Obtuse Meaning in the Godfather free essay sample

In Roland Barthes’ essay, â€Å"The Third Meaning,† he posits two levels of meaning in a film or photographic image: the first is the simple or informational level which simply tells you everything you can learn from the setting, the costumes, the characters, their relations and so forth; and the second is the symbolic level, which shows you the connotations inside an image. The example he gives is a still from a film by Eisenstein Ivan the Terrible. In the picture, two courtiers are raining down gold over the young Czar’s head. Barthes finds in the image not only the two obvious levels of meaning but also a third level of meaning, which he calls obtuse. It goes beyond the information of the scene and the communication of the scene into something complex and difficult to determine. Barthes calls this the obtuse meaning as opposed to the obvious meanings, which are simple or symbolic. We will write a custom essay sample on Obtuse Meaning in the Godfather or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"OBTUSUS means that which is blunted rounded in form. Are not the traits which I indicated (the make-up, the whiteness, the wig) just like the blunting of a meaning too clear, too violent? Do they not give the obvious signified a kind of difficultly prehensible roundness? † The Third Meaning, Research Notes on some Eisenstein Stills, R. Barthes In his second attempt to make clear his analysis, Barthes returns to the idea of the obvious meaning and uses example from another Eisenstein film, The Battleship Potemkin. In those images we see an old woman with a closed, upturned fist, which signifies her determination to participate in the revolution. Then he shows another image from the same film of two women with their hands over their mouths stifling a sob. What Barthes says is that this doesn’t distract from but accentuates the symbolic meaning, but then he shows another image of the old woman seeming to express something else, an obtuse meaning, something difficult to define, something that eludes obvious analysis. He says that this obtuse meaning has something to do with disguise and lack of intentionality. Things seem to be expressed even beyond what the person intends by their gestures. He even compares the two stills of the same old woman, the one where the image obviously signifies grief, the other here something more complex is communicated: â€Å"I quickly convinced myself that, although perfect, it was neither the facial expression nor the gestural figuration of grief (the closed eyelids, the taut mouth, the hand clasped on the breast): all that belongs to the full signification, to the obvious meaning of the image, to Eisensteinian realism and decorativism. I felt that the penetrating trait- disturbing like a guest who obstinately sits on saying nothing when one has no use for him- must be situated somewhere in the region of the forehead: the coif, the headscarf holding in the air, had something to do with it. (R. Barthes) In the next image, the obtuse meaning vanishes leaving only the communication of grief. I would like to look at some examples of The Third Meaning in the work of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone and Al Pacino as his successor in â€Å"The Godfather†. From the beginning Brando is shrouded in darkness, we see him from behind and before him is a supplicant who comes to ask for a favor. The obvious meaning is the information in the scene the father’s outrage at his daughter’s violation, his hesitancy in approaching the Godfather and so forth. The symbolic meaning is in the fact that the supplicant is the lower or lesser party and the Godfather is the king, they are symbolically separated. There is a third meaning almost immediately in the film indicated by the way Brando is seen gesturing in response to the supplicant’s request. Which makes us immediately wonder why he is so reluctant. We learn later in the movie, that Brando’s entire role as the Godfather fills him with deeply ambivalent, deeply ambiguous and complicated feelings. He would like to be a true American, to do legitimate business, instead he is the head of a Sicilian crime family, forced to wait for respect from people who secretly don’t give it to him, who think him no more than a glorified thug. His gestures in the scene, his slight wave of the hand, his proud demeanor, his pain that after a long life he is still regarded as no more than a common criminal -all of these ambiguities are communicated elusively. They are present in Brando’s response to the situations in which he finds himself. The supplicant has come on the day of Don Corleone’s daughter’s wedding asking him to act like a dog. Instead of throwing him out, he puts the man through a deliberate charade of making him say the right words to respect him. In all the time we cannot but feel that there is something going on in Brando’s consciousness as the Don, which is deeply troubling to him. So we watch the movie from then on, with these three levels of meaning already defined, the simple or informational level in the story, the symbolic level with the supplicant kissing the Don’s hand, and the third meaning or obtuse meaning being what is elusive in Brando’s performance that we can’t yet put a finger on. The film then cuts to the wedding, which all takes place at levels one and two, but we as an audience now know that there are depths to this film and to Brando’s performance that we are going to look out for. Another example of the third meaning happens after Brando has been shot by the rival gang, and he’s informed for the first time about who killed the men who did it. When he’s told that it’s Michael, a look of great pain surfaces on his face, and we understand that he wants to protect his youngest son from the life of crime which has consumed all the other members of his family. The scene is enormously powerful, because Brando has been shot and because we know that Michael has made the fateful decision to be the one who carries out his revenge on behalf of his father. While we think this is a perfectly normal reaction of a son to want to avenge his father’s attempted murder, we are plunged into the same complexities as at the beginning of the film, which is: can Michael stay out of the criminal world and live a normal American life and marry Kay? The third meaning doesn’t inform or symbolize it discloses; it reveals what is going on inside the character, almost in spite of the character’s intentionality. The emotional power of the Godfather, lies in the fact that underlying currents are at play that are deeper than the informational or symbolic levels at which so much of the reality seems to occur. This ambiguity is very clearly brought out in the scenes in Sicily when Michael (Al Pacino) begins to experience what his future life holds for him as a gangster on the run. He’s in Sicily in the Corleone village protected by local peasants, far from the reality he’s known in New York. He meets a beautiful girl and experiences a â€Å"coup de foudre†, they fall in love just by looking at each other, almost immediately Michael has to explain himself to the girl’s father which he does convincingly and instinctively by telling the father in no uncertain terms, that he wants to marry the daughter even before he had spoken to her/ marriages were arranged by men in this patriarchal structure. Michael’s declaration of intent satisfies the father, surprises Michael’s companions and perhaps Michael himself and he endears himself to the family. All of this emotional drama takes place at the informational and symbolic level, the meanings are obvious, Michael is going to marry somebody who symbolizes innocence and purity. We see that in their pre-nuptial encounters and at the wedding, but something very interesting happens during their first sexual intimacies. Michael, in spite of himself is in awe of the girl’s beauty, sensuality and voluptuousness, we feel that Michael treasures his new bride and is straining in himself for the same purity of behavior as she is showing. We also know that Michael has a girlfriend back in New York, we’ve seen him with Kay Christmas shopping, we’ve seen Kay being invited in the family portrait at his sister’s wedding. So the questions that crosses our minds are, is Michael being unfaithful, or is he following some innocent, idyllic romance that is doomed? All of Al Pacino’s gestures at this point of the film are close to the third meaning, is he disguising something about himself, some bad corrupt side to himself, can he really ever be as pure as the girl? In Pacino’s expressions, all of this ambiguity comes out. Finally in the film the third meaning is expressed most convincingly in Brando’s death, we see him playing with a little boy in the garden, trying to be like any other grand-father, a kindly benign old man, and then he clutches his heart and has a heart attack. In the moments leading up to his death, his gestures are all of disguise, in fact he’s a corrupt criminal but in the scene he’s playing a gentle loving grand fatherly figure, straining for redemption by acting normally. Brando’s performance like Pacino’s goes way beyond the symbolic and informational levels into a level of disguise that presents the character in all its complexity. To conclude in the words of Barthes, the third meaning structures a film differently, without subverting the story. The level of the third meaning, that the filmic finally emerges: â€Å" The filmic is that in the film which cannot be described, the representation which cannot be represented. The filmic begins only where language and metalanguage end. – The third meaning theoretically locatable but not describable – can now be seen as the passage from language to signifiance and the founding act of the filmic itself.

Importance of motivation

Importance of motivation Introduction Psychologists’ view on origin of motivation The complexity of motivation due to unpredictability and fluctuation from one individual to another and at different times has led to various theories being postulated to explain its causes. However, these psychologists agree that in way or another motivation is influenced by both biological and external factors.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of motivation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Theories on motivation Goal-setting theory Postulates that some individuals are driven to success by the goals they set. The success is measured by reaching the desired definite end. Such people set specific goals which are moderate in nature. The goals have close proximity and limited security of success. Moderate goals limit the chances of quitting or becoming complacence which are characteristics of tough or easily-achieved goals. Thus, such goals genera te optimal drive to success. Setting of goals is only possible because human beings have self determination to succeed. This is what is postulated by the self-determination theory which explains what drives human beings to achieve. This theory opines that humans are inherently driven to grow and develop and hence our source of motivation inborn. However, these inherent motivators are activated by external factors. This primary innate needs include; the need to control the events of our lives in order to feel connected to others and be competent in our skills. Thus, since we are able to control these primary inherent needs by controlling our thoughts and conscious, we can channel them towards striving for excellence. We are able to control our desires for success, and feelings of pleasure and acceptance. The Need Hierarchy theory This theory states that human beings are only driven to success by those needs which they have not satisfied. Have complex needs, we satisfy our needs from bottom up with those on the higher levels satisfied first. As one moves up the hierarchy of needs, the drive to achieve increases. Thus, the drive that an individual has for quenching his thirst or filling an empty stomach is lower compared to that of achieving his full potential or self actualization which is the highest level of need.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Incentive theory This theory incorporates various aspects of the other theories and proposes that human beings are driven by incentives. These incentives can both be intrinsic or extrinsic and bring satisfaction in the form of physical rewards, pleasure and acceptance. Even though the rewards of pleasure and acceptance are intrinsic, their achievement is usually activated by external stimuli. However, it has to be noted that external and internal stimuli sometimes work antagonistically. Continued usage of external stimuli as a source of motivation may eventually replace the innate drive to succeed. Such external stimuli become part us and may even turn into ‘innate’ stimuli. Since our autonomy is very important, usage of external stimuli should limited less they replace our intrinsic stimuli. Self-efficacy and self-esteem as motivators Self evaluation of capabilities and comparing it with the task at hand is a source of intrinsic stimuli which can drive us to success despite the challenges. High levels of self-efficacy will lead to high levels of motivation and vice versa. This is because it only by believing in ourselves that we can take on challenges. The motivation resulting from self-esteem or feeling good about one’s self is not strong enough to enable us complete a goal despite the challenges. Ego and goal-orientation are also internal stimuli which can provide incentives which can motivate us. Conclusion Motivation plays a critical role in our daily lives i ncluding planning our goals in life. Hence, more evidence based research should be done on it. The research studies should include such areas as religion. Moreover, the motivation factors and psychology of athletes who use high performance drugs should also be studied.

Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components Essay

Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components model for family-run Thai restaurants in London - Essay Example The latter trend has borne business ventures’ interest in fostering consumer loyalty, which is synonymous with consumer adherence to an establishment’s products and services, as opposed to shifting to alternative suppliers. Further, adoption of consumer loyalty has seen firms shift from the traditional marketing model that primarily targeted broadening of their consumer bases and enhancing profitability through increased sales volumes, toward marketing for loyalty. The widespread inclination is evident from the increasing number of companies that are opting to formulate, implement, assess and improve loyalty strategies or programmes meant to develop stable relations with customers. This paper seeks to provide insight into how the three commitment component model can be used to formulate loyalty programmes and consequently foster consumers’ loyalty to a family-run Thai restaurant based in London. Customer loyalty will enable the Thai restaurant to attain higher ef ficiency by streamlining operation strategies, providing customers’ with favorite meals or services, and incurring lower expenditure, while using three commitment component model-based programmes. Conventionally, firms utilized a loyalty strategy that sought to attract numerous customers, but not to retain them in the long run. An excellent example of a traditional loyalty model is the behavioural approach, whereby firms take advantage of customers’ buying propensities to build a loyalty program. This translates to creation of slow point redemption of points or rewards by a customer after they use the establishment’s products or services for a while. Contrastingly, the three commitment component model encompasses three principal loyalty elements, that is, the affective, normative and continuance. The affective aspect represents elements that bind consumers willingly to a service provider. The

Influence of Stakeholders on Encouraging Responsible Business Essay - 1

Influence of Stakeholders on Encouraging Responsible Business Practices - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in the business world, stakeholders constitute of any group or an individual who has an effect or can be affected by the achievement of the business objectives. They include managers, business corporates, shareholders, corporation and the entire business management. These stakeholders play a critical role in promoting responsible business practices by instituting legitimate business ethics. Business practices range from social to economic perspectives. For most businesses, there are values, responsibilities and sustainability issues that are under consideration. As a result of these factors, business management comes up with a variety of ways to ensure responsible business practices as seen in the research study by Olson. The business world has come under criticism that it is to blame for global warming, carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, and pollution. To prove the critics wrong, Cohen states that the stakeholders have begun a f ight to reduce global warming and carbon emissions. The green movement has come in to promote the growth of trees. It also helps in educating the public in regard to the emission of carbons. The stakeholders meet annually in Rio de Janeiro for the earth summit. Worldwide campaigns regarding proper business ethics are underway to ensure that businesses reduce pollution and global warming. Apart from the green movement, the stakeholders have stipulated strict rules within their businesses to ensure that there is proper waste disposal. The stakeholders came together in 1997 to sign the Kyoto protocol so as to control the rate of waste disposal as stated in the research study by Kotler & Lee. Stakeholders are now forming various groups to promote responsible business practices. Such corporate groups include the WWF, Friends of the Earth, the Greenpeace as well as the Green Party. These groups play a considerable role in ensuring that business entities protect the environment and consequ ently lead to responsible business practices.

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay Example for Free

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay Trfles’ By Susan Glaspell I believe had several small defining moments leading to the one larger defining moment, which brings together all of them together. The defining moment is the discovery of the dead bird hidden in the pretty red box, this leads back to smaller points such as her sewing and the bird cage. â€Å" Here’s some red. I expect this has got sewing things in it. (Brings out a fancy box.) What a pretty box. Looks like something somebody would give you. Maybe her scissors are in here. (Opens box. Suddenly puts her hand to her nose.) Why—(Mrs. Peters bends nearer, then turns her face away.) There’s something wrapped up in this piece of silk.† â€Å"It’s the bird† † (Glaspell, 2011, p. 144), I believe that the two main characters in this play are Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife. At first is seems they are part of the background story, that they are there but not part of the main action. When the ladies first sit down in the kitchen they are uneasy about being there and how the situation is making them uncomfortable. They feel as if they are judging Mrs. Wright about her house and the way things are. As the ladies discuss her situation they begin to speculate on her guilt. Initially they don’t consider Mrs. Wright as having the personality or ability to commit the crime she has been arrested for. However, as the story continues, signs begin emerging that point to the possibility of her guilt, yet they still are in disbelief. When the author introduces the quilting, it is easy to assume a mental picture of a woman under stress using it to calm her. Once the ladies find the bird cage, at first consideration, as certainly the author intended, is â€Å"what happened to the bird? Did a cat get it? Did it get ill? What could have happened?† Then, given new information about the door to the cage is broken, as if someone yanked it open. It still could have been a cat trying to get at the bird, but then Mrs. Wright didn’t like cats, so that possibility is out. The ladies begin discussing Mr. Wright and how he was a hard man to be around. Here the author begins to give readers more background story of the couple, and plants seeds for reasons to take sides with Mrs. Wright. They describe him as a good man in the way that he didn’t drink and paid his debts but was a hard man to be around, and how she was different before she became Mrs. Wright. Comparing her to a songbird, how she liked to sing and be involved in town things like church, giving her a likeable personality prior to her marriage. As they talk and pass time they are looking for her sewing things to take her so she can pass the time, they discover a pretty red box in with her quilting patches. Thinking it is a box for her scissors, they instead find the dead bird. Not just dead but someone has wrung its neck, a violent end to a tiny life. Mrs. Hale knows that Mrs. Wright was going to bury the bird in the pretty box and begins to think about the bird and how the bird would have kept her company and the beauty of its singing. Their thoughts turn to Mr. Wright and how he would have hated the birds’ singing because he killed Mrs. Wright’s singing. Mrs. Peters recounts a story of when she was a child and had a cat that was killed in front of her and how it could have, would have, hurt the person that killed her cat. At this point both ladies begin to understand a little more of what happened in the house and why. What do they do though, the men are looking for evidence. Mrs. Peters says â€Å"It was an awful thing was done in this house that night, Mrs. Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him† (Glaspell, 2011, p. 145), and as she says this Mrs. Hale compares the similarities between the bird and Mr. Wright’s deaths. Mrs. Peters reiterates that they don’t know who killed Mr. Wright. As the women sit and talk they begin to think about what it would have been like for Mrs. Wright to have that little bird to sing to her and then have silence again. Mrs. Peters relates to Mrs. Wright’s situation by sharing her story of having lost a child before, knowing the silence or sadness that comes with a loss like that. Mrs. Hale begins to blame herself for not being a better friend and seeing what was going on, And how she could have been a better neighbor she might have been able to change things. Knowing that they should be blaming themselves for what happened there. Mrs. Peter’s comments on what the men would think if they could hear them getting carried away with a dead canary the way they are and how absurd they must sound. But would they find it as absurd as they think or would it be the evidence they are looking for? As the men come back downstairs Mrs. Hale decides to try and hide the dead bird but it won’t fit in her pocket, at the last second Mrs. Peters puts it in her purse and hides it from the sheriff and attorney that enter the room. With this action, readers are lead to believe that the women have decided that Mrs. Wright in fact did kill her husband while he slept, and that they sympathize with her. Perhaps they haven’t been in the same situation but in a way they empathize with her hopelessness and sadness, and stand unified to protect her. It is interesting that the women find evidence in the case as where the men are looking and can’t seem to come up with anything, to serve as a motive. Another example of how women were perceived in this story is how instead of asking the opinion of the women or if they found anything all they ask is if the women decided if she was going to quilt-it or knot-it. â€Å"Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt i t or knot it?† (Glaspell, 2011, p. 144) Reference: Glaspell, S. (2011). Trifles. In D.L. Pike and A.M. Acosta (Eds.) Literature: A world of writing stories, poems, plays, and essays [VitalSource digital version] (pp. 139-145). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions. Acosta, David L. Pike and Ana (). Literature: A World of Writing Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays VitalSource eBook for Education Management Corporation [1] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9780558711825/S1.4/54

Stonehenge :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stonehenge, located in England has been a wonder of the world for years and years to come. Its mystery is baffling and can be seen as inconceivable. For over 5,000 years it has stood silently in its current position. It has been excavated, x-rayed, measured, and surveyed. Even though so much has been discovered about this wonder, such as its age and the way it was constructed, its real purpose still remains a mystery. No other place has generated so many theories as to its purpose than the great standing stones of Stonehenge. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The semi nomadic peoples that populated the Salisbury Plain began to build what is now known as Stonehenge around 3500 BC. Originally this stone structure was a circular ditch with 56 holes forming a ring around the perimeter. The first stone place in it was the Heel stone. (www.mysteriousplaces.com) About 200 years later, 80 blocks of blue stone were taken from a quarry nearly 200 miles away in the Prescelly Mountains. (www.mysteriousplaces.com) These stones were stood up forming two circles joined together. At some point in time this original structure of the site was dismantled and the blue stones were moved with in the circle. The gigantic stones were installed at this time also. Some of these stones weigh as much as 26 tons and it is still a mystery as to how a supposed primitive people moved them to a location 200 miles away. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The construction of the site is also a complete mystery. There are carefully carved lintels that are placed on top of upright stone blocks, which are held in place by ball and socket use. The constructions of these have become known as, â€Å"trilithons†. (www.mysteriousplaces.com) The final block added to the site was the alter block, which is a large block of green sandstone from South Wales. It was placed in front of one of the trilithons. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years, each new generation has tended to these monuments. Seeing as nothing last more than a few decades in this day in age, it is completing awing to imagine the fact that a people maintained this structure for almost 2 millennia. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most pondered question of this great Stonehenge is the question of its use. What was it built? Nothing can be certain, but there are definitely well educated theories. For instance, Gerald Hawkins’ theory. He was an astronomer of the 1960’s and he used a computer to provide concrete evidence that Stonehenge was used to observe the heavens.

Imaginary Life-Themes

Malouf's novel is one of deep philosophical themes. The first major theme in an imaginary life is humans' relationship with the natural world. This theme is a central aspect of the novel as it shows the reader how Ovid and the Child's relationship with nature changes their outlooks on life. The closer Ovid becomes with nature the closer he is to achieving inner peace. The same inner peace achieved at the end of the novel when Ovid surrenders himself and becomes one with the world. This is seen through the fact that Ovid becomes immeasurably happy at being the past, present and the future â€Å"It is summer. It is spring. I am immeasurably, unbearably happy. I am three years old. I am sixty. I am six.† This theme is also seen in how inseparable the child is from the natural world and in fact also â€Å"is the natural world†. This is shown in the section of the novel when Ovid is teaching the child how to speak his language. During this time the child also attempts to teach Ovid his language. Ovid finds this as difficult as the child finds learning Ovid's language. Ovid believes that by him â€Å"knowing that it is the sky, that the stars have names and a history† prevents him â€Å"being the sky†. This is due to the fact that Ovid's relationship with the natural world is not yet strong like the child's is. We are shown how crucial the child's relationship with the natural world is through the fact that the child becomes vulnerable and fragile when taken into the settlement in Tomis â€Å"Whatever his secret was I have taken it from him. He is as vulnerable now as anyone of us†¦. He shows himself human at last†. Despite having no dialogue throughout the novel, the function of language is still a central theme of the novel. The relationship between language and perception is highlighted through Ovid's personal descriptions as he believes one cannot view concepts in the same way with different language knowledge. He uses the example of colours to show this on page 25: â€Å"Scarlet. Magic word on the tongue to flash again on the eye. Scarlet†. This describes Ovid's amazement at the feeling evoked from the words. This is also portrayed through Ovid's different perspectives that he describes between the connotations allocated with the abilities of the different languages that he learns. His silent language with the child shows how language can enable one to relate more closely to others and learn from them. Another theme in this novel that helps to describe who the child is is the ‘destiny of the individual.' Throughout the novel Malouf emphasizes that one always has an idea of their destiny. This is illustrated by Ovid's realization that his destiny is lost with the child. Several times Ovid's dreams do in fact unravel themselves in the real world. An example is how he dreams of catching the boy and then later persuades Ryzak the chief to capture him. Another instance where this theory takes effect is in Ovid's dream of going travelling past all â€Å"boundaries† of this world. He later achieves this feet when he is taken across the river Ister by the child. On page 151 Ovid describes the river Ister as his destiny awaiting: â€Å"It remained, shifting its tides, freezing each season, cracking up, flowing again, whispering to me: I am the border beyond which you must go if you are to find your true life, your true death at last.†