quizzes and study and life
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, August 31, 2009
more notes
The Individual and the social system:
We all sometimes feel isolated in a world which seems determined to thwart our needs, deny our perceptions and foist false upon us. In 1984 this feeling is cast into a fantastic form and pursued to a horrifying extreme.
While this ease of identification is a major source of the book’s appeal, it is the particular nature of the nightmare world Winston inhabits which accounts for the enormous impact that the book has had. Winston’s rebellion is not directed simply against a repressive job or unsympathetic parents, but an infinitely more alarming antagonist, totalitarianism.
Many of the book’s original readers, having witnessed the relentless mass cruelty unleashed by Hitler and Stalin, naturally asked themselves whether such a system could ever develop in their own countries. It was undeniable that throughout the first half of the 20th century there had been more and more government intervention in people’s lives in all developed nations, and that this trend had been accelerated by the Second World War. Orwell believed that greater government power was not only inevitable but was the only practicable way to bring about a more equal and democratic society, yet he feared that it could all too easily end in totalitarianism, a closed society where everything and everyone was controlled by a rigid dictatorship. The best way to avoid the danger was for people to be aware of the problem and vigilant in ensuing that it did not come about. 1984 was written to assist in this task.
Orwell takes some of the worst features of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, imagines them refined to a vicious perfection by time and improved technology, and projects them onto the Britain of the near future, giving us an alarming reading experience which will encourage us to oppose this evil, plus a clear model of what it is that we should oppose. The book makes it clear that the power of totalitarianism does not derive simply from the power of the state, immense though it may be, but also from the weakness of the citizens. While the proles are victims because they are uninterested in politics and accept government as they do the weather, intellectuals like Winston are contrastingly vulnerable to the impressive-sounding philosophical arguments which the rulers to justify their power and the pseudo-religious promise that, in joining them, individuals will be accepted into a protecting order, freed from the anxiety, guilt and weakness which are actually a normal part of the human condition.
While totalitarianism is Orwell’s chief target, 1984 also conveys a suspicious of modern life in general. Much of what Orwell foresaw has since come into being- television, security cameras, the 24hour clock, metrication, a loss of Britain’s status as a great power- but so far without the sinister consequences which he linked to these developments. Orwell’s skepticism towards modernity can still be defended, however, for a major theme of the book is the struggle of the individual to lead an authentic life, fully in touch with their feeling, in a ‘packaged’ world of media manipulation and social expectation. To Orwell the good life is only loosely linked to affluence and technology; it has satisfying relationships, with self-knowledge and closeness to the basic facts of life. The book suggests that future developments may bring into being social forces so powerful that they can cut off the individual from these sources of health and leave him or her a victim of manipulation from above. The form this alienating society can take maybe as brutal as in the 1984 or a pleasure obsessed, affluent one as in Brave New World, but the worry is the same, and arguably it a concern which should not be lightly dismissed.
Context: Key Questions:
How is this theme influenced by or representative of George Orwell’s own context? What do you think the ending tells us about how Orwell viewed this struggle? Why do you think he ends the book the way he does? How might you link that to context?
Other themes to consider:
Loss of humanity
Social division
Control through language
Technological advancements
Control through technology Read more...
We all sometimes feel isolated in a world which seems determined to thwart our needs, deny our perceptions and foist false upon us. In 1984 this feeling is cast into a fantastic form and pursued to a horrifying extreme.
While this ease of identification is a major source of the book’s appeal, it is the particular nature of the nightmare world Winston inhabits which accounts for the enormous impact that the book has had. Winston’s rebellion is not directed simply against a repressive job or unsympathetic parents, but an infinitely more alarming antagonist, totalitarianism.
Many of the book’s original readers, having witnessed the relentless mass cruelty unleashed by Hitler and Stalin, naturally asked themselves whether such a system could ever develop in their own countries. It was undeniable that throughout the first half of the 20th century there had been more and more government intervention in people’s lives in all developed nations, and that this trend had been accelerated by the Second World War. Orwell believed that greater government power was not only inevitable but was the only practicable way to bring about a more equal and democratic society, yet he feared that it could all too easily end in totalitarianism, a closed society where everything and everyone was controlled by a rigid dictatorship. The best way to avoid the danger was for people to be aware of the problem and vigilant in ensuing that it did not come about. 1984 was written to assist in this task.
Orwell takes some of the worst features of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, imagines them refined to a vicious perfection by time and improved technology, and projects them onto the Britain of the near future, giving us an alarming reading experience which will encourage us to oppose this evil, plus a clear model of what it is that we should oppose. The book makes it clear that the power of totalitarianism does not derive simply from the power of the state, immense though it may be, but also from the weakness of the citizens. While the proles are victims because they are uninterested in politics and accept government as they do the weather, intellectuals like Winston are contrastingly vulnerable to the impressive-sounding philosophical arguments which the rulers to justify their power and the pseudo-religious promise that, in joining them, individuals will be accepted into a protecting order, freed from the anxiety, guilt and weakness which are actually a normal part of the human condition.
While totalitarianism is Orwell’s chief target, 1984 also conveys a suspicious of modern life in general. Much of what Orwell foresaw has since come into being- television, security cameras, the 24hour clock, metrication, a loss of Britain’s status as a great power- but so far without the sinister consequences which he linked to these developments. Orwell’s skepticism towards modernity can still be defended, however, for a major theme of the book is the struggle of the individual to lead an authentic life, fully in touch with their feeling, in a ‘packaged’ world of media manipulation and social expectation. To Orwell the good life is only loosely linked to affluence and technology; it has satisfying relationships, with self-knowledge and closeness to the basic facts of life. The book suggests that future developments may bring into being social forces so powerful that they can cut off the individual from these sources of health and leave him or her a victim of manipulation from above. The form this alienating society can take maybe as brutal as in the 1984 or a pleasure obsessed, affluent one as in Brave New World, but the worry is the same, and arguably it a concern which should not be lightly dismissed.
Context: Key Questions:
How is this theme influenced by or representative of George Orwell’s own context? What do you think the ending tells us about how Orwell viewed this struggle? Why do you think he ends the book the way he does? How might you link that to context?
Other themes to consider:
Loss of humanity
Social division
Control through language
Technological advancements
Control through technology Read more...
GATTACA THEMES:
The dangers of genetic engineering and scientific experimentation:
“I would hate for anyone to look at my film and think it is advocating that you never tamper with genes, because there have been and will be many positive things to come out of this kind of science in terms of curing diseases. But the problem is that blurred line between health and enhancement. How far do you go? Do you consider short-sightedness a disease? Premature balding? Crooked teeth? Where do you draw the line?” -Andrew Niccol
Science fiction is not so much about current state technology as about what might be. It often works too by exaggerating a trend to the point where it is obviously intolerable, as with the film’s depiction of a society ruled by ‘genoism’, and thereby inviting debate about what are real contemporary issues potential problems.
Contextual links:
· 1962 discovery of DNA
· 1969 onwards- identification of which genes define the characteristics of all organisms
· 1970 the synthesis of genes
· 1976 the beginning of true genetic engineering
· 1984 genetic fingerprinting
· 1988 genetic modification of animals
· 1994 development of genetically modified food
· 1997 Dolly the sheep
· 1998 stem cell research and other types of gene research
The name GATTACA comes from the four different nitrogen elements- guanine, adenine, thymine and cystosine. The society is a society which is based on genetic perfection. In the title sequence these letters are bolded- a subtle clue to this idea.
Gattaca is really pointing us towards what is both a new and old controversy:
· The Human Genome Project which looked at finding the genetic profiles of common diseases (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s etc.) and the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1997.
What fears did this awaken in people?
The understanding of how fast technology can take us into unchartered territory. What would happen if we took things too far?
It’s important to note that these were not new fears:
· Hitler’s Aryan race
· Multiple warnings in literature ie) Frankenstein, Brave New World
What do we make of this then?
It seems that people worry about ‘interfering with nature’ as Vincent’s parents significantly do in Scene 10 of the film.
‘ Humans are discovering a God-like power to alter the world but may not have the moral understanding or prescience to see where such tinkering might take us.’
-The producers of Gattaca
Genres
Science fiction: speculative fiction pushes an important and disturbing idea (such as genetic engineering) to its logical conclusion. This genre can be used to make quite insightful and moving comments on the nature of the world and of human potential.
However is also:
Mystery, detective, drama, thriller and a romance
Why have all of these genres together? -Because it drives the story. A good science fiction idea has little or no narrative energy in its own right.
Motifs:
· Vincent cleaning himself, shaves, or sloughs of skin
· Repeated shots of blood and urine samples
· Hair
These motifs all underline the theme of the body as the identifier and the betrayer in this society.
· Water scenes
These represent moments of struggle and triumph over nature (represented at a subliminal level by the sea).
Doubles:
· Vincent and Eugene
· Vincent and Anton
Despite apparent differences, they are equally ‘valid’ as human beings.
Style:
The film has a ‘retro’ look which draws on the Cold War iconography of the 50s. There are images of totalitarianism and allusions to Nazi war images. The sets also carry impressions of sterility (coldly scientific). The large spaces are uncluttered and well-lit. It is cavernous and devoid of much colour.
Lighting and colour:
The palette of the film is primarily green and blue/grey. Often the film appropriates sepia. It is visually a ‘cold’ film. This reflects the director’s desire to establish the idea of a society that, in its desire to be ‘perfect’, has squeezed all humanity out. It has become as sterile as a laboratory.
Green filters: There are floods of green in the film (filters were used throughout the film). The green is largely naturalistic, but on occasions has a more symbolic function, coding moments of threat and tension. Murky colours of brown and green contribute mood to the ‘noir’ sequences.
Gold filters: In contrast to this dark lighting there are several scenes bathed in golden light. (Vincent’s ambition of going to the stars, the mirror farm scene, the nightclub scene, etc) These scenes show warmth, excitement and for this film, visual richness. Read more...
The dangers of genetic engineering and scientific experimentation:
“I would hate for anyone to look at my film and think it is advocating that you never tamper with genes, because there have been and will be many positive things to come out of this kind of science in terms of curing diseases. But the problem is that blurred line between health and enhancement. How far do you go? Do you consider short-sightedness a disease? Premature balding? Crooked teeth? Where do you draw the line?” -Andrew Niccol
Science fiction is not so much about current state technology as about what might be. It often works too by exaggerating a trend to the point where it is obviously intolerable, as with the film’s depiction of a society ruled by ‘genoism’, and thereby inviting debate about what are real contemporary issues potential problems.
Contextual links:
· 1962 discovery of DNA
· 1969 onwards- identification of which genes define the characteristics of all organisms
· 1970 the synthesis of genes
· 1976 the beginning of true genetic engineering
· 1984 genetic fingerprinting
· 1988 genetic modification of animals
· 1994 development of genetically modified food
· 1997 Dolly the sheep
· 1998 stem cell research and other types of gene research
The name GATTACA comes from the four different nitrogen elements- guanine, adenine, thymine and cystosine. The society is a society which is based on genetic perfection. In the title sequence these letters are bolded- a subtle clue to this idea.
Gattaca is really pointing us towards what is both a new and old controversy:
· The Human Genome Project which looked at finding the genetic profiles of common diseases (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s etc.) and the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1997.
What fears did this awaken in people?
The understanding of how fast technology can take us into unchartered territory. What would happen if we took things too far?
It’s important to note that these were not new fears:
· Hitler’s Aryan race
· Multiple warnings in literature ie) Frankenstein, Brave New World
What do we make of this then?
It seems that people worry about ‘interfering with nature’ as Vincent’s parents significantly do in Scene 10 of the film.
‘ Humans are discovering a God-like power to alter the world but may not have the moral understanding or prescience to see where such tinkering might take us.’
-The producers of Gattaca
Genres
Science fiction: speculative fiction pushes an important and disturbing idea (such as genetic engineering) to its logical conclusion. This genre can be used to make quite insightful and moving comments on the nature of the world and of human potential.
However is also:
Mystery, detective, drama, thriller and a romance
Why have all of these genres together? -Because it drives the story. A good science fiction idea has little or no narrative energy in its own right.
Motifs:
· Vincent cleaning himself, shaves, or sloughs of skin
· Repeated shots of blood and urine samples
· Hair
These motifs all underline the theme of the body as the identifier and the betrayer in this society.
· Water scenes
These represent moments of struggle and triumph over nature (represented at a subliminal level by the sea).
Doubles:
· Vincent and Eugene
· Vincent and Anton
Despite apparent differences, they are equally ‘valid’ as human beings.
Style:
The film has a ‘retro’ look which draws on the Cold War iconography of the 50s. There are images of totalitarianism and allusions to Nazi war images. The sets also carry impressions of sterility (coldly scientific). The large spaces are uncluttered and well-lit. It is cavernous and devoid of much colour.
Lighting and colour:
The palette of the film is primarily green and blue/grey. Often the film appropriates sepia. It is visually a ‘cold’ film. This reflects the director’s desire to establish the idea of a society that, in its desire to be ‘perfect’, has squeezed all humanity out. It has become as sterile as a laboratory.
Green filters: There are floods of green in the film (filters were used throughout the film). The green is largely naturalistic, but on occasions has a more symbolic function, coding moments of threat and tension. Murky colours of brown and green contribute mood to the ‘noir’ sequences.
Gold filters: In contrast to this dark lighting there are several scenes bathed in golden light. (Vincent’s ambition of going to the stars, the mirror farm scene, the nightclub scene, etc) These scenes show warmth, excitement and for this film, visual richness. Read more...
Sunday, August 30, 2009
howdy doooooo .
hello hello .
i hope everyone's enjoying their weekend filled with core+polynomials+biology for some of us !
Miss i was just wondering what your email is?
Thanks
take care
ciao
<3 =] Read more...
i hope everyone's enjoying their weekend filled with core+polynomials+biology for some of us !
Miss i was just wondering what your email is?
Thanks
take care
ciao
<3 =] Read more...
Syllabus
Read through this and ensure you use the language of it in your responses.
Elective II: Texts in Time
In this elective students compare how the treatment of similar content in a pair of texts composed in different times and contexts may reflect changing values and perspectives. By considering the texts in their contexts and comparing values, ideas and language forms and features, students come to a heightened understanding of the meaning and significance of each text.
These are some practise questions for year 12, think about how they could be adapted for year 11. Obviously some things would change.
Adaptations of Past HSC Questions
1) Analyse the ways in which a comparative study of Frankenstein and Blade Runner invites consideration of humanity’s connection with the natural world.
2) Texts in Time involves portrayals, in varying contexts, of the individual and the natural world.Analyse TWO differences between Shelley’s and Scott’s portrayals, making detailed reference to your prescribed texts.
3) How does a comparative study of Frankenstein and Blade Runner bring to the fore ideas about the consequences of the desire for control?In your response, make detailed reference to your TWO prescribed texts.
4) When they are considered together, how do Shelley’s and Scott’s representations sustain interest in humanity’s relationship with nature?
5) How has your perception of Texts in Time been illuminated by your comparative study of the prescribed texts?
6) You have studied two texts composed at different times. When you compared these texts and their contexts, how was your understanding of each text developed and reshaped.
7) In comparing your TWO texts you will have to become aware of how the contexts of the texts have shaped their form and meaning. Of more interest, perhaps is the comparison of the values associated with each text.To what extent has this point of view been your experience to your study of Texts in Time?
8) Compare how TWO prescribed texts you have studied explore the tension between humanity and the natural world.
Questions used by school etc: 1. The creators of Frankenstein and Blade Runner have anchored their visions in the social and cultural realities of their time. Despite contextual differences, however, at the heart of both texts is a fear that we may not be able to control what we create. Is this your view of these texts?
2. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, and Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, share many common attributes, most notably, that time has demonstrated both texts’ significance to society. Explore this statement.
3. To what extent do the two texts present similar or different criticisms of society?
4. Similar issues, explored in different contexts, may reflect changes in values and perspectives. How is this demonstrated in the comparison of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner?
5. In spite of different contexts and values, both Shelley and Scott are concerned with the question of what constitutes true humanity. Explore this statement.
6. “What does it mean to be human?” Explore this statement in relation to Blade Runner and Frankenstein.
7. Both Frankenstein and Blade Runner share a common premise. If humanity, through scientific advancement, is able to create life artificially, then ethical quandary will arise. How are the relationships between the creator and created used by Scott and Shelley to illustrate a common premise. In your response also explore how they reflect societal concerns of the time in which they were composed. Read more...
Elective II: Texts in Time
In this elective students compare how the treatment of similar content in a pair of texts composed in different times and contexts may reflect changing values and perspectives. By considering the texts in their contexts and comparing values, ideas and language forms and features, students come to a heightened understanding of the meaning and significance of each text.
These are some practise questions for year 12, think about how they could be adapted for year 11. Obviously some things would change.
Adaptations of Past HSC Questions
1) Analyse the ways in which a comparative study of Frankenstein and Blade Runner invites consideration of humanity’s connection with the natural world.
2) Texts in Time involves portrayals, in varying contexts, of the individual and the natural world.Analyse TWO differences between Shelley’s and Scott’s portrayals, making detailed reference to your prescribed texts.
3) How does a comparative study of Frankenstein and Blade Runner bring to the fore ideas about the consequences of the desire for control?In your response, make detailed reference to your TWO prescribed texts.
4) When they are considered together, how do Shelley’s and Scott’s representations sustain interest in humanity’s relationship with nature?
5) How has your perception of Texts in Time been illuminated by your comparative study of the prescribed texts?
6) You have studied two texts composed at different times. When you compared these texts and their contexts, how was your understanding of each text developed and reshaped.
7) In comparing your TWO texts you will have to become aware of how the contexts of the texts have shaped their form and meaning. Of more interest, perhaps is the comparison of the values associated with each text.To what extent has this point of view been your experience to your study of Texts in Time?
8) Compare how TWO prescribed texts you have studied explore the tension between humanity and the natural world.
Questions used by school etc: 1. The creators of Frankenstein and Blade Runner have anchored their visions in the social and cultural realities of their time. Despite contextual differences, however, at the heart of both texts is a fear that we may not be able to control what we create. Is this your view of these texts?
2. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, and Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, share many common attributes, most notably, that time has demonstrated both texts’ significance to society. Explore this statement.
3. To what extent do the two texts present similar or different criticisms of society?
4. Similar issues, explored in different contexts, may reflect changes in values and perspectives. How is this demonstrated in the comparison of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner?
5. In spite of different contexts and values, both Shelley and Scott are concerned with the question of what constitutes true humanity. Explore this statement.
6. “What does it mean to be human?” Explore this statement in relation to Blade Runner and Frankenstein.
7. Both Frankenstein and Blade Runner share a common premise. If humanity, through scientific advancement, is able to create life artificially, then ethical quandary will arise. How are the relationships between the creator and created used by Scott and Shelley to illustrate a common premise. In your response also explore how they reflect societal concerns of the time in which they were composed. Read more...
Model Essay Module A
This is one of my student's essays on Module A, what you'll be doing next year. Have a look at her structure and the way she sets out her ideas. Sorry, there's also some of my comments through this. There were areas she improved on later.
A text embodies and reflects key issues and concerns of the composer’s context, whether it be social, cultural or historical. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) are two prime examples of how similar concerns may differ in representation due to varying times and contexts. Both Shelley and Scott strongly explore the essence of humanity alongside science and development, cautioning the audience about the concerns of these explorations as a possible path of severance with the natural order and the seemingly inexistent future of mankind due to their concerns and issues present in their time. (I love this intro! But you need to keep making clear that though they deal with similar themes, a change in context means they are represented or dealt with in very different ways.)
Frankenstein and Blade Runner explore elements of the human nature in a way that attempts to identify the characteristics that would be considered uniquely human. These characteristics that should enable us to identify the differences between the metaphysical and the natural are blurred within the two texts, reflecting the composers’ fears of the loss of humanity. Shelley and Scott strongly advocate the notion that there are inherent dangers to the human psyche in an environment in which the advance of science and technology goes unchecked. Shelley clearly warns in her novel the lack of refrain which men display in their temptations in search of knowledge, curiosity and glory. This maybe reflected by her own personal context in which her husband Percy Shelley was often absent due to his work. In terms of Frankenstein, it is the monster that is portrayed as the one possessing the characteristics of being human instead of his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Victor denies his humanity in order to pursue his unscrupulous ambitions in creating life, destroying the distinction between man and “God”. “Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?” (this is a good point but how is it related to your argument in this paragraph?) (the context missing here is beyond just the personal context. It’s perhaps a slight critique of the modernist notion of worshiping the imagination. Even though Shelley espouses the romantic ideals in her writing, she perhaps sees that it must remain in check.) (You also need at least one technique)
In Blade Runner, the replicants are described as “more human than human.” The intelligence (is it their intelligence or is it more than this?) that is embodied in the replicants calls into the question of what it means to be human. Deckard as well as the other humans, do not have a firm ground in which distinctly defines them as human – including emotions. This is represented well in Blade Runner in the ambiguity of Deckard’s character, which is questioned by Rachel during her Voigt-Kampff test; ‘did you ever take that test yourself?’. Pris uses a Cartesian epigram, ‘I think, therefore I am’, that alludes to her self-awareness; a key philosophical element that defines sentient Nature and the human existence on a metaphysical plane, is now being mirrored by artificial intelligence. Scott’s concern of this loss of humanity stems from many contextual links of his time that concerned the development of genetics and bioengineering, including the growing curiosity of artificial intelligence. Whilst Shelley is unclear on the creation of the monster, existing in only her imagination (exemplifying the influence of Romanticism), Scott is able to clearly outline the creation of his replicants due to the availability of the technology of his time. As William Blake once said, “What is now proved was only once imagined.” (how is this linked to your argument) (very well written and interesting though!)
Contrastingly between the two texts, Nature serves as a connection between the depths of fear of technological development, as well as the ‘home’ for humanity. Mary Shelley lived among the practitioners of the Romantic concepts and used many of these principles in her novel Frankenstein. Romanticism was concerned with Nature, human feelings, compassion for mankind, as well as the fear of rapid advancement. Her context in technological advancement was not as developed as Scott’s context. Nature is very prominent and significant in Frankenstein, reflecting the lesser industrialisation present in Shelley’s time as well as articulating the Romantic style that evokes Nature. Victor finds great consolation and connection in the Nature stating that the “sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable receiving.” Collectively, it is only shown in Frankenstein that Victor is the sole person who has lost his humanity, juxtaposed amongst the vastness of the Nature that serves as a symbol of humanity’s degradation. (technique)
In the opening scenes of Blade Runner, the degradation of the metropolis Los Angeles is revealed. Riddled and darkened with pollution and over-population, smoke stacks are seen heaving enormous fireballs into the atmosphere which in turn responds with violent and unstable strikes of lightning. Nature on earth, the traditional home of humanity, has turned into a hostile place and does not hold any comfort for human population. The world has completely transformed into a commodified Nature, produced through scientific endeavours, highlighting the growing fear of Scott’s context – overpopulation and unscrupulous pursuit of industrialisation at the expense of Nature. Pollution and Global Warming are becoming real concerns in the 1980s, as well as the sustainability for human’s to continue to populate and live on Earth. Earth can no longer be identified as a spiritual home for humanity, thereby humanity losing belonging to a home and becoming an alien presence in an increasingly unnatural world. Effectively shown by frequent high angle panning shots looking down on urban decay, the cinematic style is of pervading darkness, creating a dreary and repelling atmosphere.
Retribution and atonement are two significant factors in humanity meddling with science. As cautionary texts, Frankenstein and Blade Runner highlight the consequences that the composers were concerned with. Having witnessed the animation of a corpse via Galvanism, Shelley’s character Victor creates and subsequently abandons his creation, accentuating her concern of unsupervised advancements of science and the possibility of horrific results and abandonment whereby the ensuing consequences leads to retribution. Many scientists of Shelley’s time were starting projects and often abandoning them without thought of outcomes. (can you be more specific?)The monster’s retribution in Victor’s family and friends serves as the atonement of Victor’s sins of science. Shelley greatly emphasises the ultimate sacrifices as a deep warning of her concerns of science.
Similarly in Blade Runner, the replicants seek revenge on Tyrell as well as humanity, atoning for developing at unsustainable rates. Unlike Frankenstein where the idea of development was in initial stages, the replicants seek retribution on all of humanity for meddling with science as well as corrupted growth and development. This reflects the growing concern of Scott’s time of unsustainable rates of growth and development. Society and humanity has just started to actively take part in demoting fast rates of development and growth at the knowledge of the subsequent consequences.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner present possible realities from the composer’s observations in their own worlds and times. Their social, cultural and historical contexts influence their portrayals of similar concerns of humanity alongside science and development, acting as cautionary texts of the possible path of severance with the natural order as well as consequences of unchecked explorations of rapid development.
This is very well expressed and engaging! What’s needed is a bit of work on structure to make your argument clearer and consistent use of techniques. I think you also need to be more specific in your context. Read more...
A text embodies and reflects key issues and concerns of the composer’s context, whether it be social, cultural or historical. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) are two prime examples of how similar concerns may differ in representation due to varying times and contexts. Both Shelley and Scott strongly explore the essence of humanity alongside science and development, cautioning the audience about the concerns of these explorations as a possible path of severance with the natural order and the seemingly inexistent future of mankind due to their concerns and issues present in their time. (I love this intro! But you need to keep making clear that though they deal with similar themes, a change in context means they are represented or dealt with in very different ways.)
Frankenstein and Blade Runner explore elements of the human nature in a way that attempts to identify the characteristics that would be considered uniquely human. These characteristics that should enable us to identify the differences between the metaphysical and the natural are blurred within the two texts, reflecting the composers’ fears of the loss of humanity. Shelley and Scott strongly advocate the notion that there are inherent dangers to the human psyche in an environment in which the advance of science and technology goes unchecked. Shelley clearly warns in her novel the lack of refrain which men display in their temptations in search of knowledge, curiosity and glory. This maybe reflected by her own personal context in which her husband Percy Shelley was often absent due to his work. In terms of Frankenstein, it is the monster that is portrayed as the one possessing the characteristics of being human instead of his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Victor denies his humanity in order to pursue his unscrupulous ambitions in creating life, destroying the distinction between man and “God”. “Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?” (this is a good point but how is it related to your argument in this paragraph?) (the context missing here is beyond just the personal context. It’s perhaps a slight critique of the modernist notion of worshiping the imagination. Even though Shelley espouses the romantic ideals in her writing, she perhaps sees that it must remain in check.) (You also need at least one technique)
In Blade Runner, the replicants are described as “more human than human.” The intelligence (is it their intelligence or is it more than this?) that is embodied in the replicants calls into the question of what it means to be human. Deckard as well as the other humans, do not have a firm ground in which distinctly defines them as human – including emotions. This is represented well in Blade Runner in the ambiguity of Deckard’s character, which is questioned by Rachel during her Voigt-Kampff test; ‘did you ever take that test yourself?’. Pris uses a Cartesian epigram, ‘I think, therefore I am’, that alludes to her self-awareness; a key philosophical element that defines sentient Nature and the human existence on a metaphysical plane, is now being mirrored by artificial intelligence. Scott’s concern of this loss of humanity stems from many contextual links of his time that concerned the development of genetics and bioengineering, including the growing curiosity of artificial intelligence. Whilst Shelley is unclear on the creation of the monster, existing in only her imagination (exemplifying the influence of Romanticism), Scott is able to clearly outline the creation of his replicants due to the availability of the technology of his time. As William Blake once said, “What is now proved was only once imagined.” (how is this linked to your argument) (very well written and interesting though!)
Contrastingly between the two texts, Nature serves as a connection between the depths of fear of technological development, as well as the ‘home’ for humanity. Mary Shelley lived among the practitioners of the Romantic concepts and used many of these principles in her novel Frankenstein. Romanticism was concerned with Nature, human feelings, compassion for mankind, as well as the fear of rapid advancement. Her context in technological advancement was not as developed as Scott’s context. Nature is very prominent and significant in Frankenstein, reflecting the lesser industrialisation present in Shelley’s time as well as articulating the Romantic style that evokes Nature. Victor finds great consolation and connection in the Nature stating that the “sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable receiving.” Collectively, it is only shown in Frankenstein that Victor is the sole person who has lost his humanity, juxtaposed amongst the vastness of the Nature that serves as a symbol of humanity’s degradation. (technique)
In the opening scenes of Blade Runner, the degradation of the metropolis Los Angeles is revealed. Riddled and darkened with pollution and over-population, smoke stacks are seen heaving enormous fireballs into the atmosphere which in turn responds with violent and unstable strikes of lightning. Nature on earth, the traditional home of humanity, has turned into a hostile place and does not hold any comfort for human population. The world has completely transformed into a commodified Nature, produced through scientific endeavours, highlighting the growing fear of Scott’s context – overpopulation and unscrupulous pursuit of industrialisation at the expense of Nature. Pollution and Global Warming are becoming real concerns in the 1980s, as well as the sustainability for human’s to continue to populate and live on Earth. Earth can no longer be identified as a spiritual home for humanity, thereby humanity losing belonging to a home and becoming an alien presence in an increasingly unnatural world. Effectively shown by frequent high angle panning shots looking down on urban decay, the cinematic style is of pervading darkness, creating a dreary and repelling atmosphere.
Retribution and atonement are two significant factors in humanity meddling with science. As cautionary texts, Frankenstein and Blade Runner highlight the consequences that the composers were concerned with. Having witnessed the animation of a corpse via Galvanism, Shelley’s character Victor creates and subsequently abandons his creation, accentuating her concern of unsupervised advancements of science and the possibility of horrific results and abandonment whereby the ensuing consequences leads to retribution. Many scientists of Shelley’s time were starting projects and often abandoning them without thought of outcomes. (can you be more specific?)The monster’s retribution in Victor’s family and friends serves as the atonement of Victor’s sins of science. Shelley greatly emphasises the ultimate sacrifices as a deep warning of her concerns of science.
Similarly in Blade Runner, the replicants seek revenge on Tyrell as well as humanity, atoning for developing at unsustainable rates. Unlike Frankenstein where the idea of development was in initial stages, the replicants seek retribution on all of humanity for meddling with science as well as corrupted growth and development. This reflects the growing concern of Scott’s time of unsustainable rates of growth and development. Society and humanity has just started to actively take part in demoting fast rates of development and growth at the knowledge of the subsequent consequences.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner present possible realities from the composer’s observations in their own worlds and times. Their social, cultural and historical contexts influence their portrayals of similar concerns of humanity alongside science and development, acting as cautionary texts of the possible path of severance with the natural order as well as consequences of unchecked explorations of rapid development.
This is very well expressed and engaging! What’s needed is a bit of work on structure to make your argument clearer and consistent use of techniques. I think you also need to be more specific in your context. Read more...
Notes from Class
Sorry guys,
I've saved the overheads I made up on the school's computers so can't post them today. Will post them tomorrow for sure.
I will post some other stuff for you though. Read more...
I've saved the overheads I made up on the school's computers so can't post them today. Will post them tomorrow for sure.
I will post some other stuff for you though. Read more...
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