Stranger than fiction Essay Example for Free

Stranger than fiction Essay In the film ‘Stranger than fiction’ by Mark Fortster, the director portrays the issue of time and how it has affected the protagonist who is Harold Crick. Harold Crick is an IRS agent who lives a ‘life of solitude’ and monotony. Harold Crick lives a calculated life timed to perfection by his wrist watch. This lasted for 12 years until one regular Wednesday when he hears the voice of Karen Eiffel narrating his life. The issue of time pays such a vital role in stranger than fiction and is shown right at the start of the film but is most notably noticed when his wrist watch shuts down and leads to his ‘imminent death’. During the opening scene of the film we are introduced to Harold Crick who is described as a man of ‘infinite numbers’ and ‘endless calculations’ but also shows the importance of time. The director uses an extreme wide shot of earth zooming onto Harold’s wrist watch to portray the idea of the issue of time. The opening scene sets the scene throughout the movie. The significance of the extreme wide shot zooming onto Harold’s wrist watch is that it acts as Harold’s companion and is seen as his way to make the most out of his time. This shows how the issue of time is affecting Harold’s life even though he doesn’t know it his mundane lifestyle is only breached when the announces in a 3rd person omniscience view that his ‘seeming innocuous decision would lead to his imminent death’ when he starts to live his life to the fullest before in time he dies. The wrist watch is a very important motif throughout the movie. The wrist watch is given a persona and quote ‘his wristwatch thought it made his neck look fat but said nothing’. The wristwatch could be seen as Harold’s self-conscious but also portrays the issue of time throughout the movie. This is evident from the start of the film that it is important because of the extreme wide shot zooming onto the watch which suggests this. The watch is portrayed as the issue of time for Harold which he has relied on for 12 years but ironically cause his death. Throughout the film the director uses a narrator to portray Harold Crick’s life in a 3rd person omniscience view. This is important because it gives us an understanding of Harold’s life but also helps Harold leave his mundane lifestyle and live his life by playing guitar and dating Ana Pascal. The narrator, Karen Eiffel is known for killing her main characters so the issue of time. Because of this Harold has to try find Karen Eiffel and try to stop her from killing him. This issue of time helps Harold try new stuff and helps him have a better social life by staying with Dave and dating Ana which helps him find a new man hidden inside of him. The narrator sparks a revival in his life which he does not time every second but lives his life. During the movie ‘Stranger than Fiction’ by Mark Forster the use of extreme wide shots, motifs and a narrator helps to portray the idea of the issue of time. At the end of the movie Karen Eiffel says to Professor Jules Hilbert â€Å"A man that knows he is going to die and dies willingly, isn’t that the kind of man you want to live† shows that the issue of time didn’t shape the man, the man shaped the issue of time. The Book Thief During the novel ‘The Book Thief ‘by Markus Zusak, the Author portrays the power of words through a 10 year old girl. This girl is Leisel Meiminger a girl living in Nazi Germany who has a love of words. Leisel saw a lot as a 10 year old. She saw her brother die right I front of her, her mother abandoned her and she fell in love with words and learnt the power of words. That year she also met her foster parents Hans and Rosa Huberman. For Leisel her next 4 years are the most important of her life where she reads 14 books, her family hides a Jew and Molching, Germany gets bombed. Leisel as she gets older use words for good and bad. During her first months on Himmel Street her papa taught her how to read and write. These midnight lessons helped her to understand words. The words that she first fell in love with were the words of the fuhrer. This is shown during Leisel’s dream on the train quote â€Å"She was listening contentedly to the torrent of words that as spilling from his mouth. His sentences glowed in the light†. This dream shows how positively she views the fuhrer and shows how he had miss used words by using propaganda and now Leisel was in favor of Hitler. As Leisel matures she learns how Hitler had misused the power of words and she announces ‘’ I hate Hitler’’ this quote shows how her opinion has changed. During the bombings in 1943 Leisel learns how words can be used to calm others down. Whilst in the bomb shelter she reads her books which consequently calms everyone down which make them forget they are getting bombed. Even though she uses words for good she also uses them for bad. Her mama 2, Rosa Huberman to makes ends meet she does the washing and ironing for the rich people living in Molching. Whilst delivering and picking up washing she falls in love with the mayor’s wife’s library here she reads. This is not a relationship based on speaking it is a relationship based on words. On the day there last washing and ironing client fired them (The mayor) Leisel fires a torrent of words at the mayor’s wife â€Å"It’s about time†¦ that you do your own stinking washing anyway. It’s about time you faced the fact that your son is dead. He got killed† These words shows that even good people can misuse the power of words. Even though she did use them poorly she helped Ilsa Hermann sort her life out and get over the death of her son. The ideas of the power of words portrayed by Markus Zusak is still important today because they can still hurt people or heal people. Today people use words to gain power over people. Some are for good like the pope or your school principle but some are for bad like Mussolini or Hitler. Words are as powerful now as they were then but people now have more words and more ways of distributing there evil ways with words but in society there are still people like Leisel doing good with words. In the Novel ‘’The Book Thief’’ the author Markus Zusak portrays the idea of the power of words through a 10 year old girl living Nazi Germany named Leisel Meiminger. Leisel learns that words can be used for good and evil. She says â€Å"I have loved words and I have hated them but I hope I have made them right†

What role does the landscape play in contributing to three Australian E

In this essay I will consider the roles of city and country in three short stories; Water Them Geraniums by Henry Lawson, Short-Shift Saturday by Gavin Casey, and Trees Can Speak by Alan Marshall. I will argue through contributing to character development, they provide insight into the construction of contempory Australian identity. In Water Them Geraniums the outback is shown to be an emasculating force, particularly for women, that strips away their humanity until they function in a mechanical way to survive off the land. In Short-Shift Saturday the narrator is a product of an inherited colonial culture and imagines that it is the alien landscape and culture in which he lives that is the agent of his suffering. In reality, the countryside is used as a device to allow pathetic fallacy, reflecting the emotional state of the main protagonist. In Trees Can Speak the main character is the personification of the land and demonstrates the desirable state of being in harmony with the bush . I will put forward that across these three stories, the relationship between the characters and their environment is used to chart a period of progression from English myths and ideals onto the emergence of an Australian identity. At the start of Water Them Geraniums, Joe Wilson and his wife Mary are in the process of moving out to land near Lahey’s Creek, where they intend to take up a selection. The path they are riding along is ‘a dreary, hopeless track’ with ‘no horizon’ and ‘gnarled and stunted trees in every direction ’.This track is a metaphor for the path their life together has taken. It is ‘the dry season’ of their marriage. The couple have ‘got out of the habit of talking to each other’ and no longer have any plans for the future. Something that is emphasized as important to characters who live in the bush and stay sane, is having something to look forward to. As Joe says: Shepherds and boundary riders, who are alone for months, must have their periodical spree, at the nearest shanty, else they’d go raving mad†¦the yearly or half-yearly spree is the only thing they’ve got to look forward to: it keeps their minds fixed on something definite ahead. The fact that the horizon Joe and Mary are riding toward has nothing on it, is a bad omen for their mental, emotional and physical health. It indicates that it is the lack of anything to look forward to in the ‘changeles... ...interaction with others according to social convention whilst their husbands do not. They are also disgusted by displays of uncouth behaviour. In both stories the countryside is viewed in opposition to the city and is seen as isolated, a place where people are distanced from civilisation and therefore, â€Å"no place for a woman†. Both Henry Lawson and Gavin Casey conclude that, if they have lived anywhere else, they react badly to a domain where the physical ability to survive on the land is the primary requirement of settlers, or a place without the culture they had been used to. The countryside is a place where what was needed for eking out an existence from natural resources were male traits, and therefore men played a pivotal role in forging the Australian way of life and in making it distinct from European traditions. The male characters in all the stories have a strong connection to the land. Whether the land nurtures or thwarts them, their experience of working on it leads them to respect it. The land is therefore instrumental in building a common sense of empathy among men and in dividing them from women, as the two sexes are removed from each other’s experience and concerns.

 How Does Eating Healthy Affect Your Life? Essay

You already know healthy eating can have a positive impact on your life, but just how far do these benefits extend? Evidence suggests regularly eating healthy, well-balanced meals contributes to sustained weight maintenance, a better mood, increased energy levels, positive inspiration to others and the potential for a heightened quality of life. Weight Maintenance Following a healthy eating plan — one which emphasizes many fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins, as well as low levels of saturated and trans fats and low cholesterol, sodium and sugar — contributes to weight maintenance. Staying within your recommended daily calorie intake and eating moderately sized meals also helps you maintain a healthy weight throughout your life. A healthy weight is linked to a reduced risk of many debilitating, chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as improved self-esteem and mental state. Maintaining a healthy weight is also linked to a lower incidence of depression, meaning healthy eating can help significantly improve the quality of your life. Mood Healthy eating can have a positive impact on your life by leading to a more sustained elevated mood. According to Susan Biali, M.D., in â€Å"Psychology Today,† a healthy lifestyle — including a regular, healthy breakfast, balancing your lean protein consumption with whole-grain carbohydrates, getting enough folate and omega-3 fatty acids and cutting back on alcohol and simple sugars — has been linked to an improved mood and may even help alleviate depression. Carbohydrates allow the amino acid tryptophan to enter the brain where it produces serotonin — the mood-enhancing neurotransmitter, but whole-grain carbohydrates produce a more lasting effect on mood, while carbohydrates made with refined grains, like white bread, cause a quick crash. Energy Eating the right nutritive foods can also boost your energy levels, making you prepared to face each day. Sports nutritionist Rebecca Scritchfield  noted in â€Å"Washington Running Report† in 2009 that adequate levels of the mineral iron, which carries oxygen throughout the body, contribute to sufficient energy levels. Healthy, leafy greens, like spinach, are rich sources of iron. â€Å"Arthritis Today† recommends steering clear of fattening, fried foods — which give you a quick burst of energy but leave you feeling depleted soon thereafter — and stocking up on healthy snacks like nuts, fruit, yogurt and low-fat cheese for an energy boost. Drinking enough water and only consuming moderate amounts of caffeine and sugar also help regulate your energy levels. Inspiring Others Eating healthy doesn’t just directly impact your own life, it can help inspire those around you as well. Healthy eating, and even weight loss, is contagious, according to the â€Å"International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity,† and you can help the people you care about take care of themselves and achieve greater longevity. While eating better and maintaining your own weight, you can feel confident you have not only worked to improve your life, but also improved the lives of your loved ones. When the people around you — be they friends or family — are happy and positive, this contributes to a better quality of life for all. Healthy Eating Why should I make healthy food choices? Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides nutrients to your body. These nutrients give you energy and keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working. Nutrients also help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes, such as blood pressure. Good nutrition can lower your risk of developing a range of chronic diseases. For example, eating more fruit and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and may lower your risk of certain types of cancer (such as colorectal, breast, lung and prostate cancer). Eating less saturated fat may also lower your risk of heart disease. Healthy eating can also help people that already have some types of disease or illness such as diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure. And, of course, improving your eating habits will contribute to you achieving and maintaining a  healthy weight. Try to achieve a balance with the foods you eat and include lots of variety and remember, all things in moderatio n.

Racial Disccrimination in a Raisin in the Sun - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1024 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/01 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: A Raisin in the Sun Essay Did you like this example? Although more solutions have been introduced to solve the ongoing issue of racism, it continues to affect modern society, and has existed as a problem all throughout history. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers, an African American family of five, faces many harsh obstacles such as violent and unjust racism against them. The Youngers are obligated to accept that their way of life will not be as equivalent as those that are white since they conclude that it is honorable to abuse the blacks for doing nothing but attempting to live an equal life. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Racial Disccrimination in a Raisin in the Sun" essay for you Create order Though racism issues have evolved since the play A Raisin in the Sun was written, its relevance still is present in todays world while it additionally is significant to modern society, since people of color were and in some places still, are demonetized because of their race which is a major problem. Racism is materialized in Hansberrys play during the various periods where the Younger family was mistreated and looked down on based on their race. The family then realized that it was not just them who were being treated in an unfair and violent manner, but it was other colored people who were, for example, being forced out of their homes by bombings. A friend of the Youngers, explains to them how risky it is to move into the all white neighborhood they desire to live in. She intensely declares, You mean you aint read bout them colored people that was bombed out their place out there (Hansberry, 100)! People of color were being mistreated, threatened, and forced to live in highly hazar dous neighborhoods. Whites concluded that they were superior over blacks, so they assumed it was legitimate to harm as well as abuse the colored people. An example of this injustice is getting bombed out of their own homes which is extremely unjust and cruel. A racist white man named Linder clearly is attempting to force the Younger family to involuntarily move out of their home, as they are a colored family in an all-white neighborhood when he utters 2 that incidents frequently occur when blacks move into all-white neighborhoods. I am sure you people must be aware of some of the incidents which have happened in various parts of the city when colored people have moved into certain areas (Hansberry, 116). Linder says you people meaning they are not thought as being equal to the so thought superior white race. This is verification that the Youngers are looked down on and not treated equivalently to whites that live in the neighborhood as well. Walter Younger expresses how little he thinks of the race of people upon him and his family. He believes that they are stuck in the middle of a period where blacks have such little rights and are treated so unfairly that they are not able to live their lives to their full potential as a result of their race. Cause we all tied up in a race of people that dont know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies (Hansberry 87)! Walter expresses his feelings recklessly to his family saying things such as people of their race are less privileged and given much fewer opportunities than whites. Not being able to do anything except moan, pray, and have babies, signifies that Walter believes their way of life is not acceptable and is highly inconsiderate. He is implying that while the wealthier and more prosperous people in the community are living their best lives, the lower class citizens such as blacks, are left to struggle and fend for themselves. Racism still lives on in modern society since people are entitled to have their own opinions about the difference between whites and blacks. Nevertheless, that does not hand them the right to be violent and unjust towards the people of color. Even though racism has evolved, that does not mean that the issue is completely solved. As stated by Dr. James Herron of Harvard University, It seems to me theres a great deal of continuity between current discourse and past racial ideology. To put this differently, racism has slightly evolved compared to then because the discussions and issues in modern society are quite similar to former conversations and problems. In addition, most Americans believe that racism is a primary concern in our modern society today. According to a 3 Pew Research Center survey, 8% of Americans say racism is a big problem in our society. Just 12% say racism in the U.S. is a small problem or not a problem. Even though more action has been taken against racism, the maj ority of Americans vocalize that it is a major problem in society today, although very few believe that racism is a small or nonexistent issue. Therefore, racism is still present today, while it also is a crucial issue in modern society. Racism can result in violence, which enrages certain areas of the public. Stories like this, where blacks are harmed for doing almost nothing wrong, confirm the fact that racism is a present trouble in modern society. Christina Caron, a New York Times reporter exposes two white police officers for beating a black man by stating, During the arrest, Mr. Rush was shocked with a Taser, choked and beaten by Officer Hickman, according to police records. The tragic story of a black man who was brutally abused by two white police officers outraged people of the public. The black man, Mr. Rush was accused of jaywalking and was beaten severely for it. Racism is portrayed here as Mr. Rush was certainly not committing a crime that was worth getting mistreated for doing. Therefore, he was being treated unjustly because of his race since both the officers were white, and he was African American. Vile acts of racism, division and discrimination are repugnant to American values and have no place in our society today. Racism absolutely should not be a factor in whether a person is successful in life as America is the land of the free, and opportunities should be available to all, regardless of what they look like or where they originate from.