Radio and European History Essay Example for Free

Radio and European History Essay Radio broadcasting has been viewed by governmental agencies across the globe as a contributing medium that served its growing audience. Across the years, radio broadcasting has provided entertainment and information to a diverse audience from local to, regional and international reach in commercial, social or political atmospheres. Radio broadcasting, according to Godfrey (2006), is a primary source material and an information tool as it directly observes and relates relevant events. Along with photographic records, physical remains and oral sources, radio and television broadcasts are potent sources of unfiltered evidence closer to an event, as Godfrey added. The acquisition of specific details that try to retain the images of an event through an actual experience has led Puddington (2003) to believe that media has challenged the shape of history. The significant claims on the importance of radio broadcasting drives home the idea that its classification as a primary source of data may is its contribution to history. More importantly, this paper shall strive to prove how radio broadcasting shaped European History as it gears up a strong hypothetical contention that radio broadcasting had a definite role in the shaping of European integration. The age of airwaves begun after the series of discoveries that led to the invention of the wireless telegraph. It soon signaled the birth of the radio telegraph that allowed a wide range of sounds, music and human voice to be transmitted in a new technology in 1914 according to Godfrey. Historically, it was also a crucial time fraught with misunderstanding and strife that divided Europe into armed camps. World War I broke out with Germany leading the war for control in Europe. History would recall that as early as 1872, Germany had entertained plans to control the European region as it dominated European diplomacy while France remained isolated from the rest according to Viault(1990). An ongoing international crisis had threatened to move the European powers closer to the brink of war by the 1900’s. Still in the throes of hectic plans and preparation, Germany had to content itself with waiting for a few more years before striking a match to light the flames of war. Earlier on, Europe was in its creative prime as artistic activities catered to a romantic era of the 1800 and onwards, a little over a century before radio ruled technology. It was also a century of inventions and research that became a turning point for technology to prosper. Europe while in an age of development was politically stocked under a conservative rule which soon gave way to a movement effectively fighting for reform. While Britain’s royal and upper classes rejected political democracy, France also became very authoritarian that soon culminated in the 1848 revolution which Viault (1990) related. A growing powerful ideology of nationalism also promoted a disintegration of the Austrian empire in Central Europe that soon resulted to a few alliances among nations while contributing to reckless disintegration across the regions of Europe. In effect, Europe was in mindless turmoil and at a crossroads during a century rich with creative thought yet devoid of an amplified objective. At the onset of World War I, wireless transmission proved to be an invaluable tool to the military although they were quite wary of its potential use in espionage and mass propaganda. Indeed this was the actual case as Ireland and Britain were able to recruit young draftees for World War I following the RMS Lusitania’s bombing off the coast of Ireland on the way to Lverpool by a German U-boat (Reader’s Digest, 2003). As the United States courted the use of radio for home entertainment, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) used the radio for news and entertainment with immediate plans to isolate it from political pressures as it battles with pay for radio entertainers as reported by the NY Times (Jun, 28, 1925). Radio broadcasting was also seen among countries in Europe as serving well in fostering good-will and amity among the nations of Europe and paving the way for unity as reported again in the NY Times (Jun 7, 1931). Such movement was instrumental in the recruitment of soldiers to serve in the allied force against Nazi Germany. In a specter of a growing 2nd World War brought about by rising Nazi Germany’s plan for domination, the radio technology was already seen as a tool in war efforts. At the outbreak of World War II, radio broadcasting reached the height of international worth as it carried news from the battlefront into the homes of listeners worldwide. Radio Commentator Edward Murrow had created sensations with eyewitness description of London during German bombing raids according to Godfrey (2006). Murrow had also reported on the Buchenwald Concentration Camps on April 11, 1945 according to Puddington (2003) which was instrumental in calling an end to the genocide. War was soon declared over the airwaves as Adolf Hitler set his conditions for war and genocide in Europe over Radio Hamburg in Viault (1990). The radio’s instrumental contribution to defeat the enemy camp of Hitler was made clear as allied camps tried to disrupt German military communications signals. Germany retaliated by jamming the signals and broadcast yet heavily lost amidst allied Europe’s hands. After the war, efforts to curb Russian communism was in the mainframe of Europe’s Radio Liberation programs that prayed for a Stalin and communist era to end. In the dark days of anti-Stalin struggle, the radio broadcast was again used as a weapon of psychological warfare according to Puddington (2003). Under a movement to free Europe from any communist rule after defeating Nazism, the Cold War between the US and USSR became a regional problem in Europe. Radio Free Europe (RFE) was established as a secretly American-funded station whose main objective was to spread the evils of communism. The Russians however weren’t quick to believe any evil broadcasts against their leader who defeated the evil Hitler and the Nazis as Puddington reasoned. By the 1970’s, Radio Liberty in Europe had ranked as the most influential international broadcast station with an impressive staff of exile writers and a growing Soviet audience in Puddington (2003). Stalin’s death in 1953 created a widening room for anti-communism ideas that had sacrificed the radio station and many of its staff and workers in the interest of international peace and harmony. Poland had once pleaded to abolish Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe in order to maintain diplomatic ties with Russia but other European countries opted for the propaganda movement against communism to remain heard. Shortwave broadcasts around the Czech Republic continued despite jamming from the Soviet communist regime. Likewise in West Germany, the country researched and studied the Soviet system of governance dedicated to the cause of freeing East Germany. Radio stations were tapped all around Europe as visible stars in an anti-communist sentiment. In a landscape of remembrance for the human efforts to attain peace and freedom, the advent of radio has ultimately provided an integral element in the unity and integration of Europe. Through radio broadcasting, information was disseminated across a wider population that became instrumental in creating an alliance among nations who desired for peace and freedom rather than dominion. The historical separation of European countries in the 19th century prior to the advent of radio technology was soon disbanded in an effort to create an alliance of nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights spoke of the right to receive and impart ideas and information regardless of frontiers. Radio broadcasting as the prevalent technology in an era fraught with wars and conflicts became a tool that united European nations to unite for a common cause of peace and freedom. Radio Broadcasting has therefore shaped the modern world’s history as a modern global tool that permitted countries to unite under a common goal for peace.

Free Essays - Hamlet as a Tragic Hero :: Shakespeare Hamlet

An Examination of Hamlet as a Tragic Hero Webster’s dictionary defines tragedy as, â€Å"a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror.†Ã‚   A tragic hero, therefore, is the character who experiences such a conflict and suffers catastrophically as a result of his choices and related actions.   The character of Hamlet, therefore, is a clear representation of Shakespeare’s tragic hero.   As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits.   A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development.   When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King.   In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair.  Ã‚   Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration.   The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very â€Å"human† character.   One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun. Hamlet’s anger and grief- primarily stemming from his mother’s marriage to Claudius- brings him to thoughts of suicide, which only subside as a result of it being a mortal and religious sin.   The fact that he wants to take his own life demonstrates a weakness in his character; a sense of cowarness, his decision not to kill himself because of religious beliefs shows that this weakness is balanced with some sense of morality.   Such an obvious paradox is only one example of the inner conflict and turmoil that will eventually lead to Hamlet’s downfall.   In addition to this internal struggle, Hamlet feels it is his duty to dethrone Claudius and become the King of Denmark.   This revenge, he believes, would settle the score for his mother’s incestuous relationship and would reinstate his family’s honor.   These thoughts are solidified in Act I, Scene 5, when his father’s ghost appears and informs Hamlet that is was Claudius who murdered him, and that Claudius deprived him â€Å"of life, of crown, and queen† (line 75).   This information leads to Hamlet’s promise to kill Claudius, while not punishing his mother for their incestuous marriage.   His statement, â€Å"thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain† (lines 102-103), demonstrates his adamant decision to let nothing stand in the way of his promise for revenge.

Elements of Design in the Green Mile Essay

The Green Mile is an exceptional film that was created in the year 1999. This film was nominated for four academy awards: Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Adapted Screenplay. This movie teaches us how different the times were back in the 1900s compared to the way it is now. The movie is set in 1935 which was during the times of the Great Depression. It also illustrates death row and how execution is still a problem to where it is not just and fair. There are several well-known actors that cast in this film. Each actor plays a very unique role and elements of design have a role where it puts everything about this movie into perspective. The cinematographer that helped to create this film had a vital role in putting all of his screen shots together to generate the perfect lighting, images that are seen by the camera, and images that the audience sees upon completion of the film (Goodykontz & Jacobs, 2011). The director, producer, screenwriter, and composer all played important roles in putting this film together to show its exceptional potential at being nominated for four academy awards. The elements of design in the Green Mile are a form of art which cannot be duplicated in a way that they have come together to create this finished product. There is a scene in this film called â€Å"Miracle Worker†. In this particular clip, illustrates how the actors are placed into the scene and positioned on the set. You will see how well their costumes and makeup are done which is part of what makes up the mise en scene. The mise en scene is all of the elements in a film that the audience sees such as the setting, make up and costumes, as well as the movement and placement of the actors. The director, Frank Darabont, is responsible for shooting many different versions on a scene (Goodykontz & Jacobs, 2011). The director will then create the final film based upon the best of those elements. Some directors will allow improvisation which is when actors come up with their own lines that they feel will fit into a particular scene. The production designer, who is also sometimes called the art director, is responsible for maintaining the sets, props and the costumes so that they are in sync with the story and the character’s role (Goodykontz & Jacobs, 2011). Production designers are head of the department on film crews and they are responsible for the art department. Basically, they may be asked to look at scripts to decide how much time the art department needs to spend on films. They also calculate the budgets to figure out how much money will be spent as well. Furthermore, they will provide their design sketches expressing detailing mood, lighting, composition and color to the art directors who oversees the production (Anonymous, 2012). In this scene, the â€Å"Miracle Worker†, the lighting is low because it is night time, but there are lights on inside of the house in the bedroom where the warden wife is lying in bed. The lighting is very dim which evokes a depressing and gloomy mood. It draws the audience into the scene to where they can feel the same pain and sorrow that the actors feel. John Coffey places his lips over the warden’s wife’s lips to retrieve the sickness of the cancer from her body. The chandelier begins to brighten and the sound of the music increases as the scene becomes more intense. There is a sign of bright lighting coming from the woman’s mouth illustrating the cancer leaving her body and going into Coffey’s body as his mouth brightens as well. That lighting is symbolic for the cancer that Coffey took away from her. Then he closes his mouth and the light goes away. However, there is still a bright light on the woman’s face for a couple of seconds as she lies there with her eyes closed, but now her face looks healthy and so young. The lighting in this scene affects the overall story of what the director is trying to tell the audience because it tells you without words what the characters in the film are feeling. It tells you that they are saddened when the light is dim and then in awe and disbelief as it brightens. The warden was in tears and was in disbelief from what he had just scene. So were the rest of the guards. Although, they were in disbelief, they also displayed a sign of relief in that the sickness has left the woman’s body. The film setting was the summer of 1935 when Hanks was a corrections officer in charge of death row inmates at Cold Mountain Penitentiary during the Great Depression days. This is during the time where unemployment was very high. It only got worse in time before it got better. Even taxes had increased which made it that much more difficult for people to survive. During this period of time racism still existed in this culture. John Coffey was beaten, convicted and sentenced for execution all because he was a black man suspected of raping and killing two little white girls with no valid proof. Costuming can tell us almost everything we need to know about a character. The costuming of the woman showed a great deal of sickness within her face. The makeup on her looked so believable that it almost looked like she was a rotting corpse. Then the costuming took a turn as she was healed from the sickness. She became beautiful and peaceful. Elements play a significant role in affecting the film’s plot. For example, Coffey was dirty and sweaty because it was hot. So this illustrated that he was not clean and did not have any clean clothes. He did not come from a place where he had nice attire. Now if he was clean and had on fresh clothes, the scene would not be as emotional. Nobody really expected Coffey and the way he looked to have such supernatural powers except for Hanks because he had already experienced it for himself. Hairstyle and makeup can help tell the story by showing how the character may feel at that point and time in a scene. It can also set the tone of the scene and the audience can feel exactly what the characters are feeling based on how they look. As the warden puts his hand over his mouth, and the screen zooms in on his face, you can see the stress and pain in his eyes when they start to tear up. The three guards are well dressed in uniform. They have ties and hats. They all look very sharp like they’re about to conduct a ceremony. They are well groomed with no facial hair just like military service members in uniform. The guard’s hairstyle and make up tell the audience that they care about their appearance and how they carry themselves as correction officers. They guards display a sense of caution because Coffey is a convicted criminal, but at the same time they display hope as Coffey talks to the warden’s wife and begin to use his supernatural power. In my personal opinion, I think that the mise en scene was very well put in this movie. The use of color which made the room dim definitely heightened the suspense of the film especially during the particular scene where the light goes from dim to bright and then dim again. The warden and the guards were in well placed positions while Coffey sat on the bed and performed his supernatural miracle to cure the warden’s wife from her sickness. The mise en scene was done very well by illustrating that the woman was sick and then healed by a miracle performed by a black man who was wrongfully convicted and sent to death row while he awaited death by electric chair. All of the elements flowed in a harmonious way because the music went well with the lighting when it was dark, and then became bright when Coffey used his super natural powers to heal the sickened woman. The audience is easily drawn into the film because of the cinematography that takes place in the movie. The actors, lighting, music and setting go hand in hand together. Therefore, it is not discordant at all. The design elements are definitely in sync with Frank Darabont’s vision. From the beginning of the scene, the elements in the film were symbolic to his vision. He wanted the audience to feel every bit of emotion that the characters were feeling. The intensity as Coffey spoke to the warden’s wife grew as he introduced himself to the time he ridded her from the illness. Not only did it make the warden cry and the guards emotional, but I’m sure that the audiences who watched this movie were just as emotional as everyone in the film. So Darabont did a great job by piecing everything together to get the right vision for the scene. The Green Mile had great chemistry as everyone played key roles in making this film. The film could not have been accomplished without the help of everyone coming together and doing their part, from the directors to the actors. The elements of the mise en scene were symbolic throughout the movie so that it really touched the audiences. It placed the viewers in the film as if they were part of the script. The director and the cinematography of the film gave it the extra edge that was needed aside from the actors. The elements worked so well together harmoniously that once the film was put together, it couldn’t be done again the way it was the first time around. References Anonymous (2012). Production Designer. http://www.media- match.com/usa/jobtypes/production-designer-jobs-402758.php Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu

Economic View Of Raising The Minimum Wage Essay - 1791 Words

Economic View of Raising the Minimum Wage Minimum wage has been a touchy subject for decades, but especially in this election year, it is more profound than ever before. With candidates screaming at each other, it’s important for the citizens of America to know the facts about minimum wage along with the costs and benefits. Continue reading to discover the truth about wages in America. From a small business owner perspective, it is safe to say people are split 50/50 about raising the minimum wage. The supporters think a raise will have more positive externalities than negative. For example, some predict more money will be in worker’s pockets which will allow them to buy more goods from small businesses and therefore, aid small businesses (Harrison, J.D., 2014). Continuing with this idea, if worker’s have more money, then there will be more money put back into the economy, in general, benefitting all businesses—not just the small ones. Another prediction, f rom small business owners, is increased worker productivity. This increased productivity is caused by the incentive to work hard when it is rewarded (Harrison, J.D., 2014). On the other hand, not all small business owners agree with a raise in the minimum wage. In fact, some see no benefit at all arguing they are barely surviving after the previous raise in federal minimum in 2007 (Harrison, J.D., 2014). To put it simply, some can’t afford to pay their workers more at this time. Still, others say a raise simply wouldn’tShow MoreRelatedMinimum Wage And The Wage1639 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum wage is one of the many microeconomic policies that serve to correct imbalance in the economy. It is defined as the lowest amount of remuneration required of an employer to pay his employees during a given period of work. There exist different laws in different states that can fix the minimum wage policy. 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Second, a higherRead MoreEssay on The Minimum Wage Should Be Increased1048 Words   |  5 Pagesfederal minimum wage in 1938, during the Great Depression. Congress had two goals; keeping workers away from poverty and boosting consumer spending for economic recovery. Today, there is a debate, whether we should increase the minimum wage again. Increasing the minimum wage is useful for several reasons. First, the current minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation. Second, a higher income level reduces employee turnover and increases efficiency and ultimately, raising the minimum wage d oes