Sicilian tradition of planting a tree in honor of a child’s birth “In Sicily a father plants a tree to celebrate his first son’s birth-[…]„. Dana Gioia embraces this tradition to overcome the grief of his son’s death. In his poem he writes “But today we kneel in the cold planting you, our native giant,[…]” which signifies that he is not planting a fruitful tree for the birth of his son, but a sequoia shrub in honor of his late sons memory. Although the sequoia tree is still small and vulnerable, it should grow into a grand and great tree, that will survive through the ages and that will “[…] stand among strangers […]” even after time has changed the setting. Instead of mourning and endlessly suffering over his son’s death, Gioia plants a tree in his honor which symbolizes life in the face of death.
With the shrub he also plants “[…] a lock of hair, a piece of an infant’s birth cord,[…]”, which personifies the tree and gives it more human traits. This line from the third stanza is the heart of the poem and there is a clear change of tone. The mood and tone of the poem change from being elegiac and mournful to showing hope and faith in a more fruitful future.
The poem is written in a free verse which symbolizes infinity and makes it seem like the poet is speaking directly to his son through the sequoia tree, while allowing the reader to be part of this moving moment between father and son.
Dana Gioia frequently uses sensory imagery throughout his poem to visualize the pain and suffering but also the hope and honor that the poet is feeling. It allows the reader to imagine and understand the terrifying situation of the loss of a child. Images like “Rain blackened the horizons […]” and “Nights scented with the ocean fog […]” give the reader the opportunity to fully embrace the opposing ideas of life, death, hope, and loss that shape this poem.
The strong imagery in the poem gives it an elegiac tone which seems to be stronger in the first few stanzas and then continues to have a more hopeful and positive tone towards the end (the future).
Dana Gioia frequently uses juxtaposition and opposing ideas in his poem. The entire poem is driven by juxtaposed ideas like life and death or the brevity of life versus the eternal lifetime of a sequoia tree. The idea of planting a tree for a child originally comes from a Sicilian tradition that symbolizes birth and celebration instead of pain and loss, like Gioia represents it in his poem.
But the tree does not solely represent the Gioia’s son’s memory, but it also symbolizes the brevity of life. The tree will grow into a native giant and even when Dana will have died and all of his unborn children will have passed, the sequoia tree will live and grow. A human lifetime to the tree will seem like a cherry blossom to man, brief and insignificant.
The poem is characterized by a father’s pain over the loss of a child. Dana Gioia uses a lot of imagery to connect with the reader and to create an elegiac yet hopeful tone. In honor of this late son he plants a sequoia shrub, passing his sons life into the tree. It will grow and outlive him and his brothers and nephews and one day the tree will stand among strangers, but will forever be in his memory.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Haiku
A sudden snow storm
The icy streets deserted
warmth inside
Talking to my friend
In the midst of autumn leaves
I feel free
A walk along the lake
warm breeze touches my face
at home
She runs through the grass
Cheeks a rosy red
Her Love will never fade
She feels a cool breeze
The heat has finally passed
Time has led the way
The square is packed
The sun shines brutally on us
Lost in eternity
The icy streets deserted
warmth inside
Talking to my friend
In the midst of autumn leaves
I feel free
A walk along the lake
warm breeze touches my face
at home
She runs through the grass
Cheeks a rosy red
Her Love will never fade
She feels a cool breeze
The heat has finally passed
Time has led the way
The square is packed
The sun shines brutally on us
Lost in eternity
Monday, 2 November 2009
When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead
Charles Hamilton Sorley (1895- 1915)
When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead
When you see millions of the mouthless dead
Across your dreams in pale battalions go,
Say not soft things as other men have said,
That you'll remember. For you need not so.
Give them not praise. For, deaf, how should they know
It is not curses heaped on each gashed head?
Nor tears. Their blind eyes see not your tears flow.
Nor honour. It is easy to be dead.
Say only this, "They are dead." Then add thereto,
"Yet many a better one has died before."
Then, scanning all the o'ercrowded mass, should you
Perceive one face that you loved heretofore,
It is a spook. None wears the face you knew.
Great death has made all his for evermore.
"This was found in the author's kit sent home from France after his death." (Note by W. R. S., p. 131.)
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1954.html
- Italian Sonnet (8 and 6)
When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead
When you see millions of the mouthless dead
Across your dreams in pale battalions go,
Say not soft things as other men have said,
That you'll remember. For you need not so.
Give them not praise. For, deaf, how should they know
It is not curses heaped on each gashed head?
Nor tears. Their blind eyes see not your tears flow.
Nor honour. It is easy to be dead.
Say only this, "They are dead." Then add thereto,
"Yet many a better one has died before."
Then, scanning all the o'ercrowded mass, should you
Perceive one face that you loved heretofore,
It is a spook. None wears the face you knew.
Great death has made all his for evermore.
"This was found in the author's kit sent home from France after his death." (Note by W. R. S., p. 131.)
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1954.html
- Italian Sonnet (8 and 6)
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